Extend a year?

[Afterschoolbeat]

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Hello everyone, I'm in a dilemma on whether I should technically extend a year.

I'm graduating this spring 2010 with a biological science degree. My stats are as follows:

GPA: 3.5
SGPA: 3.42
DAT: 24/24/25

My goals are to get into UCSF/UCLA and maybe give me a shot at harvard. I was thinking of extending the summer and taking 24 units over the summer through my school and community college.

If I get all A's in those courses then my GPA will boost up to

GPA: 3.6
SGPA: 3.45
DAT: 24/24/25.

Either way- Im done by the end of summer 2010, and then fall 2010, spring 2011 is left for working/traveling.

Is it worth overloading and kicking myself in the butt for the the minor boost? Or should I spend my time doing something more constructive like volunteer work/shadowing?

 

[chucktownprednt]

well, i'm not familiar with the stats for any of the schools you are interested in, so i can't really comment on your gpa needs. however, your DAT stats look awesome which will probably boost your status no matter what. what you should think about is if taking an extra 24 hours to try to raise a gpa by 0.1 is worth it. personally, i don't think so (especially with your DATs). and what happens if you don't get A's in everything? it's pretty risky. i would suggest doing more shadowing and vol. good luck.

 

[Predoctalk]

Definitely not worth the minor boost. There are so many other parts of you application that can make you stand out. I would think that improving areas such as research, community service, and shadowing will be more "attention grabbing" than barely boosting your already acceptable gpa. You will be fine in the admissions process.

 

[doc toothache]

I was thinking of extending the summer and taking 24 units over the summer through my school and community college. If I get all A's in those courses then my GPA will boost up to..

You may have a hard time taking the bite let alone chew.

 

[sfrice80]

I dont know if its really worth that extra boost, your DAT's are killer and I think Harvard might be a stretch with or without your summer classes when it comes to the GPA. I think you have a pretty good chance at UCSF and I would think you would get in for an interview at UCLA but nothing is guaranteed. If you really want to put in the extra work, do it, but it barely affects your sGPA but it does help your cGPA, 3.6 is definitely better than a 3.5. If it were me, I would call it a day after the spring semester.

 

[Badgerfaithful]

I pretty much agree with whats been said. Based on the improvement of your sGPA, it sounds like most of them aren't Science classes, so I don't think there would be much point.

I have a similar GPA, except my sGPA is a little higher, and practically the same DAT scores. I got interviews at UCLA and UCSF, and was accepted to UCLA (haven't heard back from my recent UCSF interview). You're in pretty good shape for those two schools, though I don't know what state you're a resident of. I don't know about Harvard, but your GPA is a little low..again, I don't know the rest of your application.

 

[305602]

+1 to what everyone else has said
Boost to GPA would be minimal and all the time that would be allocated to those summer school classes could be used more effectively if devoted to EC's like shadowing or gaining professional experience.
Otherwise congratulations on those superb DAT scores. I think most schools would have to view your application as a quite competitive

 

[Afterschoolbeat]

Oooo very enlightening responses. Thanks guys! I was seriously considering doing an enormous amount of easy-medium classes to raise my chances- but I guess Sgpa is what really matters.

I'll just stick with what I have. Thanks!

 

[PaulieGualtieri]

Do not take those extra classes. A lot of stress and pressure for almost nothing. Relax you have a good gpa and a phenom DAT. Nice job