Has anyone ever had success appealing to AACOMAS?

[DantheManimal]

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I've searched a lot on this thread but haven't found anything. Long story short, I reapplied this year and selected the option to transfer all the same coursework to AACOMAS, but somehow one of my repeated courses from last time doesn't say repeated this time. Thus my cumulative undergraduate GPA fell from 3.06 to 2.99. I emailed AACOMAS, and I'm sure they will respond by reminding me that once it's verified, there is nothing that can be done. My application is identical to last year, only with added volunteering and a new personal statement. I feel screwed honestly, and I'm very worried. So, does anyone know of a time where AACOMAS bent the rules/amended a verified application?

 

[cjcarter]

Yes you can. Call them!! I emailed twice and was told that since I was verified they could not do anything. The original grade of two courses I retook were counted into my GPA even though I knew I zeroed out the original courses per their directions. My cGPA was 3.46 and sGPA was 3.39 at this point and I was so mad! So I decided to call them and figure out wtf was going on. The person I spoke to was very nice and went over my application and had proof that I did zero out the original course so they should not have been counted towards my GPAs. He emailed his boss or someone higher up and they re-verified my app and my GPAs improved to 3.52 cGPA and 3.50 sGPA. He said someone must have just made a mistake while verifying and he was very apologetic. So yes, call them! Explain your situation and hopefully they will fix it like they did for me.


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[DantheManimal]

Yes you can. Call them!! I emailed twice and was told that since I was verified they could not do anything. The original grade of two courses I retook were counted into my GPA even though I knew I zeroed out the original courses per their directions. My cGPA was 3.46 and sGPA was 3.39 at this point and I was so mad! So I decided to call them and figure out wtf was going on. The person I spoke to was very nice and went over my application and had proof that I did zero out the original course so they should not have been counted towards my GPAs. He emailed his boss or someone higher up and they re-verified my app and my GPAs improved to 3.52 cGPA and 3.50 sGPA. He said someone must have just made a mistake while verifying and he was very apologetic. So yes, call them! Explain your situation and hopefully they will fix it like they did for me.


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Awesome. That's exactly what I needed to hear. I am going to call them right now. Thank you!

 

[DantheManimal]

It worked. Wasn't easy, but the guy felt my paid and pulled some strings. Apparently there have been a few new changes in the AACOMAS application system that a LOT of people have had issues with, including reapplicants whose repeats we're locked in despite retaking. My situation was that they made a special rule that prohibits multiple repeats of the same course. This is ONLY true for those who are reapplying. So if you reapply, you can't have 3 or more of the same class, but if it's you're first time applying you can. They said they're changing that rule for next year. Very unfair for this year's reapplicants.

 

[cjcarter]

Wow that sucks. They should have made an announcement about that. But hey, at least he helped you out! I'm glad to hear it.


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[SlugMD]

Oh wow thank you for making this thread. I just looked at my application again and it turns out 2 of my C's were not replaced. I will call them later today.

 

[SlugMD]

So after you get reverified, do all the schools you applied to get the update? Or must I tell them each individually?

 

[SlugMD]

Yes you can. Call them!! I emailed twice and was told that since I was verified they could not do anything. The original grade of two courses I retook were counted into my GPA even though I knew I zeroed out the original courses per their directions. My cGPA was 3.46 and sGPA was 3.39 at this point and I was so mad! So I decided to call them and figure out wtf was going on. The person I spoke to was very nice and went over my application and had proof that I did zero out the original course so they should not have been counted towards my GPAs. He emailed his boss or someone higher up and they re-verified my app and my GPAs improved to 3.52 cGPA and 3.50 sGPA. He said someone must have just made a mistake while verifying and he was very apologetic. So yes, call them! Explain your situation and hopefully they will fix it like they did for me.


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How long did it take them to reverify? Did you have to contact the schools yourself or did they automatically see your increased GPA? I just calculated that I got jipped by .05 overall and .07 science.

 

[cjcarter]

Took them like an hour to reverify. I had to contact each school individually unfortunately.


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[SlugMD]

Took them like an hour to reverify. I had to contact each school individually unfortunately.


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That's good news. I don't mind calling all 28 schools I applied to because the 0.07 science boost would help me a lot.

Also, would you recommend I try to email them or call them straight and ask for a supervisor right away? I got verified July 14th and I just noticed the mistake now. 17/28 have already sent me emails saying they received my application with 13 secondaries pending.

As long as I update everyone before my file is complete for interview decision, I should be fine right?

 

[DantheManimal]

That's good news. I don't mind calling all 28 schools I applied to because the 0.07 science boost would help me a lot.

Also, would you recommend I try to email them or call them straight and ask for a supervisor right away? I got verified July 14th and I just noticed the mistake now. 17/28 have already sent me emails saying they received my application with 13 secondaries pending.

As long as I update everyone before my file is complete for interview decision, I should be fine right?

Emailing is a waste of time. Start the process of complaining over the phone ASAP. Have good arguments such as what is "fair" and be respectful. If they feel for you, then they will pull some strings. Nothing is guaranteed though, so don't expect anything. They will certainly tell you that if they help you it's unfair to the other students, but be persistent.

 

[SlugMD]

I understand, I actually just got reverified with both grades fixed.

 

[T-ara]

AACOMAS needs to stop messing around with their application system. Every year I read about problems with a new feature they added.

AMCAS looks like it was coded in the 90s but it's a well oiled machine at this point. Don't fix what ain't broke.

 

[SlugMD]

Emailing is a waste of time. Start the process of complaining over the phone ASAP. Have good arguments such as what is "fair" and be respectful. If they feel for you, then they will pull some strings. Nothing is guaranteed though, so don't expect anything. They will certainly tell you that if they help you it's unfair to the other students, but be persistent.

Just an update for everyone, I called almost everyone of the 28 medical schools I applied to and 20 have updated/confirmed my new AACOMAS GPA. A few asked me to email them but overall I am glad that they were understanding. For the rest of my schools, I left voicemails so I am awaiting their reply.

Overall, I am very happy this issue was resolved so quickly.