Is there a way for me to...

[neuro1986]

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submit my transcripts to see how AMCAS's calculates my GPA without actually applying this cycle? I mean, I don't mind paying the application money and doing the procedural things that I need to do...the only thing is, I will not have an MCAT score to submit. Would they verify my transcripts and calculate my GPA without my MCAT score? If so, would I have to pick a med school to apply to (maybe one I am not interested in attending)? I am unsure of how my WF is going to be treated and I have heard conflicting feedback...and I am finding the uncertainty to be quite disconcerting and I would really really really like to receive a decisive answer to this question. Having AMCAS calculate my GPA this cycle would offer this confirmation and would be a huge relief over the next 2 years.

 

[Mattabet]

You'd pay $160 to get your GPA calculated?

I'll do it for half that, send your transcript 🙂

More seriously though, if you're not sure about a particular class:

• it's probably not going to make a huge difference and
• a premed advisor will tell you with 70% certainty how they'll score it for free.

 

[neuro1986]

the course is a WF and there seems to be a lot of uncertainty surrounding how it is treated (whether or not it is counted towards my GPA). Because it is not cut/dry and there is potentially more room for interpretation...

My pre-med adviser said that it depends on how AMCAS views it. AMCAS said it depends on how my university views it. So- I told this to my pre-med adviser who told me that my university does not treat it as a failed grade, just a classification of a W (apparently some universities actually consider it to be a failed grade-which makes the difference regarding whether or not AMCAS includes it in their GPA calculation) - and because it was given according to official administrative policies (I requested an official withdrawal and was granted it) that I shouldn't be penalized for it ( I was not given credits for the course nor a grade)- basically, she thinks that IT WILL NOT COUNT towards my GPA- however, she also didn't know what I was talking about at the beginning (which is a bad sign) and she recommended NOT EVEN PUTTING IN ON MY LIST OF COURSES to begin with. These two pieces of info cause me to doubt her information. No one else at the univeristy knows how it will be treated (I have talked to many people at the registrars office).

Given that there is uncertainty and def room for interpretation I really want to know how it will be treated. The consequences are actually pretty significant- I'd drop from a 3.9 to 3.7ish.

So yeah- this will def impact my med school future in significant ways.

 

[Mattabet]

Heh. You're definitely right to treat the premed advisor with skepticism, but in this case I think she eventually landed on the correct answer.

I think you'll be okay. Make sure you can find documentation of those official policies (probably on the registar's site), but an 'official withdrawal' seems like they're letting you off the hook for the class, and AMCAS will probably treat that as a withdrawal and not factor it into the GPA (though they'll still see the class, and if you've got more holes in the schedule, adcoms might raise an eyebrow).

In the meantime, you can try calling AMCAS sometime after application season cools down and asking what they think of it, but I wouldn't bother. Unless you're on a heavily restricted credit diet, it'll probably drop you at most a tenth of a point on the GPA. If you've got a 3.9 to start with, it's unlikely to be a game breaker.

I would think that a "tester application" in your file would have a more negative effect than .1 GPA, especially given that yours is relatively high. Best to relax for now, and be ready to tackle the problem when you apply, if indeed it becomes a problem.

 

[Cro]

Heh. You're definitely right to treat the premed advisor with skepticism, but in this case I think she eventually landed on the correct answer.

I think you'll be okay. Make sure you can find documentation of those official policies (probably on the registar's site), but an 'official withdrawal' seems like they're letting you off the hook for the class, and AMCAS will probably treat that as a withdrawal and not factor it into the GPA (though they'll still see the class, and if you've got more holes in the schedule, adcoms might raise an eyebrow).

In the meantime, you can try calling AMCAS sometime after application season cools down and asking what they think of it, but I wouldn't bother. Unless you're on a heavily restricted credit diet, it'll probably drop you at most a tenth of a point on the GPA. If you've got a 3.9 to start with, it's unlikely to be a game breaker.

I would think that a "tester application" in your file would have a more negative effect than .1 GPA, especially given that yours is relatively high. Best to relax for now, and be ready to tackle the problem when you apply, if indeed it becomes a problem.

I think that's about all you can do and I would STRONGLY advise not playing the fee simply to have AMCAS calculate your GPA. That seems like something that could end up biting you in the tail later on down the line. There isn't anything you can do about the WF now, just gather the documentation for how your school calculates it and address the issue when you must.

 

[BlueElmo]

Look, you can really calculate your GPA by using their sheet on the AAMC website. I calculated mine and it was EXACTLY the same to the official one.

 

[neuro1986]

post it? Maybe I am too tired for the search but I can't seem to find it..l