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Question regarding Rigor of Individual Semesters when Applying
- Thread starter Seihai
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Yes you’re overthinking it. If taking a lighter course load will help you focus on your MCAT studying and achieve a high score then be WISE and DO SO.
Ask yourself if the pain of hurting your gpa or putting yourself in a less than optimal position when it comes MCAT time is worth it to your future self. This path will be long and painful - no need to add more to it for no clear advantage.
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Ask yourself if the pain of hurting your gpa or putting yourself in a less than optimal position when it comes MCAT time is worth it to your future self. This path will be long and painful - no need to add more to it for no clear advantage.
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Nobody will notice or care.
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I just want to chip in an alternate perspective based on interview experiences and conversations with a few admissions directors.
Just from the standpoint of distinguishing applicants coming from a relatively dense pool of qualified applicants, I think it's unrealistic to say that no one will look at or care about your transcripts. I have specific examples of at least two of these "quite competitive" programs where an admissions director told me directly that they look through course lists and absolutely take note of challenging course loads as well as applicants who started undergrad with a ton of AP credits and proceeded to retake those intro classes. I also had several interviews where an interviewer went through and commented on my transcript in front of me.
This isn't to argue that taking "hard" classes might excuse a poor GPA, but programs can definitely tell the difference between a 4.0 sitting on a bunch of chill semesters and a 3.8 that was fought for. I'm also not trying to argue that you try to take more classes this semester - it sounds like you have a good record, and if a lighter semester translates to a better MCAT, that's great. I just wouldn't outright dismiss the benefits of a transcript filled with "rigorous" course loads.
Just from the standpoint of distinguishing applicants coming from a relatively dense pool of qualified applicants, I think it's unrealistic to say that no one will look at or care about your transcripts. I have specific examples of at least two of these "quite competitive" programs where an admissions director told me directly that they look through course lists and absolutely take note of challenging course loads as well as applicants who started undergrad with a ton of AP credits and proceeded to retake those intro classes. I also had several interviews where an interviewer went through and commented on my transcript in front of me.
This isn't to argue that taking "hard" classes might excuse a poor GPA, but programs can definitely tell the difference between a 4.0 sitting on a bunch of chill semesters and a 3.8 that was fought for. I'm also not trying to argue that you try to take more classes this semester - it sounds like you have a good record, and if a lighter semester translates to a better MCAT, that's great. I just wouldn't outright dismiss the benefits of a transcript filled with "rigorous" course loads.
