Senior year

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Gladiolus23

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Since most applicants usually apply to med school after or during the spring of their junior year, does that mean that any science classes taken during your senior year are not included in the AMCAS science GPA?
 
No they aren't. Once AMCAS is submitted you can't update it.
 
Since most applicants usually apply to med school after or during the spring of their junior year, does that mean that any science classes taken during your senior year are not included in the AMCAS science GPA?

All classes that you have taken at the time that you submit your AMCAS application (usually June of the year prior to matriculation) will count in your GPA. So if you apply at the end of your junior year, then your senior year classes obviously won't count. But if you plan to take a gap year and apply at the end of your senior year or later, then senior year classes will count.
 
Okay, so I guess there's no point of senior year except waiting to get into med school =P
 
Do med schools still look at these grades though? I mean, is your acceptance dependent on sernior year grades?
 
Okay, so I guess there's no point of senior year except waiting to get into med school =P

Eh, not necessarily. The number of people who get into medical school the first year they apply is decreasing, so it would be ill advised to slack off significantly senior year. If you have to reapply, med schools will see those grades and it definitely won't look good if you get like a 3.0 GPA after getting a 3.8 the first three years.

Do med schools still look at these grades though? I mean, is your acceptance dependent on sernior year grades?

They look at them, but most medical schools say they won't rescind an acceptance unless they see some D's.
 
A majority of schools ask for your final transcript once you matriculate only to prove that you successfully graduated with the degree you claimed you would get before matriculation (your final degree is officially recorded on your final transcript). Some actually care that you do 'well' but will likely say so in your acceptance letter. The idea that a school, no matter how prestigious or competitive, is going to kick a student out upon matriculation when they find our he or she got a 2.5 senior year is a neurotic myth. If you fail courses, you likely won't be able to graduate when you normally would and wouldn't be able to go to medical school for that reason.

That being said, I know of at least one school (UCSD) that explicitly asks for your grades when you go to interview. However, that was the only school that seemed to care even the slightest about my then-current performance.

Ultimately, the chance of senior year grades meaning anything is unlikely but it is definitely possible that it can hurt you if you truly slack off the the point of doing well below your submitted-GPA average.
 
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