To apply or not to apply

[NJD519]

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So after 2 years of 3.8 post-bacc work (32 credits), my thought-to-be 3.0 cumulative uGPA only rose up to 2.97 because I didn't take into account a D+ I received in Economics. I had retaken it during undergrad, so the earned credits on that class/grade were 0 on my transcript. However, apparently if you fart, AMCAS wants you to include that in your application.

I have a May 7th MCAT scheduled and I was going to apply early and broadly in June. But now that I've realized that I haven't breached the 3.0 mark, I'm not sure what I should do.

I was going to take courses during application cycle and update the schools, but this won't change the fact that my initial application will not have that cGPA of 3.0. Is it worth still applying this June? Or should I take the MCAT, then take more post-bacc courses, and shoot for the next application cycle? Any help would be great.

 

[aSagacious]

Well, with a May 7th MCAT date, you'll get your score back a few days before the AMCAS primary opens. Therefore, I suggest the following:

- MCAT >= 33 ---> apply
- MCAT < 33 ---> do not apply

I say this because even if you have a 3.05 and managed to squeeze by the cutoffs, you'd need a fantastic MCAT score to balance it out since your GPA is far below the national average.

Since you've already taken about six years' worth of credits, your GPA is fairly robust, meaning that it will only change negligibly with each successive course that you take. Therefore your MCAT must be your priority for the next three months.