Withdraw for a higher GPA?

[rajp98]

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Hey guys,

I'm in a bit of a dilemma. I'm a 3rd year Pre-med student graduating in Fall 2018- taking the MCAT in May. This semester I have a light schedule (13 credits), of which 1 is a genetics lab worth 1 credit.

My current GPA is a 3.91. I begin applications for medical school this summer, no year off. I only have 2-3 more classes left to take before graduation. This semester, if I get all A's my GPA will be a 3.92. However, I may end up with a B or a C in Genetics lab. Getting a B will keep my GPA at a 3.91. If I withdraw from Genetics lab now, then my GPA will be a 3.92, given that all the other classes are A's which will likely be the case.

Should I withdraw from genetics lab, get my GPA to 3.92? or keep it, get a B, and remain at a 3.91?

My MCAT will likely be average.

Is a withdraw considered bad in this case? There is no chance to get a A at all left.

Please advise.

 

[Isoval]

Don’t withdraw.

 

[freedoctor17]

0.01 gpa lower will not affect you... No adcom will be like "wow they had a 3.91, if only they had a 3.92 I might've accepted them." Just stick with it. Also why do you think your MCAT will just be average? You've still got all of April so you can probably improve on your practice scores before your exam.

 

[HomeSkool]

A 0.01 change in GPA matters so little that I became catatonic and registered zero brain activity for, like, eight minutes after reading your post. I can never get those eight minutes back. Ima bill you for them (but not really).

My MCAT will likely be average.

You really think you're going to get a 500 on the MCAT? Because it's scored on a true bell curve, so 500 is the average every single year. All kidding aside, though, an excellent GPA isn't going to compensate for a crappy MCAT score. Make sure you do whatever preparation you need in order to kill the MCAT, including postponing it if you're not ready. A bad MCAT score is like a psychotic ex: it'll follow you around for the rest of your life.

 

[WIMNFamilyMed]

How long do you have once the semester ends to study exclusively for the mcat? I had like 4-5 weeks, which was enough but I did it like 8-10 hours a day. From what I’ve seen, people who are at the top compared to my peers in class grades scored at the top in the mcat, more average gpa scored average. As said above don’t assume you’ll get an average score.

Yeah don’t withdraw unless the workload is making you go insane - the gpa wiggle is not a concern

 

[21Rush12]

You’re more likely to be criticized for dropping classes to protect the number than you are to see any consequence at all from the difference in GPA you’d have if you withdrew.

Suck it up and take whatever grade. I’m an M2 and I got a D in Genetics lab, you’ll probably still be able to go to a Caribbean DO school with a C and 3.91.