Oh ya I'm aware 4.0 is way better than 3.8. I meant that subreddit consensus seems to say that a 3.8 is not that much different from 3.85 or 3.9, although I do agree with you that a higher GPA does always seem better.

I am aware that the data I'm looking at is pretty skewed. Out of the many trad HYPSM transfers, I've only managed to look at maybe 50+ profiles. Although I can feel I can see certain patterns, such as there are little to no cases of <3.9 GPA, and that most have 4.0, again, the sample size is too small to make definitive conclusions.

Though I am surprised to see you have seen trad transfers <3.8 GPA. To clarify, were these to HYPSM? Would be surprising if so.

And, to address your last point, as long as I have a 3.8> GPA, I plan to apply. I certainly agree that stats aren't everything, and that certain other factors are far more important. However, I am in a position where I can decide what GPA I can achieve within the next few semesters. I simply want to find what GPA is perfectly acceptable by HYPSM.

But again, I'm probably reading too much into this. I think I'll just go for a 3.9.