Which schools take into account post-bac/SMP for acceptance?

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Can anyone offer advice on which medical schools (DO or MD) that really take into account post-bac, SMP, or graduate level courses?

I am a non-traditional student who didn't get stellar grades in undergrad.... or a stellar MCAT. I applied last year and was rejected. As a back up, I applied to an SMP program and got in . Now I am in the process of receiving my Masters of Science degree. I am ready to re-apply to schools for the second time and I am having a difficult time choosing which schools to apply to!

All school admissions requirements state that they take into account undergrad cumulative GPA, science GPA, and MCAT. Well, if I had great undergrad numbers then I wouldn't need to take an SMP in the first place! I am looking to apply to schools that put extra consideration in graduate level courses. HELP!!

Originally Posted by Herbalurge

Can anyone offer advice on which medical schools (DO or MD) that really take into account post-bac, SMP, or graduate level courses?

I am a non-traditional student who didn't get stellar grades in undergrad.... or a stellar MCAT. I applied last year and was rejected. As a back up, I applied to an SMP program and got in . Now I am in the process of receiving my Masters of Science degree. I am ready to re-apply to schools for the second time and I am having a difficult time choosing which schools to apply to!

All school admissions requirements state that they take into account undergrad cumulative GPA, science GPA, and MCAT. Well, if I had great undergrad numbers then I wouldn't need to take an SMP in the first place! I am looking to apply to schools that put extra consideration in graduate level courses. HELP!!

They all do. You'll still need a decent MCAT though.

What's your UG GPA, SMP GPA, and MCAT?

Ug gpa: 3.0
smp gpa: 4.0
mcat: 23

Where was the SMP? And you still have time to retake the MCAT, a 32+ might nab you a few interviews assuming the program is respectable.

The SMP is at USF and I am taking all of my classes with first year medical students. I still have one more semester to go, but I am applying to AACOMAS and AMCAS now.

I have taken the MCAT twice already. I know this may make me sound lazy, but I would rather not take it again if I don't need to. There are many schools that require a minimum MCAT of 22, thankfully.

Originally Posted by Herbalurge

I have taken the MCAT twice already. I know this may make me sound lazy, but I would rather not take it again if I don't need to.

well you need to.

Originally Posted by FrkyBgStok

well you need to.

+1 sorry, but it's true

Even for a DO school nowadays a 22/23 is low. That and the 3.0 ugrad gpa is definitely going to hinder your application, regardless of the 4.0 smp. Also how many students were in your program? How many others have a 3.9+. Those are important considerations also.

I appreciate everyone's responses. I will consider re-taking the exam, because getting into medical school is my top priority! There are about 30 people in my program, and we take classes with about 150 first year med students. I am pretty sure the class average is about a 3.3. But that's another good point, I shouldn't rely on just my graduate level GPA. I guess I was hoping that if I could prove that I can not only handle, but also succeed in med school courses that I would be a good candidate for acceptance.

Visit the MCAT forum and spend about 4-6 months looking over and testing yourself on concepts.


Sent from my iPad using SDN Mobile app.

fyi, SMPs are MAs not MSs. You don't want to confuse the two on your personal statement/ECS since they can be different things. An MA is usually course-based and involves very little research. An MS, typically, has a research projected associated with the course work.

Most schools will at least acknowledge a strong SMP performance. Does USF link their SMP to medical school? Some schools guarantee interviews if you do well in their linked SMPs provided you meet a minimum MCAT, which is usually, but not always, lower than what traditional applicants require.

Originally Posted by notbobtrustme

fyi, SMPs are MAs not MSs. You don't want to confuse the two on your personal statement/ECS since they can be different things. An MA is usually course-based and involves very little research. An MS, typically, has a research projected associated with the course work.

Most schools will at least acknowledge a strong SMP performance. Does USF link their SMP to medical school? Some schools guarantee interviews if you do well in their linked SMPs provided you meet a minimum MCAT, which is usually, but not always, lower than what traditional applicants require.

this is actually not true. SMPs are associated with both MA and MS programs. And I am currently in a MA program that has an entire year of research associated with it, along with a year of coursework, so both can have a research component.

These are the schools I was told are SMP friendly because they have some version of the program themselves or have accepted a lot of students from these programs in the past: Boston, Tufts, Albany, NYMC, Drexel, Temple, PSU, Wayne State, Case Western, USC, EVMS, VCU, USF, Georgetown, RFU, etc (cant think of anymore on the top of my head)

Originally Posted by giants25

this is actually not true. SMPs are associated with both MA and MS programs. And I am currently in a MA program that has an entire year of research associated with it, along with a year of coursework, so both can have a research component.

These are the schools I was told are SMP friendly because they have some version of the program themselves or have accepted a lot of students from these programs in the past: Boston, Tufts, Albany, NYMC, Drexel, Temple, PSU, Wayne State, Case Western, USC, EVMS, VCU, USF, Georgetown, RFU, etc (cant think of anymore on the top of my head)

That is a strong list. Realistic if anyone is doing a SMP, it takes 3-5 pts higher than their(schools) avg MCAT scores to stand a shot.

Originally Posted by giants25

this is actually not true. SMPs are associated with both MA and MS programs. And I am currently in a MA program that has an entire year of research associated with it, along with a year of coursework, so both can have a research component.

These are the schools I was told are SMP friendly because they have some version of the program themselves or have accepted a lot of students from these programs in the past: Boston, Tufts, Albany, NYMC, Drexel, Temple, PSU, Wayne State, Case Western, USC, EVMS, VCU, USF, Georgetown, RFU, etc (cant think of anymore on the top of my head)

add UPitt, NYMC, Tulane to that list. UIC for Illinois, Buffalo and Stonybrook for NY state.

Originally Posted by qwerty2012

That is a strong list. Realistic if anyone is doing a SMP, it takes 3-5 pts higher than their(schools) avg MCAT scores to stand a shot.

could you rephrase this? Not sure what is meant by the second half of the statement. Thanks.

My program is a Masters of Science. They do not guarantee an interview, but it is very likely that I will get one if I do well in all of my classes. The reason why I started this thread is to see what other medical schools I can consider before deciding to settle down at my current school.

This is a great list of schools! I do not think that my undergrad GPA (3.0) and MCAT score (23) make the cut. But if they look primarily at graduate GPA (4.0) then I am golden!

Also -- I have definitely decided to go the DO route

.

You need to retake the MCAT. Its as simple as that. You NEED to retake it. A 23 is really low for MD or DO acceptances. To give you an idea, the average of all DO matriculants is something like 26, and you should be looking at having a 28-29 to be competitive with your other stats. As far as MD, you should be aiming for a 32-35. Realistically as it stands your app might get you into a good Carib school, but why do that when you really just need to retake one test.

You need to buckle down and study for nothing but the MCAT for at least 2 months, spending at least the last month taking practice tests every other day. 10 points may seem unrealistic, but if you are committed it could happen. Does your SMP have a test-prep built into it? If not, it might be worth it to pay the $1-$2k for a prep course with a LOT of practice tests if you don't think you could study on your own. Within 2 wks of your exam date, you should be getting above your target score (i.e. 30-33 at least) on the practice tests.

Again, you HAVE TO retake the MCAT.

Originally Posted by Herbalurge

Can anyone offer advice on which medical schools (DO or MD) that really take into account post-bac, SMP, or graduate level courses?

I am a non-traditional student who didn't get stellar grades in undergrad.... or a stellar MCAT. I applied last year and was rejected. As a back up, I applied to an SMP program and got in . Now I am in the process of receiving my Masters of Science degree. I am ready to re-apply to schools for the second time and I am having a difficult time choosing which schools to apply to!

All school admissions requirements state that they take into account undergrad cumulative GPA, science GPA, and MCAT. Well, if I had great undergrad numbers then I wouldn't need to take an SMP in the first place! I am looking to apply to schools that put extra consideration in graduate level courses. HELP!!

Ask your SMP advisor!!!