- Joined
- Sep 8, 2013
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Hey all,
I was hoping some wise people would weigh in on whether or not I should attend the SMP at Georgetown?
I first tried applying for the 2012-13 application cycle and sent my application to mdphd programs exclusively. I got zero interviews so that seemed very unsuccessful. For this past cycle, I applied to approcimately 15 MD only programs in my home state, Maryland, and neighboring states (trying to stay as close to home as possible). Unfortunately, I applied early decision to my state school at first (which didn't pan out) so I wasn't able to send in my application to the other schools until late September. At the same time, I also applied to the SMPs at Georgetown and George Mason, and was accepted to both with only a couple of months turnover. Then, I managed to snag two interviews, VTC and WVU. But I got rejected by VTC this past Monday and have been on WVU's waitlist since March so I'm preparing my application for the next cycle.
In the meantime, I've been getting a lot of conflicting advice about attending the Georgetown SMP during this next gap year. Some have told me my stats are good enough to just try applying again and that it's not worth throwing down $50k. For me, I just feel as though my application must not stand out enough considering my lack of success so far. Considering this will be my third application cycle, I feel a little desperate and the SMP looks like an appealing way to improve my application. Being able to earn an M.S. degree, put Georgetown on my resume, and possibly boost my GPA are also really appealing factors for me. I'm not too worried about possibly ruining my GPA by doing poorly, but the cost of attending is making the decision hard for me (though I am leaning toward attending).
Any advice on the SMP or being a reapplicant would be greatly appreciated!
Research XP:
- summer internship working full-time as a computer programmer at the FDA
(GUI development for software to measure volume of tumors in CT scans)
- two years working part-time over the school year and full-time over the summer at the FDA
(various projects dealing with polymers used in medicine such as joint replacement surgery or drug-eluting stents--materials science and mechanics experimentation)
- four year undergrad research program (Gemstone) with thesis and presentation to committee of scientists and doctors
(research comparing ACL grafts after reconstruction in cadaver specimens)
- one year working part-time as faculty research assistant at the UMD Orthopaedic Mechanobiology Lab
(suture anchor pull-out studies, ACL graft cleaning methods, external fixation construct strength testing)
- one year working full-time as research assistant with the Maryland Cancer Registry
(epidemiology and cancer surveillance)
Clinical XP:
- 80 hours shadowing ortho surgeon at hospital
- 36 hours shadowing ortho surgeon at private clinic
Community Service
- 10 hours volunteering at local hospital (just started in March and ongoing)
- 210 hours volunteer coaching wushu martial arts
My clinical XP probably isn't as extensive as it should be with two gap years but I tore my ACL for the second time last summer so that put an eight month long hold on all my activities. Martial arts is dangerous, guys :\
I was hoping some wise people would weigh in on whether or not I should attend the SMP at Georgetown?
I first tried applying for the 2012-13 application cycle and sent my application to mdphd programs exclusively. I got zero interviews so that seemed very unsuccessful. For this past cycle, I applied to approcimately 15 MD only programs in my home state, Maryland, and neighboring states (trying to stay as close to home as possible). Unfortunately, I applied early decision to my state school at first (which didn't pan out) so I wasn't able to send in my application to the other schools until late September. At the same time, I also applied to the SMPs at Georgetown and George Mason, and was accepted to both with only a couple of months turnover. Then, I managed to snag two interviews, VTC and WVU. But I got rejected by VTC this past Monday and have been on WVU's waitlist since March so I'm preparing my application for the next cycle.
In the meantime, I've been getting a lot of conflicting advice about attending the Georgetown SMP during this next gap year. Some have told me my stats are good enough to just try applying again and that it's not worth throwing down $50k. For me, I just feel as though my application must not stand out enough considering my lack of success so far. Considering this will be my third application cycle, I feel a little desperate and the SMP looks like an appealing way to improve my application. Being able to earn an M.S. degree, put Georgetown on my resume, and possibly boost my GPA are also really appealing factors for me. I'm not too worried about possibly ruining my GPA by doing poorly, but the cost of attending is making the decision hard for me (though I am leaning toward attending).
Any advice on the SMP or being a reapplicant would be greatly appreciated!
Research XP:
- summer internship working full-time as a computer programmer at the FDA
(GUI development for software to measure volume of tumors in CT scans)
- two years working part-time over the school year and full-time over the summer at the FDA
(various projects dealing with polymers used in medicine such as joint replacement surgery or drug-eluting stents--materials science and mechanics experimentation)
- four year undergrad research program (Gemstone) with thesis and presentation to committee of scientists and doctors
(research comparing ACL grafts after reconstruction in cadaver specimens)
- one year working part-time as faculty research assistant at the UMD Orthopaedic Mechanobiology Lab
(suture anchor pull-out studies, ACL graft cleaning methods, external fixation construct strength testing)
- one year working full-time as research assistant with the Maryland Cancer Registry
(epidemiology and cancer surveillance)
Clinical XP:
- 80 hours shadowing ortho surgeon at hospital
- 36 hours shadowing ortho surgeon at private clinic
Community Service
- 10 hours volunteering at local hospital (just started in March and ongoing)
- 210 hours volunteer coaching wushu martial arts
My clinical XP probably isn't as extensive as it should be with two gap years but I tore my ACL for the second time last summer so that put an eight month long hold on all my activities. Martial arts is dangerous, guys :\
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