Georgetown SMP Application Thread for 2014-2015 Class

[cerium]

I couldn't find another thread for the 2013-2014 application cycle so I'm hoping this is the only one. I've been really interested in this program for a while. Has anyone applied to the program yet? I noticed the application is already open. My AMCAS hasn't been verified yet, but since we only have to upload a copy could I do it before it's verified?

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[cerium]

anyone apply yet?

 

[dedicated2be]

Hi there, has anyone applied yet? Or looking to apply soon? I am looking into this program but not sure if I'm competitive with a 25 mcat. I have a decent overall (3.6ish) science is (3.4ish) gpas. Hoping to retake in the spring, but not sure yet.

 

[WaterCLurker]

Shouldn't the name of this thread be 2014-2015? Since you're applying in 2013 for the 2014 - 2015 class?

 

[cerium]

....

 

[sjdurk2]

anyone apply yet?

I submitted an application on 11/04 for the 2014-2015 year. My transcripts have been received and I'm still waiting on my LORs to arrive. The office that receives everything seems a little so and I have had to stay on them, but hopefully my application will be marked complete in the next few days. We should definitely start a new thread or rename this one for next year. I'd be excited to see who else is applying and how the process is going for everyone else.

 

[cerium]

I submitted an application on 11/04 for the 2014-2015 year. My transcripts have been received and I'm still waiting on my LORs to arrive. The office that receives everything seems a little so and I have had to stay on them, but hopefully my application will be marked complete in the next few days. We should definitely start a new thread or rename this one for next year. I'd be excited to see who else is applying and how the process is going for everyone else.

Definitely stay on top of the admissions committee, last year they miss-placed my friend's entire application! I don't even know how that happens lol

Also I changed the name, I agree that it makes more sense this way, its just not what most people have done in the past, but its time for change. Just note that if you are looking for other postbac threads they will typically be listed by "2014 cycle"

 

[sjdurk2]

Definitely stay on top of the admissions committee, last year they miss-placed my friend's entire application! I don't even know how that happens lol

Also I changed the name, I agree that it makes more sense this way, its just not what most people have done in the past, but its time for change. Just note that if you are looking for other postbac threads they will typically be listed by "2014 cycle"

Have you applied yet?

 

[cerium]

Have you applied yet?

No not yet. I have a few medical school interviews I want to hear back about and then apply in December if its not good news. Plus I need to save up more money for applications!

 

[Solard]

No not yet. I have a few medical school interviews I want to hear back about and then apply in December if its not good news. Plus I need to save up more money for applications!

Damn, I thought I was the only guy too broke to start the application process all at once lol. I'm putting my app in here the moment I can (hopefully in the next week). I really want to go here; it's one of my top choices! Good luck in the process, I hope putting in our apps this early counts for something

 

[almirbhf]

I got waitlisted today, a little disappointed but on the other hand there is a lot of movement from what I heard, also will update them with this semester marks when they are in, currently sitting at a 4.0 lol.

Stats are 3.46 sci GPA, 3.4 cGPA, 31 mcat (10-10-11bio) Canadian student

 

[sjdurk2]

I got waitlisted today, a little disappointed but on the other hand there is a lot of movement from what I heard, also will update them with this semester marks when they are in, currently sitting at a 4.0 lol.

Stats are 3.46 sci GPA, 3.4 cGPA, 31 mcat (10-10-11bio) Canadian student

Well that makes me nervous lol. I'm surprised you got waitlisted with those stats especially applying this early!

 

[tizhang]

I submitted my application on 9/19 and got my acceptance to this program yesterday! I got pretty excited but I have an interview with WVU SOM in January so I won't be able to accept just yet.

3.69 GPA/34 MCAT

 

[whatwhy]

Why would you need to even do an SMP? Your stats are fantastic...

 

[erure]

Seriously. With those stats I would never consider doing an SMP.

 

[almirbhf]

Slightly off topic, but what are your guys' reasons for doing SMP if stats are in competitive range for DO schools ? Purely for the MD degree ?

 

[darklabel]

Slightly off topic, but what are your guys' reasons for doing SMP if stats are in competitive range for DO schools ? Purely for the MD degree ?

Yep, purely for the USMD degree. Kind of last ditch effort for sub par GPA people to show they can handle an MD curriculum. Georgetown is one of the top, but also one of the costliest (Tuition and Cost of Living is comparable to OOS and/or private medical school).

For quite a few people, it has given them chances into schools they otherwise wouldn't have; however, for others it has pretty much killed their chances of ever attending a US medical school (which are the stories that never get posted).

But if you're ready to work hard and believe you can succeed, Georgetown is definitely a great program for getting into MD; just have to know what you're signing up on.

 

[osherbi1]

Accepted last week. Sitting on zero interviews this cycle and unless things turn around, I will probably do the SMP.

Stats, for the curious..
3.6 cGPA
3.45 sGPA
MCAT: 31R (old score, re-taking in May)

 

[gridguy]

Yep, purely for the USMD degree. Kind of last ditch effort for sub par GPA people to show they can handle an MD curriculum. Georgetown is one of the top, but also one of the costliest (Tuition and Cost of Living is comparable to OOS and/or private medical school).

For quite a few people, it has given them chances into schools they otherwise wouldn't have; however, for others it has pretty much killed their chances of ever attending a US medical school (which are the stories that never get posted).

But if you're ready to work hard and believe you can succeed, Georgetown is definitely a great program for getting into MD; just have to know what you're signing up on.

Strong post - this was my rationale as well (I was a member of the class of 2011).

 

[almirbhf]

Strong post - this was my rationale as well (I was a member of the class of 2011).

Would you recommend it ? How many people don't get in anywhere after ?

 

[gridguy]

Would you recommend it ? How many people don't get in anywhere after ?

I would say a significant minority of SMP students never go to medical school, for a variety of reasons. Some realize during the program that they do not want to go to medical school (e.g. several go on to PhD programs) however I am sure many simply do not take the program seriously. If you do well (which I would define as a 3.4+ GPA) and have a reasonable MCAT (which I would define as 30+) you will absolutely get into medical school somewhere (though that could mean an international program). There is no algorithm for determining whether or not you will make it into a US allopathic school (including Georgetown itself), however the better you do, the better your odds. Overall, everyone in the SMP is capable of getting into medical school with a strong performance, though you should carefully calibrate your expectations before matriculating - looking at where the SMP alumni have placed may be helpful.

http://smp.georgetown.edu/alumni/

 

[almirbhf]

I would say a significant minority of SMP students never go to medical school, for a variety of reasons. Some realize during the program that they do not want to go to medical school (e.g. several go on to PhD programs) however I am sure many simply do not take the program seriously. If you do well (which I would define as a 3.4+ GPA) and have a reasonable MCAT (which I would define as 30+) you will absolutely get into medical school somewhere (though that could mean an international program). There is no algorithm for determining whether or not you will make it into a US allopathic school (including Georgetown itself), however the better you do, the better your odds. Overall, everyone in the SMP is capable of getting into medical school with a strong performance, though you should carefully calibrate your expectations before matriculating - looking at where the SMP alumni have placed may be helpful.

http://smp.georgetown.edu/alumni/

Thank you for your response ! I understand that high performance is required, and I am prepared to work as hard as necessary to achieve that (wish I did that in undergrad, but I digress).

Do you know of any Canadians that attend there/their fates ? It is extremely hard to find any such information.

Thanks again !

 

[CooIBreeze]

I'll probably be applying within the next week or so because it doesn't look like this is going to be a successful cycle for me.
cGPA: 3.41
sGPA: 3.17
MCAT: 28 (Retaking in April)

 

[Hailstorm]

I would say a significant minority of SMP students never go to medical school, for a variety of reasons. Some realize during the program that they do not want to go to medical school (e.g. several go on to PhD programs) however I am sure many simply do not take the program seriously. If you do well (which I would define as a 3.4+ GPA) and have a reasonable MCAT (which I would define as 30+) you will absolutely get into medical school somewhere (though that could mean an international program). There is no algorithm for determining whether or not you will make it into a US allopathic school (including Georgetown itself), however the better you do, the better your odds. Overall, everyone in the SMP is capable of getting into medical school with a strong performance, though you should carefully calibrate your expectations before matriculating - looking at where the SMP alumni have placed may be helpful.

http://smp.georgetown.edu/alumni/

I'm not sure how "getting into medical school somewhere" is helpful. The "average entering" reported stats of Georgetown (3.3/31.7) are highly competitive for DO (or minimally would be with a year of retakes at any school) and overqualified for Carib.

 

[alpinism]

I'm not sure how "getting into medical school somewhere" is helpful. The "average entering" reported stats of Georgetown (3.3/31.7) are highly competitive for DO (or minimally would be with a year of retakes at any school) and overqualified for Carib.

If you do well in the program (roughly a 3.5 or above GPA) and the rest of your application is solid (besides your undergrad GPA of course) you should have no problem getting into a MD school provided you apply early and broadly.

The people who end up at DO schools generally fall into 3 categories:
1. they applied too late or to the wrong MD schools
2. they applied to only a limited number of schools in a certain geographic area (like CA)
3. they did average or below average in the SMP program ( less than a 3.3 GPA)

 

[darklabel]

I'm not sure how "getting into medical school somewhere" is helpful. The "average entering" reported stats of Georgetown (3.3/31.7) are highly competitive for DO (or minimally would be with a year of retakes at any school) and overqualified for Carib.

Yeah, but those people wouldn't go to Georgetown if they wanted to go to DO school. Doing an SMP for a DO school is a bad idea since with grade replacement, a year of retaking classes is cheaper/less risky than an SMP.

Usually the goal of doing an SMP is going all in for MD. If you end up going to DO school after an SMP, then you wasted a lot of money since there are better and cheaper alternatives for going to a DO school if your GPA is low.

 

[Hailstorm]

If you do well in the program (roughly a 3.5 or above GPA) and the rest of your application is solid (besides your undergrad GPA of course) you should have no problem getting into a MD school provided you apply early and broadly.

The people who end up at DO schools generally fall into 3 categories:
1. they applied too late or to the wrong MD schools
2. they applied to only a limited number of schools in a certain geographic area (like CA)
3. they did average or below average in the SMP program ( less than a 3.3 GPA)

The post I quoted stated prefaced a situation in which the student performed well, not one in which they performed poorly. While possible, I would be surprised if any substantial number of applicants failed to apply broadly to US MD schools while including DO/International schools.

Yeah, but those people wouldn't go to Georgetown if they wanted to go to DO school. Doing an SMP for a DO school is a bad idea since with grade replacement, a year of retaking classes is cheaper/less risky than an SMP.

Usually the goal of doing an SMP is going all in for MD. If you end up going to DO school after an SMP, then you wasted a lot of money since there are better and cheaper alternatives for going to a DO school if your GPA is low.

I'm not sure how this is in any way inconsistent with my statement that upon completion of the program after "doing well," ending up in a DO/International program is not helpful. Put more plainly, it's a failure of either the applicant to apply in an appropriate manner or a failure of the program's strength in mitigating the uGPA.

Quibbles aside on where the line is explicitly drawn with respect to "doing well."

 

[rosie23]

Its been a while since anyone has posted here. So I just sent in my application a few days ago sGPA 3.1 cGPA 3.4 waiting to take the MCATs in April. And my recommendations are being written. I was hoping it was not too late to apply but it seems people apply even later than this. I really do hope I get in! Would even love to attend Georgetown for med school as well

 

[erure]

Yeah I submitted my app a week or two ago as well. I have everything in order except for my LORs I will feel better once my application is actually complete. And while I'd love to go to Georgetown, I am a little freaked out about the cost...

 

[graybrij]

I am applying to the Georgetown SMP...I was wondering if mentioning in my personal statement that having an extra year or exposure to med school curriculum (during smp and then MS1) is one of my motivators for the program because the SMP will preemptively help me prepare for USMLE step 1?

 

[mdgonnadoit]

Does anyone know how the Georgetown SMP comes up with their getting into med school success rate of 80% 2 years and out? If you check their alumni page, they only account for 110 students (and the med schools they went to) out of 182 for the past several years.

 

[berg43]

Just accepted today (sGPA 3.0, cGPA 3.25, 32R). Anyone else deciding between GT and other SMPs? Somehow I got into Boston MAMS as well and have no idea how to decide between the two...

 

[QnnaQ]

when is the deadline to apply?

 

[rosie23]

I believe its mid May that you need to have your application in by, although your MCAT score can be sent in later.

 

[ifonlyifonly]

for georgetown's SMP personal statement should we write an SMP specific one or a medical school specific statement?

 

[rosie23]

for georgetown's SMP personal statement should we write an SMP specific one or a medical school specific statement?

I wrote a SMP specific one. The med school specific statements are going to be for when you actually apply for med school!

 

[rosie23]

Just accepted today (sGPA 3.0, cGPA 3.25, 32R). Anyone else deciding between GT and other SMPs? Somehow I got into Boston MAMS as well and have no idea how to decide between the two...

How were you notified of your acceptance? Email/phone/mail?

 

[berg43]

How were you notified of your acceptance? Email/phone/mail?

Email.

 

[ifonlyifonly]

I wrote a SMP specific one. The med school specific statements are going to be for when you actually apply for med school!

It says on their website "Please write a brief 500 word essay (one page maximum), describing yourself, your educational goals and interests, your motivation for a medical career. Please upload this statement in the appropriate section of on-line application."
So talk about how an SMP itself will further my goals? or about how I want to be a doctor and how the SMP will further these goals?
confused

 

[cooldudee]

It says on their website "Please write a brief 500 word essay (one page maximum), describing yourself, your educational goals and interests, your motivation for a medical career. Please upload this statement in the appropriate section of on-line application."
So talk about how an SMP itself will further my goals? or about how I want to be a doctor and how the SMP will further these goals?
confused

I think the personal statement part is actually just a statement that answers why you want to be a doctor. I asked other SMP programs about this and they all answered that they are looking for personal statements that shows why you want to become a physician, NOT about why you want to enroll in their respective programs.

 

[rosie23]

It says on their website "Please write a brief 500 word essay (one page maximum), describing yourself, your educational goals and interests, your motivation for a medical career. Please upload this statement in the appropriate section of on-line application."
So talk about how an SMP itself will further my goals? or about how I want to be a doctor and how the SMP will further these goals?
confused

Oops, I'm sorry! Just checked my personal statement and saw that I talked about getting into medical school and why I wanted to be a doctor and that SMP would further those goals.

 

[coff33isyummy]

Applied a couple weeks ago. I'd appreciate any feedback on my chances: 3.41 cGPA, 3.16 sGPA, 24 MCAT. Great recs and a good amount of medical experience.

 

[nocturnal15m]

i got into georgetown's smp of this year

stats: mcat 29 (retaking later this year), overall gpa 3.2, science gpa 3.1, non-science gpa 3.4, last 2 years of undergrad gpa 3.6 (if that helps with anything)
i have a lot of clinical experience, probably at least 500 hours of voluteering in the ER, interning in med/surg/tele and ICU, and shadowing ER docs
and 4 letters of rec, one from an ER doc, 1 from my P.I. in my research lab, 1 from a psych prof and 1 from a cell bio prof

also got into boston's MAMS, tuft's mbs

waitlisted for Cincinnati's smp and evms
waiting for Temple ACMS

so, if anyone can help me, i have trouble deciding on which one to go to =P. if you had my choices, which one would you go to (or still wait for) and why?

thank you

 

[ncortese3]

Applied a couple weeks ago. I'd appreciate any feedback on my chances: 3.41 cGPA, 3.16 sGPA, 24 MCAT. Great recs and a good amount of medical experience.

Im a current SMP and the average MCAT in our program is 30+ but there's always hope

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

Gonna apply to this one, hope it's not too late!
Stats: 3.78(downward trend from a 3.9 the past year)/35 MCAT

 

[graybrij]

Gonna apply to this one, hope it's not too late!
Stats: 3.78(downward trend from a 3.9 the past year)/35 MCAT

Holy crap?! Applying to an smp with those stats?

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

Holy crap?! Applying to an smp with those stats?

yup I have a downward trend though, plus my last year and a half of courses were really subpar plus my workload in terms of credits taken also went down from like two year ago, when I was taking 18-21 credits a semester. I feel like my last year or two is enough to convince adcoms that I may not be ready for med school yet, despite my stats.

 

[erure]

Accepted! GPA 3.0 MCAT 35. Also applied to Cincinnati, RFU, and UCSD. While Georgetown isn't my top choice, it's nice to know I am going somewhere this year

 

[graybrij]

Accepted! GPA 3.0 MCAT 35. Also applied to Cincinnati, RFU, and UCSD. While Georgetown isn't my top choice, it's nice to know I am going somewhere this year

Congrats!!! That is awesome!!!

 

[graybrij]

yup I have a downward trend though, plus my last year and a half of courses were really subpar plus my workload in terms of credits taken also went down from like two year ago, when I was taking 18-21 credits a semester. I feel like my last year or two is enough to convince adcoms that I may not be ready for med school yet, despite my stats.

Dang! I guess you never know what adcoms are thinking. I just submitted my app. 3.5 cGPA 3.45 sgpa. Writing MCAT may 17th. Looking at around 32-34 MCAT