Georgetown SMP Application Thread for 2015-2016 Class

[reapplicantblues]

So the application gives the option of just using the AMCAS app to fill out the personal statement, resume, etc....did anyone just do that or would it be preferred to write a new specific essay, etc. to the program?

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[deleted380953]

So the application gives the option of just using the AMCAS app to fill out the personal statement, resume, etc....did anyone just do that or would it be preferred to write a new specific essay, etc. to the program?

I used my AMCAS stuff. It worked out for me

 

[PhoenixAZ]

What is the average GPA for graduates of this program? Do students generally get A in their exams?

 

[wiscyon]

What is the average GPA for graduates of this program? Do students generally get A in their exams?

I went for a visit and they told me the average GPA after finishing is a 3.4.

 

[benjaminl1nus]

I went for a visit and they told me the average GPA after finishing is a 3.4.

that seems really high.

 

[wiscyon]

that seems really high.

Yeah maybe it excludes people who failed or something

 

[benjaminl1nus]

Yeah maybe it excludes people who failed or something

but then again if they have an 85% success rate then the 3.4 makes a little more sense. hmm.

I'm honestly a little scared about this program haha, it will definitely be tougher than anything I've ever done.

 

[steo55]

This might be a dumb question but for letters of rec., what exactly does "science faculty" mean? I have a professor who taught a biology course but he's part of the dept. of psych. Would his letter count as a science letter?

 

[PreMed9242]

This might be a dumb question but for letters of rec., what exactly does "science faculty" mean? I have a professor who taught a biology course but he's part of the dept. of psych. Would his letter count as a science letter?

It may be case by case specific, but one of my science LORs was written by a psych professor. You may want to refer to AMCAS instruction manual and with each schools admissions department to be sure.

 

[cardio7]

3.3-3.4 average GPA finishing the program is about right. All of our classes are curved, so it's challenging to get A's on exams. Here's the grading scheme:

A = Honors, top 10-15% of the class
A-/B+ = High Pass, next 20-25% of the class
B = Pass, 50-55% of the class. Most students fall into this group.
B-/C = Low Pass, more than 1 standard deviation below the mean but still above the cutoff for passing
F = Fail, you don't wanna be in this group. It's pretty rare to fail to be honest.

These numbers can change depending on the professor's generosity. The grad classes are sometimes graded on a more lenient curve.

 

[rosie23]

What do you guys think of Georgetown SMP versus the George Squared ABS program? I can't find a thread that seems to compare both. MCAT is 27 (10 bio, 10 verbal, 7 physical) and cGPA is 3.3 with sGPA 2.9. I got into the ABS program, although wondering if I should apply to SMP since med schools look favorably at that if you do well in it.

 

[mjm6012]

I left a message with the admissions office but do any of you know if the program will be accepting 2015 MCAT scores for the current application cycle?

 

[FriendOfTheCupcake]

CARDIO7 JUST GOT INTO HER TOP CHOICE MED SCHOOL TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[FriendOfTheCupcake]

I left a message with the admissions office but do any of you know if the program will be accepting 2015 MCAT scores for the current application cycle?

I imagine they will! I think I talked with them about it before, they said they'd just have to go with it. It will likely be based off percentile of test-takers rather than raw score, I imagine.

 

[FriendOfTheCupcake]

What do you guys think of Georgetown SMP versus the George Squared ABS program? I can't find a thread that seems to compare both. MCAT is 27 (10 bio, 10 verbal, 7 physical) and cGPA is 3.3 with sGPA 2.9. I got into the ABS program, although wondering if I should apply to SMP since med schools look favorably at that if you do well in it.

That's tough - they're very different programs, though there is overlap in professors/course directors. I would call the office and see if there is someone you can talk with about it. They won't be offended.

 

[cardio7]

CARDIO7 JUST GOT INTO HER TOP CHOICE MED SCHOOL TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much! I'm beyond excited to put my NINE pre-med years behind me. It's been a long journey, and I'm excited to see what happens next!

 

[MooMoo20]

Has anyone gotten any notifications about financial aid yet? The waiting is killing me- I really need to know if I'll get the loans haha.

 

[cardio7]

Please excuse my ignorance of the loan process, but are you waiting on need-based aid? (no need to post the answer). I'm not sure of the process for that.

You could contact the financial aid office to determine when your financial aid package will be ready. They've helped me out with a bunch of questions. I only borrowed the cost of tuition, but everyone I know was able to get their entire cost of attendance (tuition + housing + misc expenses) covered by a combination of federal Grad Plus and Unsubsidized Stafford loans. It looks like this year's total COA will be $79,330 and there should be no need-based restrictions on borrowing that whole amount. My goodness, that's a lot of money. *faints*

Apparently GU is also giving partial merit-based SMP scholarships this year? That's definitely new.

 

[benjaminl1nus]

79k? Jesus

 

[cardio7]

It sounds terrible but it's better if you break it down. Tuition and mandatory fees are about $52k, so that's a slightly more palatable number. The other 27k is estimated for housing, food, travel, and books. You really won't buy many books, and the housing costs have the potential to be much lower based on where you live and # of roommates. The GU main/med campus is located in a fairly affluent area of DC, so the rent prices are unfortunately very high. Look around in the surrounding neighborhoods, including Rosslyn, VA (across the bridge) and you can drive the total cost down.

 

[Sofia242]

Oh I wasn't aware of the merit based scholarships! Did you hear that through the financial aid office?

 

[cardio7]

It was something I saw on the SMP website recently for the first time: http://smp.georgetown.edu/smplocations
It's in the comparison chart under the "Scholarships/grants" heading.

I'm surprised because they've never offered merit-based aid in the past as far as I am aware. Does anyone else have any info on this? @FriendOfTheCupcake?
I wish I had more details for you but this was all I could find.

 

[Sofia242]

Thanks @cardio7 ! I didn't see the scholarship section the first time I looked at the chart, must be very new. I wish I knew what the requirements are to qualify, if you find out somehow I'd appreciate it if you could let us know! In the mean time, I'll probably email or call Amy to see if she has more info

 

[benjaminl1nus]

Thanks @cardio7 ! I didn't see the scholarship section the first time I looked at the chart, must be very new. I wish I knew what the requirements are to qualify, if you find out somehow I'd appreciate it if you could let us know! In the mean time, I'll probably email or call Amy to see if she has more info

I remember asking Amy about this and she said no way no scholarships...but the site says differently lol

 

[FriendOfTheCupcake]

It was something I saw on the SMP website recently for the first time: http://smp.georgetown.edu/smplocations
It's in the comparison chart under the "Scholarships/grants" heading.

I'm surprised because they've never offered merit-based aid in the past as far as I am aware. Does anyone else have any info on this? @FriendOfTheCupcake?
I wish I had more details for you but this was all I could find.

Definitely new!

 

[X3NA]

Do any of you guys know what the FAFSA code is?

 

[OhSNAP25]

I remember asking Amy about this and she said no way no scholarships...but the site says differently lol

I spoke with Amy recently as well. She said there are scholarship but very few and are given based on MCAT/GPA.

 

[benjaminl1nus]

I spoke with Amy recently as well. She said there are scholarship but very few and are given based on MCAT/GPA.

i just called today and they said they reward those scholarships to people with high GPA

 

[benjaminl1nus]

Do any of you guys know what the FAFSA code is?

it's the grad school's fafsa code, which is 001445

 

[OhSNAP25]

Hey @cardio7 and @FriendOfTheCupcake

Is there anytime during the SMP year where one could spend some time studying for the MCAT? I got a 31 and 29 and I've been advised by adcoms to retake. Ideally, I want to take it early in the summer so that I can apply early after I'm done with the SMP. What do you think? Appreciate all the advice!

 

[cardio7]

Your best best is to study for and take the MCAT either before you get here or right after you're done the SMP. Unless you're amazingly good with your time management it will be very difficult to manage the MCAT workload in addition to your SMP studies. Burnout is also very real, so I wouldn't recommend this course of action to anyone. It seems like a miserable, albeit temporary, experience.

Not to rush you, but are you in a position where you can start studying for it now? You could aim for an early August test date before orientation. Or, this time next year, (Apr-May 2016) you'll be in the last block of grad classes, and that is the only time during the SMP that I can imagine MCAT studying. If you were to start studying in April 2016, you could aim for a June/July 2016 test date and be okay for fall admissions. Either way, give yourself a minimum of 3 months to study, and please don't take it until you're consistently scoring well on practice exams. Best of luck!

 

[OhSNAP25]

Your best best is to study for and take the MCAT either before you get here or right after you're done the SMP. Unless you're amazingly good with your time management it will be very difficult to manage the MCAT workload in addition to your SMP studies. Burnout is also very real, so I wouldn't recommend this course of action to anyone. It seems like a miserable, albeit temporary, experience.

Not to rush you, but are you in a position where you can start studying for it now? You could aim for an early August test date before orientation. Or, this time next year, (Apr-May 2016) you'll be in the last block of grad classes, and that is the only time during the SMP that I can imagine MCAT studying. If you were to start studying in April 2016, you could aim for a June/July 2016 test date and be okay for fall admissions. Either way, give yourself a minimum of 3 months to study, and please don't take it until you're consistently scoring well on practice exams. Best of luck!

Thanks really appreciate the advice! I will be leaving my full time job to start the SMP -- over the next couple of months I will be pretty busy wrapping my projects up . Will plan on studying around Apr-May 2016 then. Did you look at any programs other than Gtown SMP? I've also applied to BU-MAMS and Tufts-MBS - Just wondering if you had considered those.

 

[X3NA]

it's the grad school's fafsa code, which is 001445

Are you sure? I think the graduate school code is 01671.

 

[X3NA]

I spoke with Amy recently as well. She said there are scholarship but very few and are given based on MCAT/GPA.

Is there a separate application for scholarships?

 

[FriendOfTheCupcake]

Thanks really appreciate the advice! I will be leaving my full time job to start the SMP -- over the next couple of months I will be pretty busy wrapping my projects up . Will plan on studying around Apr-May 2016 then. Did you look at any programs other than Gtown SMP? I've also applied to BU-MAMS and Tufts-MBS - Just wondering if you had considered those.

I looked at but did not apply to BU-MAMS, applied to Tufts MBS, Columbia MS, the George-Squared programs, possibly other things I've forgotten by now. GU SMP was my top choice of the set.

 

[FriendOfTheCupcake]

Also, first set of SMP -> GUSOM M1's are now in the 2016 FB group........

 

[cardio7]

Thanks really appreciate the advice! I will be leaving my full time job to start the SMP -- over the next couple of months I will be pretty busy wrapping my projects up . Will plan on studying around Apr-May 2016 then. Did you look at any programs other than Gtown SMP? I've also applied to BU-MAMS and Tufts-MBS - Just wondering if you had considered those.

I only applied to the GU SMP, so that's not so much help to you. I'm a DC area native and I'm married to a med school student at a local school, so I have some good reasons to stay here. Long story

 

[OhSNAP25]

I only applied to the GU SMP, so that's not so much help to you. I'm a DC area native and I'm married to a med school student at a local school, so I have some good reasons to stay here. Long story

I'm pretty much in the same boat! I really want to stay in the DC area. Hope you get to stay close to DC for med school!

 

[MooMoo20]

Please excuse my ignorance of the loan process, but are you waiting on need-based aid? (no need to post the answer). I'm not sure of the process for that.

You could contact the financial aid office to determine when your financial aid package will be ready. They've helped me out with a bunch of questions. I only borrowed the cost of tuition, but everyone I know was able to get their entire cost of attendance (tuition + housing + misc expenses) covered by a combination of federal Grad Plus and Unsubsidized Stafford loans. It looks like this year's total COA will be $79,330 and there should be no need-based restrictions on borrowing that whole amount. My goodness, that's a lot of money. *faints*

Apparently GU is also giving partial merit-based SMP scholarships this year? That's definitely new.

Thanks for the info! And yeah, I definitely need an update on the loan situation before I can fully commit to attending Do you remember around when you got your notification for FAFSA stuff by any chance?

 

[cardio7]

Thanks for the info! And yeah, I definitely need an update on the loan situation before I can fully commit to attending Do you remember around when you got your notification for FAFSA stuff by any chance?

My apologies, but I can't remember. Your best bet is to contact Georgetown's Office of Student Financial Services to explain your situation and ask when loan packages will be finalized this year. Their website is http://finaid.georgetown.edu/ and their contact info is at the bottom.

 

[swagginlikealaddin]

Hi everyone, I am making a list of pros & cons as I decide on my plans next year and I was hoping for some help

stats: 2014 graduate / cGPA 3.55 / sGPA 3.2 / MCAT 31 / Fulbright research scholar / ~200hrs shadowing / good extra curriculars / good research

I was accepted to EVMS Masters (application confirmed 5/5, accepted 5/9), Georgetown's SMP (application under review 4/28, accepted 5/1), and Boston's MAMS program (application confirmed 4/18, accepted 4/21). EVMS is by far the least expensive but I don't really want to go to Virginia, so I'm really just trying to decide between BU and Georgetown.

Has anyone previously or recently had to make this decision between Boston's MAMS program and the Georgetown SMP (ohsnap25) ? how was it made? I would be thrilled to be a part of these universities and I am sure that it would greatly help my application for medical school - although I know I am not very competitive for BUSM or GUSM. I would like to go to medical school in the north-east so both of these programs are excellent for that reason as well.

Thanks!

 

[OhSNAP25]

Hi everyone, I am making a list of pros & cons as I decide on my plans next year and I was hoping for some help

stats: 2014 graduate / cGPA 3.55 / sGPA 3.2 / MCAT 31 / Fulbright research scholar / ~200hrs shadowing / good extra curriculars / good research

I was accepted to EVMS Masters (application confirmed 5/5, accepted 5/9), Georgetown's SMP (application under review 4/28, accepted 5/1), and Boston's MAMS program (application confirmed 4/18, accepted 4/21). EVMS is by far the least expensive but I don't really want to go to Virginia, so I'm really just trying to decide between BU and Georgetown.

Has anyone previously or recently had to make this decision between Boston's MAMS program and the Georgetown SMP (ohsnap25) ? how was it made? I would be thrilled to be a part of these universities and I am sure that it would greatly help my application for medical school - although I know I am not very competitive for BUSM or GUSM. I would like to go to medical school in the north-east so both of these programs are excellent for that reason as well.

Thanks!

Hi @swagginlikealaddin

It's a tough decision. Have not made the decision just yet. Compared to Tufts and BU what I really like about Gtown is it's structure -- you take the exact courses as med students. It's also very structured -- I feel like BU is a DIY SMP i.e. you can make it moderately easy or really hard. I did not realize how expensive Gtown living is! (not that Boston is much cheaper). If I had no ties to DC I would really consider BU -- I have heard nothing but great things about Boston. Overall I think both are really great programs -- I am probably going to pick Gtown b/c I've lived in the DC area for a while and it will be a much easier transition for me and I'll get to be close to family/gf.

 

[swagginlikealaddin]

Hi @swagginlikealaddin

It's a tough decision. Have not made the decision just yet. Compared to Tufts and BU what I really like about Gtown is it's structure -- you take the exact courses as med students. It's also very structured -- I feel like BU is a DIY SMP i.e. you can make it moderately easy or really hard. I did not realize how expensive Gtown living is! (not that Boston is much cheaper). If I had no ties to DC I would really consider BU -- I have heard nothing but great things about Boston. Overall I think both are really great programs -- I am probably going to pick Gtown b/c I've lived in the DC area for a while and it will be a much easier transition for me and I'll get to be close to family/gf.

Thank you for your response, and congrats on making a decision! I am also leaning toward Georgetown right now. BU sounds great, but I have a strong research background, and their program incorporates significant research that I don't think will help my application. I really just want to focus on getting good grades in a rigorous program like Georgetown where you take those med school classes. DC is so damn expensive, though
Georgetown is 3 hours from my hometown compared to the 9 for Boston, so I think I'm going to pass on BU.

Thanks again, congrats, and maybe I'll see you at georgetown!

 

[sgm92]

Complete 5/1
Accepted 5/14

California resident
cGPA/sGPA ~3.38, recent upward trend
MCAT an even 30 (10PS/10VR/10BS)
Variety of strong EC's

A little hesitant due to the cost, but I will probably attend regardless. It was my top choice, plus DC is awesome.

Good luck all!

 

[capcom]

Complete 5/1
Accepted 5/14

Canadian Resident.

Interviewed for NYMC AMP program last week. Also waiting on UCinci. Will be debating between the three.
Question: Have the GTDT campus spots been filled already?

 

[benjaminl1nus]

Complete 5/1
Question: Have the GTDT campus spots been filled already?

yeah they have, people are signing up on the waitlist in case others drop out but you are guaranteed at least a spot in the Med Center

 

[algbs3]

So I just applied. Have a 30 MCAT and 3.1 GPA. Going to have to wait a while for my rec letters to come in. Is it reasonable to get in? I also retook and have a 90-100 percentile MCAT for the new one. Should I just go ahead and send them an email with the percentiles?

 

[gogglesplease]

Hey all! I'm super conflicted between Tufts and Georgetown right now. I'm applying this summer for med school, but I was wondering what people do during their "glide" year? I think with Tufts, it lets you do an MPH/MBA in the case that you don't get into med school your first cycle, but I'm not sure if that's worth more since not many people at Tufts actually apply during the program (~20?). It seems like Georgetown may give same year applicants a greater advantage, whereas Tufts would give a better chance if you happen not to get in the first round. I hope that made sense?
I don't know haha. I seem to be just be doing a lot of research on both programs and getting more and more conflicted! Some help would be great!
Thanks in advance!

 

[lysozym392]

Hi @gogglesplease, to answer your q's regarding Georgetown (from what I've read from this thread previously & GT's website):

1) About 50% of SMP students are accepted into a med school (MD or DO) during the year they are in SMP. So there's that. If you don't already know Tufts statistics, you should find out and compare their figures with Georgetown's.

2) Acc. to SMP's FAQ, around 85% eventually enter med school w/in 2 years of completing the SMP. A definite "plus" if you're not in a particular rush to get your MD/DO.

3) 50% of SMP students who apply to Georgetown Med are granted interviews (compare this to the 10-11% interview rate the med school has OVERALL). Although nowhere near as comforting as a guaranteed interview, this piece of information is definitely something to consider.

4) Georgetown doesn't have the MPH/MBA "glide year" option that Tufts does from what I've gathered. Considering most of the class gets into a program eventually, I'm willing to guess that the university doesn't have a lot of incentive to have a secondary option like Tufts (once again, this is just conjecture!!!).

One thing I would ask current Tufts students or admissions officer is why not many students apply during the year they take the program. That might help you make your decision easier. Unfortunately, I know nothing about Tufts program. Perhaps you can look in the Tufts "SMP" (is that what it's called? lol) thread if there is one.

 

[OhSNAP25]

Thanks. I'm not worried about the waitlist as much as I am about what it says about the strength of my application, since people with similar stats to mines have already been accepted, though they also applied earlier than me. The GT email itself says that they accept a lot of people off their waitlist, so there's that.

Waitlisted :/

Yeah people with stats similar to me have been accepted as well -- I did apply really late. I was planning on applying to med schools this year but now I'm not sure anymore. Really starting to question my life decisions lol maybe I should stick to engineering.