Current SMP here too and I just wanted to share my two cents! (Or ten, sorry this is long!)
I got accepted to an MD program at a school I
love back in December, and this cycle has been night-and-day compared to last year (no IIs in 2014
)
Overall I think this program works very well for WHAT IT'S DESIGNED TO DO, which is give students an opportunity to prove that they can handle medical-level coursework, with the assumption that this would likely be the biggest reservation that medical schools have about their application.
I know a ton of really amazing people here who came into this program with a solid or even high MCAT, meaningful long-term volunteer commitments, experience working full or part time, quality research experience, significant patient contact experiences, etc and did all of this in addition to an extracurricular activity that meant a lot to us regardless of its "relevance" in medicine (Ie varsity sports, dance, art, music, etc); however, these are also students whose GPAs were getting them thrown out by computers, or discarded before the rest of their applications were even read at most places.
The Georgetown SMP works
very well if you feel like you're a student like this because medical schools
want to like you, they really do, but they are also investing a lot of time, money and effort training students, and it's fair for them to also want to see proof that you can handle the work in medical school.
Most people I know have had a handful of interviews, and a handful of us have already been accepted (some people at multiple places), but it's still earlyish in the cycle as well. There are unfortunately plenty of people I know who are amazing candidates who haven't interviewed yet, that is true, but as Dr. Mulroney said something to the effect of at orientation:"Getting into medical school is 95% qualifications and 5% magic"
And I know this seems very true and completely frustrating, but the opportunity to interview at Georgetown SOM based on SMP GPA does a lot to take out of the magic factor out of the equation, and seems to give people some sense of control over this process.
And if you're someone who wants to work on their GPA and thinks they should maybe also volunteer more, shadow, do more clinical work, etc, then I'd say to maybe be a little more patient and more prepared for this to turn out to be a two year process if there was a second "hole" in your application besides the GPA. The downtown program here does a lot of those types of activites during the year, and I know people feel very prepared to take the MCAT again after the program if that's where you think the issue is, so be patient!
I DO NOT think this program is any harder than my undergraduate institution was. The multiple choice exams and the exam frequency takes some getting used to, but it's really interesting stuff, and I definitely feel like I've had plenty of time to have a life this year outside of studying. It's a little bit of a fallacy that hours spent studying= grades. You definitely have to put the time in, sure, but that doesn't mean you can't spend a few hours each day working out, hanging out with friends, or exploring the city either.
I know this was really long, but this site in general could use some positivity, so I'll leave you with this:
At the Georgetown SOM reunion weekend in the fall, I was talking to an SMP from the 1980s (who went on to graduate from Georgetown med) and he said "It's always a pleasure meeting and working with SMPs, because you all were
people. And taking a little extra time to get to medical school, that sort of tenacity is fantastic. I mean I''ll NEVER send a patient to the kid who spent four years of college locked in the library every single day, but I would send a patient to anyone I met during the SMP year in a heartbeat"
Obviously if you can get in without the program and save yourself $50k, definitely DO THAT instead, but if you don't get in, or think you won't with the credentials you have, this year is a lifesaver.
Free to message me with any additional questions!