How much will an SMP help me?

[yanks26dmb]

So I'm getting a lot of silence so far, and fully expecting to be rejected everywhere...I have 4 DO ii's and I'd be more than happy attending any of those schools. I have no MD preference, I just want to get into a medical school...

I am a non-trad and completed all of my pre-reqs several years after graduating, thus I have done an informal post-bac and have a post-bac GPA as calculated by AMCAS. The folks over in DO land have instructed me an SMP may not do much for me, considering I'm much more competitive over there (DO GPA's are half a point higher). A doctor I have shadowed has told me I'm the perfect SMP candidate and I should likely be able to get into an MD program if I complete one successfully. Wondering what you all think..

3.0 cgpa/3.1 sgpa/3.9 post bacc gpa/30 MCAT
unique EC's + leadership (entrepreneur) experience

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[connerm]

Based off of what you are saying, you have a ton of credit hours and there is not much chance to move the needle any further in a reasonable time frame, so an SMP might be the best option. Some have GPA requirements in the range that you have. Check over at the post-bacc forum for more info.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

I think your biggest problem is something with your interviews...? I might be mixing people up but havent you had a couple of interviews but have had no luck landing an acceptance?

Obviously the numbers are good enough to get you in the door since you are landing interviews. You are doing something that is causing them to not want you at their particular school.

Or am I totally thinking about a different person (admittedly its hard to keep track of people on here).

 

[ridethecliche]

You already have a 3.9 over your post bacc. I don't think an SMP would help you much unless the school has a pretty good pipeline from SMP->their med school.

Edit: Your MCAT could be higher as well.

 

[Catalystik]

So I'm getting a lot of silence so far, and fully expecting to be rejected everywhere...I have 4 DO ii's and I'd be more than happy attending any of those schools. I have no MD preference, I just want to get into a medical school...

I am a non-trad and completed all of my pre-reqs several years after graduating, thus I have done an informal post-bac and have a post-bac GPA as calculated by AMCAS. The folks over in DO land have instructed me an SMP may not do much for me, considering I'm much more competitive over there (DO GPA's are half a point higher). A doctor I have shadowed has told me I'm the perfect SMP candidate and I should likely be able to get into an MD program if I complete one successfully. Wondering what you all think..

3.0 cgpa/3.1 sgpa/3.9 post bacc gpa/30 MCAT
unique EC's + leadership (entrepreneur) experience
I have a 3.5 over my last 120 hours...my poor GPA is a result of a piss poor freshman and sophmore years, 2002-2004.

Yes, you're a good SMP candidate, assuming completion of the program with a 3.7+ GPA, but do you really want to put your life on hold for another two years while you apply to one, complete the program, and enter another application cycle? You still aren't guaranteed an acceptance to an MD program, let alone one in California.

 

[yanks26dmb]

I think your biggest problem is something with your interviews...? I might be mixing people up but havent you had a couple of interviews but have had no luck landing an acceptance?

Obviously the numbers are good enough to get you in the door since you are landing interviews. You are doing something that is causing them to not want you at their particular school.

Or am I totally thinking about a different person (admittedly its hard to keep track of people on here).

I've had 4 ii's so far. First two resulted in wait lists. I find out the results of the third on Friday. Still have one more to go on. The thing is, I KNOW how to interview. I've landed jobs at big, name-brand corporations people kill to work for. I've interviewed others. I've spoken to the doctors I've shadowed about this and they've indicated I'm well-spoken and portray myself well. I have no idea why I was wait listed twice...of course, we could all be missing something and I could not be displaying my passion in the interview well enough...I'm not so sure of myself that I'm completely ruling that out...but frankly, I'd be surprised..

 

[mehc012]

Yes, you're a good SMP candidate, assuming completion of the program with a 3.7+ GPA, but do you really want to put your life on hold for another two years while you apply to one, complete the program, and enter another application cycle? You still aren't guaranteed an acceptance to an MD program, let alone one in California.

The alternative being what, quitting altogether?
People who are passionate about their goal will continue pursuing it until the cost becomes high enough to kill the passion, or they find another one with lower costs. Nobody can force that to happen, not even OP.

If OP shouldn't go for an SMP, nobody really should..they're pretty much the prime candidate for it.

 

[yanks26dmb]

You already have a 3.9 over your post bacc. I don't think an SMP would help you much unless the school has a pretty good pipeline from SMP->their med school.

Edit: Your MCAT could be higher as well.

Only thing is, my post-bacc was informal, i.e. took the necessary pre-reqs over a 1.5 year period at local community colleges...I think my post-bacc gpa doesn'tcarry the same weight a formal post-bacc might..

 

[ridethecliche]

Only thing is, my post-bacc was informal, i.e. took the necessary pre-reqs over a 1.5 year period at local community colleges...I think my post-bacc gpa doesn'tcarry the same weight a formal post-bacc might..

Catalystik knows way more than I do but here's how I think about this.

DIY Post bacc at a CC is 'eh' compared to one at a more reputable 4 year university. This is especially true for you since your ugpa was pretty low and your post bacc gpa is really high. Hard to say if this isn't just due to say that the classes were easier, especially since your MCAT isn't a standout. I think a legit SMP would help you if you could ace it, but I think you have a good shot at DO so I'm not sure if the time and money investment is worth it to you.

 

[mehc012]

Catalystik knows way more than I do but here's how I think about this.

DIY Post bacc at a CC is 'eh' compared to one at a more reputable 4 year university. This is especially true for you since your ugpa was pretty low and your post bacc gpa is really high. Hard to say if this isn't just due to say that the classes were easier, especially since your MCAT isn't a standout. I think a legit SMP would help you if you could ace it, but I think you have a good shot at DO so I'm not sure if the time and money investment is worth it to you.

That's more due to location than DIY-ness, though, right?

 

[ridethecliche]

That's more due to location than DIY-ness, though, right?

Yeah. DIY at reputable 4 year university>>>DIY at CC.
Most DO's don't care though, but I've heard MD schools do.

 

[Catalystik]

The alternative being what, quitting altogether?

The alternative being to carry through with DO application plans. Like @ridethecliche, I think OP has a good shot at DO, as he is.

 

[mehc012]

The alternative being to carry through with DO application plans. Like @ridethecliche, I think OP has a good shot at DO, as he is.

They've already applied DO...I thought this was 'if this cycle of applying MD and DO does not work out, what then?'
OP said they were happy with DO, but 'fully expect(s) to be rejected everywhere' so I did not think this was a 'should I go DO or not' thread, but rather, 'would an SMP be the next step for me to eventually get into either MD or DO?'

 

[ridethecliche]

Yeah. I think the cycle might turn out better than the OP expects.

Crossing my fingers for the OP!

 

[mehc012]

Yeah. I think the cycle might turn out better than the OP expects.

Crossing my fingers for the OP!

Same here - 4 i.i's is nothing to shake a stick at!
But if the worst does happen, I still think they're a prime candidate for an SMP.

 

[Catalystik]

Whereas I interpreted the original post as a question about changing course completely.

I thought this was 'if this cycle of applying MD and DO does not work out, what then?'

 

[Catalystik]

4 i.i's is nothing to shake a stick at.

I agree.

 

[mehc012]

Whereas I interpreted the original post as a question about changing course completely.

As in jumping ship mid-application cycle and not even attending interviews?
...can we universally agree that that would be a horrible idea?

 

[BHB2008]

Yanks,

Fact is, if you had applied to more schools, you might be sitting on an acceptance right now. You are primed to go for next cycle for an early/broad application.

SMP's are risky. They can be do or die. I know you were rejected from LECOM with the specific suggestion that you pursue an SMP, and as luck has it, they offer one with decent linkage. If you are confident in your abilities to kill it, then that would be a good route, and you can still apply as normal while you are doing the SMP. (It won't change your timeline at all.)

Good luck!

 

[ridethecliche]

DO NOT PULL OUT OF THOSE INTERVIEWS!

Unless you want to throw away any shot of doing DO.

If you want to start a fresh cycle. You have to withdraw pre-interview and you're likely not going to be invited to interview at the schools you currently have interviews at again since you turned them down.

Not recommended!

 

[ananasmed]

DO NOT PULL OUT OF THOSE INTERVIEWS!

Unless you want to throw away any shot of doing DO.

If you want to start a fresh cycle. You have to withdraw pre-interview and you're likely not going to be invited to interview at the schools you currently have interviews at again since you turned them down.

Not recommended!

I don't think Yanks is at all considering this. He's just extra worried about his fate for this cycle since he has attended 3 interviews and heard back from two - both were waitlists.

Rooting for you to get an acceptance at School #3 or #4!

 

[yanks26dmb]

They've already applied DO...I thought this was 'if this cycle of applying MD and DO does not work out, what then?'
OP said they were happy with DO, but 'fully expect(s) to be rejected everywhere' so I did not think this was a 'should I go DO or not' thread, but rather, 'would an SMP be the next step for me to eventually get into either MD or DO?'

Sorry, I could have been more clear. I fully expect to be rejected at all MD schools.

For whatever the reason, I've landed on two wait lists so far...have two more interviews though to hear from, so this is just a worst case scenario plan at the moment.

You interpreted correctly - this is a, would an SMP help me become a doctor at this stage, question..

 

[yanks26dmb]

Yanks,

Fact is, if you had applied to more schools, you might be sitting on an acceptance right now. You are primed to go for next cycle for an early/broad application.

SMP's are risky. They can be do or die. I know you were rejected from LECOM with the specific suggestion that you pursue an SMP, and as luck has it, they offer one with decent linkage. If you are confident in your abilities to kill it, then that would be a good route, and you can still apply as normal while you are doing the SMP. (It won't change your timeline at all.)

Good luck!

Thanks for your feedback (and remembering my post about LECOM). In total I applied to 23 schools (15 DO/8 MD). I honestly feel like that's a fair number given my (DO) stats.

You don't think my enrolling in an SMP would cause some schools to wait and see how I did...when they may have otherwise granted me an ii outright? This is assuming I apply in June next year, and start the SMP in August...

 

[yanks26dmb]

DO NOT PULL OUT OF THOSE INTERVIEWS!

Unless you want to throw away any shot of doing DO.

If you want to start a fresh cycle. You have to withdraw pre-interview and you're likely not going to be invited to interview at the schools you currently have interviews at again since you turned them down.

Not recommended!

100% not doing this. Sorry if I implied I was. I would be overjoyed to be accepted at any US medical school not named LIberty. I would never turn down an interview invite anywhere.

 

[BHB2008]

You don't think my enrolling in an SMP would cause some schools to wait and see how I did...when they may have otherwise granted me an ii outright? This is assuming I apply in June next year, and start the SMP in August...

That's a very specific question an AdCom could answer. I do know from reading SMP threads that people apply and interview during the year they are in it. Some get in. (Read the LECOM post-bacc thread from last year.)