Is it to late to apply to an SMP/Should I?

[run91]

I have cGPA 3.5 and sGPA 3.3 and MCAT 36. Am applying to MD and DO this cycle but should I also apply to an SMP just in case my GPA doesn't cut it. I want to get into a NY MD school, most preferably. My extracurriculars are mediocre. Did some research and volunteering and nothing published. LORs are mediocre to good. NY resident. Non-URM

Questions:

1. Is it too late to apply to an SMP?
2. Should I even apply to one with my scores. I think my scores are on the cusp of getting into a school and I know SMP is a make it or go to hell deal, so should I take the risk?
2. If I apply, should I still apply to med school or wait until after SMP?

Thanks for any input!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DrMidlife]

Great MCAT, but 3.5/3.3 are quite low for NY.

What I predict is that you'll get DO acceptances, and MD interviews, maybe an MD waitlist at a SUNY. You should decide now if you're willing to take a DO acceptance if you find you are close to MD. If you are not willing to take a DO acceptance, then don't invest another minute in the DO app cycle. If you are willing to take a DO acceptance, with MD possibilities still out there, then go nuts with DO apps and forget about SMPs.

If you apply right now to SMPs that aren't yet closed, such as Boston (you'll have to look them up, I don't know anymore), then you can probably start August 2014 and spend your app year doing an SMP and managing MD/DO interviews. This is a reasonable plan if you really want to do MD, because it sets you up nicely (but EXPENSIVELY) for a reapplication in June 2015. This is not a reasonable plan if you'll take a DO acceptance. Note that your SMP year will start 2-12 months before you'll know your MD/DO app results, so give up now on having an SMP be a tidy financial/logistical decision. It won't be.

Note that applying during an SMP year, for MD schools, is not optimal. In your shoes, I'd wait to apply until June '15, get into Boston MAMS starting Aug 14, kill it, and apply June '15 while you do your Boston research year. This gives you just one best app cycle instead of the insane emotional roller coaster of unmanageable expectations, and Boston gives you a really solid academic/research foundation so you aren't scrambling during med school.

Meanwhile do something about your mediocre EC's. Those don't fix themselves. If you don't have a long standing clinical volunteer gig ~4 hrs/wk, what are you doing?!?

Best of luck to you.

 

[run91]

Great MCAT, but 3.5/3.3 are quite low for NY.

What I predict is that you'll get DO acceptances, and MD interviews, maybe an MD waitlist at a SUNY. You should decide now if you're willing to take a DO acceptance if you find you are close to MD. If you are not willing to take a DO acceptance, then don't invest another minute in the DO app cycle. If you are willing to take a DO acceptance, with MD possibilities still out there, then go nuts with DO apps and forget about SMPs.

If you apply right now to SMPs that aren't yet closed, such as Boston (you'll have to look them up, I don't know anymore), then you can probably start August 2014 and spend your app year doing an SMP and managing MD/DO interviews. This is a reasonable plan if you really want to do MD, because it sets you up nicely (but EXPENSIVELY) for a reapplication in June 2015. This is not a reasonable plan if you'll take a DO acceptance. Note that your SMP year will start 2-12 months before you'll know your MD/DO app results, so give up now on having an SMP be a tidy financial/logistical decision. It won't be.

Note that applying during an SMP year, for MD schools, is not optimal. In your shoes, I'd wait to apply until June '15, get into Boston MAMS starting Aug 14, kill it, and apply June '15 while you do your Boston research year. This gives you just one best app cycle instead of the insane emotional roller coaster of unmanageable expectations, and Boston gives you a really solid academic/research foundation so you aren't scrambling during med school.

Meanwhile do something about your mediocre EC's. Those don't fix themselves. If you don't have a long standing clinical volunteer gig ~4 hrs/wk, what are you doing?!?

Best of luck to you.

Woah, thanks for all the input! I know, it's obviously hard for you to judge not knowing much about my app, but do you think I have any chance at all for an acceptance in an MD in the northeast this cycle? If not, then I'm willing to go the SMP route and not apply for med schools this cycle. Just want to make sure because SMP's are make it or break it and I don't want to go in and regret it. Also, from your experience, what is the cutoff GPA in SMP for getting into a med school? I read that any GPA literally lower than a 4.0 means you have no chance in getting into a med school ever. Is this true? If so, I'm not sure if I'm willing to take such a huge risk.

 

[DrMidlife]

Woah, thanks for all the input! I know, it's obviously hard for you to judge not knowing much about my app, but do you think I have any chance at all for an acceptance in an MD in the northeast this cycle? If not, then I'm willing to go the SMP route and not apply for med schools this cycle. Just want to make sure because SMP's are make it or break it and I don't want to go in and regret it. Also, from your experience, what is the cutoff GPA in SMP for getting into a med school? I read that any GPA literally lower than a 4.0 means you have no chance in getting into a med school ever. Is this true? If so, I'm not sure if I'm willing to take such a huge risk.

I allege that if you get 1-2 more SDNers agreeing with me, plus one person in real life who isn't a premed and can succinctly define "SMP", then it's blessed. But those are hard opinions to collect.

Yes, you have to perform better than the average med student in an SMP, but isn't that what you'd want in an audition program? You're looking to produce an asset that stands as a counterexample to your below average undergrad performance. Do you think it should be a walk in the park? Presumably not. Every SMP produces three groups of graduates:
1. those who do great and go to MD schools pretty soon
2. those who do okay and go to MD or DO or Carib schools eventually
3. those who find out in the SMP that they're not "med school material"

The plan I laid out for you (apply after first year of BUMAMS) works unless you're in group 3, and with your MCAT score you should not have to be thinking about DO or Carib.

Regardless, get going on SMP apps now if you're going to do it. It's late.

Best of luck to you.