SMDEP 2014 Thread

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MrCon

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Hey guys. This isn't the official thread by SMDEP.

I had a few questions and I was hoping you guys would be kind enough to review them.

My stats:

1. Current Freshman
2. 4.00 GPA (science, overall, no weights)
3. Course load includes...
  • Honors Biology with Laboratory
  • General Chemistry
  • General Chemistry Laboratory
  • Honors Freshman English
  • Calculus 1 with Trig
  • Entrepreneurship
4. Honors Program
5. Member of extremely selective Entrepreneurship Program
6. Founder/CEO of two start-up businesses. One of them is a unique non-profit organization that has been invested in by a CEO/Founder of x company (trying to be vague), while the other is a social media application expected to launch next year. Both start-up companies have websites which will be listed on the application.
7. My essays are well written, sincere, and overall good; but I wouldn't say they're exceptionally stellar in terms of content. I discussed my high school hospital volunteering experience and how it lead me to realize my passion for medicine.
8. I will hopefully have a good recommendation from my Entrepreneurship professor (who knows me very well), and maybe a good recommendation from my Chemistry professor (who doesn't know me well, but I did exceptionally well in her class).
9. I have a 2120 SAT (660 CR, 720 M, 740 W)
10. I have no post-secondary shadowing/research/volunteering experience.
11. I do not qualify as low-income, under-served, or minority. I am of South Asian descent, and I was born in America.


Having said all of that, I am currently considering which three universities to apply for SMDEP. I would like to have a general "safety" pick and/or a match. I would like to have one or two reaches.
I've more or less narrowed down to UVa, Howard, Yale, and Columbia.


QUESTION: Judging by my stats, would you say that these narrowed down choices are realistic, reasonable targets? I recognize that the fact that I have no post-secondary shadowing/research/volunteering experience will hurt me. I also recognize that the fact that I am not low-income, under-served, or minority will also likely play against me. I've heard people with high GPAs have often gotten rejected from Howard and other schools because they weren't under-represented minorities with low income.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

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I think you answered your own question. I would think you have a zero chance because you're not low-income, under served, or a minority like you said. I think these programs are targeted towards those groups.

But I have no experience with SMDEP. But the programs seems to be geared towards Minorities, low-income, and underserved.
 
Yes, it is pretty much true that SMDEP is geared towards minorities, disadvantaged, and underserved *but* the program is also geared towards those who demonstrate a passion for helping theses groups in particular and increasing diversity in the field of medicine.

I attended the UVA program site and there definitely were participants who did not belong to minority, disadvantage, or underserved groups.
 
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I think it's worth trying, you never know what you might end up with. You may have a better chance applying for an REU such as Amgen. I'll tell you this, personal statements are a BIG deciding factor for these programs. When I spoke with the faculty at Yale they stated that they were interested in the story that applicants brought to the table because they want to bring diversity into the medical field. Some of the participants came from single parent homes, were financially disadvantaged, or had some other disadvantage.
 
So does GPA factor very little into these programs like SMDEP and Amgen?
 
A high GPA can help get you considered for REUs. You're going up against thousands of other applicants with GPAs as high as yours, how can you stand out among those applicants? Simple, committees look at the story applicants bring to the table. You need to be able to sell yourself with the personal statement. I had a 3.86 when I applied last year for all these REUs, but I made the fatal mistake of submitting a weak personal statement. Needless to say, I was rejected by all those programs, but I managed to land somewhere else. I've learned from my mistake and should have better luck this round. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
 
I'm currently an Undergraduate Freshman about to enter my second semester Spring 2014. Would I be eligible for Amgen? I'm confused because they say either have 4 quarters or 3 semesters.
 
Thanks so much that list is actually really helpful!
 
Hello everyone!

I am an SMDEP student ambassador for the 2014 application cycle! I am here to assist you guys with the application process! I was elected as an ambassador two months ago and I can answer questions about any and everything about SMDEP. I attended the partook in the program this past summer as a Pre-dental student and it was stupendous! In return, I would greatly appreciate if you ladies and gents could enter my name: "Bobby Glover-Alonzo" in the section that says "who referred you" where they ask how you learned about SMDEP or something along those lines. If I help the most people, SMDEP will help me prepare for my DAT exam. Thank you all SO very much! If you may have questions, tag my name on any of the SMDEP threads or simply email me at [email protected]
 
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