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I've been doing a lot of research lately on SMP and post bacc programs and from what I know there is none that start in the spring. There are some that you can start in the summer, but most are Fall semesters.

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I ended up finding out the answer. While the fact is that AMCAS calculations are indeed for med school admissions purposes, the SMP admissions look at your gpa from your university/college. So if in fact your school offers grade forgiveness the SMP admissions will only care to see your gpa which will most likely be without repeats calculated in (the higher of the repeated). But it is a good thing to keep in mind AMCAS gpas is what will count in admissions for MD programs. But for the sake of SMP it's your gpa without repeats. The reason I asked was because some SMP has linkage programs and they actually look at how you do in the master's program more so then in your undergrad from which I was told.

I called:
Barry University
USF
Midwestern (Glendale, AZ)
EVMS
 
Mississippi College does fall and spring admissions (they are still accepting apps for fall) and you have to have an MCAT of at least a 20. Look for the Mississippi College M.S. Biology- Medical Sciences concentration.



Hey guys does anyone know which smp programs accept students for the spring semester.
I'm a CA resident. And I took the mcat 4/4/13 didn't go as planned so I'm retaking. Which means I won't be able to apply anywhere to start this fall. So my question is which programs enroll in the spring this way I have enough time to retake mcat an apply. I know USC global medicine accepts in the spring. But don't know which others do.

Thanks for all the help.
 
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I ended up finding out the answer. While the fact is that AMCAS calculations are indeed for med school admissions purposes, the SMP admissions look at your gpa from your university/college. So if in fact your school offers grade forgiveness the SMP admissions will only care to see your gpa which will most likely be without repeats calculated in (the higher of the repeated). But it is a good thing to keep in mind AMCAS gpas is what will count in admissions for MD programs. But for the sake of SMP it's your gpa without repeats. The reason I asked was because some SMP has linkage programs and they actually look at how you do in the master's program more so then in your undergrad from which I was told.

I called:
Barry University
USF
Midwestern (Glendale, AZ)
EVMS
This is going to be very SMP specific - so dont assume thats a blanket assumption.
 
My question was SMP specific. There was no assumptions of anything. I also mentioned that the person should be aware because AMCAS gpa IS the one that counts for med school admissions.
 
My question was SMP specific. There was no assumptions of anything. I also mentioned that the person should be aware because AMCAS gpa IS the one that counts for med school admissions.

Facepalm. Admissions standards vary by SMP. You can make no assumptions about EVMS from what Barry tells you. You can make no assumptions about Gtown from what EVMS tells you.
 
My question was SMP specific. There was no assumptions of anything. I also mentioned that the person should be aware because AMCAS gpa IS the one that counts for med school admissions.
Your question was not specific and you made your answer broad and sweeping.

+1 to what midlife said
 
How about adding my SMP classes to my AMCAS/AACOMAS?
You should now be applying/start applying to applying to SMPs (It is January of 2007 now- start of the new year is usually when applications open up). By May, you should know where you may be. By the time that AMCAS/AACOMAS opens up in early June/late May, you should have hopefully made some preliminary decision about where you will attend. That said, acquire a list of the courses you will be taking for the entire SMP year (if you can get them- Im sure the course director can provide you with this), and add it on AMCAS as classes you will be taking in your planned SMP. If possible, since not ALL schools know about what SMPs are- under the school name in which you list your graduate classes- list your school as XXX School of Medicine (if indeed your classes take place there in the official SMPs). Not only will this catch adcoms eyes, but it should give a heads up to those unfamiliar with what an SMP is. This is what I did with my AMCAS- I listed my entire course list under University of Cincinnati School of Medicine as graduate work.

these are great tips about alerting schools that you are doing an SMP while applying

i am applying to MD & DO schools in a couple of days. i will start Drexel IMS in a couple of months. i am going to include Drexel IMS for future coursework. i will probably not include SMP stuff in my personal statement. i know Drexel will send out a letter in the fall explaining the program etc. however, the fall seems too late. if med schools are not alerted early, they may reject me early.

my question - is there anything i should do further to alert the medical schools that i am doing an SMP this fall? some DO schools tell me i am competitive without the SMP so i will probably take measures beyond what i described above for MD schools only. that way, the SMP will not delay my application to DO schools all the way into the winter.

thank you!
 
Hi does anybody got some personal experience with Loyola's MSPS program? I have been accepted into Loyola's MSPS and Midwestern (AZ)'s Masters of Arts in Biomed Science program. I'm having a hard time deciding which is the better program to go to. any input would be greatly appreciated!
 
Hi does anybody got some personal experience with Loyola's MSPS program? I have been accepted into Loyola's MSPS and Midwestern (AZ)'s Masters of Arts in Biomed Science program. I'm having a hard time deciding which is the better program to go to. any input would be greatly appreciated!

Loyola has an MD school. Midwestern has some DO schools. That matters.
 
Thanks and yes I've considered that, but I kind of wanted to know about the program from any personal experiences.
You're off by one thread: reviews are in the "Rate your SMP & Postbac" thread. Ignore the reviews that don't include whether people got into med school or not.

If your goal is to go to med school, then you need to find grads of those programs who are in med school. People don't come back to SDN and report with any frequency. You may do better to directly ask the programs for alumni contacts.

If you honestly don't understand how to choose between Loyola & Midwestern's MS program in AZ, it's this simple: Go to Loyola if you want to get into a US MD school. Go to Midwestern AZ program if you want to go to a DO school.

Generally you can blow it at a program like Loyola and end up at a DO school. And generally you can get into a US MD school from a DO masters if you have MD stats going in.

Best of luck to you.
 
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You're off by one thread: reviews are in the "Rate your SMP & Postbac" thread. Ignore the reviews that don't include whether people got into med school or not.

If your goal is to go to med school, then you need to find grads of those programs who are in med school. People don't come back to SDN and report with any frequency. You may do better to directly ask the programs for alumni contacts.

If you honestly don't understand how to choose between Loyola & Midwestern's MS program in AZ, it's this simple: Go to Loyola if you want to get into a US MD school. Go to Midwestern AZ program if you want to go to a DO school.

Generally you can blow it at a program like Loyola and end up at a DO school. And generally you can get into a US MD school from a DO masters if you have MD stats going in.

Best of luck to you.

Thank you kindly! I'll look into it!
 
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Generally you can blow it at a program like Loyola and end up at a DO school.

what do you mean by "blow it"? i'm assuming that means nothing less than a 3.0 gpa in the program. i can only expect that a sub 3.0 GPA even in a tough SMP will be the kiss of death for DO schools as well.

i have a 3.0 gpa / 31 mcat and some advisors tell me that i am competitive for DO schools without an SMP. i'm still doing SMP (Drexel IMS) as "insurance" and also to increase the number of schools that consider me which increases my chances of acceptance to at least one school. i notice that in IMS, only 50 out of 140 people get the B or better in every class and the 27 MCAT. that's a reflection on the students, not the program. but i worry for the 90 kids who have blown it. i doubt DO schools take them.

i don't mean to nitpick on the above post, it just brought up a question that has been bugging me for a couple of weeks. honestly, if my local DO school promised to accept me (we can wish) this coming cycle, i'd say to hell with SMPs...i'd just take it easy or work full time to pay off some debt. the uncertainty is making me do the SMP. i'm not willing to wait and see this cycle and then do the SMP + reapply because that will set me back another 2 years which i don't want. i just don't want the SMP to hurt my DO prospects because i have strong trend in undergraduate grades which are graded differently then SMPs.

of course i'm going to go into the SMP with the mindset of getting all As but i need to prepare myself for other possibilities. i'll be sure to ask my SMP about add / drop deadlines.
 
I am currently in my second cycle of applying for medical school and unfortunately have not gotten any acceptances yet. I am currently sitting on waitlists at four schools but with the cycle coming to an end soon I am beginning to focus on reapplying.

Here are my stats
cGPA: 3.64
science GPA: 3.55
MCAT: 1st 25M ( 9PS, 8V, 8BS)
2nd taken Janurary 2012, 29K ( 11PS, 9V, 9BS)

I have plenty of EC's and I believe that my MCAT may be my problem. With the said, I graduated from college in 2011 and all of my letters of recommendation from teachers are no longer valid. I have considered simply taking a few community college courses but am also considering the EVMS SMP which I have already accpeted an offer.

Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hey guys, I have a quick question (and I apologize if this has been answered previously, please direct me to the response if it has been).

I'm interested in applying for an SMP, but I suppose my biggest apprehension is doing a glide year post-SMP. I noticed that the original poster applied for schools after his/her senior year, which is initially what I thought to do. But what I don't understand is, if the SMP is intended to be a grade booster for your medical school application, how is it (a) beneficial to enroll in an SMP unless it is for precautionary measures and (b) effective in applying for medical school the cycle during the SMP? I'm sure my senior year grades will help lift my GPA somewhat but probably not enough, and I'm hoping the SMP will make up for that.
 
i notice that in IMS, only 50 out of 140 people get the B or better in every class and the 27 MCAT. that's a reflection on the students, not the program. but i worry for the 90 kids who have blown it. i doubt DO schools take them.

1) There's no god damn way 50 people made the guaranteed interview at IMS. No freaking way. It varies year to year, but a better number is 15-30 out of 140. This last year, the number was about 15.

2) The definition of 'blowing it' varies dramatically. A lot who are struggling drop a class or two and maintain their GPA (they still manage DO interviews). Others drop out. If you maintain a 3.0 in IMS, you are guaranteed (regardless of what classes you dropped) admission into the the MBS program, which is a master's program. After that, a lot more get interviews into DO or occasionally MD schools including Drexel.

A 3.0 is a fixable situation, at least at Drexel. A lot who drop out realize they don't want to work that hard to be a doctor and find other things to do. A handful are only there because their parents want them to be a doctor. They fail everything and eventually have to own up to their parents.
 
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1) There's no god damn way 50 people made the guaranteed interview at IMS. No freaking way. It varies year to year, but a better number is 15-30 out of 140. This last year, the number was about 15.

sorry, I should have said 50 people got the B or better. not necessarily guaranteed interview where they would need the 9-9-9 mcat and have taken all the classes. this is what I was told by Drexel admin but obviously you have the inside scoop as an IMS success story.
 
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1) There's no god damn way 50 people made the guaranteed interview at IMS. No freaking way. It varies year to year, but a better number is 15-30 out of 140. This last year, the number was about 15.

2) The definition of 'blowing it' varies dramatically. A lot who are struggling drop a class or two and maintain their GPA (they still manage DO interviews). Others drop out. If you maintain a 3.0 in IMS, you are guaranteed (regardless of what classes you dropped) admission into the the MBS program, which is a master's program. After that, a lot more get interviews into DO or occasionally MD schools including Drexel.

A 3.0 is a fixable situation, at least at Drexel. A lot who drop out realize they don't want to work that hard to be a doctor and find other things to do. A handful are only there because their parents want them to be a doctor. They fail everything and eventually have to own up to their parents.

Actually, there was one student the year before mine who had a sub 3.0 IMS GPA, I think in the 2.0-2.5 range and still managed to get into an US MD school after Drexel IMS. It wasn't Drexel MD though. And I'm sure there were a lot of other factors that went into it. This is probably one of the few exceptions I've heard of. But there are only 50-60 students that I know of that went through the program here. But yea, a low GPA does hurt your chances for school. The program really does provide every opportunity for you to do well - I agree that it is on the individual to seize these opportunities. The biggest warning I always give incoming students is that you have to be prepared to sacrifice and plan very well for the first 5 months. If your study habits were poor in undergrad, don't just double what you did because that may not be enough. Plan to spend 7 days a week of studying!

Here in Sacramento there are even shadowing, volunteer and research opportunities (well, I guess this would belong more in the fall MMS year) in the spring after the bulk of the program is finished. I'm sure Philadelphia has it as well, but I can only relay my experiences at Sacramento which has been great. Dr. Tamse pushes a lot of the students to go to shadow and events... but sometimes people don't like to go and network which I feel is a mistake.

Just some other information: for my IMS year, 8 out of the 15 had guaranteed interviews from the grades from my year (2 of us didn't apply until the 2nd year though). A few of the other students who didn't have the interviews did manage to get interviews during the MMS year without guarantees. Even one student who didn't take all the necessary courses the first year (nutrition/immuno) managed to get into a UC MD school (low ugpa / good mcat score).
 
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I have taken the MCAT twice, the first time two years ago and this year again. I have scores in the low twenties and I obviously can't apply. But my GPAs are fine. Are there specific SMPs that you could recommend for the lower GPA? It seems like Georgetown for example is very hard to get into and that you need at least a 28 to apply, any advice?
 
I have taken the MCAT twice, the first time two years ago and this year again. I have scores in the low twenties and I obviously can't apply. But my GPAs are fine. Are there specific SMPs that you could recommend for the lower GPA? It seems like Georgetown for example is very hard to get into and that you need at least a 28 to apply, any advice?
You said your GPA is fine.... until you fix your MCAT, forget SMPs
 
Do most people who attend SMPs find out they get into a better med school than they could have without the SMPs? I'm looking at the list of schools Boston MAMS students got accepted to, and they're all pretty good--lots of mid tier, some mid high. I was expecting people who need to do SMPs don't have a chance getting into even a low tier medical school (and that's why they do SMPs), and AFTER they do SMPs, they get into a low tier school. ...but then they get into great schools, so I was wondering if this is usually the case?
 
Do most people who attend SMPs find out they get into a better med school than they could have without the SMPs? I'm looking at the list of schools Boston MAMS students got accepted to, and they're all pretty good--lots of mid tier, some mid high. I was expecting people who need to do SMPs don't have a chance getting into even a low tier medical school (and that's why they do SMPs), and AFTER they do SMPs, they get into a low tier school. ...but then they get into great schools, so I was wondering if this is usually the case?
Most people who do SMPs weren't getting into med school without them

Doing well in an SMP is a universal "i can cut it in med school" which a lot of med schools (of varying tiers) respect.

And in regard to the tier thing, there is a lot less difference between the "worst" med school and the "best" med school than there is between a top 10 undergrad and the "worst 4-year degree". People match into competitive specialties at competitive programs from all sorts of US MD schools (note the lack of Carib...)
 
Most people who do SMPs weren't getting into med school without them

Doing well in an SMP is a universal "i can cut it in med school" which a lot of med schools (of varying tiers) respect.

And in regard to the tier thing, there is a lot less difference between the "worst" med school and the "best" med school than there is between a top 10 undergrad and the "worst 4-year degree". People match into competitive specialties at competitive programs from all sorts of US MD schools (note the lack of Carib...)

From what I've heard, there's a difference between the medical schools in terms of residency, right? Like, they favor more notable names or like research more than low tiers or something? And if that's true, and you can get into a better medical school with the SMP (than you could have without it), and you even have the advantage of some M1 classes for second exposure, why don't more people apply to the SMPs? Time and the expensive tuition?
 
From what I've heard, there's a difference between the medical schools in terms of residency, right? Like, they favor more notable names or like research more than low tiers or something? And if that's true, and you can get into a better medical school with the SMP (than you could have without it), and you even have the advantage of some M1 classes for second exposure, why don't more people apply to the SMPs? Time and the expensive tuition?

That effect is very minor. You can go the worst US med school in existence and match into top programs in the most competitive specialty.

If you go to a ~top 10 school, that does give you a slight advantage for residency applications, but it's not going to make up for poor step 1/reviews/lors/no research etc. The effect is very small.

If you can go to med school without an SMP, save yourself the money and go. It'd be idiotic to put it off so that you can do an SMP to get into a higher ranked school. No one gives a ****.
 
Hey guys, I've gotten acceptances to the Georgetown SMP and the Tulane Masters in Pharmacology. I'm really conflicted in how I should go about selecting which program to follow through with. From weighing the pros and cons of each, they're pretty dead even.

Georgetown is more established and is widely known by many med schools but it is expensive, very difficult, and I'm guessing impersonal (~100 students).

Tulane MS Pharm is also relatively established, cheaper, and personal (~30 students); however, after scouring the threads, I have not been able to find enough information to deem it as reliable as gtown.

(Also as an aside, I'm not sure how to weigh the programs by the number of classes they compare you to med students with [Gtown has 6 med classes, Tulane has 2 med classes]. Is more or less 'better'?)

To those who have completed either SMP and have gotten into a med school, what else should I consider to make this decision?
 
Hey guys, I've gotten acceptances to the Georgetown SMP and the Tulane Masters in Pharmacology. I'm really conflicted in how I should go about selecting which program to follow through with. From weighing the pros and cons of each, they're pretty dead even.

Georgetown is more established and is widely known by many med schools but it is expensive, very difficult, and I'm guessing impersonal (~100 students).

Tulane MS Pharm is also relatively established, cheaper, and personal (~30 students); however, after scouring the threads, I have not been able to find enough information to deem it as reliable as gtown.

(Also as an aside, I'm not sure how to weigh the programs by the number of classes they compare you to med students with [Gtown has 6 med classes, Tulane has 2 med classes]. Is more or less 'better'?)

To those who have completed either SMP and have gotten into a med school, what else should I consider to make this decision?


I took am very curious about hearing more about the Tulane program. Ahh I hate how it starts next week!
 
This might be a silly question, but I am feelign quite nervy about the intensity/workload of Cincinnati SMP program I am attending in less than a month.

So, how bad is it really? Will I still have time to relax -- I know working hard would be the primary focus but I think I would burn out after such a long period of studying (almost 11 months long).
Would it be similar to, for instance, taking 20 units of science courses in a pregistiuous university?
 
This might be a silly question, but I am feelign quite nervy about the intensity/workload of Cincinnati SMP program I am attending in less than a month.

So, how bad is it really? Will I still have time to relax -- I know working hard would be the primary focus but I think I would burn out after such a long period of studying (almost 11 months long).
Would it be similar to, for instance, taking 20 units of science courses in a pregistiuous university?

i'm pretty damn nervous about my SMP (drexel) as well. i read the survival guide and past testimonials on the rate your smp thread. cincy has few reviews but they do have a survival guide on the smp website - read it.

i already looked at the notes. the first module fundamentals is 10 days and i am responsible for 140 pages of module notes. all the ims students say i have to read these notes 2-3 times before the real studying begins. 140 pages single spaed in 10 days! although cincy may not be as bad. i spoke to someone who compared tulane and ims and they said ims tests a lot of small details that tulane does not.
 
i'm pretty damn nervous about my SMP (drexel) as well. i read the survival guide and past testimonials on the rate your smp thread. cincy has few reviews but they do have a survival guide on the smp website - read it.

i already looked at the notes. the first module fundamentals is 10 days and i am responsible for 140 pages of module notes. all the ims students say i have to read these notes 2-3 times before the real studying begins. 140 pages single spaed in 10 days! although cincy may not be as bad. i spoke to someone who compared tulane and ims and they said ims tests a lot of small details that tulane does not.

1) Don't prestudy. You need context of lectures to understand what you're reading.

2) You don't do physician and patient, so you can throw those notes out (reduces it to something like ~100 pages, which is easy).

3) I got to the point where I could read ~50 pages per hour of brand new material. If you're inefficient because of Facebook and Reddit, 50 pages can take 8 hours. It's about discipline. You'll figure it out quickly, so don't stress out now.

4) By February, you'll be responsible for 300 pages for a week of exams. In med school, that number can balloon up to 500-700. You get used to it.
 
1) don't prestudy. You need context of lectures to understand what you're reading.

2) you don't do physician and patient, so you can throw those notes out (reduces it to something like ~100 pages, which is easy).

3) i got to the point where i could read ~50 pages per hour of brand new material. If you're inefficient because of facebook and reddit, 50 pages can take 8 hours. it's about discipline. You'll figure it out quickly, so don't stress out now.

4) by february, you'll be responsible for 300 pages for a week of exams. in med school, that number can balloon up to 500-700. You get used to it.
+ 1
 
I have a question. I am applying to MD schools while I am doing SMP. Lets say I have no luck this cycle, and have to reapply. Is reapplication worth it if rest of my application stays the same other than I completed SMP? Let me rephrase that, while I am applying this year schools will receive grade updates from my program and I still don't have an acceptance. Would I have better chance on reapplication because they will see entire year of grades completed although they have seen the grades before?
 
You will stand a better shot with a reapplication. Your application does change because for some programs it's really a functional item to have the other semester in your official GPA. I know some schools don't even consider an SMP until you've completed the program because they want to see a full amount of credits to count that graduate GPA. I couldn't tell you the schools off the top of my head unfortunately, but if you have a list of MD schools you're applying to - this would be a reasonable question to email their admissions departments about. No use spending money on the school if they're not even going to look at you during your SMP.
 
You said your GPA is fine.... until you fix your MCAT, forget SMPs


I am in the same boat. I have a 27 mcat. Only weakness i feel to my application. my gpa is 3.5 and i have good amount of ECs and research.

From everything I have read these SMPs are good for people with low GPAs. For people in my position of low MCAT would you say SMPs are a waste of money and time?

i was thinking to applying to SMPs that have high success rates in order to attain admission in to the US?


edit: i was looking at the SMPs that give you at least an interview at their school. should i consider it? how much does a 1 year SMP cost? i believe I am economically disadvantage. I qualified for FAP
 
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I am in the same boat. I have a 27 mcat. Only weakness i feel to my application. my gpa is 3.5 and i have good amount of ECs and research.

From everything I have read these SMPs are good for people with low GPAs. For people in my position of low MCAT would you say SMPs are a waste of money and time?
IMO, yes

edit: i was looking at the SMPs that give you at least an interview at their school. should i consider it? how much does a 1 year SMP cost? i believe I am economically disadvantage. I qualified for FAP
Do some research - but typically costs $50k. I don't believe FAP gets you anything for SMPs - so you'd have to do private loans for the whole thing.

Re-taking the MCAT and spending $1500 on a prep-class is much cheaper and more effective than a $50k SMP.

I've said it (and others have said it to) -an SMP is not a solution for a crappy MCAT; only retaking the MCAT is
 
IMO, yes


Do some research - but typically costs $50k. I don't believe FAP gets you anything for SMPs - so you'd have to do private loans for the whole thing.

Re-taking the MCAT and spending $1500 on a prep-class is much cheaper and more effective than a $50k SMP.

I've said it (and others have said it to) -an SMP is not a solution for a crappy MCAT; only retaking the MCAT is


i just mentioned FAP cause some post-bac you need to be economically disadvantage.
 
Greetings,

Does anyone know about the PREP program? (Post-Bac Research Educational Program)
On reading its description, I can tell it is not a SMP, yet, it still look good on a resume to participate in a program like this in a big biomedical research institution. It would be great if someone can tell me more about these programs.
 
Hi all,
Hope applications are going well for those of you who are applying. I'm here looking for help with SMP. I read up on them a little, but I'm still a little unclear on how they work in terms of when do you apply to Medical School. Just a little background, I'm a first time applicant and have been filling out secondaries. I have a 2.95 sGPA and 3.49cGPA. I know they are both significantly lower than what is accepted, especially the sGPA, but I still applied. I took the MCAT twice and got a 23 and then a 29 in April 2013. I feel it is too late to turn back now since I've been sending back secondaries and I guess I hope a school interviews me and gives me a chance. The realization of my GPA hit me when a DO school said I didn't meet their standards for a secondary and after I spoke to one of my friends who is an M3 at Georgetown.

Now my questions: Do people apply to SMP after they realize Medical School wont work out? Or do they apply to it simultaneously with Medical School? I'm going to hope for the best with some of my in-state schools and some DOs and if not, look into SMP. Would I still be able to apply next summer if this year doesn't work out and put SMP in progress or would I have to wait for 2015 to apply after receiving all of my grades?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
 
Hi all,
Hope applications are going well for those of you who are applying. I'm here looking for help with SMP. I read up on them a little, but I'm still a little unclear on how they work in terms of when do you apply to Medical School. Just a little background, I'm a first time applicant and have been filling out secondaries. I have a 2.95 sGPA and 3.49cGPA. I know they are both significantly lower than what is accepted, especially the sGPA, but I still applied. I took the MCAT twice and got a 23 and then a 29 in April 2013. I feel it is too late to turn back now since I've been sending back secondaries and I guess I hope a school interviews me and gives me a chance. The realization of my GPA hit me when a DO school said I didn't meet their standards for a secondary and after I spoke to one of my friends who is an M3 at Georgetown.

Now my questions: Do people apply to SMP after they realize Medical School wont work out? Or do they apply to it simultaneously with Medical School? I'm going to hope for the best with some of my in-state schools and some DOs and if not, look into SMP. Would I still be able to apply next summer if this year doesn't work out and put SMP in progress or would I have to wait for 2015 to apply after receiving all of my grades?
Thanks for any help you can provide.

I believe most of your questions have been answered by the first post.
 
I believe most of your questions have been answered by the first post.

You're right. Thank you. I guess does anyone have any advice on what to do? One of my friends told me to just move along with secondaries and apply to SMP for next fall when apps start to open up. Do I have chances at a good SMP? 2.93 sci and 3.34 overall with 29 mcat which was 6 pt improvement over first time. I know I can handle the SMP if given the chance.
 
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You're right. Thank you. Does anyone know if there's a wamc thread for smp?

No, but you're generally competitive for SMPs if you have above a 65 LizzyM score, with more than half of the score coming from the MCAT.

(By SMPs, I assume you're talking about "real" SMPs - programs where you take classes alongside medical students)

SMPs are looking for students that would probably get into medical schools on their own already, and just need that boost in grades.
 
No, but you're generally competitive for SMPs if you have above a 65 LizzyM score, with more than half of the score coming from the MCAT.

(By SMPs, I assume you're talking about "real" SMPs - programs where you take classes alongside medical students)

SMPs are looking for students that would probably get into medical schools on their own already, and just need that boost in grades.

Yes, you're correct. I was referring to the ones where you take classes alongside medical students. I have seen a 29 as being competitive for certain schools, obviously not the top tier. I feel my GPA needs the most work which is why I'm really hoping I'll be accepted into one. However, all I'm seeing is they want people with 3.4 overall and science which leads me to ask the question, how can I prove I belong if I can't even get into a SMP?
 
However, all I'm seeing is they want people with 3.4 overall and science which leads me to ask the question, how can I prove I belong if I can't even get into a SMP?

Everyone that goes into a SMP thinks that they can handle it before reality hits. It's definitely a trial by fire.

As for getting into a SMP, your MCAT is the biggest obstacle on your application. SMP attempts to make up for a bad cumulative GPA, not cover up a bad MCAT score.
 
Everyone that goes into a SMP thinks that they can handle it before reality hits. It's definitely a trial by fire.

As for getting into a SMP, your MCAT is the biggest obstacle on your application. SMP attempts to make up for a bad cumulative GPA, not cover up a bad MCAT score.

Fair enough. I guess everyone says they can handle it until they're faced with it. You really think I should retake it a 3rd time? I sold all of my books and practice materials and didnt expect to need to retake it. I guess I'll have to give it some serious thought.
 
for those of you who have been accepted into SMPs, was there a magic number you found with the MCAT? I took it twice already and first time got a 23 (had an extremely heavy course load and poor decision on my part) and a 29 the second time. Do I really need to take it a third time? I've only really looked at 2 SMP (Georgetown and Drexel) and my 29 would be accepted. However, I'm sure there is some kind of magic number associated with the SMPs.
 
So I read in the first post (written 7 years ago...) that SMPs are considered to be graduate level courses, obviously, and that medical schools tend to weight these less than undergraduate courses. I wanted to know if a post-bac certificate program would be considered a graduate level course or undergrad level course according to the adcoms for med school.
 
for those of you who have been accepted into SMPs, was there a magic number you found with the MCAT? I took it twice already and first time got a 23 (had an extremely heavy course load and poor decision on my part) and a 29 the second time. Do I really need to take it a third time? I've only really looked at 2 SMP (Georgetown and Drexel) and my 29 would be accepted. However, I'm sure there is some kind of magic number associated with the SMPs.
No, but there is with medical schools; and it doesnt start with a 2....
 
So I read in the first post (written 7 years ago...) that SMPs are considered to be graduate level courses, obviously, and that medical schools tend to weight these less than undergraduate courses. I wanted to know if a post-bac certificate program would be considered a graduate level course or undergrad level course according to the adcoms for med school.
Do more reading.

Undergrad
 
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