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Everybody talks about Georgetown SMP which I'm guessing stands for Special Masters Program (?). Why is this looked upon so highly? Or is it just me?
Thanks.
Thanks.
You right, it stands for special masters, and it is looked upon highly. I'm not sure if it was the first SMP but it is defnitely one of first. You take classes with the med students and are graded on their curve.bainsstatic said:Everybody talks about Georgetown SMP which I'm guessing stands for Special Masters Program (?). Why is this looked upon so highly? Or is it just me?
Thanks.
bainsstatic said:Everybody talks about Georgetown SMP which I'm guessing stands for Special Masters Program (?). Why is this looked upon so highly? Or is it just me?
Thanks.
bainsstatic said:Everybody talks about Georgetown SMP which I'm guessing stands for Special Masters Program (?). Why is this looked upon so highly? Or is it just me?
Thanks.
akestler said:make sure you really want to: a) do this, b) work hard, c) really need it for your app. because if you don't then this program sucks. I'm in it right now and I hate it.
Nas23 said:Do most people need to retake the MCAT? With what MCAT range should you be considered "safe" to not retake it, and just do the SMP?
Nas23 said:Thanks Tacrum.
What I meant was, say you got a 28 or so, and do the SMP. Should you still retake the MCAT (like in August this year) in addition to the SMP program to boost your chances to get into medical school? Or will the SMP be enough?
Do you have to send an update of grades from your first semester of SMP classes to med schools?
I'm trying to get a basis on how you boost your chances of getting into med school while you are currently enrolled at smp.
Thanks
tacrum43 said:Is a 28 good enough? Well, it probably depends on the individual applicant. I know that's not the answer you were looking for, but it's really hard to judge. A 28 shouldn't hold you back at most schools, but if your GPA is on the low side too, it could be a problem.
As for grade updates, a letter is sent out in November/December with your grades in Embryology and Medical Microbiology & Immunology. You are assigned an advisor who writes the letter for you after meeting with you to discuss your application. Then, you send out transcripts is January with your grades from the whole Fall semester (has to be January, because your final grades aren't determined until after you get back from Christmas break). So basically, yes, the grade updates are what boost your chances while in the SMP. And just the fact that you're in the program is a boost too because it is well respected, especially in the mid-atlantic area.
While there is no "guarantee" with acceptances, I've heard that if you get a 3.8+ (meaning you kicked some med student butt), it's pretty much an automatic acceptance to Georgetown med.
And Touchdown, I see we both wasted little time post-Physiology final before logging on. I am so glad to be DONE with that class. Ugh, it consumed my life for the past month.
imrep1972 said:Far be it from me to disagree with my esteemed colleague, Tacrum, but I do have to put my two-cents in on one thing:
I don't think it could be said that having a 3.8 means an automatic acceptance to Gtown. There are a lot of people in our program right now who have higher than a 3.8 (although that number may drop now that we have completed Physiology 🙂 ) and many of them will not get in. There are many below 3.8 that will. The fact is that if you can get a 3.5 or above, the interview becomes much more important than the actual GPA you get. I *just* had this very conversation with three ex-SMP's this week.
Tac, TD, CalBear and everyone else from the SMP who's on here - have a GREAT break! See you next week!
BOBODR said:I doubt it has as much to do with the interview as it does with your previous undergrad gpa and mcat. A 3.5 shows G-town u can handle their work, an interview shows your enthusiasim for the school BUT i doubt G-town wants to tank their averages for accepted students. I believe that if someone got a 3.6 in the SMP and someone a 3.5, and both have good interviews then they may look at previous work. If the 3.5 hasa 3.3 undergrad and 30 mcat, and the 3.6 has a 3.1 and 28 MCAT I am sure they will go with the 3.5 I have no evidence to back this up but it makes sense to me. And I think I have seen people post that after the interview g-town will take other factors into consideration....
imrep1972 said:Bobodr,
You're welcome to doubt whatever you want, of course 🙂
All I am doing is reporting what was told to me by ex-SMP's that were accepted this past year.
To me, it makes eminent sense that the interview would become the determining factor. All old GPA and MCAT's are, is a way to determine, objectively, whether someone can handle the med school courseload. Once you have established a 3.5 in the SMP you have *proven* that you can handle the work. At that point, the old info becomes far less relevant. At that point, it is more of a matter of "are you a good fit for Georgetown philosophically?" or "do you want to be here?" or, "do we want you here?"
Yes, GU runs the risk of lowering its numbers if it takes someone like me, who has a 2.95 in my undergrad work. But the fact is, if they were that concerned about that, I wouldn't have gained admittance to the program in the first place. If I can demonstrate I can handle the workload, and perform better than the average student they admitted this year, then I will only make GU look better in the future (match-lists, Board Scores, etc) and I would think they would be FAR more concerned about that.
And also, I should point out that I'm not saying that GU won't consider those past numbers, just that they become much less important. You are probably right: if you have two students who are identical in their performance in the SMP and in their performance in their interview, old numbers will likely be looked at more heavily. My original point was simply that a 3.8 in the SMP could not be said to give an "automatic acceptance" - the interview is VERY important in our case to determine who will or will not get in.
But that's just my opinion...
BOBODR said:Interesting... so what do they want at the interview? Basically a confession of your undying love for g-town?
imrep1972 said:Bobodr,
My original point was simply that a 3.8 in the SMP could not be said to give an "automatic acceptance" - the interview is VERY important in our case to determine who will or will not get in.
tacrum43 said:Well I don't know either. I just said I had heard that. There's lots of rumors around here. However, the "if you get a 3.8+ they pretty much have to accept you" came from an anonymous source high up in the SMP. Of course, if you went to your interview and told them you hated Georgetown, then I'm sure they wouldn't accept you. But who would do that?
edit: Oh yes, imrep, touchdown and others, have an awesome spring break! I am so looking forward to not studying. 🙂
it's a hypothetical question. i just want to know about smp. and if you apply to medschools and they reject you, can you really ask them and they'll tell you the real reason, or they'll just say "we have more competitive applicants this year than we can offer spots"Touchdown said:bolnoi, if that does happen to you talk to some adcoms of schools you want to get into and see what they suggest.
Touchdown said:Bolnoi, Georgetown is well regarded across the country, especially VA schools, GW, NYMC, Drexel, Penn State. This year I have had 5 interviews; UW Madison, Tufts, EVMS, MUO, and Drexel, the latter three I believe are due to the SMP. With schools that are familar with the programs (which includes the schools I mentioned and many others) and by those you inform them of on your interview are quite impressed with a 3.8 GPA because that means you had to be in the top 20 percentile of the GUSOM class grade wise. The SMP is going to fix your GPA problem (as long as you graduate, which requires you to get a 3.0) but it does not negate the need for clincal experience, your'e going to need that too to get into medical school.
And yes, you can call adcoms after youv'e been rejected and most will be candid with you of how you can improve your chances of getting in the next cycle.
Touchdown said:^Yes I am (and Ive allready been rejected 🙁) and Im legacy at Tufts so I had some non SMP help (plus I interviewed at both last year, and was on the waitlist at Tufts.)
Also, after a round of rejections you tend to not care which med school you get into, the US News and World Repot is not the end all be all, especially if you want to be a clinician like me, I have been quite impressed with the schools I have visited this year and wished I would have considered them last year. My advise to you as a junior would be first is show the MCAT whose its daddy is, get your AMCAS and secondaries done ASAP and dont limit yourself to a set "ranking" of schools or even a region, get the MSAR and look for schools that look like a good fit for you because as the cliche joke says: what do they call the worst medical student graduate at the worst medical school (a doctor.)
I have learned now that there are truely no bad medical schools, they're all great and the one that may be best for you may not be "ranked." Tailor your list to schools that will help you with your goal and go all over the country, from your other posts I get the feeling your from CA and Im guessing you dont want to leave, but are you willing to sacrifice years of your life (and being a doctor) just to stay there? Ive been fortunate enough to visit all of the 48 continous states and each one has its pluses and minuses and you just have to remember that if you dont like the area, you can allways leave in four years. Hopefully that way you wont ever have to be in my postion still not knowing if Im into medical school this late in the second round.
Touchdown said:^Yes I am (and Ive allready been rejected 🙁) and Im legacy at Tufts so I had some non SMP help (plus I interviewed at both last year, and was on the waitlist at Tufts.)
Also, after a round of rejections you tend to not care which med school you get into, the US News and World Repot is not the end all be all, especially if you want to be a clinician like me, I have been quite impressed with the schools I have visited this year and wished I would have considered them last year. My advise to you as a junior would be first is show the MCAT whose its daddy is, get your AMCAS and secondaries done ASAP and dont limit yourself to a set "ranking" of schools or even a region, get the MSAR and look for schools that look like a good fit for you because as the cliche joke says: what do they call the worst medical student graduate at the worst medical school (a doctor.)
I have learned now that there are truely no bad medical schools, they're all great and the one that may be best for you may not be "ranked." Tailor your list to schools that will help you with your goal and go all over the country, from your other posts I get the feeling your from CA and Im guessing you dont want to leave, but are you willing to sacrifice years of your life (and being a doctor) just to stay there? Ive been fortunate enough to visit all of the 48 continous states and each one has its pluses and minuses and you just have to remember that if you dont like the area, you can allways leave in four years. Hopefully that way you wont ever have to be in my postion still not knowing if Im into medical school this late in the second round.
eddaman said:...shouldnt yall be prereading for neuro or endo!?!?
to those applying to the smp or are considering it:
this is an opportunity to improve your gpa, period. it will, if you can manage to make the grades, prove your supposed academic worth to medical schools. while many 'big name' schools still dont want to take a risk with me and my two C's from undergrad, others have taken the time to look at my file because of my successes in this program.
while the experience of taking 1st year medical classes as a 'fake med student' is already worthwhile enough to any future med student for experience sake, the chance to also gain confidence and whoop some M1 butt in terms of test scores (or finishing a test in 43 minutes, eh hem...) is a bonus.
if you (applicants) need to do some growing up or experience gathering in the clinical setting, go for it. if you need to take a year off, move back home, etc, dont be afraid. if you need to wipe away a bad semester definitively, this is it. but come ready to study more than you EVER have.
- professor '3rd time applicant' sped
happy spring break and gluck on apps to all.
eddaman said:...shouldnt yall be prereading for neuro or endo!?!?
bolnoi said:also what do you think if you get accepted into some medschool, but rejected by the one you wanted to go to. that is not a top10, but perhaps a top30 school. one of the reasons may also be that you applied late and didnt get strong recommendations(from your junior level courses), but you no longer have that problem. do you think then taking the year off and doing smp would improve your application, or would doing research be better?
imrep1972 said:YO!
And finishing a test quick - well, what no one realizes is that I failed the very first test and knew then that I wouldn't get in to GU. From that point, I decided if I couldn't get in, I could at least mess with all the M1's heads. So now, I just sit there, randomly bubble all the answers and turn the test in 30 minutes before anyone else 😛
My plan for the next test is to finish in 10 minutes and yell "DONE" at the top of my lungs...
dcb154 said:Hey I was just curious about these SMP programs that allow you to take a few first year medschool classes...if/when you matriculate to actual medical school, will you be retaking these classes or are you killing two birds with one stone w/the SMPs (getting a masters and knocking our a few classes for the first year of medical school)? So would you be able to take a lighter load in year one of medschool if that is the case? Thanks.
exmike said:Someone else mentioned the "Georgetown" type of student that they accept from the SMP program. My classmates and I (SMP'04) had extensive discussions on whether or not the admissions from the SMP into GU med was fair and we concluded that it wasnt. Just take a look at the SMP class breakdown and then take a look at the breakdown of SMP students that get accepted into GU med. It isnt hard to see what the "type" is that they are looking for. That said, most of my friends that arent that "type" eventually made it into other schools.
I just think that people should go into the SMP program without any assumptions that a given level of performance will equate success in gaining admission into GU Med. It is not a level playing field given the same SMP GPA.