Georgetown SMP... why the big deal?

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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.
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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.
Click to expand...

It is the first SMP (they coined the term), and it has been around for over 30 years. The reason it is respected is because it carries weight at several medical schools, and because you get a real masters degree from Georgetown after 11 months (while most take 2 years, which creates a "glide year").

The main reason why it has a fair amount of respect from medical schools is because the SMP students have to at least match the work of the 1st year Georgetown med students (if not exceed their average) in the majority of the med school classes (SMPers don't take anatomy, but do take all of the other medical school core science classes). So basically, it shows you can handle the workload associated with medical school.

Well that's my two (maybe slight biased) cents.
 
Just to add one other point, which is why students & prospective students (such as me) like the SMP: the overwhelming majority of their students successfully matriculate into medical school.
Well, that's why I'm looking at it. In a few more weeks, I expect tacrum to come back to add his own success to this thread.
 
In my opinion the SMP was the only one I was willing to do. Below are some of my notes on the different medical school masters programs. Take it for what its worth.

1) Georgetown SMP
. Take medical school classes, graduate classes, and your classes are "with the medical students"
. High Success rate of getting into a varitey of allopathic schools and if you do very well there is a good chance of getting into G-town which is a solid insititution in itself
. One year program and dont have to do other stuff like research, clinic experience, etc during it. in fact its encouraged not to.
. Have talked to 2 Medical School admissions deans and they both thought they G-town program was the best and the one they liked to see. BU being a close second but its a better program for candidates who are further from borderline and need two years of help.
. Although Georgetown prgram is expensive (32,000 this coming year in tuition alone, its only one year while some programs are two years of tuition.
. I did not want to only take graduate courses because I feel like I would be wasting my time. I want to feel like I am going forward and by being among medical students that would help my psyche and motivation while doing the program.
. Encourage you to apply the year you are there. I have no desire for another year off. I want to go to medical school right after especially since my MCATS are expiring soon.

2) Drexel SMP
. Biggest weakness was taking classes by video feed in a crappy room in downtown Philly.
. Many students go onto Drexel Med. If I am gonna do a special program I would like a slightly better likely endpoint. No offense to Drexel, I would be happy anywhere but believe I rather be shooting for G-town in the end then Drexel.
. Less respected then G-town and Boston and take weaker applicants.


3) Cinci
. Not much to go on here. First year program. Only take two medical school courses though and the rest are graduate.
. No idea about unofficial linkage with UC. But they dont encourage you to apply during the year you are there.
. Reasonable tuition but insane possibly non-refundable down payment of 3000.00 , yes thats three thousand dollars. (highway robbery)
. No track record may mean other schools wont be familiar with its merits.
. Only taking 20 students so small cohesive group.

4) Loyola MAMS
. Would never consider because you take 0 classes with medical students, graduate only. No thanks. Didnt explore it more after I saw that but no interview at Loyola until the next yr after you have completed the program.

5) BU
. Good program if you want two years worth of med school classes, research, clinical stuff, volunteering etc. Good for people who need alot of help.
. Can do it in one year but administration is against this.
. Can pick and choose what classes you take. Cool electives and lots of support.
. Good linkage with BU and very high success rate. 80 % match into a US allopathic institution.

6) EVMS
. Small and mostly helps you go to EVMS.
. take medical school classes.
 
I will say this about BU's MAMS program: you are more than welcome to complete it in one year, and it is very feasible to do so. The department only recommends against it because most people need the full complement of first year grades to be successful. You can complete the program in one year, while taking as many med school classes as Georgetown, including other classes for electives that G'Town wont let you take, like Gross Anatomy. Also, you have the option of starting in mid summer, and completing either Histology or Gross Anatomy for program credit which will help because it gets one course requirement (6 credits) out of the way, and also gives you another big class that ADCOMs can use to evaluate your application.
 
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.
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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.
 
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.
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Mind going a little more in depth as to why you hate it?
 
How selective is the Georgetown SMP? I just apply to it in case I dont get into med school this cycle. My stats are 3.52 overall and 30 MCAT.
 
Pacboy, your stats should get you into the program however, the longer you wait the less likely there will be a spot for you. They opened up application in January, and as this month goes on and more people realize they might not get into med school this cycle the class really fills up. My suggestion is apply ASAP, its a fairly simple application (if you submit your AMCAS all you really have to do is fill out biographical information.)
 
because the GT SMP works...as long as you put in the time
 
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?
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I would say 27+. The lowest score accepted into Georgetown med (after completing the SMP) last year was a 27, and I think that's a cutoff. It is possible to get into the SMP with lower, but if you want to be sure you have a shot at Georgetown med, it seems that you need 27+. (They don't exactly highlight this fact)

Other than that, I think it just depends on the schools you're applying to. 30 is definitely safe for 90% of schools, but don't forget that if you're in the SMP, that probably means your GPA isn't all it could be either.
 
Nas, the SMP will help your chances of aiding admitance to med school and so will raising your MCAT, its hard to say weither or not just the SMP will get you over the hump. The other major problem with taking the August MCAT your SMP year is that you will have allready started Embryology (medical class,) Microbio and Immno, and CMP (fancy name for biochem,) you wont have a test in any of them yet, but studying for them will take some time out of your MCAT prep and you cant do Kaplan unless you find a way to take all your classes in DC or arrange to take your final practice tests in DC. If after all that hassle you think you can raise your MCAT grade then by all means go for it, but if you cant wait a year and hope for the best this cycle knowing that post SMP getting a 30+ is going to be a snap.
 
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
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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.
 
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.
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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!
 
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!
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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....
 
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....
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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. Undergrad GPA and MCAT's are only 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 that if they were that concerned about my undergrad GPA, 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...
 
I would just like to inject here and wish all the SMPers, a happy spring break! Spring Break + NCAA First Round + St Patricks Day=Heaven 🙂
 
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...
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Interesting... so what do they want at the interview? Basically a confession of your undying love for g-town?
 
BOBODR said:
Interesting... so what do they want at the interview? Basically a confession of your undying love for g-town?
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My understanding is that that wouldn't hurt 😀

Basically, GU has a philosophy of "Cura Personalis" that they adhere to tightly. It is the concept of healing the whole person, and the physician as a servant who commits to that concept in all areas and in every way he or she can. That is a vast oversimplification.

They are searching for candidates who fit that philosophy and will help the school attain Cura Personalis in all of its aspects.

Beyond that, yes, they want students who want them, who want to be there.

My understanding is that the interview is a chance to simply talk about who you are, why you want to be there, and how Cura Personalis fits your goals for your practice of the art of Medicine.

Of course, I have not yet had an interview and everything I am telling you is secondhand from last year's SMP's who got accepted.
 
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.
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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. 🙂
 
hey guys, how hard is to get 3.5+?
enjoy your spring break!
 
Madonna, in medical school classes you have to be in the top 10% of the curve to get an A, next 10% for a A-, and the next 10% a B+, a B is from 40-2 standard divations below the mean.
 
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. 🙂
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it's just not true. there are always people who have above 3.8 in the physio program who do not end up getting into georgetown. it happened last year, it's happened in past years (including someone the year before us who had a 4.0!). in my experience, as someone who finished the physio program and who interviewed at georgetown med twice, i think the most important factor is the physio gpa. my interviewer really harped on that. obviously, you need to do really well at your interview too (note: "really well" to georgetown means you were able to make up a really good b.s. spiel about cura personalis). i have a strong feeling that undergrad gpa and mcat scores are not as important for physios interviewing at gu med. good luck to you physios hoping to get interviews. just to let you know, they dipped down below the fabled 3.5 gpa mark for interviews with my class.
 
what if you are rather weak in research/ec's and at the same time you've taken a lot of upper level courses? i looked at their smp program, and it seems like many of the courses ive taken at my undergrad are more rigorous. also my gpa sucks. but i got easy A's in courses like physiology and i got A's in some biochem courses. So if someone in this situation got rejected by all the medschools(assuming he did well on the mcat though), would it be better for him to work on improving his cgpa(say it was 3.4) or to just work as a research assistant somewhere?
 
bolnoi, if that does happen to you talk to some adcoms of schools you want to get into and see what they suggest.
 
guys, you write a lot about how this smp is linked to georgetown medschool. what if you dont want to go to georgetown, but just want to improve your general competitiveness? how much will it improve your chances then? after all, ugrad gpa is still considered more important than grad gpa(especially since some of these grad courses seem rather dull). and you're not doing any ec's whatsoever while in smp.
 
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.
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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"
 
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?

this question basically asks about how smp gpa is regarded by schools other than georgetown.. i for one doubt that a 1semester 3.8gpa from smp would give you as much credibility as someone who has a ugrad cgpa of 3.6 from a well regarded school..
 
getting a 3.8 in the smp will get you an interview, but it definitely does not guarantee you an acceptance. I know a few who had amazing grades, yet were waitlisted and never got in. Like any other school, Georgetown is looking for a specific type of student, a "georgetown student." I dont really have the answers as to what qualities this type of student would have but be certain that the admissions committee is looking for a particular type of personality and character....why else would the school interview over 1100 applicants (more than GW)
 
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:
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.
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Thanks! I'm only a junior right now, so I'll consider georgetown smp next year, but obviously my situation is unpredictable right now. Also, I thought that NYMC, Drexel, RMU, EVMS were lower ranked schools than georgetown itself... On the other hand Tufts, Penn State, and UW Madison i consider very selective. Are you in-state for Madison?
 
^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.
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thanks for the reply! i think i may come back to this forum in a year. but since im taking mcat in august, applying early is not an option for me, so there will be many things for me to work on if i get rejected.
i agree there are no bad med schools in the sense that i consider a school like NYMC to have a terrific match. But i would want to go to a school that is in warmer climate and has an undergrad campus affiliated with it. I might have to settle for any school that accepts me, but a school like USC would be really a dream school.
 
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.
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I'm not from california, i only visited it once. I am in the coldest part of northeast. I love snow, but i feel like this climate afflicts my grades. I always become lazy and agitated in march. But indeed, i just want to get into med school. Once this semester is over, i'll only care about MCAT. I've enjoyed my undergrad years, and i'll be ok anywhere i go. Good luck to you, and it seems like you'll get in this time.
 
^Thanks, but as a word of warning to a fellow northerner (born in New England, then moved to Wisconsin in 4th grade) yes winters are nicer in the south but summers (and most importantly Aug/Early Sept) are not: 90s are not condusive to studying either. Its more of a pick your poison thing (cold winter or hot summer.)
 
...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!?!?

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.
Click to expand...

YO!

Happy spring break to you! Haven't seen you around here in a while.

speaking of preparing for endo - you KNOW you've already memorized Joe's Hormone chart... don't try to deny it.

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...
 
eddaman said:
...shouldnt yall be prereading for neuro or endo!?!?
Click to expand...

You have got to be kidding, Ed. :scared:

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?
Click to expand...

Do NOT do this. Don't apply to a school you wouldn't go to. It looks really, really bad to turn down an acceptance to any school because you think you can get into a higher ranked one next year. Apply only to schools you would actually go to if they accept you. Of course, withdrawing post-interview if you really dislike the schools after seeing it is okay, but don't do what you were describing.
 
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.
 
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...
Click to expand...


haha. u need to write a top 10.
 
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.
Click to expand...

It depends in which medical school you end up going to. If you get accepted to Georgetown you will get exempted from all the first year medical classes that you have taken as SMP. So your first year load is light, especially during spring semester.

If you go to GW then you can choose not to take Histology and that's it.
 
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.
 
So, what is the "type" of SMPer they are looking for?
 
GrahamGreene,

Did you interview well at Georgetown? Apparently you have to let the interviewer know that GUSOM is the one and only place for you... It sounds like you're in medical school somewhere which is the aim of the program. Let me ask you this though: would you have gone to Georgetown over the other schools? Why or why not?
 
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.
Click to expand...


And what type would this be? I have to say you seem to go out of your way to constantly bash the program. Thats ok that you feel that way but just letting other posters know that you definitly have a negative bias towards the program in looking at all your previous posts even last years.
 
Please take what you read and hear regarding admissions into Georgetown as a Physio with a grain of salt. There will be many rumors floating around, especially this time of the year, as to the things you must do in order to gain an acceptance. I didn't believe any of these things last year as a physio and I don't believe them now as a current M1 at Georgetown.
I did well in the program last year and I never went to go see Drs. Myers, Mulroney, or Sherman. Heck, I still don't think Dr. Myers knows my name. None of the directors have any say as to which physios get accepted into the medical school class. Even Dr. Mulroney, when she was a part of the admissions committee (she is no longer on it), was not allowed to partake in the decision making process regarding physios. Last year, Drs Myers and Mulroney had a meeting with our class and explicitly said that they don't say squat to the committee. All they do is just send them your grades.
The only comments I can see them sending to the admissions office is if a certain student was a jerk the entire year. Then maybe they would say something. Other than that, I really believe the directors are fair in the way they do things.
Just remember, with Physiology being over, and the interviews for Georgetown almost rolling in, many untruths are going to be spread. Don't waste your attention on these things and focus on Endocrinology and Neuroscience. Your grades on these courses are definitely the important things that lead to that acceptance.
 
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