2 Certificates vs. SMP

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Hello everyone,

i'm a canadian student hoping to apply to a US MD program. i understand US schools have a calculation for science gpa vs. non-science, so I'm planning on taking a year to work on both.

my dilemma is whether to pursue an smp or a 2 certificate post-bacc.

as a Canadian, linkage schools are near impossible for me, especially because most universities require US citizenship/residency which I don't have. however, there are many non-linkage schools available like the MAMS programs at Boston or BMS at Georgetown among others.

my other option is to pursue a double certificate at a Canadian university in both:
- language of medicine and health > under the department of humanities.
- immunology, microbiology & virology (imv) > under the department of health sciences.

this way I can stay at home (no hassle getting used to a new school environment) and its very open, so I can take and drop courses as I like since its basically a DIY.

i understand that smp is a high-risk/high-reward situation but since I plan to pursue a US medical school, is it better to prove yourself in a med-school environment or do a diy post-bacc that ends in 2 certificates. also I understand that some universities in the US follow a "recency bias" where the last 30 credits are considered above cGPA, would that benefit me in any way if I pursue the certificates or the SMP?

 

[gyngyn]

What is a certificate?

 

[deleted555445]

Certificates are generally not regarded as valuable, so I wouldn't go down that path just for the certs. However, if you're trying to raise your GPA/finish pre-reqs then those programs would help you there. I would focus more on science courses rather than language courses - even if they're medically related, they probably won't count towards your science GPA.

It basically comes down to how much GPA repair you need, how much are you willing to spend, and whether you need to work. SMPs can be very helpful to an academic record but they're full time, you can't work if you need to pay for them. They're also expensive. DIY post-bacc can be done sometimes a night (what I have been doing) while working to pay for the classes, is usually cheaper, and you can stay local. If you have a really low GPA, though, there's only so much a post-bacc can do, while an SMP can really help by putting you up against actual med students, as long as you succeed.

 

[Darrow O'Lykos]

A humanities certificate will not improve your chances at all.
An A&P certificate will help your chances slightly.

A SMP is far and away the most effective means of dramatically improving your application within a condensed timeline (1 year) if you plan on applying to any USMD or highly regarded DO programs this time next year. You're going to spend money on graduate level work either way. May as well pay for the one that'll actually make a difference.

I've written about this before on a different post that you can read by clicking here.

edit: Many SMPs' application deadlines are upcoming or have already passed. If you plan on trying to do one starting this summer, compile an application ASAP. For example, one of the most highly regarded SMPs is at UNTHSC in Fort Worth, TX. Their in-person SMP cohort deadline was in April. They have an online cohort you could apply for so long as you apply by June. I know over 10 people that have done the SMP at UNTHSC and gained acceptance to medical school the following year.

 

[jhmmd]

Hello everyone,

i'm a canadian student hoping to apply to a US MD program. i understand US schools have a calculation for science gpa vs. non-science, so I'm planning on taking a year to work on both.

my dilemma is whether to pursue an smp or a 2 certificate post-bacc.

as a Canadian, linkage schools are near impossible for me, especially because most universities require US citizenship/residency which I don't have. however, there are many non-linkage schools available like the MAMS programs at Boston or BMS at Georgetown among others.

my other option is to pursue a double certificate at a Canadian university in both:
- language of medicine and health > under the department of humanities.
- immunology, microbiology & virology (imv) > under the department of health sciences.

this way I can stay at home (no hassle getting used to a new school environment) and its very open, so I can take and drop courses as I like since its basically a DIY.

i understand that smp is a high-risk/high-reward situation but since I plan to pursue a US medical school, is it better to prove yourself in a med-school environment or do a diy post-bacc that ends in 2 certificates. also I understand that some universities in the US follow a "recency bias" where the last 30 credits are considered above cGPA, would that benefit me in any way if I pursue the certificates or the SMP?

Re: the second bolded point: the former
Last 30 credits has some weight at certain schools and not so much at others (more so at D.O. schools IIRC). You will need to do your research. For sure it won't "cancel out" a bad GPA if you don't get past the initial screening.

I feel like you are thinking that if you obtain more than one school-related certificate, that will look better than a SMP, and this just does not follow. Med schools want to see that you can handle med school material and succeed. They don't want to admit kids that will flunk out--a SMP shows that you are ready to handle med school. So that is how doing a SMP can give you a boost (IF you succeed, and it is very difficult to succeed in a SMP esp. since most of the time, you are competing on a curve against med students. Standard curves are not very forgiving).

Good luck OP