apply to med school or do an smp

[mdhunger]

Hey all,

I am a senior in college and would like to know your opinion advice regarding the upcoming year and application cycle: I was either thinking of enrolling in a smp or med school right away but I'm worried b/c of my stats currently:

1st mcat: 24O (all 8's), GPA: 3.69 cumulative, 3.31 science
(my gpa does not include this year, my senior year).

I am planning to retake the mcat in april, and so far my practice tests are 28, 30, and 31. I have 2 years worth of clinical experience, volunteering, and 2 semesters worth research.

Do you think smp will help or should I just apply to med school right away? I'm worried schools won't admit me b/c they'd look at my science gpa and think I can't handle the course load. I'm also worried because I transferred from a cc, and my gpa was really high there but I've gotten B's in most of the med school prereq's that I did at my U.

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[deleted74029]

Do you mean the cycle for the class of 2013 or 2014?

 

[mdhunger]

I mean for 2014

 

[tnig469]

I think it would help if we knew which schools you would plan on applying to...

 

[mdhunger]

I plan to apply to the following md schools if I don't do smp:
U of MN med school (duluth and twin cities) (my state school)
UCSD (I lived in CA before coming to MN)
schools in Illinois b/c I have lots of relatives there.
other schools in the midwestern region.

Sorry it is not very specific, I have not looked at a school list yet to see where I would have a chance at.

 

[alibai3ah]

It depends on a number of factors. First off, what you get on your retake. It is imperative that you get a 30+ score if you want to be even considered for SMP/MD programs. SMP's are generally catered for those with high MCAT/low gpa situations. You do have a below average GPA, but if you get an MCAT score of 33+, I would say go for MD first. Also is ur gpa low, but you had a strong upward trend? If u have a strong upward trend with A's in hard science classes, that can def compensate a bit for your low science gpa. In addition, getting 11+ on the science sections would def help. I personally believe SMP's should be considered a last resort, because from talking to people around here, it seems as though they can hurt you more than help. If you do really well, you will most likely get into medical school. If you don't, it reduces your chances even more. So if you do crack 33+, I would say first apply broadly to lower/middle tier schools. If you have decent EC's, letters, and interview skills, you should be able to get in somewhere. Good luck

 

[alibai3ah]

Also not to disappoint you, but unless you are a California resident, I wouldn't apply to UCSD. They are quite arguably one of the best med schools in that state.....and it is hard to get in being a OOS'er. Although if you really want to go to a california, I would try UC Davis or UC Irvine (they are slightly less difficult, but still great schools).

 

[mdhunger]

It depends on a number of factors. First off, what you get on your retake. It is imperative that you get a 30+ score if you want to be even considered for SMP/MD programs. SMP's are generally catered for those with high MCAT/low gpa situations. You do have a below average GPA, but if you get an MCAT score of 33+, I would say go for MD first. Also is ur gpa low, but you had a strong upward trend?

That's my worry: I don't have a great upward trend-I got a B in both gen chem I/II, A- in both ochems, B in physics,...that's kind of how it went for all the premed prereq's

 

[mdhunger]

thanks for the info alibai

 

[alibai3ah]

That's my worry: I don't have a great upward trend-I got a B in both gen chem I/II, A- in both ochems, B in physics,...that's kind of how it went for all the premed prereq's

Thats not too bad, are you taking any upper division biology classes. If you are , do not get less than an A- on those. Try really hard to have an upward trend of 3.6/3.7. Trust me I know how hard it is to bring that GPA, but med schools do look favorably upon those who got their act together and work extra hard to do better.

 

[mdhunger]

Thanks, I'm taking genetics now, and cell bio and the next genetics in spring. I have an A in genetics now, so I hope I'll do well in cell bio and the next genetics class.

 

[Aladdin]

Hey all,

I am a senior in college and would like to know your opinion advice regarding the upcoming year and application cycle: I was either thinking of enrolling in a smp or med school right away but I'm worried b/c of my stats currently:

1st mcat: 24O (all 8's), GPA: 3.69 cumulative, 3.31 science
(my gpa does not include this year, my senior year).

I am planning to retake the mcat in april, and so far my practice tests are 28, 30, and 31. I have 2 years worth of clinical experience, volunteering, and 2 semesters worth research.

Do you think smp will help or should I just apply to med school right away? I'm worried schools won't admit me b/c they'd look at my science gpa and think I can't handle the course load. I'm also worried because I transferred from a cc, and my gpa was really high there but I've gotten B's in most of the med school prereq's that I did at my U.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but what's the problem with applying to both?

 

[mdhunger]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but what's the problem with applying to both?

I don't know...I guess cost of the smp kind of scares me so I don't want to do it unless I think it will help me get into med school, so applying to both kind of defeats that purpose.

 

[alibai3ah]

There is nothing wrong with applying to both. But when you apply to SMP's in the winter, they are for that year's fall application period. So you would be doing an SMP without ever knowing if you could have gotten into MD programs sans SMP. If you believe you will be successful in a SMP, go for it. It is a great activity for that glide year while you are applying; however, if you do not do as well as you would like, it could be detrimental to your medical career. On the other hand, trying you luck first with MD programs, and then if you don't get in, you could apply for SMP and go the following fall. I know that means potentially losing an extra year, but if you can possibly save 30-40,000 dollars of unnecessary fines, why not?

 

[Perrotfish]

If you do an SMP, don't waste your time with anything but a top of the line program (at least an 80% accept rate). Honestly with a 3.7 cumulative GPA, I'd say just fix the MCAT, take and ace a few more science classes to get to at least a 3.4 (if not a 3.5), and apply early and broadly (including to DO). You should be fine without the cost and risk of an SMP. Don't get me wrong, if you do well in an SMP it will definitely get you into medical school, I'm just not sure you need it in the first place. Just my $0.02

 

[mdhunger]

If you do an SMP, don't waste your time with anything but a top of the line program (at least an 80% accept rate). Honestly with a 3.7 cumulative GPA, I'd say just fix the MCAT, take and ace a few more science classes to get to at least a 3.4 (if not a 3.5), and apply early and broadly (including to DO). You should be fine without the cost and risk of an SMP. Don't get me wrong, if you do well in an SMP it will definitely get you into medical school, I'm just not sure you need it in the first place. Just my $0.02

Thanks for the advice. just reading from those smp websites, it seems like its an automatic entrance into med school-but they themselves are super competitive (?) like 25 matriculants/600 applicants. I haven't invested in the msar yet, but does anyone know of which schools that I might at least have a chance at considering my profile? It seems to me that a high mcat is imperative for my case, I don't know if the 30 would cut it...which drives me to seek the smp. Based on my practice tests I highly doubt anything above 33 is possible sans a miracle.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

I plan to apply to the following md schools if I don't do smp:
U of MN med school (duluth and twin cities) (my state school)
UCSD (I lived in CA before coming to MN)
schools in Illinois b/c I have lots of relatives there.
other schools in the midwestern region.

Sorry it is not very specific, I have not looked at a school list yet to see where I would have a chance at.

Why don't you apply to ucla instead. Might be a little harder to get into, but on their website they say they don't have preference for in-state applicants.