Are there any MD SMPs, post-baccs, or Master's one year programs (linked/feed in) that are "easy?"

[Tennis Guy]

Hello everyone,

So, I'm not looking for an easy way in because I know these programs are difficult. However, could any of you list any one year programs for MD schools that are not as strenuous in requirements because I keep hearing from forums that you need no less than a 3.6 in their programs, which is rather stiff and want to make my experience as easy as possible? Could any of you list these sorts of programs for MD schools that are specifically linked/feed in that have interviews and acceptances for people that make below a 3.5cGPA in the program? Thank you all for your time, insight, advice, and assistance..... it is greatly appreciated!!!!!

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[AnatomyGrey12]

There is nothing about this route that is easy. If that's what you are looking for then you are looking in the wrong field

 

[workaholic181]

Hello everyone,

So, I'm not looking for an easy way in because I know these programs are difficult. However, could any of you list any one year programs for MD schools that are not as strenuous in requirements because I keep hearing from forums that you need no less than a 3.6 in their programs, which is rather stiff and want to make my experience as easy as possible? Could any of you list these sorts of programs for MD schools that are specifically linked/feed in that have interviews and acceptances for people that make below a 3.5cGPA in the program? Thank you all for your time, insight, advice, and assistance..... it is greatly appreciated!!!!!

I did a lot of research into SMPs preparing for the eventuality I would have to apply to some, and in that time I never saw a guaranteed acceptance/interview for anything less than a 3.6 in the SMP curriculum.

SMPs are really challenging, high risk and high reward. You're not gonna find an easy program.

 

[Goro]

Hello everyone,

So, I'm not looking for an easy way in because I know these programs are difficult. However, could any of you list any one year programs for MD schools that are not as strenuous in requirements because I keep hearing from forums that you need no less than a 3.6 in their programs, which is rather stiff and want to make my experience as easy as possible? Could any of you list these sorts of programs for MD schools that are specifically linked/feed in that have interviews and acceptances for people that make below a 3.5cGPA in the program? Thank you all for your time, insight, advice, and assistance..... it is greatly appreciated!!!!!

Why would you want to take an easy SMP, when the idea is to prove that you can handle med school? And just not to Adcoms, but for you as well.

My own SMP has yeas of data that if you do < 3.4 in our SMP, you'll struggle badly in med school.

An easy SMP would lull you into a lethal sense of complacency.

 

[Tennis Guy]

Why would you want to take an easy SMP, when the idea is to prove that you can handle med school? And just not to Adcoms, but for you as well.

My own SMP has yeas of data that if you do < 3.4 in our SMP, you'll struggle badly in med school.

An easy SMP would lull you into a lethal sense of complacency.

I understand that it isn't meant to be easy..... I just want to make my job, as easy as possible. I'm not afraid to say that I have a lot of fear and anxiety about possibly going this route, due to how it can possibly hurt your chances..... :/

 

[Goro]

I understand that it isn't meant to be easy..... I just want to make my job, as easy as possible. I'm not afraid to say that I have a lot of fear and anxiety about possibly going this route, due to how it can possibly hurt your chances..... :/

You're just hurting yourself. You actually need the slap in the face that if you do poorly in the SMP, then med school is not for you. The amount of money spent on an SMP will be less than failing out of med school at the end of year II.

 

[Goro]

Anyway, to answer your question, there are no "easy" SMPs. You'll be taking med school equivalent coursework. In our SMP, I give the master's students the exact same material I give my med students.

 

[Planes2Doc]

Under no circumstance should you do an SMP thinking it's easy. Go in there thinking it will be the most challenging experience of your life. Whether it's Harvard or Podunk, this will be life (medical school) or death (saying goodbye to medical school) for you. So work your ass off like it has never been worked before, regardless where you go.

With that said, I would then look for differences in programs. For me personally, I liked once weekly night classes versus more frequent ones. It was easier to study. This was for my undergrad, not an SMP.

When I was choosing a post-bacc, one of my choices was Northwestern University. During the info session, they spent a good portion boasting about how rigorous their program was. Okay, so I quit a well-paying job with free air travel around the world in order to do a crap shoot? No, sorry. I did an "easier" one, but I never had the mentality that it would be easy. I worked my ass off regardless, as should you!

 

[Pool]

Don't know why people are bothered by OP's intention to choose an easy program. It's a well known fact that not all SMPs are created equally. Some of them are packed with filler grad school courses where a 90 is an A; whereas others are basically the M1 curriculum, where you are graded against med students. I don't fault OP for trying to find an "easy" SMP because the adcoms don't have the time to investigate if your SMP was harder/easier than most. As a wise adcom once said, "SMPs are a dime-a-dozen."

 

[Planes2Doc]

Don't know why people are bothered by OP's intention to choose an easy program. It's a well known fact that not all SMPs are created equally. Some of them are packed with filler grad school courses where a 90 is an A; whereas others are basically the M1 curriculum, where you are graded against med students. I don't fault OP for trying to find an "easy" SMP because the adcoms don't have the time to investigate if your SMP was harder/easier than most. As a wise adcom once said, "SMPs are a dime-a-dozen."

I'm not faulting the OP for this. In fact, I applaud the OP for finding an "easier" program because an SMP is supposed to get you into medical school. It's not supposed to be some challenge that will ruin your chances but you can feel all warm and fuzzy inside because it was somehow meaningful due to the difficulty. It's just going in with the "easy" mindset is very toxic. You gotta approach these programs with an all or nothing approach, regardless of their reputation, because that's what they are. They are your one and only shot at making it into medical school.

 

[Goro]

Don't know why people are bothered by OP's intention to choose an easy program. It's a well known fact that not all SMPs are created equally. Some of them are packed with filler grad school courses where a 90 is an A; whereas others are basically the M1 curriculum, where you are graded against med students. I don't fault OP for trying to find an "easy" SMP because the adcoms don't have the time to investigate if your SMP was harder/easier than most. As a wise adcom once said, "SMPs are a dime-a-dozen."

A) OP takes "easy SMP"; gets lots of As
B) OP gets accepted to med school
C1) OP finds out that med school is actually a LOT harder, craters, and is dismissed by end of first semester
C2) OP finds out that med school is actually a LOT harder, craters, fails semester I, remediates. Then fails semester II, remediates again. Repeats process until Boards, fails Boards, and is dismissed with two year's worth of med school debt and no job.

NOW, do you see why we're bothered by OP's mindset?

 

[Mad Jack]

A) OP takes "easy SMP"; gets lots of As
B) OP gets accepted to med school
C1) OP finds out that med school is actually a LOT harder, craters, and is dismissed by end of first semester
C2) OP finds out that med school is actually a LOT harder, craters, fails semester I, remediates. Then fails semester II, remediates again. Repeats process until Boards, fails Boards, and is dismissed with two year's worth of med school debt and no job.

NOW, do you see why we're bothered by OP's mindset?

The problem is, some fall really hard on the "difficult" side of things. If you're in a class that grades on a curve, a certain percentage of that class is going to permanently lose their ability to attend medical school barring divine intervention. I think it's a fair question.

 

[Goro]

The problem is, some fall really hard on the "difficult" side of things. If you're in a class that grades on a curve, a certain percentage of that class is going to permanently lose their ability to attend medical school barring divine intervention. I think it's a fair question.

These are intangibles way outside my knowledge base. But IMHO, no professor at a graduate level should be curving, period. Questions are either good, or they're not, and should be tossed. Or the material taught better.

 

[Mad Jack]

These are intangibles way outside my knowledge base. But IMHO, no professor at a graduate level should be curving, period. Questions are either good, or they're not, and should be tossed. Or the material taught better.

Some of the biggest names out there grade on a curve. First name that comes to mind is Georgetown, but there are others.
The SMP Curriculum and the School of Medicine
Grading for SMP students at both locations illustrate student competence in medical school courses. This is achieved because the SMP student's grades are based on the medical school grading curve. At Georgetown, medical students are now graded on a Pass/Fail grading curve. SMP students are graded based on the mean and standard deviation of medical students taking the same questions (that comprise the SMP medical courses). The following grade conversion chart illustrates this:

Grade on Graduate Transcript Interpretation
A (~top 10 to 15% of med class performance)
A- or B+ (next 15 to 20% of med class)
B (majority of first year med class performance)
B- or C Passing but less than satisfactory performance against medical class, with B- equivalent to med Low Pass
F Unsatisfactory performance--No credit given for grad course

Essentially they guarantee that 60% of the class gets a B or lower, which, for the people that need a SMP in the first place for GPA repair, basically tanks the dreams of 60% of the class by default.

 

[Goro]

Some of the biggest names out there grade on a curve. First name that comes to mind is Georgetown, but there are others.
The SMP Curriculum and the School of Medicine
Grading for SMP students at both locations illustrate student competence in medical school courses. This is achieved because the SMP student's grades are based on the medical school grading curve. At Georgetown, medical students are now graded on a Pass/Fail grading curve. SMP students are graded based on the mean and standard deviation of medical students taking the same questions (that comprise the SMP medical courses). The following grade conversion chart illustrates this:

Grade on Graduate Transcript Interpretation
A (~top 10 to 15% of med class performance)
A- or B+ (next 15 to 20% of med class)
B (majority of first year med class performance)
B- or C Passing but less than satisfactory performance against medical class, with B- equivalent to med Low Pass
F Unsatisfactory performance--No credit given for grad course

All well and good, but frankly, not my problem.

 

[Mad Jack]

All well and good, but frankly, not my problem.

I'm not saying it's your problem lol, I'm just trying to say that it's out there, and maybe people could chime in with such programs for OP to avoid. I'm just trying to be helpful- a question was asked, so I'm answering.

 

[Goro]

I'm not saying it's your problem lol, I'm just trying to say that it's out there, and maybe people could chime in with such programs for OP to avoid. I'm just trying to be helpful- a question was asked, so I'm answering.

OK

 

[etp123]

Grade on Graduate Transcript Interpretation
A (~top 10 to 15% of med class performance)
A- or B+ (next 15 to 20% of med class)
B (majority of first year med class performance)
B- or C Passing but less than satisfactory performance against medical class, with B- equivalent to med Low Pass
F Unsatisfactory performance--No credit given for grad course

Essentially they guarantee that 60% of the class gets a B or lower, which, for the people that need a SMP in the first place for GPA repair, basically tanks the dreams of 60% of the class by default.

I'm a bit confused, the SMP class gets their grade based on how the M1 class did right? So if like half of the SMP class happened to score in the top 10% of what the M1 did, then half the SMP would get A's right? So it doesn't mean that 60% of them will be kept at B or below

 

[Mad Jack]

I'm a bit confused, the SMP class gets their grade based on how the M1 class did right? So if like half of the SMP class happened to score in the top 10% of what the M1 did, then half the SMP would get A's right? So it doesn't mean that 60% of them will be kept at B or below

That's about right, but keep in mind SMP students are people who already had deficiencies and that's why they're doing one in the first place. Most of them will not be at the top of a medical school class, period. Expecting people that were second rate to largely be at the top of their game compared to people who were already at the top of their game is... Well, it's a very unlikely scenario.

 

[etp123]

Right, I see your point now. Thanks!

 

[tekkenman11]

That's about right, but keep in mind SMP students are people who already had deficiencies and that's why they're doing one in the first place. Most of them will not be at the top of a medical school class, period. Expecting people that were second rate to largely be at the top of their game compared to people who were already at the top of their game is... Well, it's a very unlikely scenario.

Many of our SMP alumni are above average performers in their respective medical school classes. They’re consistently being put as student tutors in anatomy, etc. Once you’ve been exposed to the rigor of M1 it’s a lot easier to adjust than fresh fish straight out of undergrad.

 

[Goro]

Many of our SMP alumni are above average performers in their respective medical school classes. They’re consistently being put as student tutors in anatomy, etc. Once you’ve been exposed to the rigor of M1 it’s a lot easier to adjust than fresh fish straight out of undergrad.

This is true of ours as well.

 

[Mad Jack]

Many of our SMP alumni are above average performers in their respective medical school classes. They’re consistently being put as student tutors in anatomy, etc. Once you’ve been exposed to the rigor of M1 it’s a lot easier to adjust than fresh fish straight out of undergrad.

Alumni is the key word. Those are the ones that made it through and this is on their second pass. I'm talking a lot the scores the average members of the class receive- they likely aren't at the top of the medical school class if you're doing direct grade comparison.

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

Hello everyone,

So, I'm not looking for an easy way in because I know these programs are difficult. However, could any of you list any one year programs for MD schools that are not as strenuous in requirements because I keep hearing from forums that you need no less than a 3.6 in their programs, which is rather stiff and want to make my experience as easy as possible? Could any of you list these sorts of programs for MD schools that are specifically linked/feed in that have interviews and acceptances for people that make below a 3.5cGPA in the program? Thank you all for your time, insight, advice, and assistance..... it is greatly appreciated!!!!!

If you’re still looking for post bacc suggestions where the matriculation requirements are doable, I need a bit of background. Are you disadvantaged (socially or economically)? ORM vs URM? State of residence?