Blog about Georgetown SMP

[DrJD]

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Hello fellow SMP and Post Baccers...

For those of you who don't know me, I am DrJD. Last year I graduated from the Georgetown SMP and blogged my way through it. When I started medical school I stopped blogging, but I have gotten enough requests that I am going to start it up again!!!

SO,

For new readers, if you are curious what it is like in the SMP, please check out my older posts!

For old readers, there will be new posts about the SMP, about medical school and about the transition from one to the other.

If you used to frequent the blog but stopped because you thought I had left, please continue visiting, as it will be starting up again this week!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

~ DrJD

smptomd.blogspot.com

 

[gatewasani]

Congrats on getting into Med school dude,

I was wondering if you had you're stats posted anywere, I just want to know, for example how well you did in the SMP.

Here's a question that has really been bothering me, when it comes to SMP's.

I am hoping to attend Rosalind Franklin's SMP and what bothers me is the fact that EVERY SINGLE student is in the same boat as me. So, as determined as I am to do well in school, everyone else is in the same situation so what exactly seperates me from them. I dunno, I guess it's just pre-SMP jitters (well I have to get in first...but u know)

 

[DrJD]

Congrats on getting into Med school dude,

I was wondering if you had you're stats posted anywere, I just want to know, for example how well you did in the SMP.

Here's a question that has really been bothering me, when it comes to SMP's.

I am hoping to attend Rosalind Franklin's SMP and what bothers me is the fact that EVERY SINGLE student is in the same boat as me. So, as determined as I am to do well in school, everyone else is in the same situation so what exactly seperates me from them. I dunno, I guess it's just pre-SMP jitters (well I have to get in first...but u know)

Totally normal to have those jitters. I had the same thought before I started, namely, we are all intelligent, hardworkers who have a lot of ground to make up. So, when we all come in and get A's, what separates us?

I think you'll find that despite that, once you are in you will have the chance to separate yourself from the pack. At most 20% of my class would get an A in any certain class. So when you add that up over a year, that means you will have a lot of chances to show what you've got. Why does this happen? Why isn't everyone getting A's since this is our last chance? I really don't know but my theory is this:

1) Some students are only there to avoid working, and to satisfy their parents. So they will get through the year, get their masters and then do something else.
2) Some want to go to medical school but haven't fixed whatever study problems caused them to get a low GPA in the first place so they come in and continue to struggle academically.
3) Some students think it is still college and they can party every night, whoops!
4) Lastly, a very small portion of students work their butts off but just can't seem to get A's. May be because they have a hard time remember it all, or they have test anxiety, you name it. Personally these are the people I want to be my doctor some day.

Obviously, then you have the group of people who are there for business and get mostly A's. So the best thing you can do is figure out which group you would be in before you go, and then fix it so that you are in the mostly A's group. But don't worry about proving yourself to med schools, there will be plenty of people in the above groups to allow those who earn it to shine!

Good luck getting accepted!!

As to my stats, I think they are floating around somewhere...

 

[Mace1370]

Lastly, a very small portion of students work their butts off but just can't seem to get A's. May be because they have a hard time remember it all, or they have test anxiety, you name it. Personally these are the people I want to be my doctor some day.

You want someone who has trouble remembering things to be your doctor some day?

 

[DrJD]

You want someone who has trouble remembering things to be your doctor some day?

I guess it depends on the type of doctor 😉

But for clarifications sake, there are the people who don't work hard, but get good grades because they can naturally cram it all in.

Then there are the people who have to work 3 times as hard to learn it all, and then get good grades. They didn't work hard to get the A, they did it because they want to be a good doctor. THAT is the kind of person I would want as my doctor.

So they have trouble remembering it, but they overcome it with hard work.

 

[liveloveLA]

What did you like about the Georgetown SMP? Do you know what the average stats are to get in? Right now, Georgetown SMP is my top choice for my year off, but I'm not sure what my chances are for getting into the SMP or Georgetown med 🙁

 

[AB Brown]

Hey DocJD I was just wondering if i plan on retaking my mcat in like march should i submit my app to the SMP or wait till April? I ask because with my current scores I know I wont get in and don't want to wait till April because I know that'll be late in the game for them to review my material... or will it? Really Just I need advice as to what I should do.

 

[AB Brown]

Generally what the best route is to do is to send in your stuff if you are at least at the requirements for the MCAT and let them know you will update them when you get the new score. What I remember from my app there last year is that they encourage updates especially for waitlisted candidates with grades and MCAT scores. If you update them with that and its strong updates i.e. stronger grades and MCAT they will most likely take you off the waitlist.

If you are below the cutoff prior to retaking, i would send it in with the notification that you are retaking and let them know you are retaking so they put your app to the side and wait for the new scores before making decisions.

Ok Thanks gujuDoc. Is there any particular section in which I should submit my notification. I've already prepared one just don't want to submit it in the wrong section.

 

[Ailleurs]

what happened to this blog? it doesnt exist anymore 🙁

i know i shouldn't be reviving a dead topic but i really want to know what happened to the blog

 

[Compass]

I'm doing a similar thing if anyone is interested, simply because it's a good break post-lecture and helps me keep track of what I do (read: Twitter with more words).

FTR, I'm probably totally more random, sarcastic, and insane in my blog because being totally more random, sarcastic, and insane in real life is usually non-conducive and probably makes me look like an ass...

 

[DrJD]

I did take it down during a general "house cleaning" that I did, but I took some time and put it all into a PDF format. I posted the link to it in this thread...

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=10028292&postcount=10

Hope it helps!