Deciding on an SMP/ What are my chances?

[mdtobe1111]

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Graduated from a Cali university a few years ago with a 3.3. Took a year off to work and got a 31 on my MCAT (PS 9, VR 11, BS 11). Unfortunately, I went to a pre-med certificate program where I did horribly the first semester (1C, 2Bs) - not making excuses because I definitely could have studied harder but I under estimated the workload/ how to manage my time to study such large volume of material. Following semester took 5 grad courses and got a 4.0 bringing my overall GPA in the program to a 3.31.
Applied to med schools this year and didn't hear back at all (not too surprised). After speaking with a pre-med advisor, they advised that it was likely the C that is scaring off med schools.
Since my premed post bacc wasn't an SMP/ taking graduate level coursework, I'm looking into programs that will demonstrate the first semester wasn't a true representation of my academic abilities. Definitely learned the best study techniques that work for me - I made the mistake of listening to other people and what they thought was the best way to study in the past. More than willing to put in the work.
Also, my MCAT expires in a year 🙁 ..
Was accepted to Georgetown SMP and EVMS but I haven't heard great things about EVMS's "linkage" compared to what it used to be.

Summary:
undergrad cGPA: 3.3
undergrad sGPA: 3.3
postbacc GPA: 3.3
MCAT: 31 (9/11/11)
EC: over 1000 hours working in a hospital, dr's office, shadowing
Research: doing a bit now but none in undergrad/post

What are my chances/ what else do you think I would need to work on?
Any comments are appreciated. Thanks for the time in advance.

 

[Dro133]

I didn't go to an SMP, but from what I've heard, they're not easy; you're taking the same classes as M1's, but you have to outperform them to demonstrate to medical schools that you can survive in that academic environment. Be honest with yourself; do you truly feel confident that you can thrive academically in an SMP? If not, my advice would be to take another semester of undergrad coursework; it doesn't have to be at a pre-med certificate program, it could just be a few select classes at your nearest university where you can pay in-state tuition. I think you need to be absolutely certain that you can at least succeed in undergrad courses before you jump into an SMP.

Also, your GPA's are low, but not terrible. Have you calculated how high you can get your GPA if you take a years worth of undergrad classes and get all A's? If you can bring your GPA up to the 3.4-3.5 range, and can bring your MCAT up to 33 or higher, AND you live in a state with IS-friendly medical school(s)/apply broadly, I'm not convinced that you absolutely need an SMP at all.

 

[DrMidlife]

After speaking with a pre-med advisor, they advised that it was likely the C that is scaring off med schools.

No, "the C" isn't the problem. All of your numbers are a problem. You have 5 years of academics, and I'm guessing none of those years are making you look good against your competition.

Premed advisers get paid to help the always plentiful horde of kids with great grades not make mistakes. They have no clue what to do with the kids that made mistakes and want to try to recover.

A 31 on the MCAT is straight up average. It doesn't help nor hurt you. A retake could do either.

3.3 is 1-2 std devs below the matriculant average at MD and DO schools.

The most helpful info on SDN is in the past, not the present. 100's of people who made it into med school from much worse situations than yours have invested 100's of hours explaining what they did and what they would/wouldn't do again. You'll find what you need to know by searching on "low GPA" and spending a boatload of time understanding your situation and your options.

Best of luck to you.

 

[mdtobe1111]

I didn't go to an SMP, but from what I've heard, they're not easy; you're taking the same classes as M1's, but you have to outperform them to demonstrate to medical schools that you can survive in that academic environment. Be honest with yourself; do you truly feel confident that you can thrive academically in an SMP? If not, my advice would be to take another semester of undergrad coursework; it doesn't have to be at a pre-med certificate program, it could just be a few select classes at your nearest university where you can pay in-state tuition. I think you need to be absolutely certain that you can at least succeed in undergrad courses before you jump into an SMP.

Also, your GPA's are low, but not terrible. Have you calculated how high you can get your GPA if you take a years worth of undergrad classes and get all A's? If you can bring your GPA up to the 3.4-3.5 range, and can bring your MCAT up to 33 or higher, AND you live in a state with IS-friendly medical school(s)/apply broadly, I'm not convinced that you absolutely need an SMP at all.

@Dro133 thanks for the feedback. Yes I'm aware of how difficult an SMP is. Unfortunately, I've already exhausted many of the undergrad science classes and during my certificate program took grad level coursework so I'm afraid if I switch back to taking undergrad classes it won't look as good. Definitely will be looking into taking the MCAT again but Cali is not IS-friendly. Thank you so much!

 

[mdtobe1111]

No, "the C" isn't the problem. All of your numbers are a problem. You have 5 years of academics, and I'm guessing none of those years are making you look good against your competition.

Premed advisers get paid to help the always plentiful horde of kids with great grades not make mistakes. They have no clue what to do with the kids that made mistakes and want to try to recover.

A 31 on the MCAT is straight up average. It doesn't help nor hurt you. A retake could do either.

3.3 is 1-2 std devs below the matriculant average at MD and DO schools.

The most helpful info on SDN is in the past, not the present. 100's of people who made it into med school from much worse situations than yours have invested 100's of hours explaining what they did and what they would/wouldn't do again. You'll find what you need to know by searching on "low GPA" and spending a boatload of time understanding your situation and your options.

Best of luck to you.

@DrMidlife thanks so much for taking the time to review my stats. I'll definitely look into the lowGPA thread.
I read that you did a post-bacc at EVMS (sorry for stalking) and have read on numerous threads that you no longer feel that the medical masters program is worth it. If I decided to go to GTown SMP and possibly retake my MCAT, do you think it would remediate my crummy grades? Thanks again, sure you're extremely busy.

 

[DrMidlife]

@DrMidlife thanks so much for taking the time to review my stats. I'll definitely look into the lowGPA thread.
I read that you did a post-bacc at EVMS (sorry for stalking) and have read on numerous threads that you no longer feel that the medical masters program is worth it. If I decided to go to GTown SMP and possibly retake my MCAT, do you think it would remediate my crummy grades? Thanks again, sure you're extremely busy.

If I'm reviewing your MD app I'm looking at 5 years of meh against presumably 1 year of SMP good. Not excited. That plus an above average MCAT, now I might II. But not in California.

I suggest looking at a more rigorous, lengthy and strategic next academic step than the cookie cutter California answer to a sub-3.5 which is Gtown.

"low GPA" isn't a thread, it's a body of work across multiple forums. You've caught this one M4 former GPA redemptor on a day when I'm bored and am willing to spend my time answering the same things I've answered literally 1000+ times before in much greater depth, about 75% of the time for Californians. You would be foolish to assume that 1-2 people who randomly caught and answered your question here are providing you good info. We might actually be bored malicious 13 year old girls in Malaysia for all you know.

 

[heybubbaa]

I would personally do Gtown. If you perform phenomenally in the program, then you could get MD schools to look past your "meh" gpa (honestly, 3.3 is not THAT horrible - I got into an MD school halfway through my SMP year with a 3.0 gpa). But you have to be great in the SMP - and my biggest concern is that you haven't really done anything to convince me that you can perform at that level. If you really do believe that you have the chutzpah to consistently beat MD students by a large margin, then I say go for it. If not, then I would really start focusing on trying to get into a good DO school, because as a CA resident I really don't like the other options that you have available. But as Drmidlife said, you really do need to do quite a bit of research before you make any decisions.

 

[Dro133]

Drmidlife is right, there is a wealth of information on this forum. Fwiw though, Ohio has pretty lenient residency requirements I hear. Meaning if you wanted to ditch your California residency, you could do the SMP at UCincy and gain in-state status during that year. Of course, that would mean that you wouldn't be able to apply as an in-state resident during your SMP year, you'd have to wait until the next year to apply as in-state. On the other hand, that opens you up to UC, Ohio State, and Toledo med schools. It's a risky venture, but just another option that you should be aware of. Good luck!

 

[Goro]

Any DO school is yours right now.

MD? You'll have to ace the SMP. Then maybe try UCI and UCD (if you're from CA), and some low-tier private MD schools. I can't recommend CNU.

Graduated from a Cali university a few years ago with a 3.3. Took a year off to work and got a 31 on my MCAT (PS 9, VR 11, BS 11). Unfortunately, I went to a pre-med certificate program where I did horribly the first semester (1C, 2Bs) - not making excuses because I definitely could have studied harder but I under estimated the workload/ how to manage my time to study such large volume of material. Following semester took 5 grad courses and got a 4.0 bringing my overall GPA in the program to a 3.31.
Applied to med schools this year and didn't hear back at all (not too surprised). After speaking with a pre-med advisor, they advised that it was likely the C that is scaring off med schools.
Since my premed post bacc wasn't an SMP/ taking graduate level coursework, I'm looking into programs that will demonstrate the first semester wasn't a true representation of my academic abilities. Definitely learned the best study techniques that work for me - I made the mistake of listening to other people and what they thought was the best way to study in the past. More than willing to put in the work.
Also, my MCAT expires in a year 🙁 ..
Was accepted to Georgetown SMP and EVMS but I haven't heard great things about EVMS's "linkage" compared to what it used to be.

Summary:
undergrad cGPA: 3.3
undergrad sGPA: 3.3
postbacc GPA: 3.3
MCAT: 31 (9/11/11)
EC: over 1000 hours working in a hospital, dr's office, shadowing
Research: doing a bit now but none in undergrad/post

What are my chances/ what else do you think I would need to work on?
Any comments are appreciated. Thanks for the time in advance.

 

[mdtobe1111]

@Goro @Dro133 @heybubbaa

Thanks so much for all of your input. Definitely thinking of retaking the MCAT (since it's set to expire anyway next year) and decide between an SMP. Currently accepted into EVMS Med Masters 1 year, Georgetown SMP, and Tulane's MS Anatomy (unfortunately wasn't waitlisted anywhere so no ACP). Waitlisted for UCinn and pending Temple (Though I dont' expect to really hear anything).

Been doing some research going through old low GPA threads and older threads about the programs so hopefully it'll shed some light on which of the 3 programs I'm currently accepted into will be the best choice for me. Would really like to get into the UCinn program (1. the high rate of matriculation to Cinn 2. Ohio residency) but not sure where I stand on the waitlist until June which is quite late.

Thanks everyone! Fingers crossed*

 

[heybubbaa]

@Goro @Dro133 @heybubbaa


Been doing some research going through old low GPA threads and older threads about the programs so hopefully it'll shed some light on which of the 3 programs I'm currently accepted into will be the best choice for me. Would really like to get into the UCinn program (1. the high rate of matriculation to Cinn 2. Ohio residency) but not sure where I stand on the waitlist until June which is quite late.

Thanks everyone! Fingers crossed*

I'm a current SMPer at Cincinnati. I think you are competitive stat-wise, and your EC's look decent. I know that they are receptive to updates with MCAT retakes if you decide to retake. Also, I know that they really like letter of intents. The waitlist moves a lot, though, so I would definitely keep your hopes up! Good luck with everything!

 

[mdtobe1111]

@heybubbaa thanks for the info! i was super bummed out that I got waitlisted. Just emailed Jeannie and will be sending an update letter to include I would definitely attend if accepted. I've read on some Cinci threads that the dean of admissions for the med school changed so not everyone is getting interviews to UC? do many of the current SMPers feel that the change in dean has dramatically minimized their chances?

put a deposit for both GT and EVMS cause I haven't been able to decide ... whats another $500 in the grand total of student debt .... (crying inside)