Difficult Choice

[JackOfTrades]

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I have until June 5th to decide between BU MAMS and Loyola MAMS.

I went to Loyola for undergrad: cGPA 3.17 sGPA 3.01 MCAT 32
I live in Chicago, and the transition would be astronomically easier if I attended the Loyola program. I was told in an email that the "typical" matriculation for this program is 90%, but that MD/DO information was not available :/

Loyola would be much cheaper, and I would likely qualify for their scholarship because I support myself.

I've been told BU MAMS is the best SMP, except for maybe Georgetown. I also believe it would be a better preperation: med school classes/campus, thesis, all Massachusettes schools would now be "in-state" for me.

I would barely have the money to move to Boston, everything would be on loans until I get a job that first summer.

What I'm trying to figure out is if the difference in cost would really be reflected in my chances of getting into med school.

Taking any and all advice. Please.

 

[DrMidlife]

If you need more time to decide then just pay both deposits. Chump change, relatively speaking.

Boston being "the best" SMP is marketing and you're a victim. Boston is in the top 10. Loyola is too. This assumes that what people value most in an SMP is what the program does to get you into a US MD school despite a low cumulative undergrad GPA.

You can't get MA residency by going to school there, so no, you won't be considered instate for UMass after doing BUMAMS.

As I mentioned elsewhere, you can't escape a 3.17 by doing an SMP. That's more than 2 sd's below average. You can't undo 4 years of bad with one of good, and you should also be concerned about how well you're prepared for the rigor of the med school coursework you'll find in an SMP.

Best of luck to you.

 

[JackOfTrades]

I appreciate your advice, I'm glad to see "DrMidlife responded to your thread" because I know you will be brutally honest.

I know the GPA is what it is, but for what it's worth - I had 1 bad year when my father died and then 3 good years to try and catch up. I'm not concerned about how well I'm prepared, because I know I can succeed.

Do you think that taking classes at a med school campus, with med school students, and having a research thesis is worth the uphill battle of moving to Boston and paying the $63,000+?

 

[DrMidlife]

I'm not going to try a 3rd time to alert you to the damage of a 3.17 and advise you that more undergrad is the next right thing to do. Post in WAMC and see if you can get LizzyM to respond to "what if I do one year at Loyola and then apply with my 3.17/3.0 and 32?" and see if she doesn't tell you exactly what I'm telling you: do more undergrad because you can and because it changes your bottom line if you do well. You can get into Loyola again or defer. Given the new info that you're from IL this makes much more sense than moving to Boston.

 

[airix]

Sorry to add on to this thread to add my own question, but it is relevant to the current discussion.

What if you have taken a lot of classes and it will take 60 units of straight A's from a quarter system to go from a 3.1 to a 3.3. Would it be advised to defer an SMP. I also got into Loyola today, will it help me? (on a side note I have been taking additional courses for the last 2 quarters with straight A's to raise my gpa from a 3.0. I also have received acceptances to VCU, Drexel and Loyola. Would any of those schools be helpful for my current situation?

Thanks!

 

[DrMidlife]

I get it. I've been there. My numbers were worse.

You want a very precise list of exactly what you need to do, no more, no less, to get a US MD acceptance, preferably close to home. You want access to the real secret blank-filling answer to "if I do _____ then I'll be okay."

That list doesn't exist. You can't get the cosmic minimal magic answer, and so far you have exactly one anonymous SDN poster advising you. I could be a malicious 13 year old girl in Taiwan for all you know.

When you don't (or can't) follow the usual premed formula, which is to excel in undergrad, accumulate meaningful experiences, earn the approval of faculty, and succeed on at least one long standardized test, then you are inconvenient. When you're doing GPA redemption the burden is entirely on you to get a med school to take you seriously. With that problem, do what you will.

Now. Everything you could possibly need to know about your situation has been discussed to death in this forum for over a decade. When I was in your shoes I read every single post in every single SDN thread about low GPA recovery. Which apparently is more work than people like to do. But that's how I figured out what to do.

And now I need to go back to studying for step 1, so good luck guys.

 

[nabilesmail]

I get it. I've been there. My numbers were worse.

You want a very precise list of exactly what you need to do, no more, no less, to get a US MD acceptance, preferably close to home. You want access to the real secret blank-filling answer to "if I do _____ then I'll be okay."

That list doesn't exist. You can't get the cosmic minimal magic answer, and so far you have exactly one anonymous SDN poster advising you. I could be a malicious 13 year old girl in Taiwan for all you know.

When you don't (or can't) follow the usual premed formula, which is to excel in undergrad, accumulate meaningful experiences, earn the approval of faculty, and succeed on at least one long standardized test, then you are inconvenient. When you're doing GPA redemption the burden is entirely on you to get a med school to take you seriously. With that problem, do what you will.

Now. Everything you could possibly need to know about your situation has been discussed to death in this forum for over a decade. When I was in your shoes I read every single post in every single SDN thread about low GPA recovery. Which apparently is more work than people like to do. But that's how I figured out what to do.

And now I need to go back to studying for step 1, so good luck guys.

He would be fine at a SMP with a high linkage if he gets in though right? Like Ros Frank?

 

[DrMidlife]

I am mystified by RFU. Does it really get such bad MD apps that it can continue to promise nearly unlimited seats to its SMP grads, given its low SMP acceptance GPA/MCAT ranges? Is the RFU MD applicant pool still reflecting RFU's accreditation probation from a few years back? Is there a negotiated quota? RFU MD gets 12,000 apps, way more than any other IL school. Is RFU's bet that most of its SMP students won't be above the minimums to get an MD seat?

These are rhetorical questions - anybody who knows the answer won't be coughing it up. But I suggest that RFU's record is no more stable than EVMS's.