Do I need a SMP or postbac??

[vanillasky123]

I'm a junior at an ivy and just scored a 34 on my MCAT. Unfortunately, I have a 3.4 cgpa/3.3 sgpa and I don't have an upward trend in my grades or any unfortunate circumstances or a "terrible freshman year." My average gpa for each of the past 3 years has been around that range. I've always just done average at my school with grades ranging widely from B- to A. I didn't decide on becoming a doctor until junior year and even though I've always tried hard, I never tried hard enough because I didn't focus and was always confused about what I wanted to do. I have one year left to raise my grades and assuming I get 4.0 for both semesters (which I'm not sure is possible but I'll try a lot harder...) the highest my gpa will go up to is 3.5/3.4. I know my gpa isn't terrible enough to keep me out of the running but the fact that I've always had mediocre grades for no good reason might be a red flag ... Do I have a shot at getting into a low-mid tier MD school next year (I plan on taking a gap year to work) without a SMP or postbac assuming I can bring my grades up? My undergrad has already left me with tons of loans so I really really can't afford to borrow more money for a SMP or postbac. If I really did have to do one, which type of program would be good for me? Thanks!

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[onedirection]

Same situation as you except rising senior

Minus the loans

I'm considering getting into Healthcare investment banking/Healthcare consulting for a year before applying

I'm not sure if it would be more worth it to just get an SMP instead of working for a year

 

[TwinsFan]

I'm a junior at an ivy and just scored a 34 on my MCAT. Unfortunately, I have a 3.4 cgpa/3.3 sgpa and I don't have an upward trend in my grades or any unfortunate circumstances or a "terrible freshman year." My average gpa for each of the past 3 years has been around that range. I've always just done average at my school with grades ranging widely from B- to A. I didn't decide on becoming a doctor until junior year and even though I've always tried hard, I never tried hard enough because I didn't focus and was always confused about what I wanted to do. I have one year left to raise my grades and assuming I get 4.0 for both semesters (which I'm not sure is possible but I'll try a lot harder...) the highest my gpa will go up to is 3.5/3.4. I know my gpa isn't terrible enough to keep me out of the running but the fact that I've always had mediocre grades for no good reason might be a red flag ... Do I have a shot at getting into a low-mid tier MD school next year (I plan on taking a gap year to work) without a SMP or postbac assuming I can bring my grades up? My undergrad has already left me with tons of loans so I really really can't afford to borrow more money for a SMP or postbac. If I really did have to do one, which type of program would be good for me? Thanks!

3.5 + upward trend + solid MCAT + good ECs/essays/LORs + ivy = interviews

I would not do an SMP with a 3.5 and would only do a postbacc if you are sure you can get 3.8+ and this will bring your overall or science gpa to 3.6+.

 

[vanillasky123]

I'm actually also a rising senior

ideally I'd like to do something similar to earn some money.. healthcare investment jobs are probably difficult to find though

so lets say I can't raise my gpa to a 3.5 but it stays around 3.4-3.45.. then would a SMP be necessary? Is 3.5 the cut off?

 

[DokterMom]

I'm actually also a rising senior

ideally I'd like to do something similar to earn some money.. healthcare investment jobs are probably difficult to find though

so lets say I can't raise my gpa to a 3.5 but it stays around 3.4-3.45.. then would a SMP be necessary? Is 3.5 the cut off?

This is where the Ivy will probably make a difference (unless your school is a well-known grade-inflater - some Ivies are). I think you'll probably be fine at lower- to mid-tiers since most ADCOMS will assume the competition at your school is much tougher than at NoName U.

I'd be very cautious about seeking employment in 'Healthcare Investment Banking' or related. Nothing says "I'm in it for the money" more than investment banking, and that's not an implication you want -- especially for someone coming relatively late to the "I wanna be a doctor" decision.

Choose your gap year activities very carefully with the goal of improving your application rather than making big bucks. If you get into med. school, your eventual salary will cover your loans. And if you don't, your loans will be that much smaller that you won't need to be an investment banker to pay them off.

Fill your gap year with the other things your application needs: Patient contact, clinical experience, volunteering, altruism, leadership, research...

 

[vanillasky123]

Hi, just wanted to bump up this thread. I talked to my undergraduate health advisor and she said I most likely will have no chance unless I do a SMP because my grade trend fluctuates a lot in the 3.0-3.6 range between different semesters. Would it make sense for me to take her advice and do a SMP or will the gap year in other things be sufficient?

 

[talinnlove]

We have just about the same GPA and your MCAT is higher, and I didn't go to undergrad at an Ivy. I have multiple MD acceptances so far, no special circumstances.

Would an SMP improve your chances? Maybe. Do you need one to get in? Not at all.

 

[pietachok]

Hi, just wanted to bump up this thread. I talked to my undergraduate health advisor and she said I most likely will have no chance unless I do a SMP because my grade trend fluctuates a lot in the 3.0-3.6 range between different semesters. Would it make sense for me to take her advice and do a SMP or will the gap year in other things be sufficient?

My uGPA and MCAT were the same as yours & my sGPA was a 3.2 *after* a pretty mediocre postbacc (didn't budge my GPA at all & may have hurt it). Also went to an ivy, and I took very difficult courses in a hard major. I got several interviews and admissions into MD programs (and interviews/acceptances at all but one DO program I applied to). In my experience the ivy league advisors (1) try and keep their admissions success stats good & are hesitant to ding the reputation of the school by sending out mediocre applicants, and (2) suffer a bit from the mentality that "if it's not a top 20 you might as well not go to med school." Be aware that if you don't take your advisors advice, you might be closing a door on getting a committee letter (if your school gives them anyhow).

 

[mehc012]

3.5 + upward trend + solid MCAT + good ECs/essays/LORs + ivy = interviews

I would not do an SMP with a 3.5 and would only do a postbacc if you are sure you can get 3.8+ and this will bring your overall or science gpa to 3.6+.

If you have a 3.4 with 4 years of full time credits, then it would take well more than a year of full time postbacc 4.0s to hit a 3.6