do SMP's increase chances of getting into the top 30 medical schools?

[lazyindy]

considering you have a GPA of ~ 3.4 - 3.5 and do really well on the MCAT (~35+) will doing an SMP increase your chances at the top medical schools? Assuming you ace the SMP and have a great application otherwise.

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[aspiring20]

if your MCAT is a 35+ and your GPA is a 3.4+, just screw the SMP and apply to MD. your chances should be great at many schools.

 

[Goro]

Yes

 

[BestDoctorEver]

if your MCAT is a 35+ and your GPA is a 3.4+, just screw the SMP and apply to MD. your chances should be great at many schools.

Concur...

 

[alpinism]

You don't need an SMP with a 3.45/35. Do a couple semesters of post bacc courses while working on ECs if you're really worried about your GPA and are interested in top research schools.

However, yes, if you did very well in an SMP (3.7+) you would have a better chance at top schools. At the same time, top 10 schools would probably be out of the question anyway unless you have great ECs and/or research.

 

[SN12357]

considering you have a GPA of ~ 3.4 - 3.5 and do really well on the MCAT (~35+) will doing an SMP increase your chances at the top medical schools? Assuming you ace the SMP and have a great application otherwise.

LizzyM basically addressed this in her AMA. The answer is no because top schools aren't particularly interested in applicants that needed to remediate through an SMP.

Top schools are MOST interested in an applicant's ECs. An SMP is a terrible EC on that front because you're spending your time doing exactly what you will do in medical school. A better idea would be to do some more post-bacc work to show you've really recovered from whatever the problem was in undergrad and pair that with strong ECs such as research or strong volunteer experiences.

But if you have 3.4/3.5 and a 35+ MCAT and a 'great application otherwise' you should be able to get into a great MD school anyway. An SMP is an extremely expensive risk with minimal payoff given if you screw it up you've completely shot yourself in the foot for admission.

 

[aspiring20]

considering you have a GPA of ~ 3.4 - 3.5 and do really well on the MCAT (~35+) will doing an SMP increase your chances at the top medical schools? Assuming you ace the SMP and have a great application otherwise.

have you gotten that 35+ yet? or are you planning to get a 35+?

 

[orangeman25]

You don't need an SMP with a 3.45/35. Do a couple semesters of post bacc courses while working on ECs if you're really worried about your GPA and are interested in top research schools.

However, yes, if you did very well in an SMP (3.7+) you would have a better chance at top schools. At the same time, top 10 schools would probably be out of the question anyway unless you have great ECs and/or research.

If you take a semester or two of post bacc courses, how is that different from an SMP? Financially would it be cheaper?

 

[alpinism]

Cheaper, more free time for ECs (research/clinical/community service), less risk.

 

[SN12357]

Cheaper, more free time for ECs (research/clinical/community service), less risk.

Also a post-bacc will raise your undergrad GPA, while an SMP won't touch it.

 

[lazyindy]

Also a post-bacc will raise your undergrad GPA, while an SMP won't touch it.

when you're over 118 credits post-bacc won't increase your undergrad GPA that much.

 

[csx]

Don't mean to hi-jack, but if you do an SMP at a medschool and you get accepted into medical school because you did well... do you have to redo your first year of medschool or do you go just straight to your second year?

 

[Catalystik]

Don't mean to hi-jack, but if you do an SMP at a medschool and you get accepted into medical school because you did well... do you have to redo your first year of medschool or do you go just straight to your second year?

An SMP is not identical to the MS-1 year and does not substitute for it. It will however make that first med school year much more tolerable as you've theoretically mastered some of the required content.

 

[alpinism]

Don't mean to hi-jack, but if you do an SMP at a medschool and you get accepted into medical school because you did well... do you have to redo your first year of medschool or do you go just straight to your second year?

Catalystik is right. But, to further elaborate:

If you matriculate at the same school you did your SMP at then you usually don't have to retake the M1 courses you already took. For example, at Georgetown during the SMP you take most of the M1 basic science courses (roughly 3/4) plus a few grad courses. If you're accepted, you enter as a M1 (you still have to do a full 4yrs of med school). At this point you take the (roughly 1/4) M1 courses you haven't done plus the doctoring classes. This leaves a ton of free time during M1 you can use to do research, TA classes (anatomy), or get more clinical experience, etc...

 

[csx]

Catalystik is right. But, to further elaborate:

If you matriculate at the same school you did your SMP at then you usually don't have to retake the M1 courses you already took. For example, at Georgetown during the SMP you take most of the M1 basic science courses (roughly 3/4) plus a few grad courses. If you're accepted, you enter as a M1 (you still have to do a full 4yrs of med school). At this point you take the (roughly 1/4) M1 courses you haven't done plus the doctoring classes. This leaves a ton of free time during M1 you can use to do research, TA classes (anatomy), or get more clinical experience, etc...

Wouldn't this be the most advantageous route to secure the specialty of your choice?...

 

[Aerus]

Wouldn't this be the most advantageous route to secure the specialty of your choice?...

If the risk and cost of an SMP is worth it for you, then sure. Just because you do an SMP connected with a med school doesn't mean you're guaranteed admission into the med school. There are much cheaper, less stressful ways, such as just balancing schoolwork with research.