Gap Year Advice-SMP or DIY Postbacc

[charmedones]

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Hello everyone,
I am in need of some sound advice on this matter. I was recently accepted into my top choice for my Special Masters Program. It recently dawned on me about the cost of living if I were to move to where the program is. I would be taking out a hefty loan of about 80k which would put me in a heap of student loans. I want to make the right decision and I am willing to do whatever it takes at this point. But the interest that I will accrue with the loans I have already taken out for my undergrad, unsettles me. I have the other option to take “DIY Postbacc” at a local college around me. But I am unsure if that will raise up my gpa for graduate courses to show I can handle the course load. I have not taken the MCAT so being able to do the DIY will give me the flexibility I need but without any advising or linkage. Not sure what my chances are.

My stats: 3.39(cGPA), 3.22 (sGPA)

Thank you guys in advance!

 

[paradoxic_toxic]

What are your goals (MD vs DO)? Does the SMP have a linkage (guaranteed interview/conditional acceptance) to a med school?

 

[charmedones]

What are your goals (MD vs DO)? Does the SMP have a linkage (guaranteed interview/conditional acceptance) to a med school?

The students who do the program don’t get any linkage but they if they get an interview they are put in a separate pool or something along those lines.

I am not picky about MD or DO. I would be happy to be accepted in either.

 

[paradoxic_toxic]

I'm not a fan of SMPs without linkages--they're risky both financially and academically. Your GPAs aren't so bad that they'll bar you from DO schools. Instead, start a DIY post bac and demonstrate academic excellence for a couple of full-time semesters. Study for the MCAT and take it when you're ready. You'll need a +505 for DO. With your stats, I would much rather wait a year and improve my app than hastily enrolling in an SMP with no guarantees to anything.

Read this: Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

See my signature for a list of DO schools with their stats.

 

[charmedones]

I'm not a fan of SMPs without linkages--they're risky both financially and academically. Your GPAs aren't so bad that they'll bar you from DO schools. Instead, start a DIY post bac and demonstrate academic excellence for a couple of full-time semesters. Study for the MCAT and take it when you're ready. You'll need a +505 for DO. With your stats, I would much rather wait a year and improve my app than hastily enrolling in an SMP with no guarantees to anything.

Read this: Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

See my signature for a list of DO schools with their stats.

Wow thank you and I felt that would be the best of option being that tuition is almost 60k (not including cost of living). I’ll be taking 2 years off school. So would you recommend I take 4 semesters of classes? I was going to take 2 classes per semester but I’m hearing from others to do three. I just don’t want to over burden myself.

 

[paradoxic_toxic]

Wow thank you and I felt that would be the best of option being that tuition is almost 60k (not including cost of living). I’ll be taking 2 years off school. So would you recommend I take 4 semesters of classes? I was going to take 2 classes per semester but I’m hearing from others to do three. I just don’t want to over burden myself.

No problem.

I would recommend full-time because you need to show adcoms you're able to handle the rigors of a med school course-load. If part-time is your only option, then take enough semesters to reach at least 30 credits.