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I was in the MS program this year, so I don't have much knowledge about the ABS program. First off, which program you do completely depends on your personal stats, experience, and work ethic. The MS is VERY difficult. I cannot stress this enough. I went into the program thinking I would get a 4.0 as long as I worked hard, but even at orientation the program directors stated how no one had gotten a 4.0 at GMU or GU in years. The material itself is not too bad, but the speed at which it is thrown at you makes it really hard to absorb in time for the exams. You are graded in comparison to the M1s at GU, and they tend to do fairly well, so getting an A is pretty hard. Even a couple of the grad classes are difficult (although, I will admit some of them are a complete joke). I am glad to be coming out of this program with a MS degree, as opposed to the ABS that receives just a certificate, but you can always get a MS from GU in the summer.
As far as "life in the G2SMP" goes....... Manassas is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, especially if you're coming from a big city. DC is about 1 hour away, depending on traffic. They tell you to study about 5 hours each day, and that is after class, which typically ended around 1-2 pm. In order to "succeed" in the program, you apparently need to dedicate your life to studying.
All in all, I believe most of my class is graduating with between a 3.2 and 3.4. Most of us did not get accepted into medical school, but several of us are on waitlists. Will this SMP make us better applicants for next cycle? I certainly hope so, but who knows for sure. We started off with 22 students. 3 failed out and 1 left because she got accepted into medical school early in the cycle.
Also, one final note, although this is a joint program between GU and GMU, there is almost no GU involvement. We listen to their recorded lectures on screencast, rarely see a live professor, and go to a handful of cadaver "viewings", not even real dissections. 2 people in our class received an interview from GU and as far as I know, both of them were waitlisted. I am starting to get very doubtful of whether GU even seriously considers our applications post-interview or just hands out interviews to make this program seem legit. Of the previous two classes only 1 person has been accepted and he was an URM...
Let me know if anyone has any other questions. I'd be more than happy to answer!
As far as "life in the G2SMP" goes....... Manassas is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, especially if you're coming from a big city. DC is about 1 hour away, depending on traffic. They tell you to study about 5 hours each day, and that is after class, which typically ended around 1-2 pm. In order to "succeed" in the program, you apparently need to dedicate your life to studying.
All in all, I believe most of my class is graduating with between a 3.2 and 3.4. Most of us did not get accepted into medical school, but several of us are on waitlists. Will this SMP make us better applicants for next cycle? I certainly hope so, but who knows for sure. We started off with 22 students. 3 failed out and 1 left because she got accepted into medical school early in the cycle.
Also, one final note, although this is a joint program between GU and GMU, there is almost no GU involvement. We listen to their recorded lectures on screencast, rarely see a live professor, and go to a handful of cadaver "viewings", not even real dissections. 2 people in our class received an interview from GU and as far as I know, both of them were waitlisted. I am starting to get very doubtful of whether GU even seriously considers our applications post-interview or just hands out interviews to make this program seem legit. Of the previous two classes only 1 person has been accepted and he was an URM...
Let me know if anyone has any other questions. I'd be more than happy to answer!
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