Georgetown SMP Application Thread for 2015-2016 Class

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Hi, I was looking for advice. I've heard this is one of the best SMPs and was wondering whether I should apply to enhance my app. I intend on taking only 1 gap year. My stats upon graduation will be 3.73-5 cgpa and 3.71-3 sgpa at top 30 private with one more semester left. Currently studying for a retake of 30 MCAT (the 6 VR has got my family thinking Carrib lol). Brief ECs: research w/ pub (~2g hours), volunteering at 3 hospitals, plan on shadowing next sem, EMT, tutoring, etc.

I know these are okay stats, but I'm wondering whether doing well in this post-bac will give me a greater shot at any top-tier MD schools in the next app cycle since I've heard med schools will look at the performance here and this program has a good reputation? My alternative in gap year is do a cheap 1-yr masters at my university in chemistry and/or get a job (research coordinator, ER scribe, etc.).
 
I feel like this would be a little more meaningful than chemistry
 
Hi Brown Knight, this is definitely a meaningful program but it is not the right one for you. Your GPA is beyond okay and your biggest weakness right now is your MCAT with a 6 - but if you have that retaken and done by the time you apply, you should be fine. In fact, you may jeopardize your application with this program. The courses are medical school courses and are thus immensely difficult, and there have been people who come in with high GPA's like yourself who end up struggling and put their application on the line because medical schools then see subpar performance. They will also question why you felt a special masters, meant for academic enhancement, was the best addition to your application. They will feel that a job (based off of what you presented to me, I'd say this is the most beneficial) would give you much more needed life experience. Doing the SMP would reflect poor judgment and understanding of your qualities. Save your money and stress and do something that will make you grow more substantively as a person, that will make your application stand out as *yours* rather than a pre-med trying to get done a checklist that "seems right." Hope that helps 🙂
 
FriendOfTheCupcake said:
Hi Brown Knight, this is definitely a meaningful program but it is not the right one for you. Your GPA is beyond okay and your biggest weakness right now is your MCAT with a 6 - but if you have that retaken and done by the time you apply, you should be fine. In fact, you may jeopardize your application with this program. The courses are medical school courses and are thus immensely difficult, and there have been people who come in with high GPA's like yourself who end up struggling and put their application on the line because medical schools then see subpar performance. They will also question why you felt a special masters, meant for academic enhancement, was the best addition to your application. They will feel that a job (based off of what you presented to me, I'd say this is the most beneficial) would give you much more needed life experience. Doing the SMP would reflect poor judgment and understanding of your qualities. Save your money and stress and do something that will make you grow more substantively as a person, that will make your application stand out as *yours* rather than a pre-med trying to get done a checklist that "seems right." Hope that helps 🙂
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Hi thanks very much for the input! Wow never anticipated that it could adversely affect me; thanks for the heads up. But for those with decent enough GPAs going into this program, if they do well (which is much harder than getting a good ugrad GPA), wouldn't this give them a better chance at upper tier schools?
 
The Brown Knight said:
Hi thanks very much for the input! Wow never anticipated that it could adversely affect me; thanks for the heads up. But for those with decent enough GPAs going into this program, if they do well (which is much harder than getting a good ugrad GPA), wouldn't this give them a better chance at upper tier schools?
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You need to talk to a premed advisor, desperately.
 
The Brown Knight said:
wouldn't this give them a better chance at upper tier schools?
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No. The only thing that can increase your competitiveness is by increasing your MCAT score. Medical schools which are familiar with SMPs (most are) acknolwedge SMPs as means for absolving/mitigating lousy academic records, NOT a poor MCAT.
 
Will the program accept scores for those who are taking the new MCAT in 2015? Those scores won't be released until June..and the deadline for this program is May..
 
kinship said:
Will the program accept scores for those who are taking the new MCAT in 2015? Those scores won't be released until June..and the deadline for this program is May..
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that's a great question...call them and ask?
 
kinship said:
Will the program accept scores for those who are taking the new MCAT in 2015? Those scores won't be released until June..and the deadline for this program is May..
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From their site: "When your file is complete and going to the reviewers, and you have a future MCAT score coming, we will review your file, and will hold making a final decision until the new MCAT comes (If you generate a score report you can email us the verification code so we can access the new scores immediately). The latest test dates accepted are in June, so we can receive the score in July."

Seems like you should be fine, just notify them of when you are taking the MCAT and get them the scores as soon as they are released!
 
Did any of the accepted students get an invite to the SMP2016 google group yet?
The accepted student website says check out the SMP2016 google group but I haven't received an invitation yet.

Thanks!
 
babyface10111 said:
Did any of the accepted students get an invite to the SMP2016 google group yet?
The accepted student website says check out the SMP2016 google group but I haven't received an invitation yet.

Thanks!
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Awesome that you got in! Mind sharing your stats? Also, how long did it take for you to hear of a decision from them?
 
doctordoctor14 said:
Awesome that you got in! Mind sharing your stats? Also, how long did it take for you to hear of a decision from them?
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I had a 3.36sGPA and 3.5cGPA and 32MCAT. The thing is though I applied last year and deferred (couldn't attend that year due to family issues) to this year, so that's why I probably already have an acceptance.
Last year, I applied in late May and got an acceptance in mid June.
 
babyface10111 said:
I had a 3.36sGPA and 3.5cGPA and 32MCAT. The thing is though I applied last year and deferred (couldn't attend that year due to family issues) to this year, so that's why I probably already have an acceptance.
Last year, I applied in late May and got an acceptance in mid June.
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Thanks for sharing! Sorry to hear you had family issues, but I hope they're resolved and you can focus on kicking ass at this SMP next year!
 
AwayFromReality said:
Do you guys think I would be competitive with a 3.37cGPA, 3.30sGPA and 29 MCAT?
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Yes. I think you would want to consider going for a higher MCAT for the application cycle (30 is a magic number), but you are fine for the SMP stats-wise.
 
AwayFromReality said:
Do you guys think I would be competitive with a 3.37cGPA, 3.30sGPA and 29 MCAT?
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No I don't think you're competitive.

Competitive for MD SMP: >3.0 AND 30+ MCAT

Obviously you don't have to go by what I say. But you need a higher MCAT...SMPs fix GPA issues, not MCAT issues.
 
benjaminl1nus said:
No I don't think you're competitive.

Competitive for MD SMP: >3.0 AND 30+ MCAT

Obviously you don't have to go by what I say. But you need a higher MCAT...SMPs fix GPA issues, not MCAT issues.
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While I agree with your point regarding the MCAT, I think @AwayFromReality is still competitive for the SMP. But definitely needs to at least consider retaking the MCAT to score better and have more success when applying to med school. That would help a ton more than just doing well in an SMP, IMO
 
To give some perspective on people's stats who are in this program (with their permission):

Case 1: 3.12 cGPA, 2.69 sGPA, 1st MCAT 26, 2nd MCAT 32 (3-yr difference)
Case 2: 3.13 cGPA school, 2.7 AMCAS, 3.3 sGPA, 27 MCAT (application full of C's, D's, F's but pulled back up)
Case 3: 3.1 cGPA, sGPA 2.6, no MCAT - decent GRE

There are people with better and with worse stats by far, but I just wanted to emphasize that stats aren't the only thing that play into your app for the SMP.
 
AwayFromReality said:
Do you guys think I would be competitive with a 3.37cGPA, 3.30sGPA and 29 MCAT?
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Heyyyyyyy we actually have really close stats for this program and I am in it right now!!!

I did take the MCAT a second time and got a 31 (woohoo), which I recommend you trying to do the same so don't let someone who is NOT in here tell you "you aren't competitive".

It was said before and I say it again, the range of people in this program is huge!!! Both GPA and MCAT wise.
When deciding whether or not I should apply, knowing I wasn't super competitive for medical school, I thought: these are $130 that can change my life. I say go for it, you might regret not applying...

And on another note, I was completed May 12, accepted May 14. Deadline May 15... its not too late hehe 😀
 
whitecupcake said:
don't let someone who is NOT in here tell you "you aren't competitive".
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Fair point! I wasn't trying to discourage. When I called the office asking for average stats, I got MCAT around 31, GPA around 3.3. So, I was working off that. But yeah, I'm not in this program, so my opinion really doesn't mean much! LOL
 
Hi all.

I am regrettably not a cupcake, but I AM a current SMP! I'm happy to answer any questions you may have about applying to this program, deciding whether it's right for you, or life at Georgetown in general. Feel free to PM me if you'd rather do that. It may take a few days for me to reply, as we do a lot of studying around here.

As for "competitiveness" for this program, the numbers do matter, but Georgetown REALLY cares about evaluating you as an entire person. This applies to both the SMP and the Medical School. They want to recruit students who will make excellent future doctors and will not blindly accept people-robots with decent credentials. Make your essays meaningful and try to make your application reflect the fact that you are more than just your GPA and MCAT score.
 
Thanks for offering your services!
One question I had was, how are application cycles going for people? Have most people had interviews/acceptances?

And another question I had was, (I know this question has been beaten to death around these threads but I am just so curious...) about how many people a year end up getting acceptances at Georgetown? And what are the average stats of those people? (it's okay if you don't know). What I'm concerned about is being led to believe that I have a chance at Georgetown if the people that are getting in to Gtown every year are people with, idk, MCAT 35+ or GPA 3.6+ or so.
 
babyface10111 said:
Thanks for offering your services!
One question I had was, how are application cycles going for people? Have most people had interviews/acceptances?
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Application cycle seems to be going well enough, but unfortunately I can't give more than a feeling since only admins would be in tune with how many people exactly are hearing back. But perhaps not even then, since interview invites and acceptances are self-reported, and some may not be bothering to tell the office.

Another complicating factor is that there is a sizable fraction of the class that applied to Georgetown, and only Georgetown. Georgetown does not send out II's to its SMPs until March, after most of med and some other courses are done. So, the people applying to GUSOM only and the ones not applying this year cannot be counted. There are also students that decide to pull out of the cycle because they realize while taking med classes that they don't actually want to be a doctor.

Things seem to be going as normal here despite this especially competitive cycle, so we'll probably end up with the usual 50% acceptance year-of, 85% within a couple. Remember though that when I say 50%, that means 50% of the class, and not 50%-of-the-part-of-the-class-that-applied, etc. At the end of the day, there are people with interviews and acceptances; it's a very exciting time right now especially 🙂

babyface10111 said:
And another question I had was, (I know this question has been beaten to death around these threads but I am just so curious...) about how many people a year end up getting acceptances at Georgetown? And what are the average stats of those people? (it's okay if you don't know). What I'm concerned about is being led to believe that I have a chance at Georgetown if the people that are getting in to Gtown every year are people with, idk, MCAT 35+ or GPA 3.6+ or so.
Click to expand...

Varies, but usual range is 18-25. Your II is based almost entirely on your performance within the program, so if someone comes into the program with a MCAT 35+ and GPA 3.6+ but only gets a 2.9 in the SMP, they won't get an interview, whereas the person with a 30 MCAT and 3.0 GPA incoming but 3.65 in the SMP likely will. II's tend to come out around early-to-mid March.

Normally it's the top half of the class that gets interviewed - this makes sense, because Georgetown wants people who work well in their curriculum. Why bring in someone getting C's in their med classes? It doesn't mean that person can't do well in med school or be a doctor, it just means that they don't learn best the way GUSOM teaches, and they'd probably be benefiting more by going to another school with a different teaching style. The range of the interviewees tends to be SMP GPA 3.3-4.0 (4.0 is very rare, though).

Sorry for the info barf, hope that helps though!!
 
cardio7 said:
Hi all.

I am regrettably not a cupcake, but I AM a current SMP!
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cardio7, you were supposed to change your handle!! I guess TheArmyCupcake will never be...and we had the photo picked out and everything... 🙁
 
FriendOfTheCupcake said:
cardio7, you were supposed to change your handle!! I guess TheArmyCupcake will never be...and we had the photo picked out and everything... 🙁
Click to expand...

Haha. Allow me to be the non-conformist here :smuggrin:

Echoing what Cupcake is saying, the SMP-year application cycle is wildly different from person to person. I would say that many, but not most, people have had one or more interviews, some are waitlisted, and a handful have been accepted already. SMPs tend to get spring interviews and acceptances off of waitlists because most schools want to wait for our fall grades before extending an interview invitation. It's a nerve-wracking wait, but many of us came into the SMP with a less-than-stellar undergrad GPA and we need this opportunity to show schools that we can excel in actual medical school coursework.

If it wasn't already stated, you should know that Georgetown does not offer a formal linkage between the SMP and the med school. It may sound alarming that only ~25 members of our 170+ SMP student body get into Georgetown each year, but a large number of SMP students successfully matriculate to a different MD or DO school right after graduation (50%) or the year after (35%). If you have your heart set on attending med school at Georgetown, you need to get your SMP GPA as high as possible (aim for 3.6 at the least) and make sure that you have compelling experiences that match well with Georgetown's mission.

If you work hard in this program, you WILL get into medical school, be it Georgetown or elsewhere.
 
^ cardio7 actually has some of the best experience, because they were with their significant other who ALSO went through the SMP a couple of years ago (and is now doing rotations like a BAMF). The SO is a success story, and now cardio7 is a success story in the making, and that's awesome.

*trying not to gush about your amazing interview coming up, but failing... sorry, cardio (coughArmyCupcakecough), just too excited 😛 *
 
FriendOfTheCupcake said:
The range of the interviewees tends to be SMP GPA 3.3-4.0 (4.0 is very rare, though).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick response! Wow, I had no idea getting a 4.0 was incredibly difficult. I had thought it would be difficult but many people in previous threads made it seem like if you went into this SMP it was a given that you get close to a 4.0 and they acted like it wasn't that hard to achieve. Must have been geniuses or something.

So, going along those lines, what's the workload like at the SMP? How difficult is it to get good grades? If you study, will you get a good grade on the test? Or is it one of those things where you can study and study but the tests are hit or miss?
 
It is possible to get a 4.0 but it rarely happens. The SMP Faculty say there seem to be a few people each year (perhaps less than 10) who manage to do it. The program is a 50/50 split between graduate biomedical classes and first-year medical classes, nearly all of which are graded on a curve. In the medical classes, SMPs are graded against the medical student average and we do not affect their curve. Grades are scaled on an A-F system, and only the top 10-15% of the class is able to get an A (honors). The next 20-25% of the class will get an A-/B+ (high pass). With this grading convention, you can see how maintaining a 4.0 is possible but difficult to achieve.

Before you scream and shred your application, don't let the grading scale deter you! The Georgetown SMP has a reputation for being the most difficult SMP program in the country and medical schools know this. The average SMP GPA is a 3.3, and many students who perform around the average get into medical school during SMP year. I'm not going to sugar-coat it, you will most likely work harder than you ever did in undergrad. You will spend 2-5 hours per day in lecture, with a mandatory small group session a few times per month and you get late afternoons and evenings to yourself. Tests are very fair, and if you put in the time and effort to understand the material you will be rewarded.

I study anywhere from 5-8 hours per day outside of class (12+ for exam weeks), but you will find your own routine. The workload is rough, but that's part of the beauty of this program- you will leave with vastly improved study skills and the confidence that you can excel (and already have) in medical coursework. Basically, you will be a force to be reckoned with once you start medical school and find yourself surrounded by a bunch of terrified students straight out of undergrad.

And fellow students like @FriendOfTheCupcake are generally pretty awesome, and we are all very good at motivating each other to do well. The SMP Faculty are also pretty hilarious and are very approachable for questions or concerns. You will have an excellent support system here that makes the workload manageable.

Sorry for the diatribe. Study time!
 
x10,000 what cardio7 said about the support here especially. You work incredibly hard but you do so amongst 170+ people, and you bond over it. It's like if you study with someone for a day or two, you already feel this odd knowledge that you're going to be friends for life if you want to be. Ugh, I don't know how to do describe it.

Part of it is, most people realize coming in that everyone else in the program is in the same position, and all pressure to lie about having excelled at this or that because otherwise you'd be embarrassed just...goes away. You know people as they actually are because you don't feel like you have to hide what is often the hardest thing to admit as a pre-med - that you struggled, and maybe you even went through the application cycle and failed several times. But that doesn't matter anymore. You just work together to make everything better from the start of orientation out. Sure, there will be some SMP's stuck in that "I have to tell people I got an A and nothing lower" mode because that's what always seemed "cool," but you don't have to let them bother you.

Sorry about the tangent. I just really love what I've seen and gotten out of the program, and I just kinda go blargh sometimes. It's an honor to be in this program and to be with these people who are willing to go above and beyond to reach their dreams. @cardio7 and @whitecupcake are def going to make fun of me and my sappiness Monday (or today on message). 😛 In conclusion, I'll leave this here..: http://www.gifmeajob.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/i-just-have-a-lot-of-feelings.gif
 
Thank you guys so much for your honest and thoughtful input! Hope everything goes well for you guys this cycle!
 
I agree, thanks so much for sharing your experiences and insights! They've been super helpful especially because I have been on the fence about this program recently due to many personal reasons, but reading your comments, I get the sense that the environment at this SMP is full of support and great opportunities and I think I could be successful in that kind of environment. I hope to be able to consider myself a cupcake come next year lol.
 
Hey guys!! Cupcake here!!!

I want to give you guys another perspective! Do not take this as discouragement, but I am one of those that study a lot however I feel like I am not getting the grades that I want (As and A-). It is really tough, and I think there are 3 parts to my problem:
1. A little of language barrier
2. My undergrad classes were not as demanding as these courses
3. My studying skills were lacking

But as was mentioned before, I did learn and continue to improve on how I study, and the support I get from all these cupcakes is fantastic!
And I do want to add that did have an interview and got waitlisted (fingers crossed) so there is still hope for all of us!

I am also willing to answer to any questions anyone have!
 
I do not have an answer for that because I applied using my AMCAS, therefore there was a lot of sections I did not have to answer :\

Maybe you can call the office and ask.. I think that one is particular to how will Georgetown help you instead of why you want to go to medical school (personal statement)

sorry 🤢
 
How long after you are accepted do you have to decide?
 
How long after you are complete do you typically hear back? I just need to send MCAT scores, but everything else is in!!
 
point542 said:
On the online application there is an "Academic Statement of Purpose" with a limit of 500 words. Is this the same exact Personal Statement that is required by the supplemental application?
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From my application, it seems that those are the same. I have all of the items listed on the site (http://smp.georgetown.edu/admissions) in documents, and my personal statement had a short section at the end explaining how Georgetown fit with my goals. If there isn't a separate request for the personal statement, then I'd guess they're meant to be together - but it doesn't hurt to check.
 
mcilvain1016 said:
How long after you are accepted do you have to decide?
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I can't remember, but I think I actually had a couple of months to decide. If you're applying to medical schools, they also take that into account.
 
doctordoctor14 said:
How long after you are complete do you typically hear back? I just need to send MCAT scores, but everything else is in!!
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I was considered complete on a Monday and accepted Friday - actually, this would be the week one year ago. Oh man, and to have just finished the program's biggest module, CP...excuse me while I go reflect on this past year since my acceptance... 😀

There are others who were not complete all at once, who had to send in LOR's or MCATs, and were accepted the day following when those materials were finally in.
 
cupcakes.JPG



The acceptance time ranged a lot between our program... in fact there were people who didn't hear back until the week before orientation, for me, it took 2 days to hear back after all documents were in. As far as acceptance, you have about 10 days to pay the $500 non-refundable fee (which is applied to your tuition later) and "accept the offer". Later on, they send an email around asking people to reply with either: yes they are absolutely attending this program, not sure, and not attending it...

On a side note, I felt compelled to take and upload this picture, the cupcakes went to Georgetown Cupcakes yesterday after our miserable CP exam!!
 
FriendOfTheCupcake said:
From my application, it seems that those are the same. I have all of the items listed on the site (http://smp.georgetown.edu/admissions) in documents, and my personal statement had a short section at the end explaining how Georgetown fit with my goals. If there isn't a separate request for the personal statement, then I'd guess they're meant to be together - but it doesn't hurt to check.
Click to expand...
I wrote nothing about why I want to go to Georgetown :/ probably should have in hindsight.
Also, are we supposed to report everything we do in terms of hours? (example, XX number of hours shadowing, XX number of hours research, etc.) I did not know that was standard. Ahhhhh, wish I knew about both of these before submitting lol.
 
babyface10111 said:
Did any of the accepted students get an invite to the SMP2016 google group yet?
The accepted student website says check out the SMP2016 google group but I haven't received an invitation yet.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
It took a week or two for me to get mine!
 
Complete 1/14/15, waitlisted 1/16/15. GPA > 3.0, MCAT > 30, non-trad

At least the turn around is quick, though I'm concerned that I was waitlisted this early in the cycle.

Does anyone have any insight on how GT decides between accepting vs waitlisting candidates for the SMP early in the cycle?
 
nosarcasm said:
I forget the exact date, but it's in April... I want to say the 15th
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That's what I feel it was for me too. So probably April 15th if you're applying/accepted early, 10 days for times after that (April, May, June).
 
khronos said:
Complete 1/14/15, waitlisted 1/16/15. GPA > 3.0, MCAT > 30, non-trad

At least the turn around is quick, though I'm concerned that I was waitlisted this early in the cycle.

Does anyone have any insight on how GT decides between accepting vs waitlisting candidates for the SMP early in the cycle?
Click to expand...

Not personally, but there are definitely people in our program that came off the waitlist, so don't give up hope!
 
FriendOfTheCupcake said:
Not personally, but there are definitely people in our program that came off the waitlist, so don't give up hope!
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'm not worried about the waitlist as much as I am about what it says about the strength of my application, since people with similar stats to mines have already been accepted, though they also applied earlier than me. The GT email itself says that they accept a lot of people off their waitlist, so there's that.
 
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