Georgetown SMP Survival Guide

[girlscientist19]

Does anyone happen to have a copy of the Georgetown SMP Survival Guide? I've spent hours scouring the internet for it, but can't seem to find it. I actually found it a few months ago, but failed to save the pdf (now I'm really regretting it). Does anyone have a pdf that they're willing to send to me? I would be eternally grateful 🙂 Thanks in advance!

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[ciruji]

http://web.archive.org/web/20050308...rs/lnr/physios/survivalguide/introduction.htm

 

[cardio7]

This is a great resource, and I had no idea it existed! Most of the info about housing, social life and the campus is spot-on, but the SMP's academic program has changed considerably since this guide was published and many listed classes no longer exist. The general course tips are good, but here's a bit of updated info about studying for the current classes:

-You don't have to buy the syllabus anymore, as it is distributed to every student at the start of every medical class (not grad classes). It is imperative that you use this as a primary study reference, and you'll miss a lot of tested information if you solely rely on the powerpoint slides from lecture.

-Don't buy all your textbooks, as you can borrow most from the medical library. It gets expensive, and most professors will tell you not to bother with books unless you are struggling with a topic and want to consult a reference. I only bought 3 textbooks the entire year, and borrowed the rest occasionally if I needed to look something up. Purchase: Gray's Anatomy for Students, Vander's Renal Physiology, Netter's Essential Physiology

-Purchase access to the MNTS (medical note taking service) notes. It's a one-time $170 investment that will save your life if you are cramming for exams. They're not a comprehensive review of lecture notes, but they provide a good summary of the info and often explain things differently if you didn't quite get it the first time. I caution that they're written by fellow students (former SMPs who already took the classes and are now M1s), so the info is not always perfectly accurate.

I'm happy to pass on study tips for individual courses if you want, just let me know.

 

[girlscientist19]

http://web.archive.org/web/20050308...rs/lnr/physios/survivalguide/introduction.htm

THANK YOU! Much appreciated!

 

[girlscientist19]

This is a great resource, and I had no idea it existed! Most of the info about housing, social life and the campus is spot-on, but the SMP's academic program has changed considerably since this guide was published and many listed classes no longer exist. The general course tips are good, but here's a bit of updated info about studying for the current classes:

-You don't have to buy the syllabus anymore, as it is distributed to every student at the start of every medical class (not grad classes). It is imperative that you use this as a primary study reference, and you'll miss a lot of tested information if you solely rely on the powerpoint slides from lecture.

-Don't buy all your textbooks, as you can borrow most from the medical library. It gets expensive, and most professors will tell you not to bother with books unless you are struggling with a topic and want to consult a reference. I only bought 3 textbooks the entire year, and borrowed the rest occasionally if I needed to look something up. Purchase: Gray's Anatomy for Students, Vander's Renal Physiology, Netter's Essential Physiology

-Purchase access to the MNTS (medical note taking service) notes. It's a one-time $170 investment that will save your life if you are cramming for exams. They're not a comprehensive review of lecture notes, but they provide a good summary of the info and often explain things differently if you didn't quite get it the first time. I caution that they're written by fellow students (former SMPs who already took the classes and are now M1s), so the info is not always perfectly accurate.

I'm happy to pass on study tips for individual courses if you want, just let me know.

Thank you for the tips!!! I could never use too many of them 🙂 I think the SMP guide was made in 2004, it's more than a decade old, but when I saw it, I remember it looking pretty comprehensive, so I'm glad I got a hold of it again. I'm starting the SMP program soon, so I can take all the help I can get. I don't have any specific questions right now, but I'd love to PM you later on. But it's totally understandable if you'll be busy with medical school though The only question I have right now is what is the best way to take notes in class? I was thinking of getting One Note, and I've heard a lot of good things about it. Obviously everyone is different though, just wondering what you think is effective 😛 And also, what was your study schedule like in the SMP?

 

[yeezuswest]

I noticed a lot of these courses are actual medical school classes. Assuming you got into their med school after the SMP, would you still have to retake these courses? Do you think doing an SMP would help on something like Step 1?

 

[Iridescent]

How hard are SMPs compared to reg medical school classes?

 

[girlscientist19]

I noticed a lot of these courses are actual medical school classes. Assuming you got into their med school after the SMP, would you still have to retake these courses? Do you think doing an SMP would help on something like Step 1?

SMPers are actually taking medical school classes along with Georgetown medical students! I chose the program because it would demonstrate to adcoms that I can do medical classes, and GT SMP is known for being academically rigorous (vs. a traditional master's program where you wouldn't be taking any medical school classes).

I'm not sure if you would have to retake the medical school classes, my guess (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) is that you'd have to. I read somewhere else that ex-SMPers are actually excluded from the curve if they get into GT Medical School, probably because they have too much of an advantage, since they've literally taken the class before. I've gotten lots of PMs telling me that SMPers who get accepted to medical school fare very well, or even top of the class because of this extra year of preparation 😛

 

[yeezuswest]

SMPers are actually taking medical school classes along with Georgetown medical students! I chose the program because it would demonstrate to adcoms that I can do medical classes, and GT SMP is known for being academically rigorous (vs. a traditional master's program where you wouldn't be taking any medical school classes).

I'm not sure if you would have to retake the medical school classes, my guess (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) is that you'd have to. I read somewhere else that ex-SMPers are actually excluded from the curve if they get into GT Medical School, probably because they have too much of an advantage, since they've literally taken the class before. I've gotten lots of PMs telling me that SMPers who get accepted to medical school fare very well, or even top of the class because of this extra year of preparation 😛

Is the SMP route kind of the go-to for people who want to offset a low undergrad GPA but who have an already competitive MCAT? That's kind of the situation I'm looking at now, but at the same time I don't want to end up doing a year-long, intensive program just because I failed Calculus my first semester of freshman year...

 

[SpicyFalafel]

Is the SMP route kind of the go-to for people who want to offset a low undergrad GPA but who have an already competitive MCAT? That's kind of the situation I'm looking at now, but at the same time I don't want to end up doing a year-long, intensive program just because I failed Calculus my first semester of freshman year...

or vice versa

 

[Spector1]

http://web.archive.org/web/20050308...rs/lnr/physios/survivalguide/introduction.htm

how do you get this to save as a pdf?

 

[SpicyFalafel]

how do you get this to save as a pdf?

from the Google Chrome application follow these steps: Open Chrome, go to the web page you want to convert to PDF, click on the Settings button and click Print (or press Ctrl+P

 

[cardio7]

Thank you for the tips!!! I could never use too many of them 🙂 I think the SMP guide was made in 2004, it's more than a decade old, but when I saw it, I remember it looking pretty comprehensive, so I'm glad I got a hold of it again. I'm starting the SMP program soon, so I can take all the help I can get. I don't have any specific questions right now, but I'd love to PM you later on. But it's totally understandable if you'll be busy with medical school though The only question I have right now is what is the best way to take notes in class? I was thinking of getting One Note, and I've heard a lot of good things about it. Obviously everyone is different though, just wondering what you think is effective 😛 And also, what was your study schedule like in the SMP?

Everyone has their own way of taking notes, so experiment with different methods over the first few days to see what works best for you. Some write notes by hand, others use OneNote or powerpoint to follow along with the slides. Some people don't take notes at all and just listen. Either way, try to read through the material the night before so you're not completely lost. I took my laptop to class and took notes on the powerpoint. I had friends with tablets and iPads write directly on the slides on their screens. It's up to you!

We had about 2-4 hours of lecture per day, usually in the morning and/or early afternoon. I would study at the library or at home the rest of the day, maybe until 7-8 pm. I studied every weekend, but I always gave myself at least a few hours for myself and/or friends. This is important to avoid burnout.

I noticed a lot of these courses are actual medical school classes. Assuming you got into their med school after the SMP, would you still have to retake these courses? Do you think doing an SMP would help on something like Step 1?

Each SMP has its own rules, but at GT you will not retake courses you completed during the SMP. This leaves the former SMP/New M1's a lot of free time during their first year, and they tend to take up research, serve as a TA, or volunteer among other activities. Doing an SMP will definitely get you more familiar with the Step 1 material, but I would never recommend doing an SMP unless you actually need it to improve your undergrad GPA.

This has been said in many threads before, but: low uGPA + competitive MCAT = SMP. Don't do an SMP if your GPA is already good or if you have a bad MCAT. You may not get the results you want.

 

[ZedsDed]

or vice versa

I think that's a bad idea actually. SMPs don't remediate a low MCAT score.

 

[SpicyFalafel]

I think that's a bad idea actually. SMPs don't remediate a low MCAT score.

This came from director of admission at low tier MD school.

Edit: either way, I need a miracle for my situation.

 

[ZedsDed]

This came from director of admission at low tier MD school.

His/her opinion is certainly an outlier. The majority of AdCom members on this website have said that SMPs don't get you out of having to fix poor standardized test-taking skills. In fact, many would think it downright foolish to do an SMP with a high GPA. That doesn't mean that you won't get into an MD school with a high uGPA, high SMP GPA, and low MCAT. It's just a big fat waste of time and 50k. An MCAT retake would be wiser. DO SMPs and DO schools are another story altogether.