Georgetown SMP, what schools are receptive?

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prznpremed

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To those of you have done the Georgetown SMP (or any other for that matter). Are there any schools that are particularly more receptive to this then others? I've heard from various sources that top tier schools generally ignore SMP's (that's fine by me) and the UCs don't seem to care for them. Are there lower/mid tier schools that tend to accept students from them?

I know there are quite a few SDN-ers who have gone this route, it would be great to hear where they are accepted/planning on attending.

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Just curious, but where did you hear that top tier schools ignore SMP programs. If you do really well in the program and get a really good score on your MCAT, you should definitely have a shot at top tier schools. I know people who have done SMP programs and have gotten into good med schools such as NYU, BU, & UPitt.
 
I've heard from various sources that top tier schools generally ignore SMP's

I kind of doubt that. The SMPs stay in business because they have a lot of success, and that is why they limit acceptances to folks with over a 3.0 and a certian MCAT -- they cherry pick the folks they can market. But it's less about top schools ignoring the SMPs and more about ignoring people with a 3.0-3.3 undergrad -- which is most of the people who do SMPs. Since it's graduate, it doesn't affect the GPA + undergrad postbac average, so you are basically trying to get past your GPA by showing a string of A's, rather than improve your GPA. So numerically you might not make the cut -- has nothing to do with SMPs, it has to do with what you did before. For some schools to take a chance on folks with difficulties early on, it helps to show a graduate level track record that you can handle the med school caliber science courses. It may be more the non-top schools who take these chances, but I'd be really surprised if G-Town didn't have its share of success stories.
 
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Actually let me clarify, with mediocre undergrad stats and a so-so MCAT, a 4.0 from an SMP won't get you into a top-tier school.
:oops:
 
regardless, it would be cool if people would say where they got in after an SMP, I'm just trying to get an idea of what schools to apply to
 
People have gone to UCSF, Penn, Chicago, Pitt, and in my case, Case Western, so no, schools dont "ignore" you b/c you went to a SMP. Typically, however, the people that went to good schools after the SMP wouldve gone to a good school anyway, they just used to SMP to boost their app even more (like a very expensive EC). At some point or another, most schools in the US have taken a GU SMP student.

As for the GU SMP... The school they feed into are NYMC, SLU, and Drexel, and of course GU Med. Those four probably account for 1/3 of the admissions. Other ones that take a fair amount are EVMS (4-5 my year), Albany, GW. Hope that helps
 
a few people from georgetown smp every year get into really good schools. i think the year before us there were acceptances at columbia and u chicago. i heard that someone last year got into vanderbilt. i know in my class there were a few people who got into california schools - i know at least of a uc davis and a uc irvine. in my class at gw med, there are 11 georgetown physios - 1 from '04, 7 from '05, and 3 from '06. i know that there were something like 4 or 5 people from my physio class that got into wake forest med. each year, as exmike said, nymc, slu, drexel, and georgetown take a large number of students. i think there are something like 13 georgetown physios from my year at nymc, about 8 at drexel, and i think ~30 at georgetown. some of the new york state schools are becoming receptive to georgetown smp - especially downstate and upstate. evms, vcu, albany med, rosalind franklin, temple, and jefferson also seem to take physios pretty regularly. as for good schools, it sounds like in recent years, both case and upitt have interviewed physios.
 
OTOH, I've heard from multiple people that Maryland does NOT interview ANYONE who is currently enrolled in G'Town's SMP, regardless of how great their stats were in undergrad. So if you really want to go to Maryland, make sure you have something planned for the lag year.
 
Georgetown Med -- it seems they interview around half of the SMP class and offer acceptance to perhaps half of that, eventually ending up with ~20 students matriculating.
NYMC -- this year it seems a lot of current physios interviewed there
Drexel
Tulane
VCU
USUHS
 
OTOH, I've heard from multiple people that Maryland does NOT interview ANYONE who is currently enrolled in G'Town's SMP, regardless of how great their stats were in undergrad. So if you really want to go to Maryland, make sure you have something planned for the lag year.

I know someone from my class who got in to Maryland while he was in the SMP. True, there was only one so far as I know, but there was still one.

People in the SMP have gotten into Vanderbilt, UPenn and UCSF before. These are rare exceptions, but it happens.

As others have said, most SMPers end up going to Georgetown med (they cherry pick those with the best SMP GPA), Drexel, SLU and NYMC. You can see a list of where people ended up that is now updated with the 2006 class here: http://smp.georgetown.edu/prevclass.htm
 
Tacrum, I just want to clarify one thing you said, cause I think this rumor has frustrated a lot of people unnecessarily...

Yes, GTown does interview the higher GPA's of the class for its own school. However, once people have interviewed, GPA is no longer a factor. If they cherry-picked only the highest GPA's to admit to their own school, I would not have made it in. I was far closer to the middle of our class, than I was to the top.

And speaking to another post, I can confirm Pitt, Vandy, Wake, UNC, UCSF, USC, among others. These are not necessarily common, but they do occur. As someone said, the biggest issue is what kind of candidate were you before you did the SMP. If you had a 27 MCAT, you're probably not getting into UCSF, even with a 4.0.

Also, it depends - most schools, being familiar with the SMP's, will not consider you as a candidate until they have at least a semester of grades. Unfortunately, that means you are automatically placed on a pre-interview hold until January or Februrary. For most of the more competitive schools, they have either totally, or near totally filled their class before they even consider you in your SMP year.

Many of our classmates who waited a year are getting into more competitive schools this year. So, you trade a year of waiting for an "upper-tier" school. Take your pick.

I know someone from my class who got in to Maryland while he was in the SMP. True, there was only one so far as I know, but there was still one.

People in the SMP have gotten into Vanderbilt, UPenn and UCSF before. These are rare exceptions, but it happens.

As others have said, most SMPers end up going to Georgetown med (they cherry pick those with the best SMP GPA), Drexel, SLU and NYMC. You can see a list of where people ended up that is now updated with the 2006 class here: http://smp.georgetown.edu/prevclass.htm
 
Tacrum, I just want to clarify one thing you said, cause I think this rumor has frustrated a lot of people unnecessarily...

Yes, GTown does interview the higher GPA's of the class for its own school. However, once people have interviewed, GPA is no longer a factor. If they cherry-picked only the highest GPA's to admit to their own school, I would not have made it in. I was far closer to the middle of our class, than I was to the top.

And speaking to another post, I can confirm Pitt, Vandy, Wake, UNC, UCSF, USC, among others. These are not necessarily common, but they do occur. As someone said, the biggest issue is what kind of candidate were you before you did the SMP. If you had a 27 MCAT, you're probably not getting into UCSF, even with a 4.0.

Also, it depends - most schools, being familiar with the SMP's, will not consider you as a candidate until they have at least a semester of grades. Unfortunately, that means you are automatically placed on a pre-interview hold until January or Februrary. For most of the more competitive schools, they have either totally, or near totally filled their class before they even consider you in your SMP year.

Many of our classmates who waited a year are getting into more competitive schools this year. So, you trade a year of waiting for an "upper-tier" school. Take your pick.

I'm going to try not to start a flame war about the SMP b/c it has happened before, but my experience with the GU SMP and getting into GU Med has told me that it is not as fair and as transparent as people would like to believe. No, I was not denied an interview or acceptance at GU Med - I got into one of my top choices (CWRU) before the secondary deadline.

What IMREP says is true, its not only about your SMP GPA, although I have never heard of someone with a 4.0 in the SMP being denied admittance to GU med. I think it is fair to say that if you get a 4.0, you're pretty much assured acceptence to GU med. People with below a 3.0 have gotten in b/c they kicked ass. That said, getting a 4.0 in the SMP is very very very difficult. Only a handful manage it in any given year.

What is my point. Dont go to the GU SMP thinking that you will have a statistically equivlalent chance of getting into GU Med compared to a peer with the same credentials. There is a lot more that goes on in those admissions committees than we know of. I'll say this, it certainly wont hurt if you're well liked by the faculty. And dont assume that being in the top 1/4 assures you a slot at GU Med - as the previous poster pointed out.
 
I would also tend to believe that schools that have recognized SMP programs themselves should be more receptive given that they understand wht the program is and what it entails. Specifically, these schools are drexel, georgetown, UC, BU, etc...etc.. (visit my signature to get a list of the schools)
 
There is a lot more that goes on in those admissions committees than we know of. I'll say this, it certainly wont hurt if you're well liked by the faculty. And dont assume that being in the top 1/4 assures you a slot at GU Med - as the previous poster pointed out.

I had kind of figured this, at least with Georgetown. I would think after spending a year among the faculty and medical students there are factors outside of grades and scores that affect acceptances.
 
Tacrum, I just want to clarify one thing you said, cause I think this rumor has frustrated a lot of people unnecessarily...

Yes, GTown does interview the higher GPA's of the class for its own school. However, once people have interviewed, GPA is no longer a factor. If they cherry-picked only the highest GPA's to admit to their own school, I would not have made it in. I was far closer to the middle of our class, than I was to the top.

Yes, that is true. Sorry if what I said was misleading. To get an interview at Georgetown med, you need a GPA in the top half of the class (my and immrep's year it was a 3.7+) and then after the interivew the GPA doesn't matter anymore.
 
Ex, hehe - you'll never start a war with me... I tend to be pretty easygoing...

Just wanted to add, I know for a fact that SEVERAL 4.0's did not get into Gtown my year. So again, GPA is NO guarantee for acceptance to the school. It is important in deciding who gets interviews. After that, it does not play much of a factor.

I'm going to try not to start a flame war about the SMP b/c it has happened before, but my experience with the GU SMP and getting into GU Med has told me that it is not as fair and as transparent as people would like to believe. No, I was not denied an interview or acceptance at GU Med - I got into one of my top choices (CWRU) before the secondary deadline.

What IMREP says is true, its not only about your SMP GPA, although I have never heard of someone with a 4.0 in the SMP being denied admittance to GU med. I think it is fair to say that if you get a 4.0, you're pretty much assured acceptence to GU med. People with below a 3.0 have gotten in b/c they kicked ass. That said, getting a 4.0 in the SMP is very very very difficult. Only a handful manage it in any given year.

What is my point. Dont go to the GU SMP thinking that you will have a statistically equivlalent chance of getting into GU Med compared to a peer with the same credentials. There is a lot more that goes on in those admissions committees than we know of. I'll say this, it certainly wont hurt if you're well liked by the faculty. And dont assume that being in the top 1/4 assures you a slot at GU Med - as the previous poster pointed out.
 
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