Good cantidate for SMP?

[epox16]

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Hi folks,

Wondering about SMPs which I learned existed very recently. I've been considering a career in medicine for quite a while now, though when I got to college I wanted to go down more of a basic science research track. Stuff changes I guess.

I am currently a junior at a top 5 liberal arts college with a double major in chemistry and a humanities field. I have a math/science gpa of around 2.8, including a C+ in freshman gen chem, and a cumulative gpa of around 3.4. I've taken all the basic science pre-med courses and I'm well aware of the fact that my gpa is not on target whatsoever and that this is my biggest weakness. This is why I am considering an SMP, since it seems that these programs are targeted toward students who want to improve their academic standing before applying. My gpa has the potential to increase, but I still have two or three hard classes left for my chem major, so it could very well stay about the same. If I could do it all over again, I would have taken fewer science courses and probably nixed the chem major to make it a bit easier on myself, but since I have so few requirements left, I may as well finish the major at this point.

On the positive side, I've done two summers of biochemistry or organic chemistry research and I plan to do a full year's course of research next year. I have plenty of leadership exprerience, associated community service, and could very easily get plenty of shadowing/patient exposure (many nurses in the family, hah). I have not yet taken the MCAT but am pretty certain I could do fairly decent on it, seeing as I have historically performed well at standardized testing.

I have considered doing a basic post-bacc but I don't think I would really be eligible for one since I have taken all the required courses in addition to higher level chemistry classes for my major. I hope to get into my home state's school, which seems to highly favor in-state applicants; the reduced cost is also a major draw.

So granted that I take the MCAT, do fairly well (how well would I have to do??), and get some clinical experience by taking a volunteer position somewhere, could I be a good candidate for entrance to an SMP? Would completing an SMP help my chances of eventual acceptance to med school? If not, what would you all recommend?

Thank you in advance for the advice!

 

[The Helpful Aye Aye]

Moar undergrad work, use academic resources to help you succeed in higher difficulty science classes

no SMP yet, since it won't help your undergraduate GPA make is past auto- screens

consider D.O. school, since you can do grade replacement for their application

rooooarrrrrrr

 

[epox16]

Moar undergrad work, use academic resources to help you succeed in higher difficulty science classes

no SMP yet, since it won't help your undergraduate GPA make is past auto- screens

consider D.O. school, since you can do grade replacement for their application

rooooarrrrrrr

so it doing post-bac work the only way to improve undergrad gpa? SMP work is entirely separate?
Would you recommend retaking classes that I did poorly in to improve (though not replace) old grades?

 

[The Helpful Aye Aye]

So I graduated from my enviable undergraduate with less than enviable grades. I had C-'s in two prerequisites so I needed to retake those (which I did, at another school). I got some academic coaching from a family member over the summer and was able to pull a 4.0 in two prereqs I retook, plus 5 upper division courses. The whole hysteria around retaking courses only applies if you don't do well the second time around, which is more about changing the way you approach academics than simply seeing the material again. The fact that I also took a full load of upper division science courses (and also tutored them after the fact) also helped.

SMP work is graduate level course work, so it is "counted" separately. Even if it is a "true" SMP, as in one where you take classes with medical students, it carries no special weight in and of itself. In order for an SMP to be an effective form of remediation, the schools you're applying to must know the rigor of the program you're completing- traditionally graduate level work is not grade-centric... many basic science graduate degrees have severe grade inflation. In other words, by entering an SMP you're depending on the admissions to committee to figure out that you're doing something difficult. Conventional wisdom also says that if a school has grade cut offs, they go by undergraduate GPA, not graduate GPA.

Also, your research is only attractive to a medical school if you can assure them that you'd be able to continue research while performing academically. Your grades say otherwise.

 

[epox16]

So I graduated from my enviable undergraduate with less than enviable grades. I had C-'s in two prerequisites so I needed to retake those (which I did, at another school). I got some academic coaching from a family member over the summer and was able to pull a 4.0 in two prereqs I retook, plus 5 upper division courses. The whole hysteria around retaking courses only applies if you don't do well the second time around, which is more about changing the way you approach academics than simply seeing the material again. The fact that I also took a full load of upper division science courses (and also tutored them after the fact) also helped.

SMP work is graduate level course work, so it is "counted" separately. Even if it is a "true" SMP, as in one where you take classes with medical students, it carries no special weight in and of itself. In order for an SMP to be an effective form of remediation, the schools you're applying to must know the rigor of the program you're completing- traditionally graduate level work is not grade-centric... many basic science graduate degrees have severe grade inflation. In other words, by entering an SMP you're depending on the admissions to committee to figure out that you're doing something difficult. Conventional wisdom also says that if a school has grade cut offs, they go by undergraduate GPA, not graduate GPA.

Also, your research is only attractive to a medical school if you can assure them that you'd be able to continue research while performing academically. Your grades say otherwise.

So it sounds like probably I would be better off just taking undergrad classes over again. It just seems weird to go back and take genchem or organic as someone who majored in chemistry. Are there actual post-bacc programs for students like this or would it be more to the tune of taking individual classes somewhere else? It sounds like that is what you did.

I have never done research at the same time as school, but I will in two semesters. I anticipate it going well but we will see.

 

[The Helpful Aye Aye]

So it sounds like probably I would be better off just taking undergrad classes over again. It just seems weird to go back and take genchem or organic as someone who majored in chemistry. Are there actual post-bacc programs for students like this or would it be more to the tune of taking individual classes somewhere else? It sounds like that is what you did.

I retook those classes because I had solid C-'s in them (which would have not been accepted at any medical school). It was two classes and retaking them alone would not have helped me get into medical school- the upper level courses that I took and got A's in did. If you don't have C-'s then yes, go straight for upper level courses AFTER FIGURING OUT WHY YOU'RE BAD AT SCHOOL. It may be over-committing to research, which is common at top schools.

Do some research. I went to Hofstra for my postbacc which is *technically* made for people who are starting from scratch, but I was able to get in (having majored in Neuroscience) and have graduate-level registration priority to take any classes I wanted.