Is an SMP worth the risk?

[Food]

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Most of the related threads were outdated...

Some of you have read up on my situation so you know what's going on. For others, you can look at my MDApps. I have interviewed only at U of Florida, and was put on hold. They let us know Early-mid April probably. I also sent them a letter of intent in mid-Feb.

I'm thinking out a reapplication strategy. My GPA being my weak point, my pre-health adviser is suggesting that I should go for an SMP, and for some of the better ones, at that. He said my MCAT should make me easily competitive for these. Other people I"ve talked to (admissions recruiters/officers) have varying opinions. Some are saying that SMPs are such a last ditch effort, and to do well academically, i'd have to outscore 2/3 of the med-students in those classes.

As it stands now, I am not very confident about my ability to do well in these MS 1 classes that I would have to take. But I am not sure what my other options are. Retaking undergrad classes doesn't seem like a good option, since I've taken just about every relevant class, and not failed any of them; I don't know if this would be good enough to redemedy the problem.

The only other thing I thought about doing was to reapply as early as possible, and much more broadly, but then I wouldn't have much to put for the "what did you do to strengthen your application". Getting a job is not easy these days, and although I already have one as an MCAT teacher, I would need something new to be mildly interesting. Also, since my GPA is the weakest point, it seems like I should address that first.

I'm pretty confused as to what the best possible route for me is. Doing Georgetown's or Tuft's 1 year masters seems risky. If I get anything less than a 3.75, I think I'll really kill my chances. Can anyone who has experience with those programs tell me what sort of difficulty/competitiveness I could expect from the programs? Given my inability to keep a consistent academic record in the past, what is the probability I can do any better this time?

 

[drizzt3117]

You'll find more info in the postbac forum, but I wouldn't recommend a SMP in your case, take postbac and increase your GPA a little, get more clinical experience, do some research, etc... improve your app in whatever ways you can, but I wouldn't do a SMP with your GPA/MCAT. I imagine if you did nothing but applied early and broadly you might have luck next cycle anyways.

 

[physcigirl27]

If you don't mind me asking, what was your gpa?

 

[Food]

If you don't mind me asking, what was your gpa?

It's in my MDApps, but it is a 3.3Science and a 3.45 Overall in Chemistry

 

[Depakote]

I would say you should probably be able to get in without needing to risk a SMP. Those tend to be last ditch effort strategies and your stats just aren't that bad to warrant it.

I don't know all the factors behind your application this year, I'm surprised that you only have one interview. Did you apply late? Needless to say, there is something (not your stats) in your application that is holding you back, you need to identify that and fix it before you reapply. Doing so should help you immensely.

 

[Food]

I would say you should probably be able to get in without needing to risk a SMP. Those tend to be last ditch effort strategies and your stats just aren't that bad to warrant it.

I don't know all the factors behind your application this year, I'm surprised that you only have one interview. Did you apply late? Needless to say, there is something (not your stats) in your application that is holding you back, you need to identify that and fix it before you reapply. Doing so should help you immensely.

I did my best to identify the non-GPA / non-MCAT factors that could be holding me back. My essays were superb, were read by both my pre-health advisor, an admissions recruiters for one of the universities refusing to interview me, and an interviewer from another state Med-school. My LORs were my other concern, but one of the recruiters who had checked up on my file (after I requested), let slip that he was reasonably impressed with the letters, especially considering that most of the letters they get from my institution tend to be short and unhelpful.

There were things I messed up though. I forgot to include shadowing as an activity on my AMCAS, but mentioned it in my PS, and had a letter from the physician I shadowed. I did apply "late" technically. My secondaries were mostly marked complete between mid-September to mid-October.

If I don't do an SMP, what should I do? A post-Bacc? I really don't even know what these are. Would I do this at my current undergrad institution, or just about anywhere?

 

[Excelsius]

Most of the related threads were outdated...

Some of you have read up on my situation so you know what's going on. For others, you can look at my MDApps. I have interviewed only at U of Florida, and was put on hold. They let us know Early-mid April probably. I also sent them a letter of intent in mid-Feb.

I'm thinking out a reapplication strategy. My GPA being my weak point, my pre-health adviser is suggesting that I should go for an SMP, and for some of the better ones, at that. He said my MCAT should make me easily competitive for these. Other people I"ve talked to (admissions recruiters/officers) have varying opinions. Some are saying that SMPs are such a last ditch effort, and to do well academically, i'd have to outscore 2/3 of the med-students in those classes.

As it stands now, I am not very confident about my ability to do well in these MS 1 classes that I would have to take. But I am not sure what my other options are. Retaking undergrad classes doesn't seem like a good option, since I've taken just about every relevant class, and not failed any of them; I don't know if this would be good enough to redemedy the problem.

The only other thing I thought about doing was to reapply as early as possible, and much more broadly, but then I wouldn't have much to put for the "what did you do to strengthen your application". Getting a job is not easy these days, and although I already have one as an MCAT teacher, I would need something new to be mildly interesting. Also, since my GPA is the weakest point, it seems like I should address that first.

I'm pretty confused as to what the best possible route for me is. Doing Georgetown's or Tuft's 1 year masters seems risky. If I get anything less than a 3.75, I think I'll really kill my chances. Can anyone who has experience with those programs tell me what sort of difficulty/competitiveness I could expect from the programs? Given my inability to keep a consistent academic record in the past, what is the probability I can do any better this time?

You have a very good MCAT score. Did you apply very late? Why does your profile say that you withdrew from so many schools?

I don't know the details of your application, but I know that I have seen a lot of successful candidates with lower GPA and even somewhat lower MCAT than what you have (non-URM). I have to agree with Depakote that you may have something going on, other than stats. Things that come to mind: a bad LOR? a bad PS?, lack of clinical experience? problems with background check? I mean you didn't even get an interview.

If you have no idea what's wrong, I would definitely call every single school until you get a general idea. You may have to wait until the application season is over before anyone is willing to give you some answers, but you may try your luck now.

 

[RoadRunner17]

I was in your shoes two years ago. I graduated with a GPA less than 3.3 and greater than 3.2, and took the MCAT after graduation and got a 35. But my science GPA was fairly dismal - less than 3.1 and greater than 3.0, with some nasty grades in Organic Chemistry. To be fair, I had done much better in my last two years of college - if I averaged my GPA over those 2 years, it would be about 3.5. I was debating whether to go to Georgetown's SMP program or Penn's Special Sciences program.. both of which I had already been accepted to over the summer.

Lots of things I had to think about, one of which is cost. Both programs are one-year programs but Georgetown charges upwards of $40,000/year, while Penn costs half that much for a full courseload throughout the fall, spring and summer semesters. That means you can get around 30 credit hours in for $20,000/year. My undergraduate GPA wasn't great, to be clear, but it wasn't sub-3.0. But I crunched the numbers and saw that if I had 30 credit hours of A's, I would bump both my overall and science GPAs above 3.3, closer to 3.4. I felt that this along with a 35 MCAT, a kickass PS, and getting LORs from good people would have put me in a good position to be accepted SOMEWHERE.

On the other hand, with the Georgetown SMP, I would be applying DURING the SMP (they don't require it but they strongly recommend it) and schools usually wait until after your grades are in to make a decision on whether to interview you. So it sounds like it probably would be best to wait after you're done with the program to apply. I looked up MDapps of Georgetown SMPers and I saw that some struggled to get into medical school, though they made it in eventually. A couple got in off waitlists. Others made it into a single medical school. What I saw didn't make me feel too good about going in with the $40,000/year investment, not counting the astronomical cost of living in the Georgetown/DC/NoVa area. Not only is it very difficult to pull off the A's in the SMP courses, you couldn't even bank on it to help you that much, especially if you were applying the same year.

So the choice came down to that. I wasn't so sure about Penn's program either, but I felt that the SMP was more of a total last-ditch effort. My situation wasn't that bad, I felt so I went with boosting my undergraduate GPA, giving myself a full year of A's (I fell a little short, with an A- in a Chemistry lab session, oh well), including taking a research class in the ER at Penn (which essentially was collecting data in the ER but there was a crapload of patient interaction involved), getting a research job during my glide year, doing some non-clinical volunteer work throughout - so over the course of the past year and half, I was able to do all sorts of things to improve my application.

With Georgetown's SMP, I would have been forced to completely buckle down and try to beat an entire medical school class AND my SMP classmates for A's, and that was certainly not guaranteeed. I wouldn't have had time to do anything else to improve my application, especially if I were applying the same year as the SMP. The SMP, I decided, was something I would think about doing if my plan with the post-bac program did not work out... because at THAT point, it would truly be last-ditch.

In my cost-benefit analysis, I wanted to strengthen not only my academic record but also the rest of my application. The post-bac program allowed me the flexibility to do this, at a cost lower than the SMP (living costs in Philadelphia aren't much better than in DC, but you get my point) and more time to explore different opportunities that I would otherwise not have been able to do had I gone to med school right away or done the SMP. In this way, I got the most bang for the buck, as I was able to substantially improve all aspects of my application, not just the academic.

Now, with my boosted GPA (and one full year of nearly perfect grades in science courses), relatively high MCAT, strengthened EC's, and a new research job, I applied broadly to 35 schools, received 9 interviews, went on 5, accepted at 3, waiting to hear from 1 more.

If I had to make this choice all over again, I would make the same choices I did. Despite the advising being more or less non-existent, they gave me the opportunities that I needed, I grabbed it by the horns, ran with it and haven't looked back ever since. This is n = 1, but I think one thing is clear: this is the attitude you need to take towards whatever option you go with.

 

[nick_carraway]

As a reapplicant who went through the same thing you're going through now (3.3 GPA, 32 MCAT, 50 schools, 1 interview, 50 rejections), I ended up doing undergrad post-bacc work to bring the GPA to a 3.4+, volunteered for Circle K, worked at a private practice during the app cycle, and will go to Georgetown SMP next year. To address what roadrunner wrote, I delayed the SMP for precisely his reasoning. If schools tend to wait on new grades from Georgetown, I wanted to apply with an already improved academic record and hopefully get interviews lined up (and hopefully an acceptance) before the first term ended at Georgetown.

I suggest that you call even more of the schools that rejected you for advice. Listen carefully to what advisors tell you because they won't flat out tell you that you suck, but they might hint that others were a bit better. Ask specifically about portions of your app (e.g. how was the essay, how was the clinical experience, how was the research, etc.) to help focus the conversation. Remember to ask about the portions that you felt were fine, too.

Certainly an earlier/broader application will help but you really need to do something else as well. Perhaps more clinical? Some research? Maybe extra coursework after all? Or like me, perhaps a combination of activities.

 

[Food]

thank you Roadrunner. That is actually very helpful. I needed to hear exactly how difficult it would be to make As in Georgetown's SMP. And it does seem like an insane risk. So what exactly was the post-bacc that you did?

 

[Excelsius]

I was in your shoes two years ago. I graduated with a GPA less than 3.3 and greater than 3.2, and took the MCAT after graduation and got a 35. But my science GPA was fairly dismal - less than 3.1 and greater than 3.0, with some nasty grades in Organic Chemistry. To be fair, I had done much better in my last two years of college - if I averaged my GPA over those 2 years, it would be about 3.5. I was debating whether to go to Georgetown's SMP program or Penn's Special Sciences program.. both of which I had already been accepted to over the summer.

Lots of things I had to think about, one of which is cost. Both programs are one-year programs but Georgetown charges upwards of $40,000/year, while Penn costs half that much for a full courseload throughout the fall, spring and summer semesters. That means you can get around 30 credit hours in for $20,000/year. My undergraduate GPA wasn't great, to be clear, but it wasn't sub-3.0. But I crunched the numbers and saw that if I had 30 credit hours of A's, I would bump both my overall and science GPAs above 3.3, closer to 3.4. I felt that this along with a 35 MCAT, a kickass PS, and getting LORs from good people would have put me in a good position to be accepted SOMEWHERE.

On the other hand, with the Georgetown SMP, I would be applying DURING the SMP (they don't require it but they strongly recommend it) and schools usually wait until after your grades are in to make a decision on whether to interview you. So it sounds like it probably would be best to wait after you're done with the program to apply. I looked up MDapps of Georgetown SMPers and I saw that some struggled to get into medical school, though they made it in eventually. A couple got in off waitlists. Others made it into a single medical school. What I saw didn't make me feel too good about going in with the $40,000/year investment, not counting the astronomical cost of living in the Georgetown/DC/NoVa area. Not only is it very difficult to pull off the A's in the SMP courses, you couldn't even bank on it to help you that much, especially if you were applying the same year.

So the choice came down to that. I wasn't so sure about Penn's program either, but I felt that the SMP was more of a total last-ditch effort. My situation wasn't that bad, I felt so I went with boosting my undergraduate GPA, giving myself a full year of A's (I fell a little short, with an A- in a Chemistry lab session, oh well), including taking a research class in the ER at Penn (which essentially was collecting data in the ER but there was a crapload of patient interaction involved), getting a research job during my glide year, doing some non-clinical volunteer work throughout - so over the course of the past year and half, I was able to do all sorts of things to improve my application.

With Georgetown's SMP, I would have been forced to completely buckle down and try to beat an entire medical school class AND my SMP classmates for A's, and that was certainly not guaranteeed. I wouldn't have had time to do anything else to improve my application, especially if I were applying the same year as the SMP. The SMP, I decided, was something I would think about doing if my plan with the post-bac program did not work out... because at THAT point, it would truly be last-ditch.

In my cost-benefit analysis, I wanted to strengthen not only my academic record but also the rest of my application. The post-bac program allowed me the flexibility to do this, at a cost lower than the SMP (living costs in Philadelphia aren't much better than in DC, but you get my point) and more time to explore different opportunities that I would otherwise not have been able to do had I gone to med school right away or done the SMP. In this way, I got the most bang for the buck, as I was able to substantially improve all aspects of my application, not just the academic.

Now, with my boosted GPA (and one full year of nearly perfect grades in science courses), relatively high MCAT, strengthened EC's, and a new research job, I applied broadly to 35 schools, received 9 interviews, went on 5, accepted at 3, waiting to hear from 1 more.

If I had to make this choice all over again, I would make the same choices I did. Despite the advising being more or less non-existent, they gave me the opportunities that I needed, I grabbed it by the horns, ran with it and haven't looked back ever since. This is n = 1, but I think one thing is clear: this is the attitude you need to take towards whatever option you go with.

I'd be interested to know: did your GPA really rise significantly (how much approx?) or do you think your success was more due to your upward trend?

From what I know, adcoms care to see more of an upward trend rather than a singificant change in GPA. So theoretically you should be able to get in even with a bad GPA and without postbacc/SMP IFF your last 1-2 years of undergrad were nearly perfect.

 

[DrJD]

Hey Food,

I am currently in the Georgetown SMP... I have been blogging about my experience in the program. (The link is in my signature...)

As far as advice for you, its hard to say because either way is gamble. I have a lower GPA than you, but the same MCAT and I have had success applying this cycle. I have one acceptance and 3 waitlists... Which is way better than I had done in previous cycles.

However, what was it that did it? The last time I applied I had a 29 MCAT, so was it my new MCAT score or my performance in the SMP?

My first interview was in October, and my first acceptance in November. At this point this school had yet to receive any updates from the program I am in.

The other 3 interviews came later and so they very well could have been because I had a letter of rec from the program with my grades from first semester sent out in December. I worked really hard first semester and got all A's so this very well could have helped my application with those other 3 schools.

I have no regrets about doing the program. It has been rewarding, interesting and I am now admitted to medical school. I think that with your GPA if you applied super early and REALLY broadly you could probably get accepted without the SMP. However, get into the SMP kick butt and I guarantee you will get accepted. Is that guarantee worth the tuition? Thats up to you!

I think you were also asking how hard the program is... Check out my blog, there are some posts on grading and the tests, etc and if you have any questions feel free to post them on the blog, or this thread or PM. Good luck with your decision!

 

[RoadRunner17]

thank you Roadrunner. That is actually very helpful. I needed to hear exactly how difficult it would be to make As in Georgetown's SMP. And it does seem like an insane risk. So what exactly was the post-bacc that you did?

Google Penn Special Sciences post-bac or some variation of it. It's basically a post-bac where you become a Penn student and have the options to take whatever classes you want at Penn. Mainly I took the night classes that they offer at Penn since each credit costs half as much, but you also have the option to take the day classes with undergrads at the normal cost. This particular program is for people who already have a science background (I was a biomedical engineering major so I had already taken most pre-reqs due to my major requirements, though of course I didn't do them with medicine in mind) and need to take the classes to boost their academic record.

The one thing I really liked about the post-bac is the Clinical Research in EM class that has you work two shifts, a total of 10 hours a week, in the emergency dept at HUP (Hosp. of Univ. of Penn.) doing clinical research. Like I said, it's mainly enrolling patients in studies and collecting data, but you get a lot of interaction with patients and residents. It's basically an insider's pass into the world of emergency departments, so I thought it was a great experience. Like the rest of the program, you get out what you put into it.

I'd be interested to know: did your GPA really rise significantly (how much approx?) or do you think your success was more due to your upward trend?

From what I know, adcoms care to see more of an upward trend rather than a singificant change in GPA. So theoretically you should be able to get in even with a bad GPA and without postbacc/SMP IFF your last 1-2 years of undergrad were nearly perfect.

My overall GPA jumped up by exactly 0.1 points, and my science GPA jumped up by more than 0.2 points. I think the science GPA improvement was most important, as it was brutally low to begin with.

My junior year in undergrad was a 3.4, my senior year a 3.6. Don't ask what my freshman and sophomore year grades were. My post-bac year, just a few ticks short of a 4.0. So there was a slight upward trend, but it wasn't significantly amazing. But I think taking 30 credits of science classes in one year and almost 4.0'ing the whole thing definitely helped in my favor.

I would say that it is a combination of a lot of factors. Point being, the post-bac program helped me work on all these factors. I think that's what was responsible for my success, not just the decent bump in GPA. And that's why I went with the post-bac rather than doing the SMP right away.

 

[streudels]

I'm also very interested in this question. These post-bacc programs --- do they specifically have to be official post-baccs like the UPenn program, or can we pursue a one-yr post-bacc in our home institution? Is one favored over the other?

 

[DrJD]

I just want to say that while I agree with everything RoadRunner is saying that an SMP is also an excellent option. You do well here you and you will get noticed.

NOTE: This isn't me saying you should do one or the other, more just saying that SMP's while a "last chance" that doesn't mean that it has a poor chance or working. It just means that you can't screw it up, but you can't screw up a post bac either.

I am really glad that I did the SMP route instead of the post bac at Penn.

 

[Depakote]

A SMP can be very effective for some applicants... but these programs (and post-bacs) work best for people who have had academic problems in the past. They give them a chance to prove that they can handle a med school course load. If someone has a 3.4 and a 38MCAT, their stats aren't what's keeping them out of school. I'd say SMP has more chance to hurt them than it does to help them.

 

[DrJD]

A SMP can be very effective for some applicants... but these programs (and post-bacs) work best for people who have had academic problems in the past. They give them a chance to prove that they can handle a med school course load. If someone has a 3.4 and a 38MCAT, their stats aren't what's keeping them out of school. I'd say SMP has more chance to hurt them than it does to help them.

Thats what I would think also but check out this case...

One of my friends in the program has a 3.7 and a 30 MCAT, years of medical experience and volunteer work, blah blah blah. Applied last year and got one interview, was wait listed and never got accepted. Now so far this year she's gotten over 10 interviews, a ton of acceptances to the ones she's chosen to go to, and one of the acceptances is to a top 30 medical school.

So every time I think that these programs can't help those with already good stats someone like her shows up and it obviously helped her quite a bit.

 

[Excelsius]

Thats what I would think also but check out this case...

One of my friends in the program has a 3.7 and a 30 MCAT, years of medical experience and volunteer work, blah blah blah. Applied last year and got one interview, was wait listed and never got accepted. Now so far this year she's gotten over 10 interviews, a ton of acceptances to the ones she's chosen to go to, and one of the acceptances is to a top 30 medical school.

So every time I think that these programs can't help those with already good stats someone like her shows up and it obviously helped her quite a bit.

Yes, but can you be really sure that is was the SMP that got her the interviews? There are just too many variables, including a late application and/or a bad LOR. One of the mods here, Vihsadas, didn't get a single acceptance last year either (he had applied late too). This year he has over 10, I think, and some of the schools are pretty highly ranked/Ivy. That's without an SMP while being an ORM and having a low GPA. I don't know if he has made a post about his success reasons, but selling yourself better can make a huge difference. Every year there are applicants with 3.8> and 39> who do not get accepted anywhere. This doesn't mean that they need an SMP to get in. They either have something that is holding them back or they applied too late or to too few school (and the wrong schools).

 

[DrJD]

Yes, but can you be really sure that is was the SMP that got her the interviews? There are just too many variables, including a late application and/or a bad LOR. One of the mods here, Vihsadas, didn't get a single acceptance last year either (he had applied late too). This year he has over 10, I think, and some of the schools are pretty highly ranked/Ivy. That's without an SMP while being an ORM and having a low GPA. I don't know if he has made a post about his success reasons, but selling yourself better can make a huge difference. Every year there are applicants with 3.8> and 39> who do not get accepted anywhere. This doesn't mean that they need an SMP to get in. They either have something that is holding them back or they applied too late or to too few school (and the wrong schools).

I'm fairly sure I presented her case in a way as to acknowledge that there are other variables. In her case, that is the only change. I'm not suggesting people do an SMP who don't need it, in fact I told her she was crazy for spending her money here. Obviously she's okay with it...

Vihsadas took tons of post-bac courses and has an incredibly high MCAT score to compensate for the GPA so he isn't the best example.

Let me put it this way for those of you wondering: Doing well in a Post bac or an SMP will go a long way to helping you get into medical school. For a post-bac you are looking at a lag year while you apply. If you go to the right SMP, such as G-town and a few others, they make a point to update schools and send out your grades as they come out so you can often avoid the lag year, like I will be able to do.

I know many other examples like the above friend here in the program, it is amazing to see so many people who previously got NO interviews already have acceptances.

 

[waiting08]

I was in the 3.4/32+ mcat club post-UG with no invites, and I'm heading off to my 9th interview this year after an SMP - I think I improved in multiple areas, but I definitely think the SMP helped a lot.

 

[drizzt3117]

A 3.4/38 candidate shouldn't be anywhere near a SMP. I wrote my initial response without looking at the OP's MCAT so it should have been more strongly worded than it was.

I started out ~3.3 before doing my formal postbac and two years of postbac and a slightly higher MCAT than the OP got me multiple top ten acceptances. My case is very different than the OP though, but the point is ~3.5/~38+ should get you at least some top tier attention and mid tier acceptances if there's nothing substantively weak about your application.

 

[Excelsius]

A 3.4/38 candidate shouldn't be anywhere near a SMP. I wrote my initial response without looking at the OP's MCAT so it should have been more strongly worded than it was.

I started out ~3.3 before doing my formal postbac and two years of postbac and a slightly higher MCAT than the OP got me multiple top ten acceptances. My case is very different than the OP though, but the point is ~3.5/~38+ should get you at least some top tier attention and mid tier acceptances if there's nothing substantively weak about your application.

I think I know what OP's problem is. I just came across a post where I found out he basically indeed withdrew from all those additional schools in his mdapp profile (pre-secondary, including some state schools) for monetary or time-saving reasons. So not applying early, applying only to 16 schools (some of which are top schools), AND having a low GPA just did it. I mean there are people with above average stats who can't get in if they do all this together. OP, you tried to save money on your secondaries. Well, think about the huge cost and the wasted time and the possible risk associated with doing an SMP. The decision is yours, but it is clear that first you need to organize your application cycle and apply before you decide that it is your stats that need an improvement via SMP. It is highly likely that you can get in next cycle if you apply broadly and to the right schools. Don't waste time and money on an SMP. Also, don't let your MCAT expire. It is a great score and there is no guarantee that you will be able to match it next time.

 

[Food]

I think I know what OP's problem is. I just came across a post where I found out he basically indeed withdrew from all those additional schools in his mdapp profile (pre-secondary, including some state schools) for monetary or time-saving reasons. So not applying early, applying only to 16 schools (some of which are top schools), AND having a low GPA just did it. I mean there are people with above average stats who can't get in if they do all this together. OP, you tried to save money on your secondaries. Well, think about the huge cost and the wasted time and the possible risk associated with doing an SMP. The decision is yours, but it is clear that first you need to organize your application cycle and apply before you decide that it is your stats that need an improvement via SMP. It is highly likely that you can get in next cycle if you apply broadly and to the right schools. Don't waste time and money on an SMP. Also, don't let your MCAT expire. It is a great score and there is no guarantee that you will be able to match it next time.

I agree. I have spent countless posts admitting I did a horrible job of applying, and it hurts everytime 🙁. Overconfidence after the MCAT results killed me here. Fortunately, I think I have learned my lesson.

I was more or less hoping to interview at at least my state schools, and simply applied to the others to see if I could score 1 or 2 out of state interviews. I am not surprised at rejections from the OOS Private schools, especially considering how late I applied. The fact that the state schools haven't interviewed me, is what really worried me.

Next cycle, I will be applying more broadly, if it comes to that.

I also have another question, slightly unrelated to the topic of this thread.

I am on post-interview hold at UF. UF Interviews around 360 people, and they accept roughly 210, to fill a class of 120 or so. Their admissions are semi non-rolling. Meaning they have accepted only about 100 - 110 people so far. They will make the rest of the decisions after all interviews are over, which should be sometime at the end of March. They will be sending out decisions in early April, I am guessing. I have already sent them a letter of intent, after a lot of reviewing / help from my pre-health adviser. Is there anything else I can do to get myself an acceptance from the only school that interviewed me?

I did my best in the intent letter to come across professionally, but at the same time, advertise my MCAT score, since UF is very proud of it's USMLE first time pass rates, etc. They are one of the few schools to have a testing site on location too, so I figure if I could hit it with that angle, it may make a difference. Is there anything else I can do before they make their decisions?

 

[halekulani]

A 3.4/38 candidate shouldn't be anywhere near a SMP.

qft with the assumption that you have the basic ECs down (volunteer + clinical exp, and/or research).

 

[halekulani]

Is there anything else I can do to get myself an acceptance from the only school that interviewed me?

keep writing to them about how you love the school and want to go there. i think persistence will be rewarded.