live in one city, attend SMP in another?

[anonimoose]

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Background: returning from Afghanistan soon, applying to SMPs, hoping to matriculate Fall 2013

Dilemma: wife has a great job lined up in New York, NY

Query: is it possible to do an SMP "remotely", (e.g., we live in NYC and I'm enrolled in the Georgetown SMP, but I listen to lectures online and travel to DC only for tests)? If so, which SMPs?

Discussion: It depends on the program, I suppose? I have a number of classmates and colleagues who've done the Georgetown SMP who say it's possible -- since the program is fairly hands-off and presented in a traditional format (one-way traffic lectures only), they rarely attended live classes and simply studied (like crazy) from home. Other programs, of course, are much more immersive and interactive.

I Know, I Know #1: Yes, I realize the coursework in an SMP -- any SMP -- is extremely rigorous and should not be taken lightly. I'm well aware of the risks involved in this situation.

I Know, I Know #2: Yes, I've read through the stickies and I'm familiar with Columbia University's MS in Nutrition, New York Medical College's SMP, and numerous other post-Bacc programs in NYC.

I Know, I Know #3: Yes, I suppose I could be in DC during the work-week and up in NYC on the weekends, but after spending 255 of our first 297 days of marriage deployed in Afghanistan, I'd rather not.

 

[WorldChanger36]

Background: returning from Afghanistan soon, applying to SMPs, hoping to matriculate Fall 2013

Dilemma: wife has a great job lined up in New York, NY

Query: is it possible to do an SMP "remotely", (e.g., we live in NYC and I'm enrolled in the Georgetown SMP, but I listen to lectures online and travel to DC only for tests)? If so, which SMPs?

Discussion: It depends on the program, I suppose? I have a number of classmates and colleagues who've done the Georgetown SMP who say it's possible -- since the program is fairly hands-off and presented in a traditional format (one-way traffic lectures only), they rarely attended live classes and simply studied (like crazy) from home. Other programs, of course, are much more immersive and interactive.

I Know, I Know #1: Yes, I realize the coursework in an SMP -- any SMP -- is extremely rigorous and should not be taken lightly. I'm well aware of the risks involved in this situation.

I Know, I Know #2: Yes, I've read through the stickies and I'm familiar with Columbia University's MS in Nutrition, New York Medical College's SMP, and numerous other post-Bacc programs in NYC.

I Know, I Know #3: Yes, I suppose I could be in DC during the work-week and up in NYC on the weekends, but after spending 255 of our first 297 days of marriage deployed in Afghanistan, I'd rather not.

Sure this can be done but the harsh reality is your performance is going to suffer. I can understand your desire to be in the strong program at Georgetown but I doubt it will do you any good if you are just going to make Bs. You would have to do another smp anyways at that rate. Stay with your wife and look into other programs in your area this is the smart thing to do but if you want to risk it, I recommend being in the DC at least a week before the test so you can meet up with study groups, talk to professors and get the benefits of the program.

Not knowing anything about your stats why do you feel you need an SMP? With the whole military thing this is already two thumbs up from medical schools and if you got into GTUs smp then your grades can't be that bad and your MCAT has to at least be in the 30s.

 

[IrishCogs]

I am a current student at Georgetown SMP and although I suppose this is possible I wouldn't recommend it. There are a few mandatory small group sessions and lecture capture isn't guaranteed to work (it usually does). I think that this would add stress to an already unbearably stressful situation. Also, not being able to know your fellow classmates is another potential downfall as well as not getting the full Georgetown experience which you can use to your advantage if offered an interview at GUSOM.

 

[deleted248403]

Seems like a poor idea for all the reasons already pointed out.

Also, its going to be hard to get to know staff for LOR for med/dent school if you are only there once a week/2 weeks

 

[RubicStorm]

I'm willing to throw a silver lining out there.

Can't comment on Georgetown, but I'm currently in the Tufts MBS SMP in Boston, which you can consider. I believe it's pretty comparable to Georgetown and others. I personally know two people in my class who did not attend 90+% of the Med I foundation classes (6 medical school classes where we had the same test) and earned a 4.0 in them. All the lectures and the professor run exam reviews are online "usually" either later that day or one day after the medical class had theirs. It's entirely possible to never attend and a sizable portion of our class do this, though there are very, very infrequent "mandatory" sessions. The administrators naturally do NOT recommend or like this at all, but each person must do what they need to do.

*NOTE* I'm not sure about next semester though. Whether there's any courses where you HAVE to be here.

You're ex-military so I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt regarding your studying abilities, discipline, time management skills, resourcefulness etc. 😉 I know this is internet, but I'm in no ways being sarcastic. I'm in awe of what some of my friends can do after serving and I think there's a few extraordinary stories from members on this board.

I can comment on some negatives associated with not "being here:" (These are my opinions ONLY and I'm not even done with the first semester)

1) No personal contact/Professors don't know you - Not a big deal imho. There's 80+ people here, more in other programs so you won't get too much personal attention. Advisers can help but your grades do all the talking. If you need a letter then you may need to send some e-mails during the course, the preferred method of communications. Kill the exams and I see no reason why the professors won't help you out. They know why you're here, which is the great part.

You WILL lose out on certain personal touches like post-lecture Q-A sessions that some classes/professors offer, especially the pre-exam histology conferences by a very brilliant man, but that's the price you pay. The student/TA/former MBS run reviews are less of an issue because many send out the slides they used.

2) Being forced to Self-Study - You're 100% on your own academically. But that's more or less how it's supposed to be. Yes, SMP or at least this one is extremely hands off. Don't get me wrong, the professors and support staff are extremely open and helpful but they don't learn the material for you so if you're willing to forgo a lot of the "extra" stuff or certain intangibles, then yes, you can study long distance. Many of us study at home, not at the Tufts library, so you won't be doing something all that different.

3) Unexpected setbacks - Things do happen. The weekend before the third exam, the entire tufts network crashed so no one had direct access to the course materials and there have been issues with recordings, which could hurt someone like you a ton. Again, at least for med foundations, it's not major if you are prepared beforehand (i.e. by not falling behind in the first place).

Btw, I personally try to attend every lecture I can despite a 1hr+ one way commute. Again, I don't think it's essential for doing well, but I feel it's worth it for me at this point. Other people will feel differently.

 

[DCBFan]

background: former SMPer who lived 2.5 hrs from his med school for the first block.

I really, really would caution against it. I thought that I'd "just go there for tests" as well, but in the end I discovered that the odd small group or required-attendance lecture really added up and I was commuting back and forth consistently a couple times a week. My commute wasn't nearly as bad as yours and as a mitigating factor I knew people I could crash with near campus. There was also a really convenient greyhound bus so I could study during the trip. Is there a train or something between new york and dc?

That said, it's true that nowadays lots of folks study from home and only drop by the med school occasionally. I would ask individuals currently at Georgetown for a realistic assessment of how many required activities there generally are in a given week. You also may need to figure out a way to stay overnight if need be. All this is of course assuming that you can stay highly motivated and are a pretty smart kid, because I think studying with your peers really helps you learn the material.