Low undergrad gpa, 1 year left, time off?

[sheslostcontrol]

Hello All!

I've been following SDN for a while but never worked up the guts to post until now. Hopefully someone will impart some sound advice!

Stats:
2.9 sGPA
3.2 cGPA
1 year left in undergrad (Top 20 school)
URM, 1st generation a) American, b) high school graduate and c) soon-to-be college graduate
Haven't taken the MCAT but have been scoring approx. 31s on practice tests (+/- 2-3 points)

I am definitely going to take at least a year off but I'm not sure if it's best spent doing an SMP or structured research or just being a regular Joe and working as a lab tech.

Thanks guys!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[drziggy]

Hello All!

I've been following SDN for a while but never worked up the guts to post until now. Hopefully someone will impart some sound advice!

Stats:
2.9 sGPA
3.2 cGPA
1 year left in undergrad (Top 20 school)
URM, 1st generation a) American, b) high school graduate and c) soon-to-be college graduate
Haven't taken the MCAT but have been scoring approx. 31s on practice tests (+/- 2-3 points)

I am definitely going to take at least a year off but I'm not sure if it's best spent doing an SMP or structured research or just being a regular Joe and working as a lab tech.

Thanks guys!

Tough to say too much without MCAT, but a URM specific SMP might be a good option in your case (eg Georgetown GEMS) for the year off. You seem like a really solid applicant, just need to get the grades up, but you can start that with a bang by working hard and finishing off last year of undergrad with mostly As. Ace that MCAT!

Good luck.

 

[sheslostcontrol]

Thanks so much for your input. I was hoping that a strong upward trend would save me (and my college sized bank account) from doing a SMP but it seems as if this is least risky way to get closer to an MD acceptance.

On a related topic, Georgetown GEMS is not degree granting whereas the other Georgetown SMP program grants a Masters of Physiology or something to that effect. Would it be better to have the Masters or the specificity of the program (for URMs, etc)?

 

[drziggy]

Thanks so much for your input. I was hoping that a strong upward trend would save me (and my college sized bank account) from doing a SMP but it seems as if this is least risky way to get closer to an MD acceptance.

On a related topic, Georgetown GEMS is not degree granting whereas the other Georgetown SMP program grants a Masters of Physiology or something to that effect. Would it be better to have the Masters or the specificity of the program (for URMs, etc)?

I'm going to assume you'll get a 31 MCAT and finish with a 3.2 (although we can't say anything for certain). Recent admissions statistics say you'll have about a 74% chance at an allo acceptance based on URM status (see https://www.aamc.org/download/157590/data/table25-hbn-mcatgpa-grid-0810.pdf ). That's a pretty good chance, and with solid LORs and considering you're top 20 undergrad school it might be even higher. Still, there's a 30% chance you won't get in with your grades.

I only suggested GEMS vs SMP because they historically have a much higher acceptance percentage to Georgetown. Seems like about 30 out of 180 SMPers get accepted to Georgetown annually while about 2/3s of GEMS students if not more get into Georgetown during the program. The SMP degree is more or less worthless outside of medical school admissions, so I don't see much value in it if you're getting an MD, anyway. From what I hear, it won't help with residency applications.

With a 31 MCAT (which again, is no sure thing; the real MCAT is the hardest MCAT you'll take compared to practice exams) I think you'd fare pretty well if you apply early and broadly to MDs. If you pull a 30+ and maintain mostly A's this year, I agree, you can probably get in without a master's. Work hard this year and take it from there.

Also, what are your ECs like? Pump up those volunteer/clinical hours if you can!

 

[sheslostcontrol]

I was hoping to work as a lab tech or something to that effect after the SMP or program similar to GEMS and maybe the additional Masters of 'something' would make me an attractive hire. Either way, completely understood.

My ECs aren't anything to write home about. I spend my free time during the school year doing work-study, and in the summer I pursue activities that pay. Last summer I was a research assistant at Dana-Farber in Boston and this year I'm a research assistant at Yale SOM. First summer I did SMDEP. I've shadowed doctors for a day or two but nothing significant and I have very little volunteer hours except for mentoring students.