Need help ASAP - Please!!!

BU Medical Sciences
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3.97 already at a post-bacc? No need for an SMP, especially during an application cycle. Do the research gig and prepare well for your interviews. Do not waste more money
 
Soldier, do you copy? plz reassure us you will not take the bait and waste money!!
 
Yea, absolutely no need to waste that much money on something so useless to you.
 
Not only is an SMP a waste of money for you it's a huge risk(don't beat the med school class average and you've hurt your app more than helped it at many programs except for maybe the most reputable ones like G'town)

What you need is a good list. 3.5/31 can be competitive with a long smart list
 
Yojimbo_OGT said:
Hey all, thanks for the replies. Ive been madly preparing for enrollment at UCincy....

HERE ME OUT!!!

That 3.97 GPA was for my undergrad school, NOT for any post-bacc work at WashU. Sorry for the confusion.
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I'm confused. You applied to an SMP with a 3.9 gpa?
 
You have 2 GPAs listed: one is 3.50, the other is 3.97. Where is each from?
 
OP, please listen to what others are saying. 3 years of 3.97 and a cumulative 3.5 nullifies the need for an SMP. Since money doesn't seem to be a concern for you, consider that AdCom members will most likely think you are quite the fool if you push forward with this.
 
Yojimbo_OGT said:
Here's my rationale: at WashU, I earn at best a certificate at the end of my studies. Courses will be beneficial, but nothing more than expanding an undergraduate education.
At UCincy, I earn a Master's. Twice as expensive (and this makes me sweat when I think of it), but courses will be huge preparation for my future in either med school or research if med school doesn't work out.

Med school isn't a guarantee. I have to prepare for plan B concurrently with pushing for med school.
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SMPs are worthless for anything besides getting into med school. The school is trying to sell you on a product, so they will dress it up as a marketable degree. If you are going to insist on another degree, a traditional hard-science masters would be much more beneficial for a career in research.
 
Yojimbo_OGT said:
Med school isn't a guarantee. I have to prepare for plan B concurrently with pushing for med school.
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Med school is never a guarantee, for anyone. 4.0/40+ kids w/ limited ECs and bad at interviews can easily find themselves left out in the cold.

I think you should pursue/take that research assistant job if this cycle doesn't work out for you. SMP is a waste of money for you atm, and carries the risk of lowering your acceptance chances.
 
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Yojimbo_OGT said:
Here's my rationale: at WashU, I earn at best a certificate at the end of my studies. Courses will be beneficial, but nothing more than expanding an undergraduate education.
At UCincy, I earn a Master's. Twice as expensive (and this makes me sweat when I think of it), but courses will be huge preparation for my future in either med school or research if med school doesn't work out.

Med school isn't a guarantee. I have to prepare for plan B concurrently with pushing for med school.
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SMPs are not marketable degrees. You are being duped by advertisement
 
+1 against doing the smp. Risk is too high. What if you don't do well in it?
 
Yojimbo_OGT said:
Does anyone have any reason why they think SMP's aren't marketable? I figured if med school didn't work out, then an SMP would be a good stepping stone.
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Marketability is derived from the acquisition of skills. SMPs do not confer any tangible skills. They are programs meant to drill rote science into you for the sake of raising GPAs
 
avgn said:
Marketability is derived from the acquisition of skills. SMPs do not confer any tangible skills. They are programs meant to drill rote science into you for the sake of raising GPAs
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Well they don't raise your uGPA, but they are "auditions for med school," as Goro puts it.
 
Yojimbo_OGT said:
That's the exact phrase that baited me to apply. I know that I'll be a competent med student, but my stats are too average to prove it themselves.
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Some SMPs have a research year to give you something to do during your gap year; I wouldn't read into it more than that. It really doesn't matter what you think, no offense, it matter what AdComs think. I don't think the SMP will have a positive effect on your application. Your three years of near-4.0 work will make your 3.5 much more competitive than it would appear on-it's-face.
 
spend the year doing research or something clinical.
 
Yojimbo_OGT said:
That's what I was getting at. My stats don't prove it by themselves, so by an "audition" to med school, I could prove that I can run with the best. Otherwise I'm mediocre, at best, on paper.
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The truth is you are always going to be a mediocre applicant in comparison to those who didn't mess up four years of undergrad. Academic redemption doesn't erase your past. You have done an admirable job of redeeming yourself. Any further patch-work would be redundant, with diminished returns. Apply. Go to med school. Please.
 
Yojimbo_OGT said:
And thanks @ZedsDed for the encouraging words. You deserve a medal.
Or some chocolate.
Or a medal made of chocolate.

(But really, thanks to you all for the advice)
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You're very welcome! And I would love a medal made of chocolate!
 
ZedsDed said:
The truth is you are always going to be a mediocre applicant in comparison to those who didn't mess up four years of undergrad. Academic redemption doesn't erase your past. You have done an admirable job of redeeming yourself. Any further patch-work would be redundant, with diminished returns. Apply. Go to med school. Please.
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Agreed. Pulling to 3.96 after a history of Cs is enough to rock people's socks. It's mediocre compared to traditional people, but you are not one of them.

Glad we got through to you and saved you $60k. Now for our finders' fee, we would appreciate a 3% kickback on the tuition we just saved you...
 
Yojimbo_OGT said:
I'm a fairly cocky and confident person. As long as I keep an interest, then I shouldn't fall on my face.

Does anyone have any reason why they think SMP's aren't marketable? I figured if med school didn't work out, then an SMP would be a good stepping stone.
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This post alone should have given the message of the OP's troll nature. Surprised no one saw that yet.
 
How would an accelerated Master's of Accounting be interpreted? I'd be doing that 2016-2017 along with maintaining clinical experience in case this cycle falls through.
 
GrapesofRath said:
This post alone should have given the message of the OP's troll nature. Surprised no one saw that yet.
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Why is that indicative of a troll? I must be missing something.
 
Strigon said:
How would an accelerated Master's of Accounting be interpreted? I'd be doing that 2016-2017 along with maintaining clinical experience in case this cycle falls through.
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"Applicant aggressively pursued Plan B while applying. His Plan B is to become an accountant. Hmmm..."
 
DokterMom said:
"Applicant aggressively pursued Plan B while applying. His Plan B is to become an accountant. Hmmm..."
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That's a good point. I ask because stats-wise, a science post-bac/SMP will not be conducive to improving my application greatly the second time through. So it'd be better to pursue further clinical and volunteer experience exclusively for this circumstance? Thank you!
 
Nothing at all wrong with aggressively pursuing Plan B. Is becoming an accountant what your Plan B is?

The only other consideration would be how strong your credentials are and how many attempts you are willing to make. In other words, which baskets do you want to put your eggs in?
  • If your credentials are really strong and you're highly likely to get in regardless, do what you think will be best for your LIFE. If you think a master's in accounting will be fun and help you run a practice some day, then sure - go for it.
  • If your credentials are relatively weak, but your persistence is really strong (you'll apply as many times as it takes!) then do what you think most enhances your chances of admission -- SMP, Research, Teach for America. I don't see a masters in accounting helping your chances.
  • If your credentials are average to weak and you're willing to apply once or twice but not wanting to put your life on hold forever, then moving forward with Plan B full steam ahead seems like a solid plan. Just have a solid and reasonable explanation for your interviewers.
 
DokterMom said:
Nothing at all wrong with aggressively pursuing Plan B. Is becoming an accountant what your Plan B is?

The only other consideration would be how strong your credentials are and how many attempts you are willing to make. In other words, which baskets do you want to put your eggs in?
  • If your credentials are really strong and you're highly likely to get in regardless, do what you think will be best for your LIFE. If you think a master's in accounting will be fun and help you run a practice some day, then sure - go for it.
  • If your credentials are relatively weak, but your persistence is really strong (you'll apply as many times as it takes!) then do what you think most enhances your chances of admission -- SMP, Research, Teach for America. I don't see a masters in accounting helping your chances.
  • If your credentials are average to weak and you're willing to apply once or twice but not wanting to put your life on hold forever, then moving forward with Plan B full steam ahead seems like a solid plan. Just have a solid and reasonable explanation for your interviewers.
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I appreciate the advice! Accounting is a plan B, but I am currently pursuing majors in accounting and biology with the intent of bringing an understanding of business to medicine as a physician. I'll PM you my current circumstances.
 
Strigon said:
I appreciate the advice! Accounting is a plan B, but I am currently pursuing majors in accounting and biology with the intent of bringing an understanding of business to medicine as a physician. I'll PM you my current circumstances.
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In that case MBA is what you want.

I'm doing the same thing, in case you were wondering.
 
md-2020 said:
In that case MBA is what you want.

I'm doing the same thing, in case you were wondering.
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That's the goal! I'm applying/expressing interest for MD/MBA programs this cycle. I mention the MAcc as a contingency plan in case I don't get in this cycle, my college guarantees admission to the program assuming I meet minimum requirements.
 
md-2020 said:
Why is that indicative of a troll? I must be missing something.
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"I'm a fairly cocky and confident person. As long as I keep an interest, then I shouldn't fall on my face".

Not too many non-trolls who post things like this particularly when you combine the low post count.

But regardless interesting thread.
 
Strigon said:
That's the goal! I'm applying/expressing interest for MD/MBA programs this cycle. I mention the MAcc as a contingency plan in case I don't get in this cycle, my college guarantees admission to the program assuming I meet minimum requirements.
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If the MAcc isn't free, I wouldn't do it. The only degrees that might ever be relevant for doctors other than the MD/DO are MBA, MPH, and PhD.
 
md-2020 said:
If the MAcc isn't free, I wouldn't do it. The only degrees that might ever be relevant for doctors other than the MD/DO are MBA, MPH, and PhD.
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Good point. Plus, my school's MAcc program is generally designed to prep people for the CPA exams, which I wouldn't even be able to fully earn because I haven't worked public accounting for a year. Solid advice!

What draws you to an MBA in tandem with medicine?
 
Strigon said:
Good point. Plus, my school's MAcc program is generally designed to prep people for the CPA exams, which I wouldn't even be able to fully earn because I haven't worked public accounting for a year. Solid advice!

What draws you to an MBA in tandem with medicine?
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I agree with the MBA angle instead of the M Acc. I can absolutely see how certain business classes could provide useful information, but the CPA-exam driven accounting classes really wouldn't be them, and the degree won't add appreciably to your credentials. Managerial accounting, finance, real estate and property management -- those might help.
 
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