Post-Bacc SMP vs. Clinical Job???

[ATN19]

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Just wondering if anyone out there wants to put their 2 cents into my situation.

Stats: 3.4 cumulative from Northwestern, 3.1 BCPM, 31S (9PS, 9BS, 13V). Last cycle, I interviewed at 3 TX schools but was not matched at any school and waitlisted (and finally rejected) from one. I've decided to take 2 years off to improve my application before applying in summer 2006 for fall 2007 matriculation.

I've been accepted to BU MAMS, Drexel IMS and Loyola MAMS. I also just got a job offer at Northwestern Memorial Hospital working with a TOP GI doctor; according to the other doctors, residents, students, etc working under him he's the #1 guy in all things dealing with the esophagus. It's a 2 year commitment and I'd be running the manometry lab on my own within the GI lab, meaning I get my own patients (both clinical and research purposes) and I'll have multiple opportunities to be published (probably 5+ abstracts and 1-2 papers).

IMHO, my app was weak b/c of 1) below average BCPM, 2) average science scores on the MCAT, 3) limited clinical exposure (did some shadowing one sumer, 2 years of bench research, but that's it) and 4) sorta being wishy-washy on why I think I'd make a good doctor.

I'm getting ulcers (j/k) trying to make this decision. I know it's not the end-all-be-all and that I have two great opportunities in front of me. I'm leaning toward working b/c I can be a part-time student thru Northwestern's School of Continuing Studies (can probably get in 20 semester hours this year) and I'm going to re-take my MCAT April 2006. So I'd be attempting to fix all my weaknesses in one year. If I go to BU, I'll re-take my MCAT April 2006 but I'd be reapplying with very little clinical experience still.

I think regardless of either decision I make that I have a much better shot at a med school acceptance after 2 years off. My hesitation at going to BU is the cost and the fact that their success rate is in getting students into ANY MD/DO school. It doesn't mean I'd neccessarily get into a top 30-40 school, but just a school (which is fine). I just don't know if I'd end up getting into a better med school thru the BU route than just on my own through work and addt'l undergrad bio classes.

Opinions? Advice? Past experiences? THANKS!!!

 

[Deleted member 72527]

Just wondering if anyone out there wants to put their 2 cents into my situation.

Stats: 3.4 cumulative from Northwestern, 3.1 BCPM, 31S (9PS, 9BS, 13V). Last cycle, I interviewed at 3 TX schools but was not matched at any school and waitlisted (and finally rejected) from one. I've decided to take 2 years off to improve my application before applying in summer 2006 for fall 2007 matriculation.

I've been accepted to BU MAMS, Drexel IMS and Loyola MAMS. I also just got a job offer at Northwestern Memorial Hospital working with a TOP GI doctor; according to the other doctors, residents, students, etc working under him he's the #1 guy in all things dealing with the esophagus. It's a 2 year commitment and I'd be running the manometry lab on my own within the GI lab, meaning I get my own patients (both clinical and research purposes) and I'll have multiple opportunities to be published (probably 5+ abstracts and 1-2 papers).

IMHO, my app was weak b/c of 1) below average BCPM, 2) average science scores on the MCAT, 3) limited clinical exposure (did some shadowing one sumer, 2 years of bench research, but that's it) and 4) sorta being wishy-washy on why I think I'd make a good doctor.

I'm getting ulcers (j/k) trying to make this decision. I know it's not the end-all-be-all and that I have two great opportunities in front of me. I'm leaning toward working b/c I can be a part-time student thru Northwestern's School of Continuing Studies (can probably get in 20 semester hours this year) and I'm going to re-take my MCAT April 2006. So I'd be attempting to fix all my weaknesses in one year. If I go to BU, I'll re-take my MCAT April 2006 but I'd be reapplying with very little clinical experience still.

I think regardless of either decision I make that I have a much better shot at a med school acceptance after 2 years off. My hesitation at going to BU is the cost and the fact that their success rate is in getting students into ANY MD/DO school. It doesn't mean I'd neccessarily get into a top 30-40 school, but just a school (which is fine). I just don't know if I'd end up getting into a better med school thru the BU route than just on my own through work and addt'l undergrad bio classes.

Opinions? Advice? Past experiences? THANKS!!!

Speaking from the perspective of someone with similar stats (lower GPA but higher BCPM GPA, same MCAT, different breakdown of MCAT scores) I can tell you that my clinical experience got me in the door - however, mine was about 20 hours a week volunteer when I was an undergrad. With that said, I think that raising your PS and BS MCAT scores would help, as would raising your science GPA. If I were you, I'd sit down with a calculator and see what my science GPA was going to be at the end of 20 credit hours. You could use mdapplicants.com to see if that new BCPM GPA is competitive at the schools you are interested in. GOOD LUCK!

I don't know if this will help you at all, but I was told that my BCPM GPA (at 3.16...UGH!) was raising red flags even though I was a chem major and had 2 C's (my only....EVER) in non pre-req, very advanced classes. Sometimes I think BCPM is more important than CUM to adcoms.

 

[Fusion]

Just wondering if anyone out there wants to put their 2 cents into my situation.

Stats: 3.4 cumulative from Northwestern, 3.1 BCPM, 31S (9PS, 9BS, 13V). Last cycle, I interviewed at 3 TX schools but was not matched at any school and waitlisted (and finally rejected) from one. I've decided to take 2 years off to improve my application before applying in summer 2006 for fall 2007 matriculation.

I've been accepted to BU MAMS, Drexel IMS and Loyola MAMS. I also just got a job offer at Northwestern Memorial Hospital working with a TOP GI doctor; according to the other doctors, residents, students, etc working under him he's the #1 guy in all things dealing with the esophagus. It's a 2 year commitment and I'd be running the manometry lab on my own within the GI lab, meaning I get my own patients (both clinical and research purposes) and I'll have multiple opportunities to be published (probably 5+ abstracts and 1-2 papers).

IMHO, my app was weak b/c of 1) below average BCPM, 2) average science scores on the MCAT, 3) limited clinical exposure (did some shadowing one sumer, 2 years of bench research, but that's it) and 4) sorta being wishy-washy on why I think I'd make a good doctor.

I'm getting ulcers (j/k) trying to make this decision. I know it's not the end-all-be-all and that I have two great opportunities in front of me. I'm leaning toward working b/c I can be a part-time student thru Northwestern's School of Continuing Studies (can probably get in 20 semester hours this year) and I'm going to re-take my MCAT April 2006. So I'd be attempting to fix all my weaknesses in one year. If I go to BU, I'll re-take my MCAT April 2006 but I'd be reapplying with very little clinical experience still.

I think regardless of either decision I make that I have a much better shot at a med school acceptance after 2 years off. My hesitation at going to BU is the cost and the fact that their success rate is in getting students into ANY MD/DO school. It doesn't mean I'd neccessarily get into a top 30-40 school, but just a school (which is fine). I just don't know if I'd end up getting into a better med school thru the BU route than just on my own through work and addt'l undergrad bio classes.

Opinions? Advice? Past experiences? THANKS!!!

Although the research job sounds like a great opportunity, if your ultimate goal is to go to med school you should go ahead and do an SMP now. I am saying this as a graduate of the BU Medical Sciences program and someone who has had friends at the Drexel IMS program and the Georgetown SMP as well. Don't retake the MCAT if you don't have to. Your MCAT score as a whole is good and competitive enough to get you interviews if you have a strong showing the first semester of the SMP. You could potentially be starting medical school a year from now instead of two or three years from now. Unless you think the research experience will help you in your career as a physician (i.e., do you want to go into academic medicine?), go to the SMP. As for the MD/DO placement, that is totally dependent on the student's performance. If you pull a 3.0 or 3.1 in your SMP, allopathic schools will still be a challenge to gain admission to, though not at all out of the question. A 3.5 in the program will get you a good number of interviews, and with a 3.7 you're golden. Both the Drexel and BU programs will get you where you want to be if you put forth the time and effort necessary. So my advice would be to submit your AMCAS now, apply to 8-10 schools, kick some major ass in the first semester of your SMP, and go for this thing now. The fact that you had some interviews this past cycle proves that you are competitive already. No reason to delay your reapplication IMHO. If you want more clinical exposure or research experience, both Philly and Boston will have a lot of options for you. But even at that, don't spend more than a few hours per week volunteering. As you will soon learn, your time as a med/grad student is precious, and your academic performance from this point forward is the absolute most important thing to your application.

 

[ATN19]

Thank you so much for the honest opinions. In the end, it's a hard choice that I have to make on my own.

Fusion, are you applying to schools now or have you already gotten in for this fall? I am definitely taking two years off because I'm not mentally ready/willing to do the AMCAS and TMDSAS right now. So that's out of the question for me 🙂 However, you make a strong case for the BU program. Where have your friends ended up after their SMPs?

I know I have a much stronger chance of getting into an MD school after an SMP (granted I make As) but I'm just trying to see if I can't get into the same programs by doing it myself with work and part-time classes over 2 years. Money isn't a huge issue for me but it's still an issue. I know my MCAT is competitive, but I'm still thinking about re-taking it. We'll see. I have until January to decide to sign up for a prep course and tackle that ghastly beast. But as a re-applicant, I want to strengthen everything and give it 200% the second time around and hopefully get into a decent out-of-state school. Texas has a ton of great schools but I just don't want to live there personally.

This is such a difficult decision! And I have to decide by tomorrow. Any other opinions out there? I'm going cuh-razy here!

 

[Fusion]

Thank you so much for the honest opinions. In the end, it's a hard choice that I have to make on my own.

Fusion, are you applying to schools now or have you already gotten in for this fall? I am definitely taking two years off because I'm not mentally ready/willing to do the AMCAS and TMDSAS right now. So that's out of the question for me 🙂 However, you make a strong case for the BU program. Where have your friends ended up after their SMPs?

I know I have a much stronger chance of getting into an MD school after an SMP (granted I make As) but I'm just trying to see if I can't get into the same programs by doing it myself with work and part-time classes over 2 years. Money isn't a huge issue for me but it's still an issue. I know my MCAT is competitive, but I'm still thinking about re-taking it. We'll see. I have until January to decide to sign up for a prep course and tackle that ghastly beast. But as a re-applicant, I want to strengthen everything and give it 200% the second time around and hopefully get into a decent out-of-state school. Texas has a ton of great schools but I just don't want to live there personally.

This is such a difficult decision! And I have to decide by tomorrow. Any other opinions out there? I'm going cuh-razy here!

I had five interviews this year (4 MD, 1 DO), got waitlisted everywhere and am hoping and praying for one of two MD schools to come through for me this year. I have a crappy undergrad record (sub-3.0), but did pretty decently in the BU SMP, though definitely not stellar. I have a 30 MCAT and a lot of clinical exposure (hands-on clinical work) and some research experience as well. My friend who went to G'town had six or seven interviews and got into three MD schools. The other guy who went to Drexel didn't take things as seriously as he should have and ended up at St. George's. It's really all about what you put into it. Interestingly enough, they both graduated from med school in May. The G'town guy got a rads residency at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, my other friend is doing IM at UMDNJ. They are both happy (i.e., it all seems to work out for everyone in the end). My friends at BU had a good amount of success as well, although it's tough to get into med school without a decent MCAT score, even if you do well in the program.

I can understand you wanting to wait. It takes a lot of time, effort, and money to apply to med schools and your heart really has to be in it. Good luck in your decision.

 

[ATN19]

Go figure. The job that was offered to me may not even be available anymore due to some hospital politics. Just my luck. I may be going to Boston after all.