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Hi Guys,
I know that there are countless posts on this page on this very subject, but I can't really gauge what would be the most appropriate course of action for me in particular. I am currently one year out of college, and I have a cGPA and sGPA of around 3.4 and 3.3 respectively from an Ivy institution (Double major, one science major, one social science major). I had a vvvvv ****ty junior year for a variety of reasons, and long story short, my GPA tanked pretty hard. My MCAT that I took in May 2016 was 510, but I plan on retaking it before applying in June 2018. Right now, I am stuck between choosing a postbac program (Penn's SSP) or SMP programs (got into a few, including Tufts MBS and BU MAMS), and I don't know what would be the right route for me. I hear from some people that postbac is better (cheaper option) for people with over 3.0 GPAs, but realistically, a year's worth of courses wouldn't improve my sGPA significantly since I have 66 science credits averaging a 3.36 sGPA (so how significantly can 30 credits raise my GPA? I could potentially raise my sGPA to a 3.55 if I get a 4.0 at Penn...which lol). However, I hear from other people that an SMP is the best way to prove to medical schools that you can handle the curriculum, although the risk is high if you fail to perform well. All in all, the pros of the Penn program is that it offers some flexibility, which would give me time to study for my MCAT and do more extracurriculars. However, an SMP would allow me to take medical school-level courses (which would prove useful once I get into medical school) and also prove to admissions that I could handle the coursework and rigors of medical school. On the flip side, however, I don't know if I'll be able to dedicate the amount of time necessary to take my MCAT and pursue other extracurriculars given the rigor of the SMP.
I know that there are countless posts on this page on this very subject, but I can't really gauge what would be the most appropriate course of action for me in particular. I am currently one year out of college, and I have a cGPA and sGPA of around 3.4 and 3.3 respectively from an Ivy institution (Double major, one science major, one social science major). I had a vvvvv ****ty junior year for a variety of reasons, and long story short, my GPA tanked pretty hard. My MCAT that I took in May 2016 was 510, but I plan on retaking it before applying in June 2018. Right now, I am stuck between choosing a postbac program (Penn's SSP) or SMP programs (got into a few, including Tufts MBS and BU MAMS), and I don't know what would be the right route for me. I hear from some people that postbac is better (cheaper option) for people with over 3.0 GPAs, but realistically, a year's worth of courses wouldn't improve my sGPA significantly since I have 66 science credits averaging a 3.36 sGPA (so how significantly can 30 credits raise my GPA? I could potentially raise my sGPA to a 3.55 if I get a 4.0 at Penn...which lol). However, I hear from other people that an SMP is the best way to prove to medical schools that you can handle the curriculum, although the risk is high if you fail to perform well. All in all, the pros of the Penn program is that it offers some flexibility, which would give me time to study for my MCAT and do more extracurriculars. However, an SMP would allow me to take medical school-level courses (which would prove useful once I get into medical school) and also prove to admissions that I could handle the coursework and rigors of medical school. On the flip side, however, I don't know if I'll be able to dedicate the amount of time necessary to take my MCAT and pursue other extracurriculars given the rigor of the SMP.
