Are you applying MD, DO, or both? Have you already graduated undergrad? Are you planning on taking the MCAT soon, have you taken any practice tests or indicators of score range, or have you not had any test prep yet?
As for your postbacc/SMP question, going the postbacc route (formal or DIY) would only serve to "enhance" your current GPA. The efficacy of this depends entirely on the number of credits you've already taken. If your GPA is currently a 3.0/3.15 with 4+ yrs worth of credits, getting a few more A's probably wont move the needle that much. However, if you plan to apply DO, you might be able to nudge your GPA into their range.
The alternative would be to do an SMP, which is an attractive option because it essentially gives you a clean slate to work with. If you change up your study habits and work hard enough, you can definitely get a 4.0 and it can be a strong indicator to adcoms that you've improved academically. However, there are certainly caveats. The biggest being cost. These SMP's are almost always ridiculously EXPENSIVE. Typically in the $100k range. Also worth noting is the fact that not all schools look at SMP's the same way. There are some MD schools that explicitly say they "only look at your last x credit hours," (Wayne State). On the other end, there are those that place heavy emphasis on your undergrad GPA and barely look at your grad GPA. And then there's anything in between.
Either way you go, you'll likely be incurring some degree of debt and spending 1-2 yrs, +/- a gap year. Also, make sure you have a solid plan for the MCAT. Anecdotally, I've seen a few friends do very well on expensive SMP's only to bomb the MCAT multiple times and have that be the issue that holds them back for several more years.
I know it's a lot to process and some pretty big risks to take, but the information is out there to help you make your decisions.
Best of luck to you, OP!
