Postbaccalaurete vs. SMP

[labruin]

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I am sure that this has previously been addressed, but I do not know where to go looking for in it in the forums.

I should start off by saying that research is something important to me, which I consider when looking for schools/programs to apply to. Saying that, most research medical schools tend to be top medical schools with (generally) the most competitive applicant pools.

If I were to have a 3.3 BCPM GPA/33MCAT (hypothetical) and completed a SMP (like BU MAMS which offers a laboratory research thesis option) wouldn't it only be helping me increase my chances of getting into a school that I wasn't too far from getting into originally? Since it doesn't affect my undergraduate record, wouldn't I still be considered by only the original schools that would have considered me (if any) before?

Would doing a postbaccalaurete increase my chances of getting into a more competitive school, while also increasing my chances of getting into any medical school? Would the best thing to do is do both a postbaccalareute and SMP? Thanks!

 

[DrMidlife]

I am sure that this has previously been addressed, but I do not know where to go looking for in it in the forums.

I should start off by saying that research is something important to me, which I consider when looking for schools/programs to apply to. Saying that, most research medical schools tend to be top medical schools with (generally) the most competitive applicant pools.

If I were to have a 3.3 BCPM GPA/33MCAT (hypothetical) and completed a SMP (like BU MAMS which offers a laboratory research thesis option) wouldn't it only be helping me increase my chances of getting into a school that I wasn't too far from getting into originally? Since it doesn't affect my undergraduate record, wouldn't I still be considered by only the original schools that would have considered me (if any) before?

Would doing a postbaccalaurete increase my chances of getting into a more competitive school, while also increasing my chances of getting into any medical school? Would the best thing to do is do both a postbaccalareute and SMP? Thanks!

Run some numbers on the postbac option.

If you can significantly improve your cumulative undergrad GPA, into competitive range, by taking more undergrad, in a reasonable amount of time, then by all means take more undergrad instead of doing an SMP.

In your shoes, what I would do is push very, very hard for a program like Mt. Sinai (semi-SMP, semi-research). I think that if you can get up to a 3.4, and do whatever else Mt. Sinai (and similar) wants you to do before they'll admit you, then you'll be in the right type of grad/SMP/postbac/credential-buffer program for your goals. A program like that should set you up with connections that count.

I think you are correct to be thinking about how a "3.3+SMP" is perceived. If you want to be competitive for schools that aren't already drinking SMP koolaid, then you need more than that.

Best of luck to you.

 

[drizzt3117]

I mean most people doing a smp want to get into A med school, they aren't concerned so much about where. If you want to improve your competitiveness, I'd max out postbac then see where you stand.