Question for students who have done SMP's

[LongApple]

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I went to a prehealth fair at my school. Georgetown's special masters program was there.The woman at the booth warned people who came that the program was very difficult and intense. Unrelated to that, I've heard that one might need to roughly 3.5 GPA in the SMP to improve their chances at medical school. Anecdotally, a friend who participated in Georgetown's "take the first year medical school classes" SMP didn't do well in it and didn't recommend it to me.

I started thinking that I should consider more programs.

1. Which SMP's are considered most intense/difficult
versus
which are considered more manageable to do well in?

2. What would be your advice in terms of doing well in an SMP? For example, would getting a physiology or medical related masters degree before the SMP help significantly? What specific area might be most applicable?

I've only met a small number of students with graduate degrees previously who have done SMP's.

 

[Arsartium]

Hey SMPer here. I wouldn't recommend tacking on a medically-related masters degree prior to an SMP. These programs are meant for students who have only taken the med school prerequisites. All you would do is delay your app to med school and take on a boatload of debt. If you haven't take the prereqs, then a post-bacc may be more appropriate.

I can really only speak to my program (BU MAMS), but like medical school (from what students have told me), the material isn't particularly difficult. It's just alot of material. I think you really just need to be disciplined to do well. Treat it like medical school, like what you learn will potentially affect your patient's lives. I found that often (not always mind you) students who struggled in my program treated the SMP like it was still college. It's not. You need a different mindset. Invest as much time in the learning how to learn as you do learning the material so you can be as efficient as possible. Treat it like it's your last chance. It could be.

But before you go down the SMP rabbit hole, I invite you to consult advisors to see if you really need an SMP (if you haven't already). These are expensive and poor performance can be lethal to your chances for medical school. It really is high risk, high reward.

From what I hear, the Georgetown SMP is a strong program. However, it might be worth reaching out to other program directors to learn about other SMPs. Ideally, you should look for those at a medical school with linkage (i.e. this GPA + MCAT = automatic interview/acceptance). For BU MAMS specifically, 25-30 students are accepted to BUSM every year from a class of ~170. You are evaluated in a separate pool entirely. Also, you should ensure that there is strong advising at the SMP for applications. I can say that BU MAMS is one such SMP. In fact, 3 of my rec letters came from my SMP, all from medical school faculty. It helps.

And yes, I too have been told that 3.5+ SMP GPA is a must for med school acceptance (MD or DO). I don't know the GPA of my classmates who got into med school this cycle but our program usually states that 80-90% of graduates with a 3.7+ GPA ultimately get into med school. For me, BU MAMS worked wonders. Came out of undergrad with a 2.XX GPA. Now I'm sitting on over a dozen acceptances, including BU and four T20s. But I had to work hard.

Feel free to PM with any specific questions about BU MAMS. And good luck!

 

[Goro]

I went to a prehealth fair at my school. Georgetown's special masters program was there.The woman at the booth warned people who came that the program was very difficult and intense. Unrelated to that, I've heard that one might need to roughly 3.5 GPA in the SMP to improve their chances at medical school. Anecdotally, a friend who participated in Georgetown's "take the first year medical school classes" SMP didn't do well in it and didn't recommend it to me.

I started thinking that I should consider more programs.

1. Which SMP's are considered most intense/difficult
versus
which are considered more manageable to do well in?

2. What would be your advice in terms of doing well in an SMP? For example, would getting a physiology or medical related masters degree before the SMP help significantly? What specific area might be most applicable?

I've only met a small number of students with graduate degrees previously who have done SMP's.

You seem to have a number of notions about SMps that need to be disabused.

First off, there are no easy or hard SMPs. These are programs that are auditions for med school, given by med school faculty (if given at med schools). My content in my own SMP is identical to the one I give our med students. Ditto for the material given by my colleagues.

For doing well in an SMP, you need to learn how to learn.

Read this:
Goro's Guide to Success in Medical School (2018 edition)

To successfully reinvent yourself using an SMP for MD schools, you'll need a 3.7+ GPA. For DO schools, 3.5+. No Cs in any course. Period.

I can't recommend taking any more coursework prior to an SMP, unless you have bombed your pre-reqs, or you need to retake them for the MCAT