Questions about leaving SMP after acceptance

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AureusFO18

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I'm in what (I think) is a somewhat rare position. I am a current SMP student and was fortunate enough to have received an acceptance from a good allopathic school early in this cycle. I am now thinking about leaving the SMP before the next semester for financial reasons. Basically, I am paying my way and the tuition and living expenses are incredibly steep.

My questions for those who might know relate to how the decision to withdraw will affect my waitlist status at other medical schools (I'm on a few waitlists). Will withdrawing from an SMP automatically disqualify me from gaining acceptance to other schools? Will this decision be perceived negatively?

I would be extremely happy to go to the school to which I am accepted, but would also like to maximize my options just to be 100% sure that I did everything to find the right fit.

Some other data points: The school to which I was accepted will not require me to finish the SMP, and my first semester grades (3.9+ if that makes a difference) were sent to all of the medical schools to which I applied (although I was accepted/waitlisted before they were sent out).

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for any advice.
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You're not in a rare situation, you're just in one that sucks. The way I see it is, why were you initially in the SMP? If it was to gain admissions, then mission accomplished...leave. If you actually WANTED the masters on top of your future DO Degree, then I say continue, and ignore the financial aspect...you're going to be a doctor anyway, so money won't be a problem in the near future.

If you fear what schools will think that have wait-listed you, you should contact students (not admin) from the schools and simply asked would it be frowned upon. Students are more likely to keep it real, rather than admin.
 
Well I guess you didn't really need to do the SMP in the first place?

what were your stats? and what SMP?

I wouldn't leave the program just out of laziness because staying sharp school wise will help you in med school.

That said, personally, If I was already accepted into my top choice or to a school that I had absolutely no problem going to, I probably wouldn't finish out the program.

Ultimately this decision depends on your situation though, Talk to ask many people as you can and make sure it is the right decision before deciding tho.

Good luck and congrats on your acceptance.
 
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Thanks for your posts. I wouldn't have thought about contacting students. Looks like I have some emails to send/phone calls to make.

My stats were 3.3 and 34, 3.9 post-bacc. Ugly grades early on in UG with an upward trend. I ended up with a 3.9+ for my first semester in the SMP, but those grades were only sent out very recently. My application had some nontraditional elements to it that I would be happy to discuss by PM for the sake of anonymity. Based on SDN, I felt as though I was a good candidate for an SMP and was surprised based on to have received any attention from med schools so early in the cycle. I only applied MD, and thought that the SMP would be a good "insurance policy" for this application cycle provided that I did well. I think the program was a good decision, and I think that I'm pretty lucky more than anything else to be where I am. The decision is purely an economic one.

After having completed half of an SMP, I'm pretty convinced that the degree itself doesn't mean a whole lot outside of the medical school admissions game. I'm also not too concerned about losing my edge in the next 6-8 months. I would be 100% happy going to the school at which I was accepted, but don't want to close any doors prematurely. Just trying to get a handle on how my leaving might be perceived.
 
AureusFO18 said:
bump
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I was in the same situation and I decided to stay in the program...

This is actually a very manageable situation, here's what you need to do...

Contact the school that you were accepted to and find out if they care if you finish the masters. Then contact the waitlist schools and ask the same question. Use that information to make your decision.

Some schools require you finish the degree you started while applying, others don't care. The school I was accepted to didn't care, but some of the others did, so I decided to stick it out.

Summary - Every school is different, you need to contact them ASAP!
 
I was in the same situation as well. Almost identical : I had a 3.4/36 and I did SMP to hedge my bets. I decided to stay in the program because the fine print of my school's acceptance letter said I had to stay, and because I didn't feel like getting a job over the next 5 months. It was kind of a stressful decision : the two hardest courses were at the end of the program, and I ended up barely passing each of them because I had lost much of my motivation to study. (like you, I had a 4.0 in the SMP up until the day I was accepted)

Will it make a difference to the schools who you are waitlisted for? I think the chance is slim to none.

Look, admissions offices have limited resources. Most schools ultimately create a "score" that ranks each applicant according to what that school prioritizes. If you get waitlisted, you'll ranked be on the list according to your score. (if a school says they have an unranked waitlist, they are lying)

It's highly unlikely they are going to change your score/position on the list later if you send them something, unless that something is a phone call from a friend of an admissions officer. It takes work to do that. They'll probably stuff any transcripts you send from your SMP later into your folder, unopened. (to be trashed if you don't get accepted)

Advice? To me it sounds like you need a break. I'd call up the school that accepted you, and ask them to send IN WRITING a statement on whether you need to finish the SMP you are in. (do NOT rely on a verbal 'oh yeah that's ok') Once you have that in hand, withdraw, and go take a vacation somewhere nice. PM me and I'll tell you about my trip last summer.
 
PostLessOne said:
I was in the same situation as well. Almost identical : I had a 3.4/36 and I did SMP to hedge my bets. I decided to stay in the program because the fine print of my school's acceptance letter said I had to stay, and because I didn't feel like getting a job over the next 5 months. It was kind of a stressful decision : the two hardest courses were at the end of the program, and I ended up barely passing each of them because I had lost much of my motivation to study. (like you, I had a 4.0 in the SMP up until the day I was accepted)

Will it make a difference to the schools who you are waitlisted for? I think the chance is slim to none.

Look, admissions offices have limited resources. Most schools ultimately create a "score" that ranks each applicant according to what that school prioritizes. If you get waitlisted, you'll ranked be on the list according to your score. (if a school says they have an unranked waitlist, they are lying)

It's highly unlikely they are going to change your score/position on the list later if you send them something, unless that something is a phone call from a friend of an admissions officer. It takes work to do that. They'll probably stuff any transcripts you send from your SMP later into your folder, unopened. (to be trashed if you don't get accepted)

Advice? To me it sounds like you need a break. I'd call up the school that accepted you, and ask them to send IN WRITING a statement on whether you need to finish the SMP you are in. (do NOT rely on a verbal 'oh yeah that's ok') Once you have that in hand, withdraw, and go take a vacation somewhere nice. PM me and I'll tell you about my trip last summer.
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Thanks for the insight. I have an email from the school's director of admissions saying that it's alright if I leave. Maybe I should also ask for a hard copy? I also have a very well paying job lined up for six months. It's something like a $60,000 swing between staying in the program and not. Somehow, quitting doesn't feel right, but it seems to make sense in every other way. I completely sympathize on the lack of motivation toward the end, btw.

It's a little disheartening to think that schools wouldn't consider my performance next semester if I were to stay. If I had known that to be true, I might have reconsidered doing the SMP in the first place.
 
I would stay. Won't you repeat some of those classes in Med school? So it will help you there and making it easier on you while in med school? Plus you already started something just finish it. But I can see how tempting it would be to just quit. Your call, I don't think either way you can go wrong, but I would stay.
 
There's 2 main ways an SMP helps you. If you hadn't gotten in this year, it might have helped a little bit for the next application cycle.

The other main way is that the good SMPs have an affiliated medical school, and the SMP gives you a chance to get into the medical school based upon the merits of an exceptional performance in the SMP program. Kind of like a probationary acceptance to medical school in the best SMP programs. This is why I did SMP.

I know you feel disheartened about how your performance this semester would be ignored, but think about it. A med school is theoretically supposed to consider 6-8 semesters of undergrad, extracurriculars, a standardized test, interview, letters of rec, and other factors. They do actually weight all that stuff in...the catch is that some stuff is given very little point value, to the point that really doesn't even matter. (while GPA and MCAT count for most of the points). Anyways, the way the medical school probably sees it, if they didn't accept you right out, what difference does one semester make? Why should they put the work into updating a wait-list when most of the students on that list are going to be rejected? They probably do open the letter, but after seeing what it is, stuff it into the file folder they keep for each applicant, unread.
 
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PostLessOne said:
There's 2 main ways an SMP helps you. If you hadn't gotten in this year, it might have helped a little bit for the next application cycle.

The other main way is that the good SMPs have an affiliated medical school, and the SMP gives you a chance to get into the medical school based upon the merits of an exceptional performance in the SMP program. Kind of like a probationary acceptance to medical school in the best SMP programs. This is why I did SMP.

I know you feel disheartened about how your performance this semester would be ignored, but think about it. A med school is theoretically supposed to consider 6-8 semesters of undergrad, extracurriculars, a standardized test, interview, letters of rec, and other factors. They do actually weight all that stuff in...the catch is that some stuff is given very little point value, to the point that really doesn't even matter. (while GPA and MCAT count for most of the points). Anyways, the way the medical school probably sees it, if they didn't accept you right out, what difference does one semester make? Why should they put the work into updating a wait-list when most of the students on that list are going to be rejected? They probably do open the letter, but after seeing what it is, stuff it into the file folder they keep for each applicant, unread.
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Wanted to update this thread in case anyone else is in a similar situation. I ended up not going back to finish the SMP for a variety of reasons. The most significant of these was financial - I had an excellent chance to make a lot of money (worked in finance in a previous life and had a six month contract on the table) vs. spending ~30K for a degree that is no longer taking me anywhere that I'm not already going.

The second reason was time. Anyone who makes the commitment to medical school dedicates his or her self to a career path that is long, arduous and personally demanding. These last six months before beginning medical school will likely represent a final opportunity for me to travel, spend time with girlfriend/family, and enjoy a somewhat normal work schedule.

The third reason was that the SMP program in which I was enrolled does not have a particularly strong relationship with its associated medical school. I met with the dean of admissions and essentially learned that despite performing at the top of my class through the most challenging part of the curriculum, I MIGHT be considered at the end of the interview cycle after all of the SMP students who had graduated the previous year and were promised interviews.

The fourth reason was that no school where I had been wait-listed cared whether or not I completed the program after I explained the financial aspects of the decision.

Finally, the fifth and probably most significant reason was that I did not feel that I had anything left to prove. After spending countless hours and thousands of dollars to get into medical school, I didn't feel as though I owed any additional personal sacrifices. Furthermore, I'm not sure how much seeing the material once before going into medical school really helps. You still need to memorize everything, which is a lot easier for me when the material is new and engaging.

There were definitely some regrets assoicated with the decision. It's not in my nature (or that of many premeds) to leave a task unfinished. I will probably always tell myself that if I had stayed, I would have gotten into the medical school that offered the SMP, even against the odds. The most frustrating aspect of the whole situation, however, is that all of my hard work last semester essentially went unused (although my grades did go out to other schools, a few of whom have since offered me interviews).

I hope that these reflections are helpful. I have a few interviews coming up during which I will speak with admissions representatives about this decision. If any interesting comments come up, I will post them. Thanks again to everybody for your help and advice.
 
thanks for the update. very thoughtful. best of luck to you in med school
 
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I would finish it, personally. Many, if not most, schools require that the graduate/professional degree be finished prior to matriculating, at least that is the case at the school I will be attending this fall.

Plus, another plus is that I am doing some nifty research for my thesis, and hopefully will be looking a first-author pub come next year. I also plan to stay connected with the lab and potentially continue research during the summer between MS1 and MS2.

I also think it is helpful to learn all of the material. It is no secret that the really good SMP students do much better than the vast majority of the rest of med students, and the solid foundation that has been laid has also been reflected in their board scores, at least at the school I have been attending.

But, if you can make some sweet $$$ in 6 months, more power to you. Some of us like myself don't necessarily have such opportunities. Anything you can do to cut down on debt is absolutely a wise idea, especially early on, considering compounding interest. Best of luck and congratulations.
 
Addendum: Interviewed today at another med school and asked the interviewer about whether or not I needed to go back to finish the SMP. I told her what the program cost and that I wouldn't get credit for the coursework. She told me that the decision of the adcom was going to be essentially based on what they had, and that the adcom had no problem with my saving some cash in the mean time. Just one school, but I feel a bit better.
 
words to the wise...


Don't quit anything, no matter how good an excuse you have. If you're a driven person, it will make you insane.
 
I would not worry about it. If you got into a med school your future looks bright whether you finish your smp program or not. If you are enjoying your time in the program you may wish to stick it out or whatever. I think of much greater concern is if it's April1 and you have no acceptances... Then whether you stay in the program or not you are still about to become unemployed with a useless college degree...
 
gujuDoc said:
I don't get why this post after your update of it not mattering whether you quit in your situation. Can you explain the basis of this post?
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Poor post on my part. I had actually forgotten that I'd posted it. It deserves an explanation.

I left the SMP to take a lucrative 6 month contract in financial consulting. If you read my other posts on this thread, you know that I felt like I had every reason to leave: already had 2 acceptances, less debt, make money, need to retake classes anyway, no promise of admissions at the school where I'd done the SMP.

All those were good reasons. In the moment when I actually made the decision, they weren't the real reasons that I left. I left because, after earning an acceptance, I lost motivation. It became harder and harder to "get up" for classes. I still liked the material, but I had lost some of my drive to relentless memorize every detail in the syllabus and to spend every hour that I wasn't sleeping in the library agonizing over whatever was coming next. I finished the first portion of the SMP (which is the only part that's graded against the medical school students) in the 97th percentile of the class. I also lost 15 lbs, alienated my friends and family, and ruined my relationship. Before the SMP, I had determined that I was going to maximize the medical admissions process - go to the best school possible. Instead of staying the course, I walked away as soon as I had an acceptance in hand. For the first time in my life, I turned my back on something I cared about because I didn't want to make the personal sacrifice necessary to see it through.

I didn't feel particularly good about myself for making that decision. Additionally, the job I'm working requires ~80-100hrs a week, so my quality of life hasn't really improved. I wrote that post a 4 am., while I was in the office working on a some ridiculous powerpoint presentation and thinking about how I should have been studying anatomy, preparing myself to succeed in the next phase of my life.

It was an overly dramatic post and I apologize to anyone still following this thread. Bottom line is that I made a good decision by all external measures, and a poor decision by my own internal standards.
 
gujuDoc said:
Ah I see. Yeah I have kept up with this thread. You know though 80-100 hour week hours will both help you pay back the loans and allow you to realize what you are in for as a resident.

secondly, being in medicine there will always be people who feel alienated. I know that I've had weeks go by where I didn't have time to call my own parents. So its tough but if people really care they will understand. Some people just don't get it.
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You don't have time to call your parents in a whole week but have time to average 8.65 posts per day here? 😕
 
Eh, whatever. My brother is a surgical resident and has time to talk to my parents every night. People always like to exaggerate how hard they're working or how much work they have and how they don't have time to do what they want. I suppose it makes them feel better.

I am a 2nd year med student and am doing 20-30 hours of research a week while preparing for step 1, but I still have time to see my friends, go out, and be in position for AOA. It's all about how you manage your time and how you prioritize. Obviously there are some limitations simply based on the sheer amount of information you're asked to remember during med school but it's nowhere near as bad as you'd think by listening to people's whining.
 
gujuDoc said:
its also person to person dependent. i wasn't saying someone else may find it easier to find time. but not everyone gets things as quickly as others. And for some people they do need to study a lot more then others. people only speak their own experiences.
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Most often that's because when they're "studying" they're actually doing other things (like being on SDN) which makes them not actually all that efficient. 2-3 very efficient hours a day can be more productive than 5-6 (or more) inefficient ones.
 
gujuDoc said:
yeah its called theywant to talk for 2 hours at a time. And I post in 5 min. breaks. There's a difference or in between classes when i'm waiting for the teacher to start when I wouldn't be able to call anyhw cuz even if I could my parents are at work too. So whatev. I was just making a point that if people care about you they understand that you don't have much time.
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No need to get so defensive. It was a fair point that drizzt made whether you agree with it or not.
 
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