SFSU vs Georgetown

[nick_carraway]

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I'm eager to get some comments from people who had to decide between post-bacc at SFSU (I'd be doing informal) and Georgetown SMP. I want to see if I can rationalize a move across country for a program that costs 8x more than the other.

Even if you've never had to make the same decision, I'd appreciate comments from any of you.

Regardless, here's what I'd like to know:

What made you decide to enroll in the program that you did?

Do you regret your decision? How have you and your classmates done so far?

Did you choose to apply for med schools during or after your post-bacc?

And do you think it was worth it? (with emphasis on time, travel, cost, stress)

 

[Isoprop]

i haven't been in your situation, but if i were i would choose georgetown over informal postbacc. looking at your mdapps, more undergraduate credit may bump your gpa to a 3.4-3.5ish with straight A's range AFTER you finish your post-bacc. which means that you won't reap the benefits of a postbacc until the cycle after you finish. if you're applying this coming cycle, an SMP will help you get into medical school w/o the lag year.

 

[Leiflet]

Hmm... I am a MS student at SFSU and I have a friend who did the Georgetown SMP. The plus of the SFSU program is, as you know, that your grades will actually count on the AMCAS. The SMP is very cool and you pick up an MS in one year with no research (which would be sketchy if if were not Georgetown). My friend did get into med school (NYMC) but I would still go for the SFSU because it will help your GPA more. Downside-- don't look to Barry Rothman for much help. He is spread waaay to thin. Did I raise more questions than I answered? Sorry about that.

 

[markboonya]

Hmm... I am a MS student at SFSU and I have a friend who did the Georgetown SMP. The plus of the SFSU program is, as you know, that your grades will actually count on the AMCAS. The SMP is very cool and you pick up an MS in one year with no research (which would be sketchy if if were not Georgetown). My friend did get into med school (NYMC) but I would still go for the SFSU because it will help your GPA more. Downside-- don't look to Barry Rothman for much help. He is spread waaay to thin. Did I raise more questions than I answered? Sorry about that.

haha hey there, congrats on the hawaii acceptance.

koko, my stats were almost identicle to yours gpa and mcat wise. exactly the same actually. i did sfsu post bac informal and then went to gtowns smp. however, i only too 9 units at sfsu for one semester.

here is my opinion on your situation, if u can raise ur gpa to a 3.4 within 2 semesters at sfsu, i think u have a decent shot at getting in. u save a lot of money.

or, go to gtown. rock the program with a >3.7 and u pretty much have an acceptance somewhere. gtown will interview u if u have above a 3.7. nymc has a trend of interviewing u if ur smp gpa is that high. here's the thing, the smp has strong connections with a couple of schools such as nymc, st louis, drexel, and a couple others. they get automatic updates about ur test scores and class performance. with ur current stats, rocking the smp will get u into one of these schools. however, if u improve ur undergrad gpa at sfsu, i think more doors will open for u at other schools.

one more thing; doing the smp will of course help u get into med school, but i think its real value comes into play when u are actually in medical school. i know right now ur main priority is getting in and that desire is all consuming. but remember, one way or another, u will eventaully get in and u should therefore consider the path that will prepare u most for ur time during med school. my ms1 year isnt necessarily stress free, but i am rocking my classes because i have taken half the courses already. as u will soon see, med classes are about repetition. the more times u have seen the material, the easier it will be to memorize and recall. pretty self evident but it doesnt really resonate until u are actually bombarded with ridiculous amounts material. by the time u get to studying for the boards, u will have seen the material 3x over, and that is what makes the smp program invaluable in my opinion.

so, if u looking into a competitive specialty that needs high board scores, i hands down recommend the smp. sure u can do well without the smp like most other med students must do, but having med classes under ur belt when beginning ur first year is a huge advantage for both ur academics and confidence level. 50k is a lot of $$$, but the investment will pay off when u totally annihalate ur boards and ur derm/rad/plastics dreams come true.

(i do also think sfsu is a great place to do ur post bac. i have sung its praises on numerous sfsu threads in this forum. check it out if u want more info on sfsu. either way, smp or sfsu, if u rock ur classes, u cant go wrong. good luck!!!)

 

[nick_carraway]

Excellent news, markboonya. It's good to hear from someone who has accomplished what I consider to be the third option, which is to take both programs; bump up the GPA at SFSU and apply while at Georgetown SMP the subsequent year.

I suppose the fourth option is to do both, but in reverse order. Whether SFSU's informal program will be offered next year, is questionable though.

At any rate, thanks for everyone's comments so far. All of your estimates are right and 2 semesters at SFSU would increase the GPA to a ~3.4 but necessitate an additional year to reapply.

Georgetown SMP seems high yield, but I doubt whether the intensity of the program can bank me a decent GPA. Certainly a 3.7 GPA at Georgetown is extremely difficult to achieve, not to mention how hard it is to get the avg GPA in the program of a 3.4. Perhaps if the risk wasn't so high, I would have no issue choosing Georgetown. After all, even if I do well, I might still require an additional year off.

It's reassuring to hear that doing well at SFSU will open doors for me. The only question is whether doing mediocre at Georgetown will open more doors.

I still find myself flip flopping on the decision, so I'd still love more comments. Maryland should just go ahead and make my decision for me 🙂

 

[Isoprop]

Excellent news, markboonya. It's good to hear from someone who has accomplished what I consider to be the third option, which is to take both programs; bump up the GPA at SFSU and apply while at Georgetown SMP the subsequent year.

I suppose the fourth option is to do both, but in reverse order. Whether SFSU's informal program will be offered next year, is questionable though.

At any rate, thanks for everyone's comments so far. All of your estimates are right and 2 semesters at SFSU would increase the GPA to a ~3.4 but necessitate an additional year to reapply.

Georgetown SMP seems high yield, but I doubt whether the intensity of the program can bank me a decent GPA. Certainly a 3.7 GPA at Georgetown is extremely difficult to achieve, not to mention how hard it is to get the avg GPA in the program of a 3.4. Perhaps if the risk wasn't so high, I would have no issue choosing Georgetown. After all, even if I do well, I might still require an additional year off.

It's reassuring to hear that doing well at SFSU will open doors for me. The only question is whether doing mediocre at Georgetown will open more doors.

I still find myself flip flopping on the decision, so I'd still love more comments. Maryland should just go ahead and make my decision for me 🙂

there is no mediocre option at georgetown. doing less than 3.7 will make it very difficult [though not impossible] to get into a US med school. so if you have been taking a string of upper-div science classes with a strong upward trend (near 4.0 your last few semesters), i'd say an SMP may be right for you. but if you've been straddling at 3.5 or lower for all four years (i.e. no trend), then do the post-bacc and get raise your study skills.

gl

 

[nick_carraway]

there is no mediocre option at georgetown. doing less than 3.7 will make it very difficult [though not impossible] to get into a US med school. so if you have been taking a string of upper-div science classes with a strong upward trend (near 4.0 your last few semesters), i'd say an SMP may be right for you. but if you've been straddling at 3.5 or lower for all four years (i.e. no trend), then do the post-bacc and get raise your study skills.

gl

Right. That's what I figured. Year by year, my GPA has been: 3.45, 2.99, 3.1, 3.64 with no real extenuating factors.

Obviously my grades haven't been very strong even during the better years, so I'm wary of biting off more than I can chew at Georgetown. They say that getting a 3.0 in the SMP is fine and that their average SMP GPA is a 3.4. Obviously, if I go, I would be aiming to do better than that but my ego's healthy enough to admit that I might not be ready for the level of intensity at Georgetown.

 

[markboonya]

Right. That's what I figured. Year by year, my GPA has been: 3.45, 2.99, 3.1, 3.64 with no real extenuating factors.

Obviously my grades haven't been very strong even during the better years, so I'm wary of biting off more than I can chew at Georgetown. They say that getting a 3.0 in the SMP is fine and that their average SMP GPA is a 3.4. Obviously, if I go, I would be aiming to do better than that but my ego's healthy enough to admit that I might not be ready for the level of intensity at Georgetown.

yea, if u feel like u are not ready to jump into that kind of intensity at gtown, i think sfsu will serve u better. i hear that a lot, that a >3.0 is ok at the smp- it really isnt. it will seriously hurt ur chances to any allopathic us school if u get below a 3.5. so dont do the smp until u are in the right mind set.

 

[Vihsadas]

yea, if u feel like u are not ready to jump into that kind of intensity at gtown, i think sfsu will serve u better. i hear that a lot, that a >3.0 is ok at the smp- it really isnt. it will seriously hurt ur chances to any allopathic us school if u get below a 3.5. so dont do the smp until u are in the right mind set.

I agree. I really don't like that people at gtown promote that a 3.0 is 'good' because it means you are the medical school average. That just isn't true.

I'd say that for an SMP to be worth the money you paid >3.7 is necessary. 3.8 or 3.9 is really where you want to be though.