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27 yo M ORM
Do you think there’s benefit to me doing an SMP? I’m worried that my SGPA is too low to be really considered for MD schools without one. I’m considering a couple of SMPs with interview linkage. I feel that I’m ready for that challenge and would be entering as a completely different student than the one in undergrad, as my study habits and approach to life in general have changed a lot. Im also open to DO schools so I will add this as well but prefer MD schools. Thoughts on an SMP? I’ll obviously might be applying this coming cycle as is but wondering if I should start one in anticipation of if this cycle doesn’t work
27 yo M ORM
- GPA: 3.34 cGPA, 3.16 sGPA total, 3.28/3.02 in undergrad; 4.0 over 20 credits in DIY postbacc at local Uni
- MCAT: 518 taken 4/26/25
- US resident in Minnesota
- Ethnicity: South Asian
- Undergrad institution: University of Minnesota
- Clinical experience:
- Scribed with ScribeAmerica in an outpatient oncology clinic 30-32 hrs/week for 6 months 2019- Jan 2020, about 500 hours
- Scribed in an orthopedic urgent care full time from Feb 2020 - Sept of 2021, with a brief monthlong furlough due to COVID 19, roughly 1300hours
- Worked part time in the same role when I came back to school for September 2021- May-2022 (6-8 hours a week, roughly 200 hours)
- Since (June 2022 - Today) have worked full time as a clinical assistant in a different, busier orthopedic urgent care. Very hands on with tons of patient and provider interaction. Learned to cast, splint, do lots of DME fittings, take care of post-surgical wounds/sutures/stitches with guidance from surgical team, etc. Still working here and absolutely love working with patients every day and learning day by day. Roughly 4500+ hours.
- Summary: Around 2300 hours scribing, 4500 working hands on with patients as a clinical assistant in urgent care since 2019. Total 7000 hours.
- Research experience and productivity
- Worked wet lab, processing infant stool samples for a study on the infant microbiome in 2017, about 40 hours.
- Was able to work my way up to helping with computational analyses on this study in 2018. Became proficient in using R and Python and helped with data processing and several key visualizations for a published manuscript in Cell. Was able to gain authorship on this publication (only pub). Roughly 150-160 hours
- When I returned to school in 2021, I helped a new postdoc to the lab with their research, primarily working with raw data processing and statistical testing between groups. Did not gain a publication for my work here, but learned quite a bit of hands on information relating to data analysis in R and python. About 120 hours here.
- Net 300-320 hours, 1 publication, LOR from lab PI
- Shadowing experience and specialties represented
- Primary care: 10 hours
- Primary care, sports medicine: 24 hours
- Orthopedic surgery: 10 hours
- Neurosurgery: 12 hours
- Net 56 hours shadowing
- Non-clinical volunteering
- ESL tutor for adults in 2017: about 35 hours
- Reading partner for elementary aged students struggling with reading, 2022-2025, about 110 hours
- Tax volunteer (decided to try something very different hahah— learned to help those under the poverty line do taxes for free with an IRS certified organization): 60 hours, 2023-2024
- Free furniture delivery volunteer, 2023 - 2025, about 40 hours.
- Volunteering at a local shelter, 2026, about 30 hours.
- Leadership: Served on the School of Biological Science’s student board from 2017-2019. Helped advocate for student concerns in the college, and I primarily focused on working with the college to make accessibility to food pantries easier especially during stressful times in the semester. I also served as the student senator for the college of biological sciences in 2018, and continued work on dealing with food insecurity within our college/accessibility to food resources among other projects during my time. Was a part of the student government for 2 years as well.
- Teaching: served as a teaching assistant for the introduction to computational biology lab for 3 semesters. Currently working as a volunteer Microbiology TA at the university I did my DIY postbacc at.
Do you think there’s benefit to me doing an SMP? I’m worried that my SGPA is too low to be really considered for MD schools without one. I’m considering a couple of SMPs with interview linkage. I feel that I’m ready for that challenge and would be entering as a completely different student than the one in undergrad, as my study habits and approach to life in general have changed a lot. Im also open to DO schools so I will add this as well but prefer MD schools. Thoughts on an SMP? I’ll obviously might be applying this coming cycle as is but wondering if I should start one in anticipation of if this cycle doesn’t work
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