Should I do SMP or try applying to med school?

[the_last_banana]

I'm going into my senior year and I know I'm not a competitive applicant for medical school. I'm a non-science major (getting a chem minor) with an okay GPA ( ~3.5 sGPA, 3.65 cumulative, although I can raise it above a 3.7 if I do well in the rest of my courses). I barely have any extracurriculars, limited shadowing, and currently no research. This year I'm going to volunteer at a hospital, tutor & help in a couple high school science classrooms, work a part time job as a pharmacy tech or personal trainer, and try to get into a research lab. I plan to take the MCAT early next year.

Should I even bother applying to medical schools in the upcoming cycle or try to get into a SMP next fall? Or would it be better to focus on EC's/research/volunteering/shadowing this school year, study for the MCAT next summer while trying to beefen up my application, and apply to medical schools the next cycle?

I've been racking my brain trying to figure out the best course of action, and so any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

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[Goro]

You don't need an SMP...you need to do well on MCAT AND your ECs.

Having weak ECs will hurt you. Take a gap year.

 

[the_last_banana]

You don't need an SMP...you need to do well on MCAT AND your ECs.

Having weak ECs will hurt you. Take a gap year.

Thank you for your feedback

 

[Ryanjingle]

You cGPA and sGPA are fine, don't stress about those. If I were you I would take a year after you graduate and try to shadow and volunteer (both clinical and non-clinical). No need to improve your GPA stuff, just focus on what you can do to prove you love medicine. That also includes studying your ass off for the MCAT! Cause that will be a huge boost. Good luck!

 

[Med Ed]

I'm going into my senior year and I know I'm not a competitive applicant for medical school. I'm a non-science major (getting a chem minor) with an okay GPA ( ~3.5 sGPA, 3.65 cumulative, although I can raise it above a 3.7 if I do well in the rest of my courses). I barely have any extracurriculars, limited shadowing, and currently no research. This year I'm going to volunteer at a hospital, tutor & help in a couple high school science classrooms, work a part time job as a pharmacy tech or personal trainer, and try to get into a research lab. I plan to take the MCAT early next year.

Should I even bother applying to medical schools in the upcoming cycle or try to get into a SMP next fall? Or would it be better to focus on EC's/research/volunteering/shadowing this school year, study for the MCAT next summer while trying to beefen up my application, and apply to medical schools the next cycle?

I've been racking my brain trying to figure out the best course of action, and so any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Agree with @Goro above, your GPA is about the only thing that doesn't need addressing. Research is overrated, so focus your attention on (1) MCAT, (2) volunteering, and (3) clinical exposure.