Should I start SMP or see how cycle goes? Need advice!

[worriedpremed21]

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[Mr.Smile12]

IMO no you don't need an SMP with those GPA's (with C and D, is this your AMCAS GPA?), presuming you were a typical prehealth biomedical science major. Maybe a little more community service and clinical experience.

Did you repeat your psych course D?

 

[LunaOri]

I don’t think you need an SMP. Keep up your clinical exposure, shadowing, and volunteer work, and you should be fine.

 

[LindaAccepted]

I also don't think you need an SMP. Keep up what you're doing. If you want to enroll in the SMP as insurance, obviously you can do so, but if you were not to get accepted this cycle I'd suspect more your presentation of your experience or poor school choices than doubts about your academic ability.

 

[worriedpremed21]

IMO no you don't need an SMP with those GPA's (with C and D, is this your AMCAS GPA?), presuming you were a typical prehealth biomedical science major. Maybe a little more community service and clinical experience.

Did you repeat your psych course D?

I didn’t repeat the D because I don’t need it for my major but I took higher level psych classes and did well and yes that is my AMCAS gpa. I have 420 hrs of clinical experience is that not enough?

 

[Goro]

So I left college with a 3.7 cGPA and 3.72 sGPA and don’t know if I need an smp. Before anyone calls me crazy here are my year by year trends.

cGPA: 3.9 -> 3.2 -> 3.4 -> 3.9 -> 4.0
sGPA: 4.0 -> 3.1 -> 3.3-> 3.9 -> 4.0

I ended up taking 3 semesters in my senior year and 1 post-bacc semester where I did very well so I have about 60 credits and 38 science credits at around a 3.9.

As you can maybe tell, I had a tragedy my first semester of sophomore year that threw me in a loop for the next couple years. I also took 4 W’s the first semester of sophomore year because of the tragedy and stopped doing school and 2 more W’s 2nd semester junior year when I was trying to make up for my past grades and took too many classes. Also got a D+ in some easy psych, C+ in bio lab, C+ in orgo lab (retook for A), and a C+ in Orgo 2 (retook for A) during these 2 years.

Other info:
MCAT: 517
Clinical volunteering: 120 hrs hospice
Non clinical volunteer: 240 ESL tutor, 100 hrs special Olympics coach, 100 hrs as advocate for legally deemed incapable elderly.
Clinical job: 300 hrs patient care tech
Research: 400 hrs in wet lab (1 poster), 300 hrs clinical research (1 publication)
Other: 70 hrs editor and senior advisor in undergrad research journal, volunteer personal trainer (part of hobby)
Hobbies: DJ, fitness/amateur bodybuilder

So I applied to 40 MD schools this cycle and finishing up secondaries but also got into an SMP starting this August, should I do it? I really want to prove that I am capable and just a had a rough couple years in undergrad but I don’t know if I need it especially since I’m already applying but if I don’t get anywhere I’ll have a year of SMP grades for next cycle. What are your guys opinions, do I have a solid chance this cycle aiming all across the board but mostly mid tier and low tier but also a couple T30 even though I don’t have a chance lol (I really want to go MD just because I’m interested in surgical specialities)

Please tell me I’m not screwed, I will happily grind an SMP if needed.

Btw I talked about my experience in my app and secondaries. THANKS!!
@Goro @LizzyM

You have displayed reinvention! No need for SMP.

What schools did you apply to?

 

[Goro]

So I left college with a 3.7 cGPA and 3.72 sGPA and don’t know if I need an smp. Before anyone calls me crazy here are my year by year trends.

cGPA: 3.9 -> 3.2 -> 3.4 -> 3.9 -> 4.0
sGPA: 4.0 -> 3.1 -> 3.3-> 3.9 -> 4.0

I ended up taking 3 semesters in my senior year and 1 post-bacc semester where I did very well so I have about 60 credits and 38 science credits at around a 3.9.

As you can maybe tell, I had a tragedy my first semester of sophomore year that threw me in a loop for the next couple years. I also took 4 W’s the first semester of sophomore year because of the tragedy and stopped doing school and 2 more W’s 2nd semester junior year when I was trying to make up for my past grades and took too many classes. Also got a D+ in some easy psych, C+ in bio lab, C+ in orgo lab (retook for A), and a C+ in Orgo 2 (retook for A) during these 2 years.

Other info:
MCAT: 517
Clinical volunteering: 120 hrs hospice
Non clinical volunteer: 240 ESL tutor, 100 hrs special Olympics coach, 100 hrs as advocate for legally deemed incapable elderly.
Clinical job: 300 hrs patient care tech
Research: 400 hrs in wet lab (1 poster), 300 hrs clinical research (1 publication)
Other: 70 hrs editor and senior advisor in undergrad research journal, volunteer personal trainer (part of hobby)
Hobbies: DJ, fitness/amateur bodybuilder

So I applied to 40 MD schools this cycle and finishing up secondaries but also got into an SMP starting this August, should I do it? I really want to prove that I am capable and just a had a rough couple years in undergrad but I don’t know if I need it especially since I’m already applying but if I don’t get anywhere I’ll have a year of SMP grades for next cycle. What are your guys opinions, do I have a solid chance this cycle aiming all across the board but mostly mid tier and low tier but also a couple T30 even though I don’t have a chance lol (I really want to go MD just because I’m interested in surgical specialities)

Please tell me I’m not screwed, I will happily grind an SMP if needed.

Btw I talked about my experience in my app and secondaries. THANKS!!
@Goro @LizzyM

As a reinventor, you need to have some DO schools on your list.

 

[worriedpremed21]

You have displayed reinvention! No need for SMP.

What schools did you apply to?

Indiana resident. Do I still need DO with a 517 MCAT?

Pitt
UCSF
Emory
Umich
CWRU
Mayo
Mt Sinai
Loyola
University of Cincinnati
University of Miami
Ohio state
Georgetown
USC
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Medical college of Wisconsin
Tufts
Wisconsin
Oakland B
Rush
USF
Colorado
Hofstra
Rochester
Tulane
Wake forest
Dartmouth
Iowa
Indiana
Vermont
Kentucky
University of Illinois
Eastern Virginia
Arizona
Albert Einstein
Western Michigan
New York medical college
Penn state
Nova
Quinnipiac
Albany
Temple
Wayne state
St. Louis University
Drexel
Rosalind Franklin

 

[Goro]

Indiana resident.

Pitt
UCSF
Emory
Umich
CWRU
Mayo
Mt Sinai
Loyola
University of Cincinnati
University of Miami
Ohio state
Georgetown
USC
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Medical college of Wisconsin
Tufts
Wisconsin
Oakland B
Rush
USF
Colorado
Hofstra
Rochester
Tulane
Wake forest
Dartmouth
Iowa
Indiana
Vermont
Kentucky
University of Illinois
Eastern Virginia
Arizona
Albert Einstein
Western Michigan
New York medical college
Penn state
Nova
Quinnipiac
Albany
Temple
Wayne state
St. Louis University
Drexel
Rosalind Franklin

One in bold might be donations, as state schools favor the home team, and are rarely freindly to OOS reinventors. Keck is a maybe. Don't know about Rochester. Others on the list reward reinvention.

Add:
MUCOM
CCOM (but watch tuition!)
KCOM
KCU
DMU
LECOM-E
KYCOM
PCOM

 

[Doctoscope]

Indiana resident. Do I still need DO with a 517 MCAT?

Pitt
UCSF
Emory
Umich
CWRU
Mayo
Mt Sinai
Loyola
University of Cincinnati
University of Miami
Ohio state
Georgetown
USC
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Medical college of Wisconsin
Tufts
Wisconsin
Oakland B
Rush
USF
Colorado
Hofstra
Rochester
Tulane
Wake forest
Dartmouth
Iowa
Indiana
Vermont
Kentucky
University of Illinois
Eastern Virginia
Arizona
Albert Einstein
Western Michigan
New York medical college
Penn state
Nova
Quinnipiac
Albany
Temple
Wayne state
St. Louis University
Drexel
Rosalind Franklin

If you don’t want to reapply, then it’s a good idea to apply DO as well. But actually be OK with going DO, or else you’ll end up like one of the annual “should I just reapply despite a DO acceptance” threads.

 

[worriedpremed21]

One in bold might be donations, as state schools favor the home team, and are rarely freindly to OOS reinventors. Keck is a maybe. Don't know about Rochester. Others on the list reward reinvention.

Add:
MUCOM
CCOM (but watch tuition!)
KCOM
KCU
DMU
LECOM-E
KYCOM
PCOM

how does this plan sound to you. Don’t go to the SMP this August and see how the cycle turns out with my 3.7 and 517 while continuing clinical and volunteering and apply to different SMP’s so if this cycle doesn’t pan out I’ll have a backup plan for next August. This way I don’t do an SMP if I don’t need one. I could also do another post bacc semester this fall and take a couple classes if you think that could help me out. To be honest, I think I’m underestimating how hard an SMP really is.

 

[Goro]

how does this plan sound to you. Don’t go to the SMP this August and see how the cycle turns out with my 3.7 and 517 while continuing clinical and volunteering and apply to different SMP’s so if this cycle doesn’t pan out I’ll have a backup plan for next August. This way I don’t do an SMP if I don’t need one. I could also do another post bacc semester this fall and take a couple classes if you think that could help me out. To be honest, I think I’m underestimating how hard an SMP really is.

If you got a 3.7 in undergrad, and special Masters program should be very doable. However you don't need a special Masters program. If you're not getting into medical school, it's not because of your stats.