SMP Application Advice

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wiscyon

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Hello everyone,

I'm sorry to make a new thread but I looked through the forums already and wasn't able to get a concrete answer to my question.

I am planning on applying to SMPs for next year. My GPA is 3.1 and my MCAT is 31.

I think my MCAT is ok but with my GPA could be better. So I was wondering if you guys could give me advice on whether I should turn in my application asap or try to retake the MCAT and apply in Jan/Feb.

Btw I'm interested in the usual places like Georgetown, Tufts, BU, along with NYMC because I'm in NYC already. I will probably send apps to Temple and Cinncinati but I feel like those are just as hard to get into as med school so not banking on it much.

Any help is appreciated thank you~

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I think you're jumping the gun looking at SMPs. Don't retake the MCAT, at least not now. Temple's min GPA is 3.4 so please step up this "looked through the forums" thing and become a responsible researcher in charge of your fate. Nobody is going to figure this out for you.

From 3.1 in New York you can't get very far with just an SMP and a couple more MCAT points. You need to directly take action on that 3.1, or you need to focus on DO schools and give up on being anywhere near NYC. You need a 2-3 year plan if you want to get into a good med school (this includes good DO schools) on your first app cycle. A single best app cycle is what you should want. An SMP acceptance doesn't get you there.

This is where my stock advice "be the grownup in charge" takes over, because there's no formula for how to approach GPA redemption. You won't find a concrete answer because you're not supposed to want to go to med school if you didn't produce a strong academic record in undergrad. You're off the reservation. Premed advisers have no idea what to do with you. I honestly have no time to explain this for the 10,000th time in this forum.

More reading please. Best of luck to you.
 
There is a concrete answer to your question all over these forums! Go look at the advice that Dr. Midlife gave me on my first post.

Also just FYI: Temple doesn't really have a minimum 3.4 as of this year. I have spoken to admissions officers there in the last 2 months and they made it clear that the 3.3 I am hoping for by the end of next spring would be acceptable.
 
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If you don't have time then you don't have to respond to my post.

The reason I ask is because although I have seen postings from people with similar GPAs to me they usually went to SMPs with a higher GPA. So that is why i was wondering if it would be a good idea to retake.

I have already graduated. Due to my toxic family I let emotions get the best of me in the beginning and end of college. The middle time period was decent. Which is why again, I ask for advice because my GPA is neither an upward nor a downward trend.

I have gotten away from one of the toxic parents and hopefully after this year can leave the other. I am currently working as a research intern at MSKCC with a small stipend but not enough to move out.

I did not go to school in NYC I just live here for the year and am willing to go wherever takes me. I don't intend to go to NYC for med school because it is extremely competitive and I know my chances are minimal. I have applied to DO schools but if I don't get in (which I think I wont) I need a backup plan.

I do not have the financial means to take extra post bacc classes without a formal program in order to get loans. As for 2-3 year plan I am looking into SMP but also may stay in my lab bc my PI has hinted and wanting me to stay more long term.

I am not posting this because I want to get into med school tomorrow. I just want a plan and want to do things in a timely manner. I cannot continue my relationship with my parents past this year for my own well-being which is why I have seriously been considering an SMP bc then at least I can get loans and study independently.

And I said in my post already that I am not banking on Temple. I would like to go to Georgetown or something similar and I know my GPA is a bit Lower than their average too. Btw I have talked to students who did go to SMPs and one specifically got on with a 3.0 GPA and 31 MCAT which is why I am confused and asking a simple question.
 
I'm confused, what exactly is your question? Are you asking whether or not your stats are competitive for SMP's? If you read through the SMP class threads, you'll notice pretty quickly that people are getting into BU MAMS as well as Georgetown with stats similar to, and even sometimes below, yours (I haven't done any research into Tufts so I can't speak for that program). Like you said, don't bank on Temple or Cincy, but for a program such as BU, which accepts upwards of 180 students every year, you should be fine. You should have no problem getting into at least one of the SMP's you listed. I would add the program at Rosalind Franklin in there for good measure, provided that applying to another program won't put a strain on you financially.

In my opinion, the question you should be asking is whether your MCAT score is good enough to get you into medical school, even with a stellar SMP GPA. In my opinion, if you rock an SMP (I'm talking 3.7-4.0), you stand a decent chance of getting in with your current score. This is where I agree with DrMidlife -- you need to "be the grownup in charge". Spend hours poring over all of the previous class threads for Gtown, Tufts, BU, or whatever SMP you're interested in -- alumni of the programs who were successful in getting into medical school will usually chime in with their uGPA, SMP GPA, and MCAT score, so you can get an idea of where you stand in comparison. If, after doing the research, you think your 31 gives you a decent shot, then great -- apply and wait. Otherwise, strongly consider retaking the MCAT, provided that you honestly believe you can score 33 or higher.

"As for 2-3 year plan I am looking into SMP but also may stay in my lab bc my PI has hinted and wanting me to stay more long term."

I didn't understand this point -- do you want to improve on your qualifications for med school or work in the lab? From everything I've read, you need to be completely all-in during an SMP - that means no volunteering, tutoring, shadowing, research, etc. Also, keep in mind that PI's get a lot of cheap labor from students such as you and me, and at a time when research funding is abysmal, we are even more valuable to them. I recently finished a research-based MS, and towards the end, my PI was all but begging me to stay and do a Ph.D. Don't sacrifice your goals to work for peanuts for your PI. That being said, if you really do love research that much, I think you should strongly consider Boston University's MAMS - it's a two-year program where during the second year you can do research anywhere in the country, while you apply to med school.

Anyways, good luck.
 
Yes thank you Dro133 this is pretty much what I was wondering. Maybe more like would it be better to submit the app now or later but I'm guessing earlier is better if my stats are somewhat acceptable.

Yes I think if I cannot get at least a 3.7 in the program I should give up on med school.

For my lab, yeah I get that feeling from the PI and the situation too. But I think if I had the chance to write a paper or get some kind of full time salary I may consider staying and saving as much as possible for an SMP the year after.

Since the MCAT is changing after January that's why I'm worried to postpone retaking it.

My friend is going to RFU actually, I forgot to mention it when I wrote it in the post. BU seems good because of the 2 year option because as DrMidlfe said I need a 2-3 year plan.

I am also thinking it will be better to apply after the SMP year but I'm not sure how people are able to fund this option....
 
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