SMP Did More Harm Than Good....Need Advice.

[mathnerd88]

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I am just wondering why you claim you didn't study properly for those two MCAT exams you took. The first time you took it without studying properly adcoms can let slide. Then it happened again the second time. There really isn't an excuse for that.

If you felt like you didn't prepare well the second time you could've voided it after the exam.

 

[sg808]

I am just wondering why you claim you didn't study properly for those two MCAT exams you took. The first time you took it without studying properly adcoms can let slide. Then it happened again the second time. There really isn't an excuse for that.

If you felt like you didn't prepare well the second time you could've voided it after the exam.

Strange thing is after walking out of the test, the 2nd time, I felt much stronger and thought I had done well and really believed I got a score within my range. If anything, I should have voided the test after the 1st time taking it cuz I thought it didn't go well. But during the second time I didn't feel that way and I had changed my studying habits from the 1st to the 2nd. I was shocked when i got my scores back from the 2nd one, because I definitely was not expecting the same score.

First one I can account that I didn't study for it right/didn't do enough practice tests. 2nd one however, I studied for it for 4 months, full time - no work/school, did about 10-15 practice tests with scores between 24-28, and i figured that I would score in that range for my 2nd test.

 

[mathnerd88]

Strange thing is after walking out of the test, the 2nd time, I felt much stronger and thought I had done well and really believed I got a score within my range. If anything, I should have voided the test after the 1st time taking it cuz I thought it didn't go well. But during the second time I didn't feel that way and I had changed my studying habits from the 1st to the 2nd. I was shocked when i got my scores back from the 2nd one, because I definitely was not expecting the same score.

If that was the case, then it would be very difficult to improve on the MCAT. Usually, the biggest score increase would be from the second time taking it. I thought my second time was much better than my first but I got only a 1 point increase. I'm not going to try a third time just because the risk of getting a lower score is high.

 

[Monkitty]

[...]

2nd one however, I studied for it for 4 months, full time - no work/school, did about 10-15 practice tests with scores between 24-28, and i figured that I would score in that range for my 2nd test.

If you studied that much but still got a 20 you should seriously evaluate trying the MCAT again. Some people are not good standardized test takers, but this is a test you have to do well on.

If you have access to any kind of test counseling at your school it might be worthwhile to go in and see if there is anything try can do to help. Studying that much without an increase makes it seem you might have some test taking deficiency (test anxiety?) or else your comprehension of the material is, frankly, below what is necessary for medical school.

Your scores on your practice tests WERE on simulated tests, correct? I.e. timed, no notes, etc.

 

[sg808]

If you studied that much but still got a 20 you should seriously evaluate trying the MCAT again. Some people are not good standardized test takers, but this is a test you have to do well on.

If you have access to any kind of test counseling at your school it might be worthwhile to go in and see if there is anything try can do to help. Studying that much without an increase makes it seem you might have some test taking deficiency (test anxiety?) or else your comprehension of the material is, frankly, below what is necessary for medical school.

Your scores on your practice tests WERE on simulated tests, correct? I.e. timed, no notes, etc.

yup the practice tests I took were timed and stimulated in test taking environment (library), - with no notes.

 

[sg808]

If you have access to any kind of test counseling at your school it might be worthwhile to go in and see if there is anything try can do to help. Studying that much without an increase makes it seem you might have some test taking deficiency (test anxiety?) or else your comprehension of the material is, frankly, below what is necessary for medical school. [/QUOTE]

I did go to my school's learning/psych center and only thing I got out of it was study skills session. Otherwise, in order to be tested for a learn difficulty/test anxiety - I would have to pay close to $1000 dollars for the test - which I can't afford now.

 

[Monkitty]

If you have insurance would it cover the testing? Maybe check with some psychologists in your area. I agree $1000 is steep but if you plan to continue your education beyond the undergrad level it might be worth getting checked out.

Either way, you need to seriously reevaluate your MCAT strategy. Maybe look into some of the prep companies. I think some have guarantees that if you don't score as high or higher on the real thing as compared to your performance in their class, you get a refund or the like.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

As few of the above posters have pointed out, I know that my chances are slim and I'm not going to sugarcoat that or what has happened.

As of now, I want to give it one more shot in retaking the mcats, and do well in my retakes. Ya this will cost money, but I don't want to give up that easily. I know quite a few people who did the program I did, with retakes & retakes of mcats, & were still able to manage in getting interviews/acceptances at my school. So I don't think my chances are completely impossible, but they aren't good as other users have mentioned.

Plan B is definitely as of now either podiatry or PA school. Idk I just feel like if I don't give it one more go, I may regret it later on.

Good luck. I hope I'm wrong and you can turn things around and be accepted. If not, I think the alternatives you have in mind are reasonable/good.

 

[deleted158872]

the OP got some C's and B's in real medical school courses, right?
is that really indicative that he can't handle med school, since med students only need a 70 (C-) to pass a course in med school, so to speak, they only need 1.7 GPA minimum to proceed to next year.
some med schools are bit more relaxed: you just need a module grade of 70 (so if you got 80, 65, 85 in the 3 courses in the module), you'll still pass because your average MODULE grade is >70.

if he did not do SMP and simply retook the MCAT, a high MCAT score + 3.6 undergrad GPA = he'd have good chances?

 

[deleted480308]

the OP got some C's and B's in real medical school courses, right?
is that really indicative that he can't handle med school, since med students only need a 70 (C-) to pass a course in med school, so to speak, they only need 1.7 GPA minimum to proceed to next year.
some med schools are bit more relaxed: you just need a module grade of 70 (so if you got 80, 65, 85 in the 3 courses in the module), you'll still pass because your average MODULE grade is >70.

if he did not do SMP and simply retook the MCAT, a high MCAT score + 3.6 undergrad GPA = he'd have good chances?

with an SMP below 3.0 there is proof that even a more relaxed med school schedule isn't one they are doing very well in, when you add two 20s on the mcat you have another consistent method of showing the student is unlikely to succeed on the many standardized tests that are required to make it.

This student never should have been advised to take the smp....their problem was the mcat. Now they have 2 problems

 

[deleted158872]

my undergrad pre med adviser that my science gpa was too low for osteopathic medical schools and it would be in my best interest to take more upper level science courses

what bad advice. this is why i didn't listen to premed advisers.
3.3 is enough for DO schools.

This student never should have been advised to take the smp....their problem was the mcat. Now they have 2 problems

i agree.
the process is all about "playing the game right".
what SMP programs don't tell you is that: "nah, your GPA is high enough, you don't need us".
this should be a warning for naive students who jump into an expensive SMP without learning about its implications.

 

[deleted158872]

This student never should have been advised to take the smp....their problem was the mcat. Now they have 2 problems

i agree.
the process is all about "playing the game right".

Hi Everyone,

So I need some advice regarding applying this cycle. I recently finished completing the 1st year of a 2 year special master's program.

My undergraduate cum gpa was a 3.6 & sci gpa was 3.3 and I was told by my undergrad pre med adviser that my science gpa was too low for osteopathic medical schools and it would be in my best interest to take more upper level science courses to improve my science gpa and show medical schools that I can handle upper level science courses.

That being said, I enrolled in a SMP at a medical school. The courses were the same as the 1st year medical school courses such as gross anatomy, histology, molecular bio, pharmacology, neuro, etc, but with not as much clinical emphasis as it would be in medical school.

Out of the all the classes I took this year, I got 1 C & 2 C+'s, with the rest beings B's. I started off with the C's in the beginning of the year, but ended better with upward trend of B's. My gpa as of the 1st year is about 2.6.

What I was wondering is how is the 2.6 graduate gpa going to look on my application? Will this negatively affect me from getting in? I do plan on retaking the courses that I got a C in during the 2nd yr of the program & hoping to get B's or better in them.

With regards to other aspects of my application, my mcat score for the old exam two times was a 20 (7,7,6), which I know is horrible and doesn't look good. I think I did poorly both times because I didn't study the right away and did not do enough practice, & apply what I was learning in content review to the passages. I am planning on retaking the new exam this summer & will put more emphasis on practice/practice tests during my studying.

As for extracurricular, I have a good amount of clinical, & shadowing experience & outside volunteer work - but I feel like none of this will matter if I don't have good grades/MCAT scores.

I am bit loss on what to do now or what to do next, so any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated! I know that MCAT retake is a definite and as well as retaking my courses. I guess my main concern is damage from the SMP irreversible.

Thank you all for your help!

if you absolutely want Medicine, there is a bit of hope for you, but not in the USA:

if i were you, i would enroll in a second-career school and preparing to retake the MCAT (in case your MCAT still turns out low, you'll have your 2nd career to fall back on).
get the RIGHT review books, put at least 3 months (8 hours/day) into it!

Then after you get your new MCAT score, consider Australian med schools that accept internationals: most of them are world-class universities (U of Melbourne, for example, only looks at your undergrad GPA if your grad GPA is low, or they'll look at your grad GPA if your undergrad GPA is low). You need >26 MCAT for these schools, or whatever is the equivalent on the new MCAT.

returning to the US will be very difficult if you go overseas to study (you'll also be responsible for the USMLE entirely on your own because their curriculum isn't geared toward USMLE), but you have a backup of staying in Australia to practice. It's a great country with a great health care system.
if you absolutely want to return to the US to practice, then i don't recommend this route.

 

[kenjixshadow]

x

 

[sg808]

i agree.
the process is all about "playing the game right".

if you absolutely want Medicine, there is a bit of hope for you, but not in the USA:

if i were you, i would enroll in a second-career school and preparing to retake the MCAT (in case your MCAT still turns out low, you'll have your 2nd career to fall back on).
get the RIGHT review books, put at least 3 months (8 hours/day) into it!

Then after you get your new MCAT score, consider Australian med schools that accept internationals: most of them are world-class universities (U of Melbourne, for example, only looks at your undergrad GPA if your grad GPA is low, or they'll look at your grad GPA if your undergrad GPA is low). You need >26 MCAT for these schools, or whatever is the equivalent on the new MCAT.

returning to the US will be very difficult if you go overseas to study (you'll also be responsible for the USMLE entirely on your own because their curriculum isn't geared toward USMLE), but you have a backup of staying in Australia to practice. It's a great country with a great health care system.
if you absolutely want to return to the US to practice, then i don't recommend this route.

ya i'm not looking to go to medical schools overseas. If i have to do, i rather go to the Caribbean, but not Australia.

 

[You're My Boy Blue]

As many people have said, your adviser pointed you in the wrong direction with the SMP. A lot of people are telling you that it's over though...I don't believe that. You're going to have to put A LOT of work into your app though. Take a MCAT course and study like its your full time job for 3-6 months and get at least a 29. Also, retake those SMP courses and get at least an A- in every one. DO schools are more understanding about applications, if you accomplish this I believe you could get in.

Edit: Seriously consider overseas programs. They are much easier to get into and I have met multiple competent US doctors that have needed to take this path.

 

[ZedsDed]

As many people have said, your adviser pointed you in the wrong direction with the SMP. A lot of people are telling you that it's over though...I don't believe that. You're going to have to put A LOT of work into your app though. Take a MCAT course and study like its your full time job for 3-6 months and get at least a 29. Also, retake those SMP courses and get at least an A- in every one. DO schools are more understanding about applications, if you accomplish this I believe you could get in.

Edit: Seriously consider overseas programs. They are much easier to get into and I have met multiple competent US doctors that have needed to take this path.

I disagree with you, strongly.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

As many people have said, your adviser pointed you in the wrong direction with the SMP. A lot of people are telling you that it's over though...I don't believe that. You're going to have to put A LOT of work into your app though. Take a MCAT course and study like its your full time job for 3-6 months and get at least a 29. Also, retake those SMP courses and get at least an A- in every one. DO schools are more understanding about applications, if you accomplish this I believe you could get in.

Edit: Seriously consider overseas programs. They are much easier to get into and I have met multiple competent US doctors that have needed to take this path.

Nope and no.

 

[gannicus89]

Again. I wonder why premed advisors are the way they are. I am saddened by the terrible advice you were given. At the same time, I think doing the SMP gave you a taste of how you would perform if you had already gotten into medical school. Your MCAT scores worry me. When you are scoring that low, I don't believe you are retaining what you learned or applying concepts properly. This is a fundamental issue because to succeed on these types of exams, your mode of thinking has to be set in a specific way... and I don't think you will be able to effectively adapt. There is absolutely nothing wrong with coming to the conclusion that medicine is not for you. I hate discouraging people from working to achieve their goals, but I genuinely believe that two low MCAT scores and the poor performance in the SMP has drastically reduced your chances of acceptance.

Please consider all of the work it would take to ace the new MCAT, ace all of your re-takes and other courses, ace the interviews, explain how you changed, etc, ONLY to get into medical school and barely scrape by... There is a saying amongst some medical students that a P = MD, as in, passing is equivalent to attaining your medical degree. You will be doing a major disservice to your future patients if you become the type of physician who barely made it through medical school, has a weak understanding of the sciences, and is responsible for other peoples' well-being.

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. You have to determine your strengths and find a profession which is aligned with those strengths. The evidence so far STRONGLY suggests that your strengths are not aligned with medicine. Instead of struggling to make the cut, find your niche and excel. Good luck.

 

[sg808]

Again. I wonder why premed advisors are the way they are. I am saddened by the terrible advice you were given. At the same time, I think doing the SMP gave you a taste of how you would perform if you had already gotten into medical school. Your MCAT scores worry me. When you are scoring that low, I don't believe you are retaining what you learned or applying concepts properly. This is a fundamental issue because to succeed on these types of exams, your mode of thinking has to be set in a specific way... and I don't think you will be able to effectively adapt. There is absolutely nothing wrong with coming to the conclusion that medicine is not for you. I hate discouraging people from working to achieve their goals, but I genuinely believe that two low MCAT scores and the poor performance in the SMP has drastically reduced your chances of acceptance.

Please consider all of the work it would take to ace the new MCAT, ace all of your re-takes and other courses, ace the interviews, explain how you changed, etc, ONLY to get into medical school and barely scrape by... There is a saying amongst some medical students that a P = MD, as in, passing is equivalent to attaining your medical degree. You will be doing a major disservice to your future patients if you become the type of physician who barely made it through medical school, has a weak understanding of the sciences, and is responsible for other peoples' well-being.

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. You have to determine your strengths and find a profession which is aligned with those strengths. The evidence so far STRONGLY suggests that your strengths are not aligned with medicine. Instead of struggling to make the cut, find your niche and excel. Good luck.

I regret and not regret doing the SMP, more 50/50 I guess. My logic in doing it was that I thought it would help me as oppose to hurt me, but at the same time I'm happy that I got to be exposed to medical school courses prior to beginning medical school so now I know what to expect & this is actually one of the reasons why i did it. I think the reason I didn't do well was because of initial transitioning period in the beginning of the SMP and getting use to the level of coursework because I was non-science major in undergrad, so there was big jump in the amount of coursework/studying from undergrad to the SMP.

But i think that now by doing the program, by i feel better in the sciences that the past and think my reasoning skills have developed better.

 

[gannicus89]

I regret and not regret doing the SMP, more 50/50 I guess. My logic in doing it was that I thought it would help me as oppose to hurt me, but at the same time I'm happy that I got to be exposed to medical school courses prior to beginning medical school so now I know what to expect & this is actually one of the reasons why i did it. I think the reason I didn't do well was because of initial transitioning period in the beginning of the SMP and getting use to the level of coursework because I was non-science major in undergrad, so there was big jump in the amount of coursework/studying from undergrad to the SMP.

But i think that now by doing the program, by i feel better in the sciences that the past and think my reasoning skills have developed better.

How you feel is irrelevant to how most [if not all] admissions committees will view your history. There is too much academic floundering, too much uncertainty, and a definite lack of success. I am not even sure acing the MCAT would be enough at this point. I think most people would see you as too much of a risk with too high of a chance for not making it through medical school.

I can't speak for others who have posted on this thread, but I want the best for you. I truly think you are throwing thousands of dollars away at a lost cause. Do not waste time and resources. You need a clean slate away from this business.

 

[samac]

I regret and not regret doing the SMP, more 50/50 I guess. My logic in doing it was that I thought it would help me as oppose to hurt me, but at the same time I'm happy that I got to be exposed to medical school courses prior to beginning medical school so now I know what to expect & this is actually one of the reasons why i did it. I think the reason I didn't do well was because of initial transitioning period in the beginning of the SMP and getting use to the level of coursework because I was non-science major in undergrad, so there was big jump in the amount of coursework/studying from undergrad to the SMP.

That's where the problem is. Many people (including people who are non science majors) succeed in the SMP without having to retake. I'm sure you can do better the second time around, you're seeing the same material.
Medical school is a bigger, more classes version of the SMP. You've shown adcoms you can't handle that.

I can't speak for others who have posted on this thread, but I want the best for you. I truly think you are throwing thousands of dollars away at a lost cause. Do not waste time and resources. You need a clean slate away from this business.

I completely agree with my friend here. I think most people here, including myself, are just trying to help you and want to see you succeed. But putting all that money into the SMP now after there's little chance of medical school seems like a waste, and we're all trying to help you now so you don't regret it later.

 

[mk04447]

There is a lot of context missing from this thread. What SMP? Many have a guaranteed interview with a certain GPA. You have another year to balance things out, with only half complete you should be able to achieve >3.3. As far as your performance this year, dust yourself off; the initial flood of info can be daunting and many people need to acclimate. Better to stumble in the SMP not medical school.

Your best shot is likely the school with linkage to your SMP, if that is the case? Granted you need a decent MCAT retake, but often being within a standard deviation of the average matriculated student is good enough. Depending on the classes you did poorly in, performance may not be as big an issue as you think. Doing poorly in genetics or a cell bio class would be less damaging than a bad showing in physio or pharm.

You're down not out, but you've turned your experience into a true Hail Mary. You really need to do some soul searching from here and dig deep, get to work. The reality is, anyone can conquer the workload; many people lie to themselves when they say they worked as hard as they could. I guarantee there were a few hours of Tom Foolery that produced those C's; deep six that **** and work harder from here on out.

 

[W19]

Time to consider podiatry...

 

[mathnerd88]

There is a lot of context missing from this thread. What SMP? Many have a guaranteed interview with a certain GPA. You have another year to balance things out, with only half complete you should be able to achieve >3.3. As far as your performance this year, dust yourself off; the initial flood of info can be daunting and many people need to acclimate. Better to stumble in the SMP not medical school.

Your best shot is likely the school with linkage to your SMP, if that is the case? Granted you need a decent MCAT retake, but often being within a standard deviation of the average matriculated student is good enough. Depending on the classes you did poorly in, performance may not be as big an issue as you think. Doing poorly in genetics or a cell bio class would be less damaging than a bad showing in physio or pharm.

You're down not out, but you've turned your experience into a true Hail Mary. You really need to do some soul searching from here and dig deep, get to work. The reality is, anyone can conquer the workload; many people lie to themselves when they say they worked as hard as they could. I guarantee there were a few hours of Tom Foolery that produced those C's; deep six that **** and work harder from here on out.

I guess the point a lot of people are saying is...why be a doctor if you're not good at taking the classes or the exams? Why does anyone want to be in a career where they're doing something that they're not good at? It will just make them miserable. You're not going to like doing something you're not good at.

I know that if I'm not good at something (even after a couple tries of redeeming myself,) I would not want to pursue that career any further. I can understand trying again, but the OP has had many opportunities to excel but did not. I can excuse the first try of getting a bad MCAT score, but there's no excuse with a second attempt and no improvement at all. The OP isn't trying to improve a high score; he's trying to improve an extremely low score.

Nobody is trying to insult the OP here; we're just stating the truth and the sooner the OP can accept that, the better it will be for his health.

 

[IslandStyle808]

There is a lot of context missing from this thread. What SMP? Many have a guaranteed interview with a certain GPA. You have another year to balance things out, with only half complete you should be able to achieve >3.3. As far as your performance this year, dust yourself off; the initial flood of info can be daunting and many people need to acclimate. Better to stumble in the SMP not medical school.

Your best shot is likely the school with linkage to your SMP, if that is the case? Granted you need a decent MCAT retake, but often being within a standard deviation of the average matriculated student is good enough. Depending on the classes you did poorly in, performance may not be as big an issue as you think. Doing poorly in genetics or a cell bio class would be less damaging than a bad showing in physio or pharm.

Concur with the first bolded. I have know people in real life and have read on SDN who have stumbled in an SMP and gotten into medical school. It is not the norm, but it is not anecdotal either.

The second bolded is not true in some cases. There was one student I know of who withdrew from his formal post-bacc, did not get into the linkage school, but actually got into another school across the country (an MD school ranked much higher in primary care in fact). There are those medical school adcoms that think you screw up in their post-bacc, you won't make it in their medical school.

 

[mathnerd88]

Most linkage places require a specific GPA to be accepted. I know Touro wants at least a 3.6 in their SMP.

 

[ZedsDed]

Most linkage places require a specific GPA to be accepted. I know Touro wants at least a 3.6 in their SMP.

What do you guys mean by "linkage?" A guaranteed interview? Their are only 2 SMPs that have linkage worth a damn. Interviews=/= acceptance

 

[mathnerd88]

What do you guys mean by "linkage?" A guaranteed interview? Their are only 2 SMPs that have linkage worth a damn. Interviews=/= acceptance

No, you're automatically in their do school as long as you have a 3.5 in their SMP.

https://tourocom.touro.edu/academics/ms-program/

 

[ZedsDed]

No, you're automatically in their do school as long as you have a 3.6 in their SMP.

https://tourocom.touro.edu/academics/ms-program/

Oh sorry I didn't see that you were talking about touro. If anyone is confused, touro is a DO school.

 

[mk04447]

The second bolded is not true in some cases. There was one student I know of who withdrew from his formal post-bacc, did not get into the linkage school, but actually got into another school across the country (an MD school ranked much higher in primary care in fact). There are those medical school adcoms that think you screw up in their post-bacc, you won't make it in their medical school.

I can see this point, but if the OP gets his **** together they may not feel he performed poorly.

 

[mk04447]

What do you guys mean by "linkage?" A guaranteed interview? Their are only 2 SMPs that have linkage worth a damn. Interviews=/= acceptance

Linkage to me is a strong association. I've only heard of a few that guarantee you a seat for 'x' GPA, but many extend interviews. Once you get the interview, its yours to lose.

 

[ZedsDed]

Linkage to me is a strong association. I've only heard of a few that guarantee you a seat for 'x' GPA, but many extend interviews. Once you get the interview, its yours to lose.

I would be careful assuming that just because you are getting an interview they have accepted how you look on paper. Often times, the people screening for interviews are not the people who yay or nay your acceptance.

 

[IslandStyle808]

I can see this point, but if the OP gets his **** together they may not feel he performed poorly.

Well, it is true that there will be schools that are understanding if it is their own linkage program. However, some will have the attitude of one and done, especially in their own linkage program. My point is that there are some school that take failure in their linkage program more harshly than another medical school with zero clue about the program. So they may still have a shot even outside of that school.

If OP does get his/her act together, then it is definitely possible. I had another friend who entered another SMP and is currently in medical school now. I am not saying you are wrong, I am just pointing out that OP should just apply normally, because you don't always know if the medical school with the linkage program will be sympathetic.

EDIT: I say this with good grades and MCAT of course.

 

[ZedsDed]

Well, it is true that there will be schools that are understanding if it is their own linkage program. However, some will have the attitude of one and done, especially in their own linkage program. My point is that there are some school that take failure in their linkage program more harshly than another medical school with zero clue about the program. So they may still have a shot even outside of that school.

If OP does get his/her act together, then it is definitely possible. I had another friend who entered another SMP and is currently in medical school now. I am not saying you are wrong, I am just pointing out that OP should just apply normally, because you don't always know if the medical school with the linkage program will be sympathetic.

EDIT: I say this with good grades and MCAT of course.

I really have a hard time advising the OP to do a 2nd SMP. There is a strong chance that all of that time, effort, and money would be for nothing. I spent a few years (before all of this premed stuff) hiring people for entry level jobs. If OP fails the second SMP (a strong probability), they will have to get a job in the real world. If somebody came to me with no work experience, two worthless masters degrees, and a history of sub par grades... I would not be impressed, nor would I think that person was tenacious. Rather, I would think that they lacked wisdom and good decision making skills.

 

[KyleV]

OP I would go into podiatry if I was in your situation. I'm quite sure you'd get in somewhere with your stats. Shadow a few Podiatrists and see how you feel.

 

[sg808]

As some of the posters mentioned already, I definitely am taking look at alternative careers, whether it be podiatry or PA after I finish my program. I would have applied to those programs already & not have done the 2nd yr of my program, but i think i'm bit late for those application cycles in order to start to this upcoming fall.

Definitely have been doing some soul searching and trying to figure out what to do the last few weeks. I am thankful for the advice of the SDN members who have posted on this thread. I have been also talking with other friends who are in med school & advisers at my school....it's a lot to think about and hopefully I can make the right decision that I will be happy with and not regret later on.

 

[mk04447]

I really have a hard time advising the OP to do a 2nd SMP. There is a strong chance that all of that time, effort, and money would be for nothing. I spent a few years (before all of this premed stuff) hiring people for entry level jobs. If OP fails the second SMP (a strong probability), they will have to get a job in the real world. If somebody came to me with no work experience, two worthless masters degrees, and a history of sub par grades... I would not be impressed, nor would I think that person was tenacious. Rather, I would think that they lacked wisdom and good decision making skills.

Nobody is suggesting the OP do another SMP. If I understand correctly they completed one year of a two year program. I'm recommending a stellar finish and that may be enough for a little forgiveness.

 

[Dr. Janitor]

I have no idea what you are talking about. I am inclined to think that either:
A.) You are mistaken
B.) You took undergraduate credits somehow
C.) Mistakes were made in calculating your GPA and/or 1 school somewhere decided to combine the GPAs. This has nothing to do with the way AMCAS calculates your GPA.
If you are by some miracle correct, you are literally the only person I have ever heard say this

AACOMAS calculated two gpa's for me: one for undergrad and one for my SMP and then combined them to one total gpa. By doing this my cgpa & sgpa looks like crap as my undergrad gpa is weighing it down even though I've done pretty well in my SMP. I just saw it today and I'm going to call tomorrow to ask about it.

 

[Goro]

I've noticed a lot of outright ignorant information in this thread since my last post, but to clear one thing up: AACOMAS does calculate graduate/post-bac/SMP GPAs separately, but ALSO includes it in cGPA.

When I see an app, it shows me something like this:

uGPA: 3.0
pbGPA: 4.0
cGPA: 3.5

It shows us this for sGPA, total GPA and aoGP

The OP's GPA would be a kiss of death at my school. NO school, not even LUCOM, would be so foolish as to gamble on an applicant with so many poor indicators.

And the logic of "but there's a chance!" when the chance is > 0, but less than 1, is really 0. Medical school applications are not the Lotto.

Capeesh?

SMP is graduate GPA, not any of the above. And yes, I'm 100% sure

 

[ZedsDed]

I've noticed a lot of outright ignorant information in this thread since my last post, but to clear one thing up: AACOMAS does calculate graduate/post-bac/SMP GPAs separately, but ALSO includes it in cGPA.

When I see an app, it shows me something like this:

uGPA: 3.0
pbGPA: 4.0
cGPA: 3.5

It shows us this for sGPA, total GPA and aoGP

The OP's GPA would be a kiss of death at my school. NO school, not even LUCOM, would be so foolish as to gamble on an applicant with so many poor indicators.

And the logic of "but there's a chance!" when the chance is > 0, but less than 1, is really 0. Medical school applications are not the Lotto.

Capeesh?

So AACOMAS does not differentiate grad work from undergrad work? I wasn't aware that it was so different from AMCAS. I see in your example you use a postbacc, but what if it was a traditional masters?

 

[mk04447]

I've noticed a lot of outright ignorant information in this thread since my last post, but to clear one thing up: AACOMAS does calculate graduate/post-bac/SMP GPAs separately, but ALSO includes it in cGPA.

When I see an app, it shows me something like this:

uGPA: 3.0
pbGPA: 4.0
cGPA: 3.5

It shows us this for sGPA, total GPA and aoGP

The OP's GPA would be a kiss of death at my school. NO school, not even LUCOM, would be so foolish as to gamble on an applicant with so many poor indicators.

And the logic of "but there's a chance!" when the chance is > 0, but less than 1, is really 0. Medical school applications are not the Lotto.

Capeesh?

Really? Zero? That's a little extreme.

 

[samac]

Really? Zero? That's a little extreme.

I gotta say Goro is probably right.
Might even give him a 1% chance, but is that much really worth the time and money it'll cost for that minuscule chance?

 

[stevesteve123]

My gpa as of the 1st year is about 2.6.



With regards to other aspects of my application, my mcat score for the old exam two times was a 20 (7,7,6), which I know is horrible and doesn't look good. I think I did poorly both times because I didn't study the right away and did not do enough practice, & apply what I was learning in content review to the passages. I am planning on retaking the new exam this summer & will put more emphasis on practice/practice tests during my studying.

p!

yikes

are you interested in podiatry by any chance

 

[mk04447]

I gotta say Goro is probably right.
Might even give him a 1% chance, but is that much really worth the time and money it'll cost for that minuscule chance?

Never saw Dumb and Dumber did you?

 

[ZedsDed]

Never saw Dumb and Dumber did you?

+1 for making me visualize this guy as a med school applicant

 

[W19]

As some of the posters mentioned already, I definitely am taking look at alternative careers, whether it be podiatry or PA after I finish my program. I would have applied to those programs already & not have done the 2nd yr of my program, but i think i'm bit late for those application cycles in order to start to this upcoming fall.

Definitely have been doing some soul searching and trying to figure out what to do the last few weeks. I am thankful for the advice of the SDN members who have posted on this thread. I have been also talking with other friends who are in med school & advisers at my school....it's a lot to think about and hopefully I can make the right decision that I will be happy with and not regret later on.

Podiatry is very respectable. I used to work in the OR with these docs--they are great at what they do and they make good money. Shadow a pod to see whether you like it or not. You might have a tough time getting into PA school because they have become very competitive in the last few years. In such case, you can do a 1-year accelerated BSN program, and then do a 2-year NP. If you want to stay in healthcare, these choices are good IMO...

 

[sg808]

yikes

are you interested in podiatry by any chance

I have been looking into it. At the moment, I have been on focusing my attention on studying for a retake of the mcats. I still want to try to raise my score, if I end up applying to podiatry schools.

 

[sg808]

Podiatry is very respectable. I used to work in the OR with these docs--they are great at what they do and they make good money. Shadow a pod to see whether you like it or not. You might have a tough time getting into PA school because they have become very competitive in the last few years. In such case, you can do a 1-year accelerated BSN program, and then do a 2-year NP. If you want to stay in healthcare, these choices are good IMO...

No doubt podiatry is a good field and it seems very interesting. I haven't really made up my mind yet about whether or not to do podiatry or PA.

 

[Goro]

As I described above, you can see both sets of GPAs. They're very useful because you can see improvement, as in the example I gave you.

So AACOMAS does not differentiate grad work from undergrad work? I wasn't aware that it was so different from AMCAS. I see in your example you use a postbac, but what if it was a traditional masters?

I think it's cruel to lead someone on when the odds of failure are so great. At some point you have to say, "you tried your best and it wasn't good enough." Not everyone is cut out to be a doctor!

Really? Zero? That's a little extreme.

 

[samac]

Never saw Dumb and Dumber did you?

How was I supposed to catch that? It isn't the line! Lol