SMP during gap year?

[LoveDocMD]

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I have a 3.47 sGPA and a 512 MCAT. I am considering applying for medical school this June while starting an SMP right after that, and then hopefully getting into schools the Fall after. Is this a good idea?

Thanks

 

[gyngyn]

We won't have of the data from the SMP...

 

[Shreman]

Coming from a SMP student, don't apply during the SMP year. Many SMPs, including mine, highly recommend applying after SMP classes are done. We need more info (cGPA, ECs) to have a better idea for your case.

According to the AAMC grid (https://www.aamc.org/download/321508/data/factstablea23.pdf) applicants like yourself have been successful 50% of the time. Depending on your situation (finances, ECs, etc.), I would apply sans-SMP with a strategic list, best bets being your state schools. If you want to do a SMP, take the second gap year to do research, volunteer, scribe, etc., and apply then.

Paging @DrMidlife from the non-trad forum

 

[Catalystik]

I have a 3.47 sGPA and a 512 MCAT. I am considering applying for medical school this June while starting an SMP right after that, and then hopefully getting into schools the Fall after. Is this a good idea?

Unless you already have a solid 1-1.5 years of recent, solid, excellent academics on your undergrad transcript (3.7+ GPA), including difficult science classes, this plan sounds like a waste of your time and money. Wait until you have a year of great SMP grades over a year's time before applying.

 

[DrMidlife]

Guys I finished my SMP 6 years ago. I don't have anything useful to add here that I haven't already said, too many times to count.

 

[LoveDocMD]

Thanks for you responses everyone. I should've included more of my application to show for you guys.

I had a 3.6 freshman year, 2.8 sophomore year, and a 3.65 junior/senior year (biochem/physiology/cellBio/developmental biology/Immunology/Medical Immunology etc). Again, I have a 512 MCAT (130 Bio, 126 CARS, 130 Physical Sciences, 126 Psych/Soc).
I have had hundreds of hours shadowing, volunteering in the hospital, and doing homeless outreach volunteering (clinical and non-clinical).
I have had 1 year of lab benchwork research. I have an EMT certification and can land a job as an ER Technician in the next 1-2 months.
I think my letters of recommendation were OK. None of my professors knew me well and only wrote because I asked and I received an A in the class. The doctors that wrote my letters only wrote because I shadowed them rather than worked for them.

Do you guys think it's even necessary for me to take an SMP? Or should I spend the next year getting a real job in the hospital, doing some real, meaningful research, and volunteer and get some better LORs? I can also retake the MCAT, which I know I can do better in (got rid of some bad habits and I choked really hard on test day). I can do all this in one year, and I would much rather save time and money and avoid an SMP if necessary.

Thanks guys

 

[Dr. Scribe]

I asked this question in a different thread, just trying to get the opinion of some adcoms and well-known sdners. What is your opinion on the USF SMP (non-thesis MS in Medical Sciences program) as far as strength of program is concerned? You do not take classes with med students but the program is designed to help students become competitive for professional programs.

 

[HbondsR_FON]

I asked this question in a different thread, just trying to get the opinion of some adcoms and well-known sdners. What is your opinion on the USF SMP (non-thesis MS in Medical Sciences program) as far as strength of program is concerned? You do not take classes with med students but the program is designed to help students become competitive for professional programs.

I'm actually deciding between the Georgetown and USF SMP this fall. Just finished undergrad and it will be my first time applying this cycle. I feel like since you're asking about USF's reputation that's a red flag ): could you talk/pm me about your experience there?

 

[Dr. Scribe]

I wouldn't think of it as being a red flag...I'm just curious about what Adcoms think about it; its been really good so far.

 

[P0ke]

I asked this question in a different thread, just trying to get the opinion of some adcoms and well-known sdners. What is your opinion on the USF SMP (non-thesis MS in Medical Sciences program) as far as strength of program is concerned? You do not take classes with med students but the program is designed to help students become competitive for professional programs.

Those two phrases are mutually exclusive. I don't like the fact that they try to dress it up as an SMP when it's really just an academic enhancement program, and thus should not be weighted the same as an SMP (although some med schools do this). It's like biological mimicry, where the snake that looks venomous is feared as much as the snake that's actually venomous, and I think that's their strategy to get their MS kids into other schools (because USF sure as heck doesn't want them, if you look at the linkage stats).

 

[Dr. Scribe]

To be fair, USFCOM's dean places a massive importance on the MCAT. So, doing well in their master's program doesn't necessarily help you if you don't have a great score (lets say 512+). But there are a lot of students who do well in the program and are accepted if the only thing holding them back was ugpa. I believe 8 students were accepted to USFCOM from the master's program and their avg stats were 3.4 ugpa, 3.84 grad gpa, and 514 mcat. You don't take classes with med students so the competition is lower, but doing well shows that you are willing to work hard and a good mcat score shows your caliber.

Tldr...the masters will help someone who has a bad gpa and good mcat, won't help someone get guaranteed acceptance to a med school.

 

[Dr. Scribe]

Those two phrases are mutually exclusive. I don't like the fact that they try to dress it up as an SMP when it's really just an academic enhancement program, and thus should not be weighted the same as an SMP (although some med schools do this). It's like biological mimicry, where the snake that looks venomous is feared as much as the snake that's actually venomous, and I think that's their strategy to get their MS kids into other schools (because USF sure as heck doesn't want them, if you look at the linkage stats).

I agree, USF master's is not a true SMP- really just an academic enhancement program.

 

[P0ke]

To be fair, USFCOM's dean places a massive importance on the MCAT. So, doing well in their master's program doesn't necessarily help you if you don't have a great score (lets say 512+). But there are a lot of students who do well in the program and are accepted if the only thing holding them back was ugpa. I believe 8 students were accepted to USFCOM from the master's program and their avg stats were 3.4 ugpa, 3.84 grad gpa, and 514 mcat. You don't take classes with med students so the competition is lower, but doing well shows that you are willing to work hard and a good mcat score shows your caliber.

Tldr...the masters will help someone who has a bad gpa and good mcat, won't help someone get guaranteed acceptance to a med school.

I'm actually deciding between the Georgetown and USF SMP this fall. Just finished undergrad and it will be my first time applying this cycle. I feel like since you're asking about USF's reputation that's a red flag ): could you talk/pm me about your experience there?

Georgetown would probably be a better bet since around 30 of their SMP students get into their MD each year, plus it has the reputation of a true SMP (and the most well-known one too).