SMP+Gap year Vs. Master's right now

[Doc E Brown]

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Hey guys, just finished undergrad and I'm not sure what I should do next before applying to med school. Here are my stats (3 different colleges):
GPA
College #1 (1.5 years): 2.1
College #2 (1.5 years): 3.3
College #3 (2 years): 3.7
cGPA:3.4 sGPA:3.3
Haven't taken the MCAT yet, good EC's but not outstanding. I did 1 year of research my final year of college, but I don't have a letter from my PI.

As of now, I don't think I'm very competitive, so I wanted to do something else before applying. I've been accepted to a Master's of General Biology at NYU, starting Fall 2012. I think this Master's would expose me to more research opportunities, and show that I can do well in harder biology courses (even though their grades won't improve my undergrad GPA).

My advisor told me that I shouldn't go to NYU, and instead apply to a SMP for Fall 2013. This would give me a lot of time to study for the MCAT, which I plan to write next spring either way. But I'm worried about the gap year I would have to take, because a number of people told me the gap year would work against me even if I do volunteer.

I've spoke with a lot of people and have received conflicting advice, so I'm not sure what to do. I'm also open to other avenues to take before applying. Any input would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[freshbagels]

SMP is definitely better for getting in to med school (it's what I chose to do!), but a traditional MS is a relatively nice EC. It can't fully make up for a low uGPA, and especially not as well as an SMP, but if it's something you are passionate about doing, in terms of research, it isn't a bad decision. I haven't heard gap years are really that deleterious, from whom did you hear that?

 

[Doc E Brown]

I heard it from a doctor who said he was on the board of admissions for yale. He said that schools don't like seeing a break in education, and he said that if you have a continuous educational stream it shows that you're a dedicated student. I told him about volunteering and potentially working at a lab in that gap year, but he said that would not be as impressive as continuing education right away. I'm not sure if his statements hold any water though.

How are you liking your SMP? How's the course load? And do you think I should be going to the SMP route given my GPA?

 

[gmcguitar4]

Your GPA is below the average for students matriculating into an allopathic program. I would suggest an SMP over masters if your goal is medical school. The thing is if you do an SMP and under-perform then it will ruin you...but if you do really well they can bridge you into the MD program they are associated with or just show other schools that you have what it takes. IMO, those science masters programs offered by NYU, Columbia, etc. are just ways for them to take advantage of students with a lower GPA and take their money. I mean..those degrees are useless besides being an EC for your med/pod/dental application. Either take a bunch of undergrad courses at a local school and rock them while continuing to improve your app with other EC's or just go for the SMP. Those are the best routes.

 

[Doc E Brown]

Your GPA is below the average for students matriculating into an allopathic program. I would suggest an SMP over masters if your goal is medical school. The thing is if you do an SMP and under-perform then it will ruin you...but if you do really well they can bridge you into the MD program they are associated with or just show other schools that you have what it takes. IMO, those science masters programs offered by NYU, Columbia, etc. are just ways for them to take advantage of students with a lower GPA and take their money. I mean..those degrees are useless besides being an EC for your med/pod/dental application. Either take a bunch of undergrad courses at a local school and rock them while continuing to improve your app with other EC's or just go for the SMP. Those are the best routes.

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah the SMP program seems like a better option to improve my GPA, but I still have a couple of concerns that a masters might help with. The first is that I don't have enough quality LOR (which I forgot to mention in my original post), but going to a masters program would allow me to meet more professors. My second concern is that I only have 1 year of research experience with no letter from my PI. I was hoping to get more research experience, which a masters could help with.

So I'm still not quite sure which option would be best. Do you think these are valid concerns?

 

[embracethepain]

I was just curious...one of my friends and I were reading this and wondered where the cut off would be for pursuing an SMP. My friend has a 3.5 gpa. Is this grounds for an SMP? She was planning on doing a program similar to teach for america but only for a year.