MD SMP or direct apply?

[ilovepeds1998]

Hi I am currently a junior undergraduate. I'm majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Health Systems Management and Bioethics. I really want to attend medical school, but my GPA is the thing holding me back. I had family stuff happening throughout my freshman/sophomore year of undergrad (family death), but have a generally upward trend. If i perform properly, I can end my senior year with a 3.5. Which would entail a gap year. I'm unsure if I should do an SMP during this time or not. I have NOT taken my MCAT yet, but will be taking it in May.

My extracurriculars are great:
-leadership on my school a capella team
-a small business (doing embroidery)
-clinical research at a renown rehabilitation hospital with focuses around my major (neuroscience)
-300+ volunteer hours
-50-100 shadowing hours as a medical assistant

My question is- should I do an SMP or apply to med school? Or should I take the time to expand further on research? Also, how prevalent are minors during med school applications?

I am very particular about getting an M.D. Please help!!

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[Mr.Smile12]

We definitely need more information (like the template from WAMC) regarding what you did with your shadowing, volunteer, and patient-facing experiences. What BCPM courses did you take that you earned a B or lower? How exactly is your GPA holding you back (need cGPA and sGPA)? We cannot make a call on applying to medical school without an official MCAT result. State residency? Any networking with other medical schools?

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