SMP or Master's?

[CuriosityKillsMe]

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Due to the severely late MCAT and all my material not yet finalized due to miscommunications with professors, I decided to not apply for this cycle. Now I'm thinking about applying to Master programs in order to increase my uGPA of around a 3.2, sGPA of roughly the same (severely impacted due to familial issues). There are a few master's programs that are accepting for Spring 2019 and I'd like to apply to those. My logic for attending a master's program (or UPENN specialized program) starting in the Spring is that if I do attend I'll have 2 semesters (spring and summer) for ADCOMS to see growth in GPA. I know SMP's are incredibly helpful for students like myself wanting to gain admissions to medical school specifically, but I believe that waiting the entire year to be accepted would severely impact any studying skills that I've gained throughout college and cause me to become lethargic and my parents are pushing me to just do something, although I do have a job. What do you think? If I gain acceptance for Spring 2019, should I go?

 

[sab3156]

Due to the severely late MCAT and all my material not yet finalized due to miscommunications with professors, I decided to not apply for this cycle. Now I'm thinking about applying to Master programs in order to increase my uGPA of around a 3.2, sGPA of roughly the same (severely impacted due to familial issues). There are a few master's programs that are accepting for Spring 2019 and I'd like to apply to those. My logic for attending a master's program (or UPENN specialized program) starting in the Spring is that if I do attend I'll have 2 semesters (spring and summer) for ADCOMS to see growth in GPA. I know SMP's are incredibly helpful for students like myself wanting to gain admissions to medical school specifically, but I believe that waiting the entire year to be accepted would severely impact any studying skills that I've gained throughout college and cause me to become lethargic and my parents are pushing me to just do something, although I do have a job. What do you think? If I gain acceptance for Spring 2019, should I go?

First of all, your masters courses will have zero effect on your undergraduate GPA. They are calculated separately (or maybe things have changed since my time?).

Second of all, you need to understand that SMPs (especially the more "prestigious" ones like BUSM's SMP) are extremely difficult and are the last life-line you have to get into medical school - you mess up here, you're likely done for MD schools and maybe even for DO schools. You should first look at your MCAT score and see if its good. If it is, then you need to be realistic with yourself and truly answer the question of "do I have the study skills to get a high GPA in a program that is as difficult as medical school?" If you do, then you can do it. But I would first see if you are able to take more undergraduate science classes and how a year of upper level science courses will theoretically effect your undergraduate cumulative and science GPAs. Calculate it out and let us know what you find. Depending on how good your MCAT is, and your state of residence, you may be fine with just raising your undergraduate GPA by some amount. SMPs should be looked at as last resort options.

In general, you need to block out what your parents are saying about the medical school application process. Just ignore them. They have no knowledge of this process and you should respectfully tell them to mind their own business as you are an adult and need to worry about yourself.

 

[CuriosityKillsMe]

First of all, your masters courses will have zero effect on your undergraduate GPA. They are calculated separately (or maybe things have changed since my time?).

Second of all, you need to understand that SMPs (especially the more "prestigious" ones like BUSM's SMP) are extremely difficult and are the last life-line you have to get into medical school - you mess up here, you're likely done for MD schools and maybe even for DO schools. You should first look at your MCAT score and see if its good. If it is, then you need to be realistic with yourself and truly answer the question of "do I have the study skills to get a high GPA in a program that is as difficult as medical school?" If you do, then you can do it. But I would first see if you are able to take more undergraduate science classes and how a year of upper level science courses will theoretically effect your undergraduate cumulative and science GPAs. Calculate it out and let us know what you find. Depending on how good your MCAT is, and your state of residence, you may be fine with just raising your undergraduate GPA by some amount. SMPs should be looked at as last resort options.

In general, you need to block out what your parents are saying about the medical school application process. Just ignore them. They have no knowledge of this process and you should respectfully tell them to mind their own business as you are an adult and need to worry about yourself.

Thank you for the advice. After perusing through SDN, it seems as though a true masters program (non-SMP) bears little weight on a student's GPA. I was under the impression that although calculated separately it would still hold weight and show a degree of "upward trend." I would be unable to take a year of upper level science courses in my area because after changing majors I have nearly 140 credits (average credit per science course = 3/4) and took roughly 40 of those credit in the last two semesters of school and underwent a personal issue causing me to be unsuccessful and there is no public university in NYC I can attend where I haven't taken the same course equivalent, without taking upper division math and physics courses, and be awarded credit. I agree that SMP's are a life jacket for medical school and I understand that if I am unsuccessful in a SMP, then I'm likely done. But if I can't succeed in an SMP, where I'm taking the same courses as medical students, then I guess medical school was the wrong choice for me. I'm considering some postbac's like UPENN, although I heard that it is notoriously hard. I'm taking my MCAT this Saturday but I am less than confident in my abilities, but the fact that I'm not applying this year gives me time to retake. If you have any advice on where to go from here I'd be more than willing to send more detailed information.

 

[Robin-jay]

Thank you for the advice. After perusing through SDN, it seems as though a true masters program (non-SMP) bears little weight on a student's GPA.

It's insane, but true.

MD programs don't care if you can ace a course like advanced quantum mechanics 700. For some reason, they can't trust you can pass anatomy with such a course on your record.

DO schools are slightly better with this issue, although its still an uphill battle.

I think medical schools are sad that if you choose a traditional masters, you aren't paying 60k a year to do so. You might even be earning money in a masters program such as chemistry.

We can't have that.


Safest way into medical school is to chuck 60k at an SMP and do well, even if an SMP is much easier than other traditional master degrees.

 

[sab3156]

MD programs don't care if you can ace a course like advanced quantum mechanics 700. For some reason, they can't trust you can pass anatomy with such a course on your record.

I think medical schools are sad that if you choose a traditional masters, you aren't paying 60k a year to do so. You might even be earning money in a masters program such as chemistry.

Safest way into medical school is to chuck 60k at an SMP and do well, even if an SMP is much easier than other traditional master degrees.

What are you talking about? It is not the safest way, nor is it "easier" than other traditional master degrees, nor is it $60K per year. I went through the BUSM SMP. Your information is highly erroneous. People here are looking for serious advice on how to get into medical school, not conspiracy theories.

I'm taking my MCAT this Saturday but I am less than confident in my abilities, but the fact that I'm not applying this year gives me time to retake. If you have any advice on where to go from here I'd be more than willing to send more detailed information.

Why are you not confident? If you're not confident, I highly recommend voiding your score at the end of the MCAT if you can't just get some money back by cancelling right now. Taking the MCAT when you're not 100% confident is a terrible idea. You are already have enough of a red flag with your GPA being low, so you really need to make better decisions from here on out. Get the Berkeley Review books and spend 2-3 months going through those books, 1 chapter per day, doing a different subject each day (like do Subject A on day 1, then Subject B on day 2, etc., alternating like that). Do 1/2 the practice passages of the chapter you're working on at the end of studying that day, and then save the rest of the passages for the last few weeks before the exam right before you do the AAMC practice exams (during this time you can do the remaining Subject A practice passages from a few chapters, then next day do the remaining Subject B practice passages from a few chapters, etc., alternating like that). Figure out a more specific schedule once you get the books and calculate everything out. I didn't even get through half the material due to time constraints and got a 98%ile back in the old MCAT days, and scored a couple of 99%ile+ on a couple of the practice exams. It's all about how dedicated you are and if you want to get the most out of the practice passages. Several of my friends improved previous poor scores substantially with this strategy. I don't think there is any excuse to do poorly when Berkeley Review is out there holding your hand. There is also no excuse to take the MCAT when you aren't fully ready.

To summarize, you need to take the MCAT first and see how you do before you can be advised further. If you do super well on the MCAT, you may not need any SMP program, and may be able to get into a public NY school.

 

[Robin-jay]

What are you talking about? It is not the safest way, nor is it "easier" than other traditional master degrees, nor is it $60K per year. I went through the BUSM SMP. Your information is highly erroneous. People here are looking for serious advice on how to get into medical school, not conspiracy theories.

How is an SMP not the safest way? What's the safest way post-bachelors?

An SMP is certainly easier than some traditional masters. Maybe its harder than an anatomy masters, but certainly not easier than an engineering,etc. masters. Context.

I'm not sure what your SMP cost, but those that are well-known and directly linked to medical schools seem to have tuition at at least 20-40k, and then you add cost of living, which is easily another 15-25k. That's easily 40-60k, and closer to 60k after interest. I'm glad you found a cheap one.

 

[Robin-jay]

What are you talking about? It is not the safest way, nor is it "easier" than other traditional master degrees, nor is it $60K per year. I went through the BUSM SMP. Your information is highly erroneous. People here are looking for serious advice on how to get into medical school, not conspiracy theories.

I looked up your SMP online:

http://www.bumc.bu.edu/gms/files/2011/05/2018-2019-GMS-TUITION.pdf

Fall 2018 Tuition Rates Full-Time Enrollment (12 -18 credits) $26,408
Full-Time Enrollment (12 -18 credits) $26,408
Spring 2019 Tuition Rates Full-Time (12 -18 credits) $26,408

Is that 52k of tuition alone? If so, that's crazy expensive. With cost of living, isn't that close to 70k in one single year? Please help me understand how your program is cheap, I don't want to be too "erroneous".

 

[863168]

@CuriosityKillsMe There are a lot of bad decisions that are present in your post. First and foremost, you should cancel your MCAT. Your attitude towards it is too casual considering your uneasiness about it. Common consensus is that you should have all your ducks in order before you decide to go hunting. This isn't an exam where you waltz in, wing it, and see how it goes. The MCAT is a huge gatekeeper in the pre-medical process.If a GPA doesn't sink an applicant, then it's the MCAT. There are guides on the MCAT forum subsection of this board that you should consult before you take the exam. That combined with your sample scores should give you a benchmark of whether or not you should continue with the exam, not the fact that this is considered a "late" MCAT and you are thinking about doing well on the retake.

Second, I think you're rushing the process on bad rationale. Parental pressure is the worst cause for people making bad decisions. Students get pushed into a bad MCAT, apply with a bad GPA, and then find themselves on the middle of a hurricane or trapped on a boat with limited resources where they are expected to study a curriculum that is more rigorous than the pressure they put on themselves to perform on the MCAT. In short, these students would have been better off spending the time and income doing it right the first time in order to attend school within the United States rather than attending a school in the Caribbean that has little vested interest in individual students and more collective interest in the enterprise of collecting tuition fees. Imagine an anatomy lab with so many students that you can't see the cadavers. Does that make sense to you?

Third, I feel like you're giving yourself an out before you even make a genuine attempt at this process. Your posts in this thread scream that you are going through the motions to make mom and dad happy. There are severe growing pains that occur when graduating students move back to the nest. A 3.2 isn't unsalvageable, but a lot of the reasons you have given for rushing yourself through this process is absolute B.S. Ultimately it's up to you about how much you value doing this process the right way and doing your research first from the MCAT to the post-bac, however no one is going to hold your hand. Also, to note the study skills that got you a 3.2 with an iffy attitude towards the MCAT are skills that should be forgotten in lieu of ones that actually get you returns that matter. I think it's highly questionable why you treasure any of those skills when they haven't gotten you anywhere you want to be in the here and now. Skills ought to be the professional tools that enable you to succeed in your career of choice, not to half-ass the process and see where failure gets you.

 

[CuriosityKillsMe]

Thank you for all the wise wisdom that has come from this thread. It seems as though I am rushing for the sake of rushing and that will irrevocably affect my chances of gaining acceptance into medical school if not done for the right reasons. In the interest of not creating a new thread, I have one final question. There is a M.S. program that is available at NYU and at Stony Brook University which both claims "increases student's competitiveness to gain entrance to medical school," per their email. This is completely different from what established posters on SDN have said. Are they lying in order to gain more students? What is happening? Also Stony Brook's M.S. director claims that this program can increase my science GPA, is she misinformed? It does seem to mirror GORO's postbac advice for an unofficial postbac with courses that mimic a first year curriculum at medical school. It seems to be an unofficial feeder system into medical school at SBU with multiple alumni gaining acceptance. What are you're thoughts?