SMP or more research?

[borreliaafzelii]

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So, my undergraduate GPA is very low. My last two years of college, I was in an abusive relationship with someone who threatened to kill himself and me on a regular basis, and did everything he could to sabotage my academic success because he was afraid of me leaving him. That’s not an excuse; I should have left regardless. However, because of this, I wrote off medical school and focused on rebuilding my life after we broke up.


I applied and got into a 2 year Microbiology MSc program and finished this past May, graduating with a 3.9 (I made one B), got a job doing research that starts next month, and realized that I’m ready to start thinking about medical school again.


I have 6 years of research experience with 3 published papers, 2 years of clinical experience as a medical scribe, and about 300 hours of volunteer work at a free health clinic.


My undergraduate cGPA is a 3.2 and my sGPA is a 3.01.


I haven’t taken the MCAT, but I’ve scheduled it for September and have been studying nonstop. I know I need a fantastic score to even get my foot in the door.


I’m planning on applying to medical school next cycle because I committed to this job for a year. However, my question is whether it would be better to spend another year doing research or to apply (and hopefully get into) a 1 year SMP, even though I already have a master’s in a hard science.


So, SMP or more research?

 

[Robin-jay]

What's your master degree GPA? If you have a good masters GPA and a good MCAT, you should just apply.

An SMP for someone who already has a microbiology masters degree is kind of silly imo.

You already proved you can handle rigorous coursework if your GPA is 3.5+.

 

[Rusrus]

So, my undergraduate GPA is very low. My last two years of college, I was in an abusive relationship with someone who threatened to kill himself and me on a regular basis, and did everything he could to sabotage my academic success because he was afraid of me leaving him. That’s not an excuse; I should have left regardless. However, because of this, I wrote off medical school and focused on rebuilding my life after we broke up.


I applied and got into a 2 year Microbiology MSc program and finished this past May, graduating with a 3.9 (I made one B), got a job doing research that starts next month, and realized that I’m ready to start thinking about medical school again.


I have 6 years of research experience with 3 published papers, 2 years of clinical experience as a medical scribe, and about 300 hours of volunteer work at a free health clinic.


My undergraduate cGPA is a 3.2 and my sGPA is a 3.01.


I haven’t taken the MCAT, but I’ve scheduled it for September and have been studying nonstop. I know I need a fantastic score to even get my foot in the door.


I’m planning on applying to medical school next cycle because I committed to this job for a year. However, my question is whether it would be better to spend another year doing research or to apply (and hopefully get into) a 1 year SMP, even though I already have a master’s in a hard science.


So, SMP or more research?

I believe that your Master's program is sufficient in indicating that you have the basic understanding of the sciences and are capable of the rigors of medical school. Your chances are best with DO schools, be sure to calculate your c/sGPA (via AACOMAS standards) and if they're above 3.0 then you'll be fine as long as your MCAT score is good (aim for 508). I mention this because some schools pre-screen applications at the 3.0 mark and I'd hate for that to be the limiting factor in your application.