SMP or Research?

[drs95]

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Ok SDN, I've been accepted into Georgetown's SMP but I'm not sure if I should do it, because I will end up with some serious debt.

My cGPA is 3.37, sGPA is 3.17, and MCAT is 32 (10P/10V/12B). I have clinical volunteer experience, I've worked throughout my entire undergrad and have sometimes held more than 1 job at a time, have some extracurriculars and some shadowing of MDs. I have been working in a research lab for the past 2 months (unpaid) and have been helping with post doc experiments, taking care of a mouse colony, and done genotyping. I've been offered a full-time paid position for 1 year (2 if I want) to do my own research project. I'm not sure which one would be more beneficial to my future. I know I'll be in major debt if I do the SMP, but I don't want money to hold me back. I'm just not sure which one would make me a more competitive applicant.

any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[loltopsy]

Research isn't going to increase the GPA. Medicine is all about getting into insane levels of debt, and then digging your way out over years and years.

SMP is a much better option. Research will very likely net you nothing even with multiple pubs. Well, that is, if you want to go to med school. If you want to be a full time researcher somewhere for the rest of your life, then screw the SMP.

 

[MDforMee]

Ok SDN, I've been accepted into Georgetown's SMP but I'm not sure if I should do it, because I will end up with some serious debt.

My cGPA is 3.37, sGPA is 3.17, and MCAT is 32 (10P/10V/12B). I have clinical volunteer experience, I've worked throughout my entire undergrad and have sometimes held more than 1 job at a time, have some extracurriculars and some shadowing of MDs. I have been working in a research lab for the past 2 months (unpaid) and have been helping with post doc experiments, taking care of a mouse colony, and done genotyping. I've been offered a full-time paid position for 1 year (2 if I want) to do my own research project. I'm not sure which one would be more beneficial to my future. I know I'll be in major debt if I do the SMP, but I don't want money to hold me back. I'm just not sure which one would make me a more competitive applicant.

any advice would be greatly appreciated!

What did you major in, and at what school?

Have you considered DO?

 

[loltopsy]

Oh yeah, I forgot DO. You could still get in probably with those stats without an SMP.

 

[drs95]

What did you major in, and at what school?

Have you considered DO?

I majored in architecture at the university of michigan and I've considered DO, but I don't think I want to do it. I might apply to a few schools, but I haven't done any research on schools/deadlines and all that so I don't know if I have time to pull it together for this DO application cycle. Since I majored in architecture, I still had to take some science classes my first 2 years, but it didn't really matter how well I did in them so I didn't focus as much time on them. When I decided to do the med school prereqs, I obviously focused more on my science classes and there is an upward trend for the most part.

 

[loltopsy]

I majored in architecture at the university of michigan and I've considered DO, but I don't think I want to do it. I might apply to a few schools, but I haven't done any research on schools/deadlines and all that so I don't know if I have time to pull it together for this DO application cycle. Since I majored in architecture, I still had to take some science classes my first 2 years, but it didn't really matter how well I did in them so I didn't focus as much time on them. When I decided to do the med school prereqs, I obviously focused more on my science classes and there is an upward trend for the most part.

DO is equivalent to an MD. Yeah, you learn about OMT and take the COMLEX in addition to possibly taking Step 1 etc, but it's the same ****. Nothing an MD can do that a DO can't. Ego isn't worth extra debt and years of your life gone.

 

[MDforMee]

I majored in architecture at the university of michigan and I've considered DO, but I don't think I want to do it. I might apply to a few schools, but I haven't done any research on schools/deadlines and all that so I don't know if I have time to pull it together for this DO application cycle. Since I majored in architecture, I still had to take some science classes my first 2 years, but it didn't really matter how well I did in them so I didn't focus as much time on them. When I decided to do the med school prereqs, I obviously focused more on my science classes and there is an upward trend for the most part.

That's a good school, but you could use some upper division sciences. Why not take a few classes while working if you don't want to commit to an SMP? You can get into a DO school with your MCAT and GPA.

 

[drs95]

DO is equivalent to an MD. Yeah, you learn about OMT and take the COMLEX in addition to possibly taking Step 1 etc, but it's the same ****. Nothing an MD can do that a DO can't. Ego isn't worth extra debt and years of your life gone.

It's not that I have an ego or anything, I've just never done any preparation for DO school beyond researching a little bit. I've never shadowed or even spoke to any DO physicians and I just don't really feel prepared to fill out a whole new application and start the process over again.

That's a good school, but you could use some upper division sciences. Why not take a few classes while working if you don't want to commit to an SMP? You can get into a DO school with your MCAT and GPA.

Yeah, I was trying to finagle it so that I could maybe do this, but my research job PI wants me there 9-6 M-F and U of M doesn't really offer evening classes :/


Thank you both for your replies; I really do appreciate it! And I'll try to do some more research on DO schools this week/try to find a DO physician to speak with.

 

[loltopsy]

Shadow a DO for ~150 hours. It's easy. The application process is very, very similar to AMCAS. 99% is the same. It's not like you have to go back to high school.

 

[darklabel]

I'll be the stickler here and say that with a 32 MCAT and a theoretical Georgetown SMP > 3.7, you should definitely get some MD love. SMP's are perfectly tailored to applicants with your stats.

But remember, it's a ~45k risk. Doing poorly (which is very possible and happens to many within the program) or even mediocre will basically guarantee never getting into MD or possibly even DO.

Are you taking a glide year or applying during the program?

 

[drs95]

I'll be the stickler here and say that with a 32 MCAT and a theoretical Georgetown SMP > 3.7, you should definitely get some MD love. SMP's are perfectly tailored to applicants with your stats.

But remember, it's a ~45k risk. Doing poorly (which is very possible and happens to many within the program) or even mediocre will basically guarantee never getting into MD or possibly even DO.

Are you taking a glide year or applying during the program?

Yeah, that's what I'm worried about - if I don't do as well as I believe I can, it's kind of game over.

and I'm applying during the program. I'm not entirely convinced that I should apply this cycle, but it seems that the smp really encourages it, but then i'll be doing secondaries during the first month of school, which is less than ideal, so Idk.