SMP, Post Bacc Programs

[gatewasani]

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Hello All,

This is my first post on SDN but I have been a long time viewer....I need some major advice

ok, so here is the situation
GPA: ~3.2
MCAT: not yet taken

pre-med, junior in undergrad.

I have taken all my pre-med requirements except organic chemistry which I will be taking next semster. I am planning on applying to medical school this coming spring (as soon as applications come out)
Unfortunately I expect that I will probably be rejected from all med schools so I need to start looking up alternative options.

Can someone guide me in what direction I need to head in, in order to become a doctor, should I do an SMP or postbacc program, if I do this I really do not want it to take longer than a year (meaning that I would very much preferably like to enter medical school as soon as I finish the 1 yr program)

What programs are there in ILLINOIS that i should apply to (I will only be applying to schools in IL as there are some family issues that require me to be there) I have heard about Loyola and Rosalind Franklin. Are there any others that anyone knows of? What are the pros and cons of each?

Ok well that is quite a lenghty post, looking forward to hearing what you guys have to say. Thanks!

 

[halekulani]

eh
people who do SMP's while entering into med school the following year generally are re-applicants with decent gpas

considering your gpa is sub-par, your chances of getting into med school while attending an SMP is not much different. schools will want to see how you're doing at the SMP and by the time the first semester is over, most of the interview invites have been handed out already.

there's no real point to rush and waste time and effort into applying when adcoms won't see your application at its peak.

 

[KiwiBruin]

You still got a lot of time. Try to study a lot for the MCATs and get good grades. Maybe by the end of your senior year, you won't need to do a SMP and have a decent enough GPA for med school. SMPs are expensive. (Probably still need a year off though)

 

[gatewasani]

eh
people who do SMP's while entering into med school the following year generally are re-applicants with decent gpas

considering your gpa is sub-par, your chances of getting into med school while attending an SMP is not much different. schools will want to see how you're doing at the SMP and by the time the first semester is over, most of the interview invites have been handed out already.

there's no real point to rush and waste time and effort into applying when adcoms won't see your application at its peak.

are you serious? So what is the point of doing a SMP if it doesn't even help your applicaton?
I know loyola guarantees an interview in their med school if you get 3.5 or better though

 

[DrMidlife]

eh
people who do SMP's while entering into med school the following year generally are re-applicants with decent gpas

More often they have indecent GPAs, and that's all that needs fixing in their unsubmitted or unsuccessful app.

considering your gpa is sub-par, your chances of getting into med school while attending an SMP is not much different.

The whole point of an SMP is to enhance med school credentials, such as a sub-par GPA or an unchallenging undergrad science record.

schools will want to see how you're doing at the SMP and by the time the first semester is over, most of the interview invites have been handed out already.

This is a legitimate concern, but at least with a well-organized and established program like Georgetown, another school's adcom can predict when and what they will receive from Gtown during the school year. Gtown regularly gets 50% of its class admitted during the SMP year, and another 35% get admitted after the SMP year. This includes the 20+ interviews that Gtown reserves for its SMP students.

there's no real point to rush and waste time and effort into applying when adcoms won't see your application at its peak.

Depends on the situation, but in general I agree with this.

 

[halekulani]

More often they have indecent GPAs, and that's all that needs fixing in their unsubmitted or unsuccessful app.


The whole point of an SMP is to enhance med school credentials, such as a sub-par GPA or an unchallenging undergrad science record.


This is a legitimate concern, but at least with a well-organized and established program like Georgetown, another school's adcom can predict when and what they will receive from Gtown during the school year. Gtown regularly gets 50% of its class admitted during the SMP year, and another 35% get admitted after the SMP year. This includes the 20+ interviews that Gtown reserves for its SMP students.


Depends on the situation, but in general I agree with this.

you've misinterpreted what i said. try reading the whole thing in context. i wasn't saying that all people who attend SMPs already have decent gpas. trust me. i went to an SMP. i said that most of the people i know that applied and were accepted to medical school for the year immediately following the smp already had a decent gpa. maybe not in your experiences, but from my class most of the people that were accepted into an MD school already had near or above a 3.4 (what i consider 'decent') and 30+. a 3.2 won't get you far, and waiting for grades to come out will further decrease your chances of getting to the interview stage.

sure Gtown gets 50% accepted for the year right after, but you have to look at the gpa/mcats of those that were accepted. the average gpa for gtown is 3.3 and average mcat is 31. what are the odds that the majority of the 50% accepted to medical school will fall above that 3.3 average? while smp's are designed for people with low gpa, upward trend/high mcat ideally, SMPs also admit re-applicants whose stats are strong but still did not get into medical school. while georgetown specifically encourages students to apply during that year, not ALL smp's recommend this (see BU MAMS).

 

[halekulani]

are you serious? So what is the point of doing a SMP if it doesn't even help your applicaton?
I know loyola guarantees an interview in their med school if you get 3.5 or better though

it will if you're a borderline applicant. you're not a borderline applicant as of yet so this doesn't apply to you.

try your best from here on out, take the MCAT, then a better evaluation can be made. but i can't recommend someone to apply during an SMP with a 3.2 gpa and a 30-31 mcat (hypothetical of course). score a 33+ and move your gpa up and now you're talking. it all really depends on where you stand at the time you're applying.

 

[gatewasani]

it will if you're a borderline applicant. you're not a borderline applicant as of yet so this doesn't apply to you.

try your best from here on out, take the MCAT, then a better evaluation can be made. but i can't recommend someone to apply during an SMP with a 3.2 gpa and a 30-31 mcat (hypothetical of course). score a 33+ and move your gpa up and now you're talking. it all really depends on where you stand at the time you're applying.

basically what your saying is that if I do SMP, im looking at at least a year of downtime (sitting at home, applying, and risking not getting in, having been out of college for 2 years) This looks very unappealing. This changes things for me, i was pretty much dead set on doing an SMP cause I can't get into Med school right now. I'm still going to apply in the spring when applications come out because quite honestly I don't feel I have anything to lose except a few $100. This sucks, this really sucks. I suppose caribbean is an option but this is something I really really really really do not want to do but I don't really see my options. If I do SMP and don't get in, i will probably end up in the caribbean in 4 years instead of 2, having wasted $40,000 on an SMP and 2 years of my life.

This is so frustrating. What do I Do???????????????????

 

[DrMidlife]

basically what your saying is that if I do SMP, im looking at at least a year of downtime (sitting at home, applying, and risking not getting in, having been out of college for 2 years) This looks very unappealing. This changes things for me, i was pretty much dead set on doing an SMP cause I can't get into Med school right now. I'm still going to apply in the spring when applications come out because quite honestly I don't feel I have anything to lose except a few $100. This sucks, this really sucks. I suppose caribbean is an option but this is something I really really really really do not want to do but I don't really see my options. If I do SMP and don't get in, i will probably end up in the caribbean in 4 years instead of 2, having wasted $40,000 on an SMP and 2 years of my life.

This is so frustrating. What do I Do???????????????????

1. Why on earth would you sit at home? Are you disabled? You'll have a college degree. Get a job.

2. SMP apps for fall '09 are open now, for reference.

3. Why is it such a disaster to "lose" a year? Are you 40? This is the bed you made (for the record, I made a much worse one). Either lie in it and make the best of it or pick another bed.

4. Nobody cares how long you've been out of college when you apply to med school, assuming that you took some challenging science classes "recently" and that you did well on the MCAT within the previous 3 years.

5. You have a whole 'nother year to improve your GPA, and thus not need an SMP. Get to work.

Buck up, for goodness' sake.

 

[halekulani]

basically what your saying is that if I do SMP, im looking at at least a year of downtime (sitting at home, applying, and risking not getting in, having been out of college for 2 years) This looks very unappealing. This changes things for me, i was pretty much dead set on doing an SMP cause I can't get into Med school right now. I'm still going to apply in the spring when applications come out because quite honestly I don't feel I have anything to lose except a few $100. This sucks, this really sucks. I suppose caribbean is an option but this is something I really really really really do not want to do but I don't really see my options. If I do SMP and don't get in, i will probably end up in the caribbean in 4 years instead of 2, having wasted $40,000 on an SMP and 2 years of my life.

This is so frustrating. What do I Do???????????????????

what?
take a step back and breathe for christ's sake.
applying during the SMP is really up to you. *i* wouldn't recommend someone with a 3.2 to apply during the SMP year. you have a year until you graduate. you still have the mcat. focus on those two things, then decide if you want to apply during the SMP year.

if you don't get in during the SMP year, then just apply when you graduate.

you'll only 'waste' 2 years of your life if you don't do anything meaningful to you. being in medical school is not the definition of life.

 

[gatewasani]

1. Why on earth would you sit at home? Are you disabled? You'll have a college degree. Get a job.

2. SMP apps for fall '09 are open now, for reference.

3. Why is it such a disaster to "lose" a year? Are you 40? This is the bed you made (for the record, I made a much worse one). Either lie in it and make the best of it or pick another bed.

4. Nobody cares how long you've been out of college when you apply to med school, assuming that you took some challenging science classes "recently" and that you did well on the MCAT within the previous 3 years.

5. You have a whole 'nother year to improve your GPA, and thus not need an SMP. Get to work.

Buck up, for goodness' sake.

my major is psychology so there really is no job I can get with my degree, especially with the way the economy is. So if I apply while I am still in the SMP, they will only look at my undergrad stuff?

 

[gatewasani]

instead of doing an SMP, am i better off using that year to retake some of the science classes at a local college and trying to improve my GPA

 

[halekulani]

my major is psychology so there really is no job I can get with my degree, especially with the way the economy is. So if I apply while I am still in the SMP, they will only look at my undergrad stuff?

well they'll only look at your undergrad stuff if you don't send them your graduate scores...

 

[DrJD]

instead of doing an SMP, am i better off using that year to retake some of the science classes at a local college and trying to improve my GPA

Depending on how many units you've taken I'd throw my hat in for the SMP. It can be really, really hard to raise a sub-par GPA once you have a lot of units. The key thing in your question to me is the fact that you haven't taken the MCAT yet. Your score on that will vastly change the advice given, in my opinion. I am currently in the Georgetown SMP and I was recently admitted to UIC medical school with around a 3.0, but I also scored a 38 on the MCAT. (That took a LOT of work, but turned out to be worth it.)

The best thing you can do if you want to get in to medical school ASAP, is this... Finish strong in your undergrad program. Study for a long time for the MCAT and get the absolute best score you can. If you break thirty on the MCAT, and have a nice upward trend with your GPA I think you stand a shot at getting in during the SMP. If you are at 30 or below, then you may need to wait or consider applying DO.

If you have any other questions I'd be happy to help in anyway I can!