SMP programs

[Bachboy123]

Ok, so on the depressing side of life I apllied this year and got no interviews. However, i'm still very much committed to medicine and I've been looking at how best to improve my application and do something decently interesting in the next year or two (i'm thinking of taking a year off to improve my app then apply again for 2009).
By far the weakest point of my application is my undergrad GPA (3.26 overall, 3.14 science) So i'm looking at either postbac classes or a masters program. I decided to pursue the latter option and i've boiled it down to a few really good candidates.
A Masters in Human nutrition through the Columbia medical school.
Or a program through Mount Sinai medical school called the PREP-Med program (Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program in Medicine).
My current roomate is enrolled in the former program at columbia thus i have a pretty good idea of what it's like but i have little or no information about the PREP-Med program. THUS i turn to student doctor forums:
Does anyone out there on the wide wide internet have experience in the PREP-Med program at MSSM? What is it like? how difficult/rigorous are the courses? Good research opportunities? Clinical interaction? how involved could i be in patient care and clinical interaction?
Alternatively if there are people out there who have had really good experiences in other SMP programs I'm really interested to hear about them. How challenging are the courses? are they interesting? are they designed to prepare you for medical school or do they take you on a different track?
thanks you premed and medical students.

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[DrMidlife]

We have a whole forum about SMPs and postbac programs. You'll get specific answers there. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=71

 

[nlax30]

I don't have any experience with those particular programs but was in a similar situation as you. After I graduated with my undergrad degree I came back as a 2nd degree seeking student (undergrad) and just took more upper level sciences for the year and then reapplied after getting my GPA up to around 3.3-3.4

Also, what sort of schools are you applying for? (Top 10 MD, state schools, DO, etc...) At some point you need to realistically look at the stats of the schools you'd like to apply to and how well you'll compete there. It was humbling for me to see how "easy" it was for my GPA to drop, but then how hard I had to work to bring it back up, but there's definitely hope and doing a tough masters program like you're looking at will/should hold some weight in showing that you can handle a rigorous academic program.

Be sure it's a program that you really want to do and are truly interested in. I'm under the belief of if you are really doing something you are interested in then it will show come time for essays and interviews. I knew from some undergrad research experience that I did not want to do a research based post-bacc program and didn't want to go into research focused med program, hence why I took more science courses as opposed to a different path. Whatever you do, excel at it and get involved, when you come out of it you'll be that much stronger because you didn't do it solely to have it on your transcripts.

 

[Chicagochew]

Ok, so on the depressing side of life I apllied this year and got no interviews. However, i'm still very much committed to medicine and I've been looking at how best to improve my application and do something decently interesting in the next year or two (i'm thinking of taking a year off to improve my app then apply again for 2009).
By far the weakest point of my application is my undergrad GPA (3.26 overall, 3.14 science) So i'm looking at either postbac classes or a masters program. I decided to pursue the latter option and i've boiled it down to a few really good candidates.
A Masters in Human nutrition through the Columbia medical school.
Or a program through Mount Sinai medical school called the PREP-Med program (Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program in Medicine).
My current roomate is enrolled in the former program at columbia thus i have a pretty good idea of what it's like but i have little or no information about the PREP-Med program. THUS i turn to student doctor forums:
Does anyone out there on the wide wide internet have experience in the PREP-Med program at MSSM? What is it like? how difficult/rigorous are the courses? Good research opportunities? Clinical interaction? how involved could i be in patient care and clinical interaction?
Alternatively if there are people out there who have had really good experiences in other SMP programs I'm really interested to hear about them. How challenging are the courses? are they interesting? are they designed to prepare you for medical school or do they take you on a different track?
thanks you premed and medical students.

Hey Man,
I'm currently a first year student in the PREP-Med program at Sinai. Honestly, I would not recommend it if your weakness is simply GPA. First of all what major were you in college? Second what is your MCAT score? I would think that if you are looking to improve your GPA that you would consider doing a Post-Bacc of some sort seeing as your GPA would be included in your undergrad GPA. This will help you get past more screeners. The research opportunities here at sinai are good but the program is unproven.
If you have any questions let me know.

 

[mommy2three]

as someone who has done a smp program i can say they are hard work. i studied every day and ended up missing the cutoff for the chance to continue on in med school by 1 lousy question on the biochemistry final.
i have to say honestly if you are considering this i would do the standard masters. i did not and ended up with two strikes against me...i had a lower undergrad overall gpa than most applicants and now i also had a lower grad gpa than most applicants. most of your fellow applicants who will be applying from standard masters programs will have a 3.5 or better...you need to ask yourself if you can acheive that and where your best chances of achieving that are.
i applied this year with my less than stellar grad gpa and did not get in anywhere.