SMP timeline

[SMPtoMed]

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Hello,

I'm an undergraduate that is planning to graduate in the summer of 2014 with a 3.0 cGPA/sGPA. I'm also registered to take the MCAT in October of 2014, after which I was planning on applying to an SMP, and while in the SMP, applying for med school.

With the intro out of the way, I was hoping someone could help fill in some gaps in my knowledge of the process.

1.) When do applications for SMPs (for Fall 2015) generally open? I realize this is going to vary from school to school and that they're rolling, but I'm assuming there is a general opening period. With my low GPA, I feel that applying as early as possible would be very beneficial.

Edit: Just saw information that says the answer to question 1 is that they open around December/January.

2.) Does anyone know if SMPs will look at my application with my intentions being to gain EC (clinical volunteering/shadowing) during the period from late 2014 to matriculation into the SMP program? I currently have some shadowing hours, but not much else.

Thanks for the help, and if I left anything out that would help you give a more accurate answer, I will respond ASAP.

 

[DrMidlife]

I'm an undergraduate that is planning to graduate in the summer of 2014 with a 3.0 cGPA/sGPA. I'm also registered to take the MCAT in October of 2014, after which I was planning on applying to an SMP, and while in the SMP, applying for med school.

Your undergrad GPA stays relevant in an SMP scenario, and generally a 3.0 is too low to expect med schools to take you seriously. So, no, you shouldn't be planning to apply MD while you're in the SMP. Being enrolled in an SMP isn't an app asset unless you're already competitive. And a 3.0 uGPA won't be good enough to get into the better SMPs. You might want to consider extending your undergrad career to get a few more uGPA points and better your overall chances. Add a major etc.

1.) When do applications for SMPs (for Fall 2015) generally open? I realize this is going to vary from school to school and that they're rolling, but I'm assuming there is a general opening period. With my low GPA, I feel that applying as early as possible would be very beneficial.

Edit: Just saw information that says the answer to question 1 is that they open around December/January.

Several open earlier, but as long as your MCAT is in the bag by January that's probably ok. Note that you need to wait to get your score after you take the exam - currently it's about a month but soon it's supposed to be more like 10 days.

2.) Does anyone know if SMPs will look at my application with my intentions being to gain EC (clinical volunteering/shadowing) during the period from late 2014 to matriculation into the SMP program? I currently have some shadowing hours, but not much else.

Well, the first concern here is that you're thinking about med school without having accumulated substantial clinical exposure. You don't know what the job entails yet, and you might not want to play once you do.

My suggestion is to map out 2-3 years of work that produces what you actually need: a maximally compelling med school app. An SMP is only one of those years. You might not be ready to get a good score on the MCAT in October. You have to assume that 3.0 is the truth of you; disproving this takes more than a year and a checkbook.

Best of luck to you.

 

[SMPtoMed]

Thank you very much for the advice.

I am a Biology major and have a ton of science units. Playing around with the AMCAS gpa calc and adding in postbacc classes, my gpa doesn't move much. Do you think that getting As in the coursework despite them not moving my sGPA up that much (.1-.15) would still be worth it?

 

[DrMidlife]

No, your GPA won't move much, but after 4 years of 3.0 work you don't yet have the assets to get into med school nor to do well in med school. You have a great deal left to prove, to med schools and to yourself.

People get really upset when I'm harsh, but I speak from long painful experience here. What, exactly, has you convinced that you can start getting A's just by wanting to? You may not actually have those A's in you. Finding this out in an SMP would be a $50k mistake. Use undergrad to find out how to thrive in undergrad.

You might also want to consider taking a break from school. Come back after working in the real world for a while. This tends to change the kind of student you are.

Best of luck to you.

 

[RubicStorm]

...What, exactly, has you convinced that you can start getting A's just by wanting to?

Harsh but true. You MUST be able to answer this (not to me or DrMidlife or this forum) to yourself BEFORE you start a SMP. If you can't, you're cruising for a brusing as they say. You didn't say if you've an upward GPA trend or not. If you went from a 2.0 to a 4.0 then I think that's a very good sign. If you went from a 3.5 to a 3.0 then that's troubling.

On an encouraging note, some of the best students in my class i.e. 3.9-4.0 SMP GPA, had gigantic academic deficits/red flags, but my god did they have their act together during the program. I'll also add, it's not just because they studied a lot or were very smart. Everyone was smart and everyone studied a lot, but not everyone succeeded. Something else needs to be in the mix and you have to figure out for yourself what that may be.

Best of luck from me as well!

 

[SMPtoMed]

Absolutely love the feedback. Thanks so much.

In terms of postbacc undergrad work, am I correct in assuming that med schools just see a "Post bacc courses" taken with an overall GPA etc? How detrimental would it be to take 8 units/qtr instead of 12 units/qtr during postbacc work?

 

[FormerPhysicist]

Absolutely love the feedback. Thanks so much.

In terms of postbacc undergrad work, am I correct in assuming that med schools just see a "Post bacc courses" taken with an overall GPA etc? How detrimental would it be to take 8 units/qtr instead of 12 units/qtr during postbacc work?

AMCAS breaks down your GPA into separate years for undergrad in addition to overall GPAs, then (I believe) lumps your post-bacc undergrad work into one category for med schools to see.

An SMP, on the other hand, counts as its own category (graduate) and will not be averaged into your undergrad grades at all. The courses you take during an SMP are also fairly set in stone, although some allow for extracurriculars/extra med school courses or "concentrations".