smp vs. applying

[svelasco1]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi guys,

This is my first post ever! Be nice. Anyways, I am a junior (ish) at USF in Tampa, FL. I am set to graduate in either Summer or Fall 2014. I am torn between doing the smp at usf or just trying to apply. Here is some background information.

- microbiology major
- went to cc then transferred to university.
- 3.61bcpm/3.8ao/3.67overall gpa by end of grad at university, 2.6 gpa from cc (actually a 2.9 at cc but uni calculated it at 2.6, not sure what amcas will do), overall = 3.1
- upward trend (started with a 1.2 my freshman year!!)
- thousands of hours as patient care tech on mom/baby unit at a womens hospital. work full time since july 2011-med school?? (strong LOR) 7500 hours
- research with STRONG usf doc's in something surgery related (have meeting with them on monday to find out details- strong LOR)
- shadowed radiology, obgyn, ER, family care, derm. 100 hours
- no volunteer hours, yet!
- taking MCAT April 2014- would apply (med school) next cycle (june of 2014)

Dilemma:
Masters program app will open up on June 1st and start in august (fall admin only). However, the only way I can apply is if i move some of my classes around (from summer to spring and then move pre-reqs from spring to summer) the only problem with that is I wont have all of my pre reqs done by the time my app (med school- if thats what i decide instead) is put in. I am not sure which route to go at this point but in order to have the time line fall into place then I need to make a decision. I'd hate to do the masters program if theres a possibility I could get in to med school but then I'd hate to not do the masters program and have to delay everything 1-2 years.

I plan on applying to ALL state schools (usf is top choice) then ucf, fsu, uf, etc then I will be applying to most schools in the southeast region (fl, ga, nc, sc, tn, la, tx, dc, va) for med school.

This is the first time I have shared any information on this forum, however, I've been lurking for atleast a year and found most of the information by just reading posts. Please give me your feedback. You can PM me if you have any personal questions. Please be nice! Thank you so much.

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

You have fantastic work experiences, a great story, a 3.7 cGPA and a 3.6 sGPA and a Hispanic-sounding username. If you can get a 30 or higher on the MCAT, you're chances next year are fantastic.

I'm honestly not sure why the SMP would even be considered.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Hi guys,

This is my first post ever! Be nice. Anyways, I am a junior (ish) at USF in Tampa, FL. I am set to graduate in either Summer or Fall 2014. I am torn between doing the smp at usf or just trying to apply. Here is some background information.

- microbiology major
- went to cc then transferred to university.
- 3.61bcpm/3.8ao/3.67overall gpa by end of grad at university, 2.6 gpa from cc (actually a 2.9 at cc but uni calculated it at 2.6, not sure what amcas will do), overall = 3.1
- upward trend (started with a 1.2 my freshman year!!)
- thousands of hours as patient care tech on mom/baby unit at a womens hospital. work full time since july 2011-med school?? (strong LOR) 7500 hours
- research with STRONG usf doc's in something surgery related (have meeting with them on monday to find out details- strong LOR)
- shadowed radiology, obgyn, ER, family care, derm. 100 hours
- no volunteer hours, yet!
- taking MCAT April 2014- would apply (med school) next cycle (june of 2014)

Dilemma:
Masters program app will open up on June 1st and start in august (fall admin only). However, the only way I can apply is if i move some of my classes around (from summer to spring and then move pre-reqs from spring to summer) the only problem with that is I wont have all of my pre reqs done by the time my app (med school- if thats what i decide instead) is put in. I am not sure which route to go at this point but in order to have the time line fall into place then I need to make a decision. I'd hate to do the masters program if theres a possibility I could get in to med school but then I'd hate to not do the masters program and have to delay everything 1-2 years.

I plan on applying to ALL state schools (usf is top choice) then ucf, fsu, uf, etc then I will be applying to most schools in the southeast region (fl, ga, nc, sc, tn, la, tx, dc, va) for med school.

This is the first time I have shared any information on this forum, however, I've been lurking for atleast a year and found most of the information by just reading posts. Please give me your feedback. You can PM me if you have any personal questions. Please be nice! Thank you so much.

Welcome to SDN!!! Ignore the trollers

so an upward trend is always a good thing. But you don't have an MCAT or volunteering. SMP programs can be helpful if you do very well in them. However, have you considered spending 5 years in undergrad? Doing so would let you focus on your undergraduate grades and will also give you more time to spend on getting those volunteer hours in. I've heard a lot that SMP programs aren't worth it as much as doing well in your undergrad, since that's the GPA stuff they use to filter applicants through pools for further consideration (like an interview)

You've got good shadowing, research, etc. Even your sGPA isn't bad.

 

[med school]

You have fantastic work experiences, a great story, a 3.7 cGPA and a 3.6 sGPA and a Hispanic-sounding username. If you can get a 30 or higher on the MCAT, you're chances next year are fantastic.

I'm honestly not sure why the SMP would even be considered.

I think you need to read his/her post again. Especially the GPA part. I think the overall GPA is a 3.1 with CC and the 4 year university combined.
To the OP, sorry I don't have much advice. I would recommend the SMP if you think you can get a high GPA in it. I have read that they can be app killers if you do badly, but if you do well can really help. Just make sure you can be very dedicated and hardworking for a year during the program. goodluck!

 

[svelasco1]

You have fantastic work experiences, a great story, a 3.7 cGPA and a 3.6 sGPA and a Hispanic-sounding username. If you can get a 30 or higher on the MCAT, you're chances next year are fantastic.

I'm honestly not sure why the SMP would even be considered.

haha. thank you for the feedback! My last name is spanish (from spain) but I'm as white as it gets and I don't (think) I qualify for any hispanic scholarships or anything although I am a first gen college student and i get the pell grant. hope that helps!

 

[alpinism]

Unfortunately, no one can give you an accurate answer without knowing your MCAT score first. Whether or not you need an SMP basically depends on how high you score on the test.

To be honest, a 3.1 overall GPA is well below average, but the BCPM GPA is much better. Unless you can pull off a very high MCAT (prob 34+) your chances at the FL MD schools will be pretty low.

I'm not sure what you mean about moving classes around for the Masters. Don't you also have to complete the pre-req's before starting the SMP or would you be doing those classes over the summer after applying for med school?

If scheduling is a problem, I would plan on either doing the SMP or doing a post bacc while working on getting some volunteering and community service.

Are you a member of the pre-med AMSA chapter? They have tons of opportunities for volunteering at Hope lodge, Shriner's, Red Cross, etc...

 

[svelasco1]

Unfortunately, no one can give you an accurate answer without knowing your MCAT score first. Whether or not you need an SMP basically depends on how high you score on the test.

To be honest, a 3.1 overall GPA is well below average, but the BCPM GPA is much better. Unless you can pull off a very high MCAT (prob 34+) your chances at the FL MD schools will be pretty low.

I'm not sure what you mean about moving classes around for the Masters. Don't you also have to complete the pre-req's before starting the SMP or would you be doing those classes over the summer after applying for med school?

If scheduling is a problem, I would plan on either doing the SMP or doing a post bacc while working on getting some volunteering and community service.

Are you a member of the pre-med AMSA chapter? They have tons of opportunities for volunteering at Hope lodge, Shriner's, Red Cross, etc...

In order to graduate in summer and start SMP in fall I would have to move classes that originally were meant for summer (genetics, cell metabolism, etc) to the spring and then take pre-reqs in summer

In order to apply to med school I would want my pre- reqs done by spring and then i can take my other classes whenever because i wouldn't be in a hurry to graduate