SMP with no letter of recommendation requirement

[Yagisama]

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Hi guys, I would really appreciate any advice here.

I posted some questions in the 'Nontraditional Students' forum and was directed to this forum.

The professors that I was going to get letters of recommendation from have retired, moved elsewhere, or passed on. Additionally, it's been so long that at this point, even if they were around, short of "he got As in three of my classes" I don't think they would have been able to write anything meaningful.

Thus, I am interested in a decent SMP that does not have any letter of recommendation requirements since the entire reason I want to pursue such a program is to demonstrate that I can excel in advanced science courses and hopefully get some good letters of recommendations.

Ideally it would be a very challenging program that I could get a real sense of accomplishment from doing well in and hopefully improve my knowledge of topics covered in the first year of medical school.

If anyone knows of any such SMP, please let me know. I can go to almost any place in the US.

The following is some of my background details. I spoilered it to decease clutter:

Spoiler

- I graduated from graduate school 11 years ago.
- I was in the pre-med program as an undergrad but didn't get a chance to finish all the requirements. I double majored in CS and EE.
- Post graduate school I took many 'bost-bac' classes, with B+/A-/A results.
- I asked some professors whether they would write letters of recommendation for me in the future and they agreed. I had three classes with one professor (including development biology and molecular biology) and I got As in all three classes.

Unfortunately I had to postpone applying to medical school and for the last couple years I've been on a temporary assignment for work in another state. It's been 5+ years since most of the above classes and the professors that I was going to ask for letters are either retired or moved elsewhere. I also heard that one may have passed away.

Since I have already finished almost all the pre-reqs (organic chemistry lab is only thing left), I have been researching for SMP's. I hope that I can use a program such as these to demonstrate that I have the ability to do well in advanced level science courses.

- I didn't have the best gpa in undergrad but that was mostly due to the advanced EE, CS, and math classes.
-My undergraduate gpa wasn't very good. It was around 3.1. My science gpa was a bit better at about 3.5.
- Upon graduation, I got an engineering job. And since I was dirt poor throughout college, I wanted to take a few years with the job and not be poor for a while. That few years turned out to be a lot longer than I originally anticipated.
- I took some classes to try to finish up my pre-med requirements. I took other classes such as anatomy, physiology, immunology, development biology, upper division molecular biology, cell biology, etc.
- Volunteered in a hospital for about 5 years.

 

[DrMidlife]

Yikes, don't go to an SMP that isn't selective!

Meanwhile, an SMP costs around $50k. There are much cheaper, much less risky ways to get letters.

Also, as an older applicant, you really need to have letters representing your past. At least one. I got a "non-science" letter from a CS prof I hadn't talked to in a decade.

First, get one from your employer. Yes, this can be uncomfortable if you haven't told anybody yet that you're going after med school, but there's got to be somebody who has managed you who will sing your praises.

Second, go after letters from the people who taught your recent coursework. Preferably you'd get folks who are tenured faculty and not contract lecturers.

Third, just keep taking classes and getting A's, and assume each professor is a letter until proven otherwise.

tl;dr SMP is total overkill for this problem.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Hailstorm]

You could also take a few classes as a non-matriculated student if you're truly concerned. A number of SMP programs allow you to do this, but you could do it wherever it is cheapest/you would benefit the most.

 

[Yagisama]

Thank you for the replies!!

While I am interested in an SMP as a way to get good letters of recommendation, that was secondary to completing the curriculum to improve my overall application. I have specifically been looking into the Drexel IMS since it offers first year medical school courses.

Provided that I can overcome the letter of recommendation hurdle, is the Drexel IMS still something that would be beneficial for me? I understand that the IMS year is 25k-30k though I don't know how common is having to take the MS year afterward.

On the other hand, taking similar classes through concurrent enrollment/open university elsewhere may be a better option. The Drexel IMS courses are Medical Biochemistry, Medical Physiology, Cell Biology and Microanatomy, Medical Nutrition, Medical Immunology, and Medical Neuroscience. I've taken undergrad versions of all these classes.

 

[Hailstorm]

While I am interested in an SMP as a way to get good letters of recommendation, that was secondary to completing the curriculum to improve my overall application.

You need LORs to get into one.

IMS requires the MCAT I believe.

Are you looking for a program for this year or next year?

 

[Yagisama]

I'm coming to terms with the fact that LORs are unavoidable. I am looking for next year.

 

[Gordon Gekko]

I'm coming to terms with the fact that LORs are unavoidable. I am looking for next year.

Here's one, but read the threads on this program very carefully. There's lots of cons, with a few pros. If you're from the South and applying to LA and MS schools, it is great according to the threads.

http://www.mc.edu/academics/departments/biology/graduate-programs/biology-ms/medical-sciences/

 

[Yagisama]

Yikes, don't go to an SMP that isn't selective!

Meanwhile, an SMP costs around $50k. There are much cheaper, much less risky ways to get letters.

Also, as an older applicant, you really need to have letters representing your past. At least one. I got a "non-science" letter from a CS prof I hadn't talked to in a decade.

First, get one from your employer. Yes, this can be uncomfortable if you haven't told anybody yet that you're going after med school, but there's got to be somebody who has managed you who will sing your praises.

Second, go after letters from the people who taught your recent coursework. Preferably you'd get folks who are tenured faculty and not contract lecturers.

Third, just keep taking classes and getting A's, and assume each professor is a letter until proven otherwise.

tl;dr SMP is total overkill for this problem.

Best of luck to you.

Thank you again for your reply. I especially appreciate your advice regarding getting a recommendation from my employer. Some of the instructors of my recent classes have been contract lecturers so I will try to find courses that are taught by tenured faculty in the future.

I have been historically poor (and stubborn) when it comes to LORs because I tend to learn/read on my own and don't interact too much with professors. I will try to put much more of an effort in the future.

 

[Yagisama]

Here's one, but read the threads on this program very carefully. There's lots of cons, with a few pros. If you're from the South and applying to LA and MS schools, it is great according to the threads.

http://www.mc.edu/academics/departments/biology/graduate-programs/biology-ms/medical-sciences/

Thanks for the information! I'm in Southern California but I will definitely check this program out.