Medical SMP - Worth it? Or hold off?

[Mr.Smile12]

Hi, there! I am a non-traditional student trying to determine the best course of action to make myself a competitive applicant for med school.

My targets are my in-state MD schools and both in and out of state DO schools. State of residence is GA. I plan to apply as soon as the next cycle opens.

I was a biology major in undergrad and graduated in 2010. I completed a foreign master's in Neuroscience the UK in 2012 (moved back to the US at the end of 2012). I intended to apply to med school in 2015, but I could not afford to do so at that time, Since 2015, I have been working full time in a completely unrelated field that does not utilize either degree.

From June of 2018 through March of 2019, I helped take care of my father, who had terminal cancer and passed away in March. This rekindled my desire to go into medicine, but it is only in the last month or so that I have actually been able to start preparing.

Stats: 3.41 cumulative/3.20 (AMCAS sGPA calculation) *3.46 cumulative including postbacc classes- I have taken a few classes (12 hrs) in the last year at my local CC while working full time and received all A's, but I have not yet calculated how this affects my sGPA.
MCAT: 509 - expired; studying now to re-take in January.
Demographics: White, Female, Low SES from 0-18, and I come from a rural, medically under-served background.
Community Volunteering: ~100 hours in the last year
Clinical Volunteering and Shadowing- Nothing since 2015; working to remedy this now

One SMP at a DO school I am interested in offers conditional acceptance to their med school if certain criteria are met/maintained. The other SMPs I am interested in do not offer this.

If I do not attend an SMP, I plan to continue taking post-bacc classes and bettering the volunteering/shadowing areas of my app. (I plan to do the latter anyway).

Given my current stats, does it make sense for me to pursue an SMP the same year as applying to med school (i.e. apply now to get into an SMP, apply to med schools in June/July for 2021 matriculation, and start the SMP the same year in August), or would it be better to solely apply to med schools in the upcoming cycle and only go for an SMP if I do not receive an acceptance?

It would interest us to know what your science GPA is in AACOMAS since you are also applying to DO just in case.

What do you expect from an SMP? Is the best value for an SMP the opportunity to have that conditional acceptance?

In my opinion, the effect of an SMP is going to be a bit borderline. You have a lot of coursework already from your undergrdauate and graduate work though your UK master's won't be calculated in your GPA's. That doesn't mean that the marks won't be looked at.

Your story and rationale would interest many people, and so I would encourage you to network with admissions staff at the in-state schools you are looking at and see how your story resonates. It's not clear outside of your family circumstances what other shadowing experiences you have had to guide you towards a decision to pursue medicine as a career. Can you tell us more about that?

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[Goro]

I don't think that you need an SMP.

Your chances are best with any DO school, Mercer and MCG. Your UK MS will not be counted by MD schools.