Neither. What you need is a year off, more clinical experience (I'm not seeing
any, unless some of those 600 are clinical), and a series of
rocked upper level undergraduate science courses. This will cost you less than either an SMP or a formal postbacc, and be less risk. Reasoning explained below, split by program type.
SMP: To be frank, an SMP is an unnecessary risk for you. Sure, if you rock it you'll have a good shot at getting in. But you'll
still be short on clinical experience, and you really can't risk extracurriculars during your SMP. Why? Because if you do an SMP and don't do
very well at it (top of the class), it will essentially end your chances at med school. And remember, you would have to be top of a class where class = med school classes and you are sometimes curved against the med students. So...a substantial risk. There's a thread somewhere in Pre-Allo recently with someone who wishes they hadn't done their SMP, you should check it out.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/what-i-wish-i-knew-before-going-to-the-smp.1199061/ (especially note
@Goro 's comment that they expect a 3.7+ from SMP students. That's a 3.7+
in med school classes, which is a higher expectation than for most med school admits.)
Formal Postbacc: The majority of these are intended for so-called 'career changers', not 'reinventors'. You, having taken premed courses, are a reinventor...you just want a higher grade. So, right of the bat, many of them will not accept you because you've already taken all the prereqs, as well as the MCAT. Even if one let you in, you don't want to be taking the prereqs again anyway, unless you're planning to go DO and want grade replacement (which is a fine option, though if you go DO you likely don't
need much, if any, gpa work). You want new, upper level courses. Think about it: which sounds more impressive to you, someone getting an A in a 100-level course they've already taken once, or someone getting an A in a new 300 level course? The latter, right?
OK, well, let's assume you find one of the formal postbaccs that do let you take upper level sciences. Why are you doing it through their program? Likely, they will charge you 10s of thousands in fixed tuition and you'll have to move to their location. The effect on your application would be exactly the same as if you simply took similar classes on your own through the university near where you already live and work. So why throw away money for little benefit?
Informal (DIY) Postbacc, aka 'what I recommend': This, put simply, just means finding an undergraduate institution near you that will allow you to take undergraduate level coursework while not enrolled. Usually you pay by the class, which means you pay as you go, and it's usually cheaper than a formal option. It also allows you to select the courses and the scheduling...which lets you work in a job and/or clinical opportunities while taking these classes. This will bump your gpa, and show on a separate line in your AMCAS gpa so that your recent change of abilities is apparent to reviewers. If you screw it up, well, there's always the SMP hail Mary for afterwards.
General Notes of advice:
- Whatever you do, keep yourself busy. If you do a DIY postbacc and only take 2 classes per semester, you'd better be doing other stuff as well. This can be work, clinical experience...whatever you need. But don't slack off. This is your chance to prove to yourself
and to med schools that you can succeed under rigorous conditions. So subject yourself to rigorous conditions! (Note: SMP counts as rigorous conditions alllll on its own).
- Set aside time for the MCAT. You, as an applicant with a lower GPA, cannot settle for the same MCAT that you would if you were an average applicant. Check out the MCAT forums, or message me, if you want MCAT study advice. (I didn't take the new one, sadly, but I did score top 0.1 percentile in the old one.)
- Choose your school list
wisely. Search the WAMC forums for previous posters with similar situations as your own, search SDN for posts made by
@Goro that include the word 'reinventor', make your own WAMC post
with a list already in mind and see what input you garner, etc. SDN is a great resource, use it. School list and narrative are particularly important for you.
- Write your app with a good narrative, one that explains how you've fixed your gpa performance without making excuses.
- Don't stress out too much! You've got this...you're in a far better situation than I found myself in 3yrs ago, and I'll be attending a great medical school in a few short months. To make you feel better, I graduated with <3.2 (both gpas) and zero clinical experience. It took me 2yrs to turn that around and 1yr to apply. You have far better gpas, better ECs, better odds (your 3.39 is not really a huge problem, it's just the sGPA you need to bump), and will probably need less time to turn it around. Go get 'em!
