Special Masters Programs

[NRAI2001]

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I guess I have two questions:

I am a 4th year student at Cal Berkeley majoring in Public Health and Intergrative biology. I have approximately a 3.4 gpa, i have gotten close to straight A's the last 3 semesters and a summer. If I continue these grades into next semester my gpa will probably not go much higher than a 3.45ish. I did a year of research during my soph year at UCSF in neurosurgery and i have been working with a prof at berkeley for the past year and a half (possible publication). I was the head TA for the upper div physio class the last semester. I don't have much clinical or volunteer experience, but i am planning to volunteer in the OR or ER at UCSF next semester and into the summer. I haven't taken the MCAT yet, but I am generally a good test taker.

1) is a SMP program for me? Should I do an SMP or are my stats and ECs decent enough that I should just apply.

2) Which SMP are out there? The only two that I have heard of are the georgetown SMP and the chicago med/finch program. When are applications usually due?

 

[benelswick]

You're a little on over-qualified side for the SMP's but not by a whole lot, They are hella expensive, but hey if you got money to burn then what the heck. You've got the main ones except for Boston U and Drexel but each one is unique in terms of their implicit linkage qualifications so do your research. This forum has old threads on this topic. I'd say if you do decent on your MCAT and go straight into one of these then you'd probably get pulled up for an acceptance by some school after your first semester grades come out as long as they're good. But man, you're way ahead of yourself because these programs usually begin accepting applications in early spring and you may be accepted by then. You could just do it as a back-up though.

 

[jackbnimble]

I guess I have two questions:

I am a 4th year student at Cal Berkeley majoring in Public Health and Intergrative biology. I have approximately a 3.4 gpa, i have gotten close to straight A's the last 3 semesters and a summer. If I continue these grades into next semester my gpa will probably not go much higher than a 3.45ish. I did a year of research during my soph year at UCSF in neurosurgery and i have been working with a prof at berkeley for the past year and a half (possible publication). I was the head TA for the upper div physio class the last semester. I don't have much clinical or volunteer experience, but i am planning to volunteer in the OR or ER at UCSF next semester and into the summer. I haven't taken the MCAT yet, but I am generally a good test taker.

1) is a SMP program for me? Should I do an SMP or are my stats and ECs decent enough that I should just apply.

2) Which SMP are out there? The only two that I have heard of are the georgetown SMP and the chicago med/finch program. When are applications usually due?

Hi there,

Besides Georgetown/Finch (actually Rosalind Franklin these days...) there is a program at BU and one at Drexel. Penn has a masters postbac, but it seems a little more amorphous.

Over-qualified? Depends on how you did on MCAT. The appl due date at Gtwn is somewhat late...about June 1----after folks get results from April MCAT. I would apply to Gtown as a backup. People in our class were bailing out the first few weeks of classes because of coming off waitlists.

Let me know if you have specific questions.

jackb

 

[NRAI2001]

Hi there,

Besides Georgetown/Finch (actually Rosalind Franklin these days...) there is a program at BU and one at Drexel. Penn has a masters postbac, but it seems a little more amorphous.

Over-qualified? Depends on how you did on MCAT. The appl due date at Gtwn is somewhat late...about June 1----after folks get results from April MCAT. I would apply to Gtown as a backup. People in our class were bailing out the first few weeks of classes because of coming off waitlists.

Let me know if you have specific questions.

jackb

How do u like GT? I have a friend who goes there and hey says its very very competitive while ur in the smp program there, do u believe this is true?

Also how do u like the school in general? The city?

Thanks.