Hello everyone, So I'm a graduating senior applying this next cycle but I'm not sure whether it would behoove me to do an SMP (or a similar 1-year post-Bacc program) or if I should just go for it and do something else in my gap year. Here's a quick wrap up of my academic history: I attended the University of CHICAGO (which is just as brutally difficult as you may have heard) and I will be graduating this quarter with a 3.40 overall GPA and a 3.27 science. The MCAT I took back in August (29P), but I'm retaking in March and know that I can improve that score to a 32-33 because I now realize what my weaknesses are and will be focusing on them (the breakdown was 8P 10V 11B). As for EC's I've worked as a research assistant for a Hospitalist project (assessing quality of care by interviewing patients) at the U of C Hospital for 2 years and for the past 6 months I have been a tutor for the Upward Bound Program, which has just been an amazing experience. Besides that I've been a member of my University Orchestra, Model UN, American Red Cross and I volunteer back home at the local Mission in addition to some other stuff I don't want to bore you with (oh and I also shadowed for 1 year with a team of surgeons, observing operations). Basically I'm wondering whether I should just apply with these STATS and go for it OR whether it would be prudent to simultaneously apply for an SMP programs (like UNTHSC, Loyola, Temple, Georgetown, Drexel) just in case. As a Texas resident I feel like I have a shot at TCOM and I may get interviews at a couple of the UT branches but I'm just not entirely confident. Since I will have a gap year I had planned on teaching for a year or continuing to work with the Upward Bound program but I'm not sure if I should instead be worried about upping my stats by doing one of those post-baccs I mentioned earlier. Any and all constructive advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for everyone's help
An SMP is one route. Going for it with what you have, and likely getting into TCOM, probably getting into MD med schools as well with an MCAT score of 33+, is another. A third possiblility would be to go ahead and graduate, move home to Texas, and do a year of unofficial, science-intense post-bac getting straight As at a local university. This would raise your GPA to 3.52, or so, also raise your BCPM GPA, and reassure adcomms that you can perform well in upper-level science classes, as well as give you an extra year to make your ECs more amazing (they look pretty solid to me, as is), and make your overall package more appealing to more selective schools (if you care) along with that MCAT of 33+. Just a thought. If you planned to do the latter, and happened to get an admission you were really happy with, any courses you took would make MS I year a lot less stressful.
