Unsure if I need to do a SMP or not. Looking for advice.

[student18]

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On the borderline if I need a SMP or not. Here are my stats.

 

[heybubbaa]

On the borderline if I need a SMP or not. Here are my stats.

Year/Degree: 2016 BS in Biomedical Science
cGPA: 3.47
sGPA: 3.35
MCAT: 512
ECs are great: Research, clinical volunteering, non clinical volunteering, shadowing, medical employment history.
Great LORs:

Hoping someone could give me some advice. Thanks!

The general rule of thumb is that with a sGPA below 3.4, an SMP would be a good fit for your. Yes, you could certainly use an SMP, and a good performance in an SMP would certainly help you. However, as of now I can't say whether or not you would need one.

Are there any mitigating factors in your academic performance? Did you have an upward trend or academic turnaround? Do you have a legitimate reason for having bad grades? Did you work in undergrad because your family needed you to? Do you have a good plan for your gap year if you choose not to do an SMP? Have you applied to medical school before and have gotten interviews/waitlists?

 

[student18]

.

 

[heybubbaa]

GPA trend stayed around 3.4-3.6 throughout undergrad. Only possible reason for sub par GPA is heavy workload of classes, taking more advanced and research during each semester. Plan during the gap year would be to continue working as a CMA at a medical group. Currently applying and no II's.

You probably need an SMP or some sort of GPA remediation program. That's just my advice though - that sGPA really hurts. You can apply to SMPs in February/March, so maybe wait until then and get a feel for how competitive your app currently is. Maybe try to get an exit interview to see what went wrong if things don't pan out this cycle. Good luck with everything!

 

[student18]

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