What are my chances?

[Cardinals]

I was wondering about my chances

I graduated in Jan. with a BA in Biology
3.6 overall GPA, 3.3 Sci/Math
Will do an SMP this fall.
33R MCAT (10 verbal, 11 physics, 12 biology)

ECs
3 summers hospital volunteering (with some shadowing when there wasn't much for me to do)
1 research project
1 semester Dean's List
Biology Club
Pre-Med Club
Kickball
Martial Arts
Work-Study job in lab for 1.5 years

Also, should I apply now or wait until after the SMP?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

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[ar2388]

why not apply now, see how things go? if you get into a school now, thats awesome. but apply to SMP programs as well just in case you dont get into a school now.

 

[bawer234]

I was wondering about my chances

I graduated in Jan. with a BA in Biology
3.6 overall GPA, 3.3 Sci/Math
Will do an SMP this fall.
33R MCAT (10 verbal, 11 physics, 12 biology)

ECs
3 summers hospital volunteering (with some shadowing when there wasn't much for me to do)
1 research project
1 semester Dean's List
Biology Club
Pre-Med Club
Kickball
Martial Arts
Work-Study job in lab for 1.5 years

Also, should I apply now or wait until after the SMP?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

What is SMP? Sorry for my n3wbness. I think that you are ready to apply now. Why wait for the fall to apply? There is NO strategic reason for you to wait.

 

[Cardinals]

What is SMP? Sorry for my n3wbness. I think that you are ready to apply now. Why wait for the fall to apply? There is NO strategic reason for you to wait.

A SMP is a master's degree program which allows you to take classes alongside medical students so that you can show admissions committees that you can handle med school level coursework. It's designed to help people with lower GPAs get into med school (As far as I know, my relatively low sci/math GPA is the main reason I didn't get in applying last year). The choice isn't between applying now or in the fall, it's between applying now with what I have or applying next year with (hopefully) a master's degree/better GPA added to what I have now.

Thanks for the advice to you and to ar2388

 

[SketchLazy]

I only see you getting in if you include kickball in your personal statement, secondaries, and interviews. An application without kickball is the kiss of death.

It sounds like you should contact all the schools you applied to and see what your weaknesses were. It could have been other things besides your GPA. Once you know them, you can work on them and get a better idea of when you should reapply. For weaknesses in activities and LORs, you should apply this year. But I think that if it was GPA, you should wait until you have proof of better academic performance in hand before you apply.

 

[scarletgirl777]

I only see you getting in if you include kickball in your personal statement, secondaries, and interviews. An application without kickball is the kiss of death.

It sounds like you should contact all the schools you applied to and see what your weaknesses were. It could have been other things besides your GPA. Once you know them, you can work on them and get a better idea of when you should reapply. For weaknesses in activities and LORs, you should apply this year. But I think that if it was GPA, you should wait until you have proof of better academic performance in hand before you apply.

Now that I'm looking at this more carefully, I'm wondering if it wasn't a weakness in activities. OP, definitely talk to some admissions counselors before signing up for an SMP, those are expensive, and you want to be sure that you're not wasting your time. Or at leas that the GPA was the only worry.

 

[Cardinals]

Thanks for the advice.