What should I do? SMP or should I apply?

[dostudentdoc]

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Hello,

My cGPA is about 3.17 and my sGPA is about a 2.99 using the AAMC calculator and if you do not count biostatistics and 3 with biostatistics. I took the mcat in September and got a 496 but I'm retaking it an April, hoping to score over 505. I have a ton of experiences ranging from 3 years of research, 1 full year of being a medical assistant, studying abroad for a semester, volunteering abroad and setting up free clinics in Tijuana and being a part of my officer board for a student organization. I have not applied for DO schools yet.

I know I have strong LORs from an MD, PI, adviser for my volunteer abroad , and my biostatistic professor (which i'm not sure if schools will accept as a science course). I also have a LOR from my molecular biology professor but I'm not sure the strength of the letter and i'm not sure if he wrote a general letter for medical school or if he wrote a letter addressing to a SMP program.

I have applied to SMP programs because my GPA is pretty low. I have been accepted to Touro Nevada and waiting response for Touro California and Western University. My question is should I attend SMP? or Should I apply to DO schools this upcoming cycle? or do both? What should I do about my LOR? I'm not sure if I meet the biological/physical LOR requirement if biostatistic is not considered for most school?

 

[Forever Geebs]

What’s your state of residence? Are you URM? Do you have domestic clinical and non-clinical volunteer experience? What’s your degree in-I’m trying to gauge how many of your credit hours are BCPM?


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[dostudentdoc]

State of residence: California
I don't think I am URM. I am Asian. So, no. I am also an immigrant.
I do have both domestic clinical and non-clinical volunteer experience. I volunteered at a hospital as an intern and non-clinical to help build houses with a non-profit organization.
I have a B.S. in Human Biology and a B.S. in Public Health. My BCPM credit hour is at 63.2

 

[Goro]

Hello,

My cGPA is about 3.17 and my sGPA is about a 2.99 using the AAMC calculator and if you do not count biostatistics and 3 with biostatistics. I took the mcat in September and got a 496 but I'm retaking it an April, hoping to score over 505. I have a ton of experiences ranging from 3 years of research, 1 full year of being a medical assistant, studying abroad for a semester, volunteering abroad and setting up free clinics in Tijuana and being a part of my officer board for a student organization. I have not applied for DO schools yet.

I know I have strong LORs from an MD, PI, adviser for my volunteer abroad , and my biostatistic professor (which i'm not sure if schools will accept as a science course). I also have a LOR from my molecular biology professor but I'm not sure the strength of the letter and i'm not sure if he wrote a general letter for medical school or if he wrote a letter addressing to a SMP program.

I have applied to SMP programs because my GPA is pretty low. I have been accepted to Touro Nevada and waiting response for Touro California and Western University. My question is should I attend SMP? or Should I apply to DO schools this upcoming cycle? or do both? What should I do about my LOR? I'm not sure if I meet the biological/physical LOR requirement if biostatistic is not considered for most school?

Your stats are lethal right now for most DO schools. Even LUCOM has standards.
I suggest taking the SMP because I'm not convinced that you can handle med school.

 

[the shretiology]

I would recommend really trying to cultivate your study habits. Find the root of your low GPA, reflect, and fix it. There are study habit resources online. Do you retype notes, read for depth, make flash cards, or make sure you understand concepts such that you could tutor a fellow classmate? Are you devoting enough time to absorb the material or cramming? Are you shooting to pass or looking to make sure you don't walk away with anything less than an A? You want to figure this out before medical school. The only way to put it into practice is to re-take the MCAT and do a post-bacc/SMP.

Make sure you are scoring 505+ on the AAMC practice exams before retaking - hopefully you haven't exhausted all of these resources yet.

 

[DocJanItor]

You have no other option but to take an SMP. At your GPA, you have almost no chance of getting into an MD program and very little chance at getting into a DO program. Additionally, since your SMP is DO related you will need to apply broadly to DO schools. Some mid/lower tier MD schools may find you attractive if you do exceedingly well in the SMP program (>3.7 GPA).

Since you will be applying to DO schools, you'll need a DO LOR (strange requirement that many of them still have). I would not apply until you finish and do well in the SMP as any prior application is likely to be a waste of time and money.

At this point, doing well in your SMP program is paramount. A good performance can be your gateway into medical school. A bad performance will definitely shut you out. Good luck!

 

[Cinemed]

My cGPA is about 3.17 and my sGPA is about a 2.99 using the AAMC calculator

I have applied to SMP programs because my GPA is pretty low. I have been accepted to Touro Nevada and waiting response for Touro California and Western University. My question is should I attend SMP? or Should I apply to DO schools this upcoming cycle? or do both? What should I do about my LOR? I'm not sure if I meet the biological/physical LOR requirement if biostatistic is not considered for most school?

You're in an almost identical situation as I was in 2-3 years ago. Kind of weirding me out, honestly. Anyways, your GPA is low - low enough that I have serious concerns about you managing a stellar SMP performance, which you absolutely must do in order to make it worth your time, effort, and money. I know you're likely motivated and excited at the chance for a golden ticket (as I was), but the reality is this: your GPA means you have long track record of doing average in class, and no matter how much motivation and grit you have, we are creatures of habit. That doesn't mean you can't kill an SMP or be an incredible doc, but it means I personally might not want to ride all of my chances on a last-ditch effort in an SMP, especially one that doesn't offer guaranteed linkage as incentive for performance, unless I knew I could perform.

Many people have had worse stats than you and rocked their SMP programs. Unfortunately, the DO app no longer allows for grade replacement, so the clear answer is no longer to simply retake your worst courses and apply DO. So, your options are to go full-steam into an SMP program and do the best you can, or spend a semester or three repeating any C-/D or lower courses to have the grades averaged and stack some upper level science courses on top of that and then apply DO/re-evaluate an SMP. Also, regardless of an SMP, you will be screened or flagged out of many programs with that UG GPA. Best of luck with whatever you decide! 🙂

 

[virtussis]

As others have said, you will need an SMP to be accepted. Having done an SMP, I would highly recommend applying to programs that offer some sort of linkage beyond a guaranteed interview.

What is your GPA trend? A strong upward trend within the past two years would could suggest that you may do better in an SMP than your overall GPA suggests. That said, you MCAT is still worrying for future board scores.

 

[maraj34]

As others have said, you will need an SMP to be accepted. Having done an SMP, I would highly recommend applying to programs that offer some sort of linkage beyond a guaranteed interview.

What is your GPA trend? A strong upward trend within the past two years would could suggest that you may do better in an SMP than your overall GPA suggests. That said, you MCAT is still worrying for future board scores.

Do you know of any SMP programs with linkage that would accept someone with a cgpa of 2.9 and sgpa 2.6?

 

[JowellHollyBuddy33]

Do you know of any SMP programs with linkage that would accept someone with a cgpa of 2.9 and sgpa 2.6?

Depends. Is that just 120 credit hours or is it a reinvention story? Trending? What kind of life experiences/extracurriculars do you have? Did you do well on the MCAT? Can't really make that determination just based off of a couple of numbers and nothing else. I have a sub 3.0 in both categories and was accepted into every SMP I applied to. I applied because I know that I have a lot to offer with the rest of my application, and was able to articulate my motivations. I also had a few years of strong academic performance following a break from undergraduate education after I hit rock bottom.

 

[maraj34]

Depends. Is that just 120 credit hours or is it a reinvention story? Trending? What kind of life experiences/extracurriculars do you have? Did you do well on the MCAT? Can't really make that determination just based off of a couple of numbers and nothing else. I have a sub 3.0 in both categories and was accepted into every SMP I applied to. I applied because I know that I have a lot to offer with the rest of my application, and was able to articulate my motivations. I also had a few years of strong academic performance following a break from undergraduate education after I hit rock bottom.

My stats are based on 130 credit hours.
Did not take the MCAT yet. First, I want to retake the courses I did poorly in and take additional science course. Then I can dedicate 4-5 months to studying for the MCAT. I think the MCAT score will help determine what I do next (either apply to HBCU's, DO, and state schools or complete an SMP).