Medical What should I do when an SMP is not enough for reinvention?

[MusicDOc124]

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Hello, I applied to medical school this cycle but so far have received no interviews, so am looking for guidance as to what to do next. My undergraduate was an absolute wreck (2.9cGPA, 2.45sGPA) with several D’s and Q-drops in biology and chemistry courses. I had intended to become a career paramedic and was only in college because my parents wanted me to get a degree. After completing paramedic training though I realized that I was dissatisfied with the limited scope of practice and decided that I wanted to become a physician. I retook all of the courses in which I had received a grade lower than C and enrolled in a 2-year SMP. I am currently in my last semester of this program, and have about a 3.85 graduate GPA(all science courses). I took the MCAT once and received a 511. I was doing much better on the practice exams but retaking with a 511 seems like a large risk. I applied broadly to MD programs (~60 schools), but no DO this cycle. I probably should have applied DO but want to match into a surgical specialty (either orthopedic or general) with the goal of becoming a trauma surgeon, and I was concerned with the low surgical match rates from most DO programs. I have several thousand hours of clinical experience in addition to close to a thousand hours of research experience, and I had most of my essays to my top 20 schools edited by reputable med school admissions editing services and professional school advisors. I have several LORs from professors, physicians, and researchers that I have a strong relationship with, so I don't think those were the issue. I have relatively little volunteering though since I have to pay for my own education and can’t really afford to work without pay. I have remained in contact with all of the schools I applied to, sending updates and transcripts at the end of each semester. Despite everything else in my application, I'm fairly certain my undergraduate is pretty much automatically disqualifying me from obtaining an interview anywhere. I burned through most of my savings on the SMP program and a broad, well polished application this cycle, so I can’t afford to enroll in further full-time education before medical school. I was thinking about maybe doing an online MBA or MPH over the next year while I work and apply again but am unsure what else to do to reinvent myself. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I understand the concerns with wanting to go into a fellowship of surgery, hence why you were aiming for MD, but with your grades, you will find it difficult to get through with an MD. DO is more forgiving and some still internally do grade replacement I believe, and DO schools consider masters GPA. While ortho may be more difficult, general surgery as a DO is very doable so long as you dont have a burning absolutely desire/requirement to be at MGH. Trauma is a fellowship, and most fellowships care more about your training in residency than they do your degree. Still doable. With that said, you have a 0% chance if you do not become a physician. I'd apply to DO schools next cycle along with MD - but you need to add stuff to demonstrate an improved app.

That said... MBAs are typically 3 years long, and MPHs are often 2 years. I would not recommend doing these unless you plan to see to completion at this time. Plus some schools incorporate them as combined programs if you wish to purse later.

 

[MusicDOc124]

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. My thought process was that it would be better to take some extra time now to obtain an MD acceptance rather than spending years fighting an uphill battle with a DO degree if I want to go for a highly competitive residency, but I understand I may not have any other option.

Just bear in mind that how competitive you are as an individual will also be based on your interview skills and step 1/level 1. If you do poorly on any of those even if you went to harvard, youre going to have difficulty anyway. Are the extra years and money worth it if you end up going into something less competitive? Most people do change their minds once they either start school, or start rotations. This isn't to say you will change your mind, but having a degree already with a 2.45 sGPA and still a sub 3.0 cGPA, it's going to take a lot of work for the possibility of no return - especially after already completing an SMP. This would be a different story if you were a sophomore with those GPAs versus now post bachelors and SMP.

A question you have to be okay with is already in the above, but I'll restate it separately. Is the time delay and cost worth it to try to fix your application to attempt for MD the may or may not happen and where you mind may change and your ability to get a competitive slot are going to be based on exams you are still 2 years away from taking from the start of the program? Or is it better to become a physician years sooner and work hard and still get to the same point with maybe just a little more work and/or a less prestigious program, but still there nonetheless? Or with the potential change of mind on specialty - was the wait and cost worth it for just a set of initials that are otherwise equal?

 

[Goro]

I can't sugar coat this, applying to 60 schools was an exercise in making donations to places that don't need the money.

Your MCAT score is not what I see that successful reinventors have for MD schools. More like 513+.

Hence, you need to ask yourself, "do I want to be a doctor, or do I want to be a surgeon?" Is it surgery or bust? Because you do have an uphill battle; beggars can't be choosy...if you wish to be a doctor, you need to apply to DO schools.

That said, you can still get into surgery as a DO. It's just not going to be easy as compared to, say, EM, Neuro, or Psych.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I am going to take an intentionally direct approach based on the thread so far. I don't want to sound judgmental, but I really have concerns that a softer approach I don't think is going to get to the root of the issue.

You need to get a real grip on what you want to do. Every person has a limit on how much money for financial aid for graduate/professional programs. You've already used up money for your SMP which I guess you feel has been a waste of time? (Did your program directors tell you to apply to 60 schools and no DO schools???) Your decision-making is so focused on getting to become a trauma surgeon that it seems like you blinded yourself from the reality of your application, and I hesitate to think that your program faculty hadn't warned you otherwise. I read your OP as if you are complaining you "checked all the boxes... yet here I am... what's wrong with everyone else?"

If I were an admissions officer in contact with you who was thoroughly convinced your undergraduate record disqualified you from getting a shot at my school, I would feel ethically obliged to tell you "don't spend your money here." Maybe I'm different and think that your $100 or so (or maybe less) in school-specific fees aren't worth any pressure for me to accept your donation for my admissions operations. If I were your SMP program director, I would have tried to establish a true connection to help you with your program reference or committee letter. You sound like you are trying to excuse yourself from doing any community-oriented volunteering because you have to work to support your education (we understand) but you will be expected to do it while in medical school anyway.

So my question is: why should I believe that you will take any advice we experts here could give you to heart? (Seriously, you have had access to professional advisors and application consultants, and yet you're still not in medical school.) What advice that was difficult to swallow have you accepted in full and tried to implement when it came to your preparation for an application post-SMP? I can't believe no one gave you a cold shower shock based on your undergraduate transcript, but I also can't believe that your SMP advisors only gave rose-colored-eyeglass optimism.

 

[MusicDOc124]

There is a handful of DO schools that still accept apps until March/April. Might be a long shot, but being it is not a huge amount, it won't break the bank either. You might consider this if you want to save a year in the off chance you get in. Remember, DO is more forgiving than MD, and the schools that accept later apps are often still interviewing through the spring.

 

[Goro]

While a bit harsh, a lot of what you say is probably fair. I certainly don't think my SMP was a waste of time, I was just voicing my concern that it was not quite enough to convince admissions committees that I am capable of handling medical school given my undergraduate record. I am currently 3 years into repairing my grades, and during my last discussions with both my committee chair and my advisor, I was told that I would not have a problem finding an MD program to accept me considering my more recent academic success. I realize that was wildly optimistic, but that is what I was told after they each reviewed my application. The point of this post was not to try to get pity or make excuses for myself, so in fairness I should have left out the part about my finances. The point was, I believe that the weakest part of my application is still my grades, even after my SMP. @Goro mentioned that he still thought my 511 MCAT was a little low, and everyone has said I need to apply DO next round. I will of course be working in the medical field and volunteering over the next year, as well as potentially studying to re take the MCAT. Given that I need to work full time, what kind of academic programs would you all advise (thinking online degrees, community college night classes, etc.) to continue to both improve my preparedness for a career in medicine, as well as make myself a more competitive applicant? Thanks again for all of the responses.

Given that you have already aced an SMP, any more coursework will be gilding the lily.

Was your SMP at a medical school? If so, what has been the outcome of applying there so far?

Applying in the middle of the SMP was also not a great idea. Most med schools want to see how you do in the entire program. You certainly should be sending updates about the Fall semester, if you haven't done so already, to any schools that you applied to that haven't outright rejected you. Don't bother applying to OOS public schools though.

As many of the med schools that reward reinvention are service loving schools, you should be engaging in service to others less fortunate than yourself.