When to apply?

[Refreshed]

I'm confused on what to do, I hope my explanation below makes sense.

I applied to MD/DO schools during the spring/summer and haven't heard back from any. Because my GPA is low and my MCAT is so-so I'm assuming I won't get in to any of those schools for Fall 2011.

Because of that, I'm starting to apply to SMPs/Post-Baccs now and hopefully I'll get into one of those for Fall 2011.

I understand that if I should start applying now if I want to attend medical school (MD or DO) in Fall 2012 but I also know that I don't have a chance at med school unless I do well in the SMP/Post-Bacc. So, the simple solution is to just apply now to MD/DO and SMP simultaneously but the problem I'm having is I don't know if I'll even get into an SMP for Fall 2011 and it seems like a waste of money to re-apply to MD/DO because if I don't get into the SMP I definitely won't get into the MD/DO program.

Does that make sense? What should I do?

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[DrMidlife]

GPA/MCAT comebacks aren't easy to schedule. Patience recommended.

If you apply to SMPs now, you'll find out fairly soon whether you're in, or on a waiting list, or rejected.

If you apply to multiple SMPs, then you increase your chances of being in. I think 5 is a conservative number, 10 isn't unreasonable. Hedge your SMP bets by also applying to undergrad programs so you can get more coursework as a matriculated (financially aided) student...such as doing a 2nd bachelors.

There's no way to predict if you'll be in the limbo where it's June and you're on SMP waitlists and you have no idea what to do with MD/DO apps. In your shoes, I'd make this decision around how many standard deviations from the matriculated norm my GPA & MCAT are - if I'm below maybe 3.3 and/or below maybe 30, then I'd assume I need to wait for the SMP assets to be final before I should apply to med school again.

In no case would I panic and go to a SMP-like-thing that isn't hosted at a med school - such a program won't get the job done.

By all means allocate a substantial chunk of time for improving your MCAT score in time for MD/DO apps - this means you need to retake by May, if you want an early app in June 2011.

Best of luck to you.