I need some advice on how to proceed…I have convinced myself if I don’t get any interviews for the 2009 cycle (mostly waiting on osteo schools) I must take a special masters program (SMP) as well as retaking the mcat and applying early. Some of my pre-req classes are very old (like 16 years), however I did graduate with a BS in Biology in 2005. (My science GPA is 3.66, total GPA 3.15, mcat 27L, applied late). What would you do? Just focus on re-taking mcat and apply early? or also do an SMP? Has anyone on this site taken a 1 year SMP? Did it help? I keep reading it is a “last resort” type of thing, but I don’t fear doing badly, I fear wasting the money if it is not necessary. I’m not like most non-trad pre-meds who take their post-bac pre-reqs and then apply just after finishing them. I have been pursuing this goal over the last 16 years and feel I have put myself at a disadvantage. Anyone in my same situation?
Thank you very much,
Trying to stay positive through this daunting process.
Oh, hey, you’re back! I hoping you had some better news to report.
Well, to answer you initial question, everyone I know who has attended a graduate-level biomedical sciences program (like Georgetown’s SMP) are now allopathic or osteopathic medical students at stateside medical schools. Just as an example, the person I knew who attended Georgetown SMP is now at LECOM.
I really doubt retaking your premedical prerequisites would really impress admissions committees since those courses are purely remedial for you. There are several posters on this board who had old prerequisites like you and had received multiple allopathic medical school acceptances (for example dtrainer, Colby24TN, and Val Cagle). The most glaring differences between them and you are that they had higher MCAT scores (in all categories), had higher cumulative GPAs, and had applied much earlier in the process. But just to be sure, have you asked any of the schools that passed on interviewing you on why they passed on interviewing you? I’ve heard that osteopathic medical schools tend to be pretty harsh on the second wave of applications (rejected allopathic medical school applicants scrambling to apply to osteopathic medical schools) because of the belief that second wave applicants are only applying because of desperation rather than having a true belief in the osteopathic distinctiveness. But I did know of someone at KCOM being interviewed in April to be part the August entering class.
I know from your previous posts that money has been a real problem for you and from your previous posts it seems that you were only applying to schools within driving distance of where you live. You might want to consider diversifying the school list and be willing to move farther for school. While I am an advocate that graduate-level biomedical sciences programs help to strengthen premedical applicants’ academic records, you might find it cheaper and less stressful in the long run to try to attend one of the Big 3 (or 4 depending on who you talk to) Caribbean medical schools this year than trying to stress and pay for another whole year of application fees, airplane tickets, hotel rooms, etc.
ihopetobeado2,
Thank you. The “money issue” is mostly my husband’s fear. I would spend anything to get where I want to be, but can’t exclude his opinion in my decisions. I think what I will do is: apply to some of the less expensive SMPs (EVMS, VCU), retake my MCAT and reapply early to DO/MD programs expanding my school selection. I really feel I have a shot at DO school and I do truly believe in their mission/theories/practice s. I would be very grateful for an interview, anywhere! (I guess it is just hard to swallow that I may have to spend the money to prove I can “handle” the science classes when I graduated with a 3.66 and 93 credits of mostly science classes and the thing that brings my total GPA down is poor grades in 2.5 years of art school.)
My other “issue”, why I am hung up on SMPs, is that I’m sure my science professor LORs are pretty run-of-the-mill and my thinking was if I was in an SMP I would get to know the professors very well and have access to much better LORs.
You are right; I do need to contact the schools (I did contact Marshall, but haven’t received their suggestions yet, she said it would take a while) to find out exactly which parts of my application were problematic. I haven’t been rejected from any of the DO programs, so I am holding onto that tiny string of hope.
The Caribbean schools, at this time, are not an option for me.
Thank you for your advice and I too hope to post with some better news some day.
- LateBloomer Said:
Communicating with the schools is critical IMHO and even better is to take a trip to talk to someone in person.
As for EVMS's SMP, I don't recall that program being particularily "cheap", but I do know a few people who did MS programs at ODU (taking some of the same classes the SMP students take) and were easily accepted to EVMS, VCU and other medical schools.