@Goro has said a 3.3 in an SMP is lethal for DO schools and whoever has that should look into other career options
Congratulations! What was your SMP GPA/MCAT? Did you get in through a linkage or just by applying broadly? URM/ORM?
Did your SMP still allow you to do the linkage if you retook classes? Or did you do a second SMP
Rare but I had a <3.6 SMP and made it MD (diff school - not linkage). My SMP class average was 3.3 and while only about ~60% made it to dental/med school I know several who were successful with 3.3-3.6 range. It's very region dependent. If you're doing an SMP in the west or east coast, there are hundreds of other applicants who have a >3.7 SMP / >510, great ECs, URM, etc. But in lesser populated areas and if you're near lower stat schools you're fine.
DM me.
This is a great question! I would make your own post about this because it’ll get more views and replies. My post is old so a lot of people might not come across it
Thank you! I actually made a similar post a while back with some feedback and I got the general advice to absolutely nail the MCAT one last time... but that was a few months ago. My current SMP GPA this semester is worrisome and I am wondering if it's better to withdraw from the last semester of the program than to stay with grades below a C. How will med schools and/or other programs like PA school, look at that?
Ugh you did not need an SMP with a 3.88, you would've gotten directly into MD/DO. And absolutely withdraw if the grade is even below a B-. I tried to take the MCAT and do the SMP in the first term and ended up almost failing anatomy. I withdrew. From what I've heard a 3.0 will not get you looked at by med schools and anything less than a 3.0 is basically game over. I would personally withdraw from whatever course you're not doing well in and retake next year with better grades in the fall and update schools in the app cycle. That's my plan at least.
I know I made a major mistake joining this SMP with a 3.88, but I was under the guise that it would help me avoid my previous 496 MCAT since if I did well enough, I could get accepted directly without an MCAT retake. But in hindsight now, I really should've retaken the MCAT without jeopardizing my grades! I am in such a pickle. I am on a thin line of trying to get a 3.0 considering this spring semester is so messed up (a lot of my classmates and I are suffering due to the lack of professionalism and organization by the faculty). Now, I want to withdraw but the issue was that the deadline was last week! I had no idea as I was planning to fight this through. I am wondering if there is anyway to still ask for a withdrawal since these grades are just bad right now for the first time in my life. I was also planning to retake my MCAT after all this and look for a medical job. Idk if I have time in my schedule for a retake of courses either. Honestly at this rate, should I just look into other careers in medicine at this point? I've been eyeing PA school lately for the job flexibility and less years... I also hear a lot of those schools don't look at things like SMP grades. Sigh, anything helps. Thank you again for reading through and helping me out on weighing my options!
Med school is still an option for you, but I feel like you would most likely need to do an extra semester or two of the SMP (which is what I will also be doing). Getting it to the 3.4 SMP range will get you into DO. Then a good MCAT score of course.
Your plans are sound if you're African American
Yes I am African American
You're good to go.
Little bit of caution--LECOM does not guarantee acceptance. In fact, they are very careful with their legal jargon not to guarantee. Their SMP (from which I graduated in 2021 and matriculated DO last fall) benchmarks qualify students for a DO program interview in December/January.
I totally wished I followed this fate instead. I had a really high 3.88 GPA and just needed to beat the MCAT after 3 attempts. Did an SMP and my grades in the spring semester dropped so much and now, I can't reapply to med school unless I retake the MCAT and practically do a second SMP. I'm broken but at this rate, I don't mind doing PA school. It just hurts that I spent so much time and money on an SMP that did way more harm than good when I was really close to the goal. Major lesson learned too late for me, so be warned for anyone else deciding to go this route
True, but some people need the structure that an SMP gives
As someone who did two SMPs, yup. I gambled with both. First SMP screwed me over although my gpa was a lot better than my undergrad. Second SMP was a blessing, despite the huge risk I took. That’s why it’s important to RESEARCH each SMP and don’t go in blindly (my first mistake with my first SMP). If you insist on doing an SMP, Definitely look into an SMP that will give you something more than a useless degree to hang on your wall if you don’t do well or don’t get in via linkage (one that offers a thesis, research, internships, etc) and pls pls pls take your MCAT exam BEFOREEEEE you start your SMP if required to do so. Again, that was another mistake with my first SMP. Starting med school in Fall so it worked out for me but wow it took me years and a whole lot of debt.
