SMP or PostBacc?

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tar_heel

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I'm confused about whether a postbacc, SMP, or neither is best for my situation --

Current Stats:
cGPA = 3.38
sGPA = 3.06
MCAT = 30 (evenly distributed)
college senior, URM (Black/AA), Virginia resident, disadvantaged

I'm currently retaking the following classes:
Orgo I (original grade = C)
Orgo II (C)
Physics II (C-)

The issue is as follows: I am a transfer student. I attended a top-5 school for 1 semester, left for many reasons and took a gap year to work, then attended a community college for a year where I took Bio I,II and Chem I,II all with A's. When I transferred to my current university, I earned all/mostly C's in my science classes. I know this looks really bad, and I think I need an SMP or postbacc to prove that I can perform in classes. Hopefully in my last 2 semesters I'll be able to demonstrate that I can do well in coursework (I'm retaking classes now, and will take upper-level bio next semester).

I really want to attend med school in California (family ties, it's where I grew up, etc.) but have no MD/DO preference (I'm fairly certain I want to do primary care in ob/gyn). I grew up disadvantaged, and therefore have no savings to rely on paying for a postbacc (and no one to cosign on private loans), so I'm looking mainly at SMPs because I understand they can be financed through government loans. However, if I'm misunderstanding please let me know.

I basically need feedback as to whether I'm on the right track thinking that I need an SMP/postbacc work, and would also like to know what programs in particular (if any) I should be considering. I'm currently really interested in Western's MSMS, and BU MAMS (because of the option to do a second-year MPH).

Thanks!

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Neither. An SMP would cost $$ and could potentially ruin your chances forever (if you performed poorly). And in all honesty, as a Black/AA disadvantaged candidate you have a great shot at getting in somewhere (statistically around 80%+ considering your GPA and MCAT). I would not take out loans or do anything drastic until you've tried to apply one cycle like this.
 
You need to find out about the UC consortium.

More generally, you should be able to find a disadvantaged/underrepresented one year med school prep program similar to Georgetown GEMS.

Getting in to med school isn't the hardest part, not even close. Getting through med school with opportunities on the other side because you performed well is by far the hardest part. So it's a great idea to do an extra prep year before med school, if it's inexpensive and small and helps you succeed in med school.

Start legally re-establishing your California residency now. That means your drivers license, car reg, voter reg, everything. Your parents' status may not matter at all. You can't fake your state, and "ties" mean nothing if you don't have proof of domicile.

Best of luck to you.
 
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