.

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Do option 2. You need to prove that you're capable of getting good grades, or else your candidacy for med school is DOA. Option 3 is unnecessary since you have adequate research experience.
 
classicmamba said:
thanks! would two years of upward trend be not enough, and would another year of undergrad upward trend be helpful then? if i get into an smp and do well, would that not count as part of an upward trend or me being able to get good grades?
Click to expand...

Since you're still in undergrad, you should defer your graduation by 1 year to focus on raising your GPA/sGPA so that you have a total of 2 years of solid upward trend. I would advise against doing an SMP altogether because the grades you get in graduate courses won't count towards the calculation of your undergraduate GPA on AMCAS. That is, doing well in an SMP will still count as an upward trend, but you won't get the added bonus of it concomitantly raising your GPA.
 
Depending on exactly how selective and prestigious your undergrad is and how notorious the grade deflation is, you may be OK applying with a 3.2 GPA after two really good years. Are you willing to name names? (MIT? CalTech? Cornell?)

Some private med schools will go for a high MCAT and 'acceptable' GPA from a top private school because they'll know what was involved. Others may almost autoscreen you, so a third year of strong performance will be needed to show you're a top candidate.

I'd also talk to your schools pre-med advisors (if they're any good) to see what they suggest for their students in your situation.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top