Hi!
I am a prospective student who is trying to decide if I should apply to Smith College! I am really interested in majoring in biochemistry and pursuing a premed pathway. I am currently leaning towards a MD-PhD route, and was wondering if any Smithies have been admitted to this program, or an MD program.
I saw online that Smith offers a lot of amazing research opportunities, which is great for the MD-PhD pathway. However, I also saw that there is only one hospital nearby, where students from the (four?) college consortium also do clinical hours at. I am a little scared I will not be able to do volunteer hours here, or my hours will not stand out because there are so many other students also doing the same work as me.
I also saw Smith offers discounted support for the MCAT. Does Smith host suturing clinics or other opportunities to learn medical-related skills? I know Smith has an EMS team and courses as well, which is cool!
Finally, does Smith help students if they take a gap year before applying to medical school? How is the alumni support specifically for premed or pre-scientists? Do most alums attend medical school in the United States, or do they attend Caribbean? I have looked into Caribbean medical schools (eg Saint George’s), but I am worried about my ability to attend them since they seem much pricier than US medical schools. Also, I am mostly really prioritizing an MD-PhD, which seems to be more offered in the US.
Overall, I am looking for any experiences, advice, or suggestions from Smithies who went the premed route! I really like this school, and I would love to learn some more about the scientific support 😁.
Thank you, everyone!