Accounting masters med school

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

drabberbadge

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2012
Messages
600
Reaction score
43
I am taking a gap year in between med school and UG and I'm in an accounting masters program
Will that be viewed as a negative to my application to med school because I am doing accounting?
I be always wanted to do accounting but being a doctor was my #1 priority and more important to me
But I got opportunity to do a masters for 1 year in between med schoolamd ug

Members don't see this ad.
 
Do you have a career plan to combine accounting and medicine? If you can explain how it's relevant to your future career, it should be a positive, not a negative.
On the other hand, if you're doing the masters just because it's interesting to you, it might look like you aren't fully committed to medicine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Concur. Drabby, you will have to deal with the attitude of "Accounting??? What's that got to do with becoming a doctor!?!" In that same time, you could have been doing research, clinical ECs, etc.

Do you have a career plan to combine accounting and medicine? If you can explain how it's relevant to your future career, it should be a positive, not a negative.
On the other hand, if you're doing the masters just because it's interesting to you, it might look like you aren't fully committed to medicine.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I've seen applications of those who completed their accounting program after discovering that living life in a cubicle wasn't their thing during an internship, and I give them credit for completing what they started (keeping in mind that 150 semester hours of education are required to qualify as a CPA). They still needed a graceful explanation for the career change and all the usual and customary ECs, of course, as @Goro suggests, to be successful.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I was thinking of incorporating my expertise of accounting into my medical career if I hopefully get to open up my private practice
But it might be seen as a negative?
I'm in global med masters right now but haven't started and wanted to drop outed that for accounting but I don't want the accounting masters to affect my med school app
 
It's not a career change for me because I want to go to med school but I was thinking of doing that in my gap year
 
Isn't it like one saying they want to do a MD MBA program
That doesn't mean you lack an interest in medicine or becoming a doctor?
 
Spin it into a way that is helpful. Most doctors are horrible with money and finances. If you can say that you are interested in business aspects of medicine or personal finance aspects of physician well-being I think you can make the Masters degree a positive. You will certainly need the other extracurricular such as clinical shadowing, but being a CPA is generally an advantage.
 
A gap year is usually for the purpose of fixing deficiencies that you may have in your application. What is the purpose is of your gap year? What do you hope to achieve with a Master's in Accounting or Global Med? If you have no deficiencies in your application, or no concrete idea as to what you will use your master's degree for, why spend money on a degree that you most probably will not use?

MD/MBA programs are usually for people who wish to become physician executives. You do not need a master's degree to be more knowledgeable about running your own private practice; reading a books on healthcare administration, finance, physician practice management, accounting, etc will do. A master's in accounting probably will not give you much exposure to most of these subjects.
 
I have no idea how adcoms view this, so my opinion may be moot.

But I think it's always good to have more than one area of expertise. Especially if it's something practical. I could understand the criticism if it was a master's in east asian studies or something. But accounting, finance, computer science, statistics - there are some things that are useful in every field.
 
A gap year is usually for the purpose of fixing deficiencies that you may have in your application. What is the purpose is of your gap year? What do you hope to achieve with a Master's in Accounting or Global Med? If you have no deficiencies in your application, or no concrete idea as to what you will use your master's degree for, why spend money on a degree that you most probably will not use?

MD/MBA programs are usually for people who wish to become physician executives. You do not need a master's degree to be more knowledgeable about running your own private practice; reading a books on healthcare administration, finance, physician practice management, accounting, etc will do. A master's in accounting probably will not give you much exposure to most of these subjects.
My gap year is because I was behind in my pre reqs
I started off a confused freshman trying to economics and when I decided after much thought classes and clinical exposure I decided to go into the medical field but it's a gap year because I needed a gpa boost and decided in sophomore year to do medicine
I didn't think it would be such a big deal because most people I know take a year off in between applying and starting med school to discover themselves or European trip but I m just using that time in what I see as wise but I guess it wasn't a good idea to affect my application?
 
Drabb, did u take mcat yet? What are ur stats? Accounting is a money sucking career that's ethical values don't necessary coorelate with the service mentality that is in healthcare, that would be my concern if I was on an adcom, I'd be trying to gain an understanding of what really drives you, is it money? or is it helping others and improving the well-being of the general population? If you can convey that money is not motivating your career decision, then you are fine, although it may be difficult to justify this if you are pursuing an accounting degree, although, having a backup plan is a mature decision.
 
Drabb, did u take mcat yet? What are ur stats? Accounting is a money sucking career that's ethical values don't necessary coorelate with the service mentality that is in healthcare, that would be my concern if I was on an adcom, I'd be trying to gain an understanding of what really drives you, is it money? or is it helping others and improving the well-being of the general population? If you can convey that money is not motivating your career decision, then you are fine, although it may be difficult to justify this if you are pursuing an accounting degree, although, having a backup plan is a mature decision.

dude...really? The best doctors are the one's that have no interest in making money? GTFO, seriously. IMO, if I was an adcom I would applaud pre-meds who have business knowledge/interest considering the current state of healthcare.

I'm sick of people who think medicine should be like priesthood. Bizarre.
 
No I haven't I'm preparing for it now
My gap is currently 3.64 but trying to move it to. A 3.7 by spring
I screwed up in my freshman year and got 4.0 s ever since

Although I understand your point, but why does getting an accounting degree say that I'm only after money? Firstly if I was only after money why would I care to even go into medicine? I feel as though the amount of effort and work to do both these degrees are being under appreciated
It's not an easy task so I would hate for it to be something that hinders my ability to become a doctor rather than enhance it
Money is a factor in everyone's lives and having the skills to understand the system from a financial standpoint stood to me as an extra tool in my toolbox why does that have to correlate with being a successful doctor or having compassion?
This system is dumb lolll
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Although I understand your point, but why does getting an accounting degree say that I'm only after money?

It doesn't. One of the problems with soliciting advice on the Student Doctor Network is set you'll notice you are getting opinions from premeds, people who have never been through the application process, much less medical training or work in the field. I will go on record as saying that your major does not matter when applying to medical school. So long as you have the grades, MCAT score, and appropriate extracurriculars, you should be fine. Heed my previous advice of spinning the accounting degree into something that's useful for the business of medicine.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I would say one of the problems is people can't interpret statements correctly through forums. I actually fully support the idea to grab an accounting masters in your gap year. Why would it look bad? It would be a useful way to spend the gap year because you will be acquiring employable skills where there is job demand in the case that the med school route doesn't work out and/or if you have a change of mind. I think acquiring a degree that can earn you a good living and that is in demand is a muchhhhh wiser way to spend a gap year than to do some sort of research, etc like many premeds do just to check of a box on their application. ps: I'm an older nontrad, and one thing I know about this process is that there is absolutely no benefit at all in looking on paper like a typical premed who has no life experience or perspective, do something different, be unique, and by getting the accounting masters you may have just separated yourself from the regular pack of similar applicants who all look the same on paper (ie: 3.7+gpa, 30+mcat, research, volunteering, bio major)
 
Top