LSE MSc in Health, Population and Society before Med School

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arsenal77

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Hi all,

I'm currently a third-year student at a top university in the US, planning to apply to medical school in the 2015-2016 cycle. I just finished the MCAT (waiting on scores), and I'm technically on track to graduate a year early, should I choose to do so. I'm also very interested in health policy, and I could see myself pursing a career in this sector in the future, merging medicine and policy, and I think going for a master's in this field could help me greatly in the future.

For this potentially open year, I was thinking about applying to the master's program mentioned above at the LSE -- does anyone have experience with this program, or other programs like it in the UK? Do they accept students just coming out of an undergraduate degree in the States, that aren't necessarily interested in a research career? Would this affect my chances at medical school (positively or negatively)?

In terms of prepping my application for medical school, I'm content with where my science GPA and extracurriculars are at the moment.

Thanks!

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Hi all,

I'm currently a third-year student at a top university in the US, planning to apply to medical school in the 2015-2016 cycle. I just finished the MCAT (waiting on scores), and I'm technically on track to graduate a year early, should I choose to do so. I'm also very interested in health policy, and I could see myself pursing a career in this sector in the future, merging medicine and policy, and I think going for a master's in this field could help me greatly in the future.

For this potentially open year, I was thinking about applying to the master's program mentioned above at the LSE -- does anyone have experience with this program, or other programs like it in the UK? Do they accept students just coming out of an undergraduate degree in the States, that aren't necessarily interested in a research career? Would this affect my chances at medical school (positively or negatively)?

In terms of prepping my application for medical school, I'm content with where my science GPA and extracurriculars are at the moment.

Thanks!

Depends on a lot of things. Are you paying tuition right now at your school? If you graduate a year early and don't have to pay that extra tuition, it's worth it just for saving the money. Yes, these programs will accept students out of undergrad. You don't have to be interested in a research career. You just need to show a lot of passion with what you want to do. Lots of physicians attend these schools, oftentimes with the end goal of policy, public health, research, etc. I would also consider the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, which is one of the most prestigious schools for International Health in the world. They even have some dual programs with LSE (like the Health Policy Planning and Financing program where you take classes with both universities)

The Masters will look stronger on your application than an extra year of undergrad. It's not really a big game changer or anything, but it can certainly help. It won't hurt you in any way. Still, when you are in London, see if you can get some research and a publication or two out of your time there. That would look really good.

With your extra year off, if you can get some really interesting public health experience (like interning with the WHO or CDC, or other public health organizations), that would in my opinion look a lot better than a masters degree.
 
Thanks for the advice! I also wanted to ask, are there any of these sorts of programs found in the States?
 
Probably, I would ask around, especially at your school. You could consider a Masters in Public Policy (MPP), or do an MPH with an emphasis in Health Policy and Management. You could also look into an MBA, or even a Masters in Health Administration.

Really important to ask is if you actually need a Masters degree to go into policy. What are you looking to get from the Masters. The coursework itself? The mentorship from professors? Is the stuff you learn in the coursework something you can learn on your own time (reading on your own)?

It might be worth just entering med school and do a Masters degree between your 3rd and 4th year of med school.

Personally, if I were you and I wanted to go into health policy, I would go for an MD/MBA. Combined programs are better since they're 5 years. Knowing the business and economic side of medicine is critical to working in policy.
 
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