Masters degree first or apply directly to med school?

[mdfirst]

im a college sophomore chem major with about a 2.9 GPA so far. I plan on raising it by senior year though...I need some advice, should I go to get my masters degree first in a desired subject, chem probably, or apply directly to med school? i figured that if i get a masters, it would help my chances considering my low GPA during first 2 years.

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[Repdsesstuinas]

You are still really young. I would not consider a masters degree yet but instead be more focused on bringing up the GPA.

 

[ilovescrubs]

im a college sophomore chem major with about a 2.9 GPA so far. I plan on raising it by senior year though...I need some advice, should I go to get my masters degree first in a desired subject, chem probably, or apply directly to med school? i figured that if i get a masters, it would help my chances considering my low GPA during first 2 years.

I decided to get my Master of Public Health before I went off to medical school because my gpa was on the lower end of competitive (~3.25). I think it will help to not only show that you are motivated enough to do anything it takes to get to an MD, but also help lose some of the focus on the gpa. That was my thinking and that is my advice to you, so yeah I think going for the masters will be beneficial and increase your chances. If anyone else has other opinions though please feel free.

 

[mdfirst]

thanks for the advice...

 

[tacrum43]

For now, focus on getting your undergrad GPA up, preferably to a 3.5 if possible. That really matters much more than a masters degree for getting into medical school. A sub-3.0 GPA is a huge barrier for admission, and most masters programs like to see a 3.0 minimum as well.

 

[adamMD]

I would all A's from here on out. I graduated with a 3.42 GPA. I took 16 additional post-bacc classes and completed a 30 hour masters program (ALL straight A's). My GPA rose to 3.44. If you want to get a masters do it for the right reason (which is you want to conduct science). If you do decide on a masters, don't do it in chemistry since you won't see much of it in med school. By the way, a masters degree will be harder than medical school unless you love research. I think med school will be a breeze in comparision to writing and defending a thesis.

 

[greg567]

If I were you, I would focus on raising your GPA now, take your mcat soon after you finish all the prereq classes and you have a couple months to plow through the review. Nearing the end of college, you can decide if your GPA is competitive enough, and if not, you should do a Special Masters program geared towards people like you who just want to raise their gpa to be more competitive for Med School. Several schools like Georgetown, BU and Rosalind Franklin have programs where you take classes alongside med students; doing well in those classes will certainly demonstrate that you are prepared for medical school, and medical schools are known to respond favorably to such applicants. You will also get to call yourself a "master" since they do award degrees!

I would caution against doing a purely research based masters degree without a real, genuine interest in research. I just completed three years of hell at a state school (which I thought I would just breeze through) to get a masters in biology. It was excellent training and I am now prepared to tackle research if I want to -- but on the other hand, I could have taken a one-year classroom-based program, applied the next year, and be done with my first year of med school by now!

Good Luck to you