Originally posted by mcataz
I know too many people who did a Masters in Public Health and didn't get in. And from one adcom I spoke with, he didn't have much respect for the MPH.
If you do a Masters, do what they call a "Special Masters" which is a non thesis related class and exam based Masters program. I wouldn't encourage you to do a Masters program that is heavily research oriented especially since research classes are known by adcoms to be instant A's.
Out of curiosity from what viewpoint are you speaking? That is, are you a medical student, applicant, MD or Adcom? I ask because I disagree so strongly with what you are saying here. I did get my MPH before medical school. My undergrad GPA was a 2.8 (I worked full-time) and I was strongly advised to go the MPH route for one simple reason - most of the MPH faculty were also Medical School faculty. That meant my letters of rec would be from faculty members at the Medical School. Not only that but an MPH would give me an added qualification after med school. All of the residents in the Cook County (IL) Hospital's Occ. Med. residency were in my MPH program (I chose an emphasis in environmental and occupational medicine - required coursework for them). So I made lots of professional contacts. I also did research, which was well supported by faculty, and there were no "easy As". I did well, and applied to medical school after my first year...
...to universal rejections.
Reapplying after graduation, I got in easily.
Keep in mind, I got a job with my degree! This is important because many schools (see below) do not "add-in" your Master's work until it is completed. That means, you will be in the "real world" for at least 1 yr. IMHO, it is better to obtain a degree wih real world validity (such as an MPH or MPA/MPP) as opposed to one purely in the sciences. That way, should you need to find a career alternative, you haven't wasted your time.
During medical school, I worked with our admissions committee and had the chance to find out a bit about my own admission. At my institution all Master's Degree programs are given exactly the same weight, and the "extra points" are only awarded AFTER graduation from the program. Unfortunately this maens if you apply in June after your graduation, you need something to do over the next year. The only exceptions to the "extra points" are Master's programs designed specifically for premed. Those are considered the same as post-bacc programs and awarded far less of a bump and still require completion before consideration.
I do not know what adcoms you spoke with, but my experience runs absolutely counter to your advice. BTW - I cast a fairly wide net with my applications, including being granted interviews at UCLA, Uva, GW, and UIC. All saw the MPH as a "positive factor". I had also applied, and was accepted, to the JHU PhD program in Health Policy as a "back-up", they also liked the MPH!
The only caveat to that is that I did seek, and found, a position in Public Health. I was able to "talk up" my job during interviews, separating myself from those who appeared to get the degree only as a means to medical school acceptance. IMHO, that is the difference.
If you want my advice, find a Masters program that interests you and is used in the "real world" (outside of medicine). Do well there and your chances for admission will soar.
Just my $0.02 (actual cash value $0.005)
- H