Need help choosing

[DoctorDrewOutsidetheLines]

So I'm sitting in the meditation room of a hospital downtown technically working a 24 hr shift but the neonate isolate thingy plus four healthcare workers means my crew gets to come back and pick my happy butt up in a few hours.

Yesterday I received 2 acceptances.

north park university
Christian, intentionally urban, multiculticultural, preparing students to lives of significance and service
3,000 people
Swedish - I lived In Stockholm with a Swedish family, I love Swedish culture
Brand spanking new science building with SMART technology
Just hired the former director of Loyola Stritch as their premed advisor
Scholarships 95 percent certain
Its a second bachelor degree program and I think I can even minor in Arabic and Spanish
but-I asked and I WOULD BE THE FIRST EVER PERSON IN THIS PROGRAM.
They graduate bio and chem majors, it's just this post bac program is new.

USC - MSW
Online, my alma mater, can probably take premed classes too if I am trying to burn myself out
94K but...scholarships...maybe
But it's social work! Yay!

I already hold an acceptance to Loyolas post bac premed program and I was going to pay for that out of pocket which is why I deferred matriculation to save up.

Why social work? I intend to do a combined residency in Family Medicine and Pysch and MSWs are trained in counseling. Plus the residency of my dreams is UCSD's residency where the homeless population is the main population and having an MSW would be handy esp since after residency I intend to work with the underserved or in rural medicine.

funding USC will be very very tricky and I'm going to have to get quite creative but I'm a can-do kind of gal. I really like North Parks mission and facilities. And the fact that's its small. I feel it's an undiscovered gem.

Would med school adcoms look unfavorably upon my application if they see an MSW?

I know it may come off like I'm all over the place but I always know exactly why I pull the shenanigans I do and I hope I can convince adcoms of my sincerity to practice medicine compassionTely too.

Or should just pick between Loyola and North Park and if so, which? Or NP by itself because I don't think I can take both a masters and a bachelors at different schools simultaneously.

Sorry for the typos my tablet is a hot mess. Thanks in advance for your opinions.

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[Dral]

It's hard to say without knowing a few other things about you (mainly other gpas/attendance, extracurriculars, etc).
My inclination would be Loyola. If you can come out of that debt free and follow through with your plans, you can probably get a nice chunk of med school paid for through one of the primary care tuition assistance programs.

 

[DoctorDrewOutsidetheLines]

I'm nontrad, URM, tons of leadership, volunteer, and intern experience in college, grad school, and currently employed as a EMT, sing with the Chicago Justice Choir, so social justice and activism and Christianity is kinda big with me. Not too worried about ECs. I've done a lot in my life. Will throw in some more prior to med school application. But that's exactly why an MSW program appeals to me. Helping others has always been one of my core values.

cGPA: 3.34 went to school at age 16, prob could have worked harder
gGPA: 3.45

If no to the MSW, then I'd say North Park is tugging at my heartstrings. I feel like Loyola is just a name and they want my money. Not really sure if the education is worth it.

Idk maybe I'll just pick a name and a future from a hat.

 

[gyngyn]

Master's degrees will have no bearing on an MD application.
Post-bac's with a track record can have an effect (they often provide non-academic and research opportunities and a nice letter). A new program is probably no better than DIY, though.

 

[Dral]

Well therein lies your decision. If you are confident that the name difference won't really factor into a med school acceptance, go with what you have the best feeling about (sounds like North Park). However, the Loyola name definitely stands out more on an application.

If you're cool with going DO, I would go with North Park based on what you are saying.

If you're really shooting for MD, then I would strongly consider Loyola due to it's name recognition. Not the best reason for a choice, but it's part of the game we all have to play unfortunately.

 

[DoctorDrewOutsidetheLines]

thanks for the responses. would a 4.0 from North Park look better than a 3.5 or less from Loyola esp if I took more classes at NP and had the same ECs and astounding letters of rec?

I'm considering DO but only if I don't get in anywhere my first cycle. I'm becoming more interested the more I research though.

 

[Dral]

So NP is a second undergrad degree, but Loyola is a post bacc? If that is true, comparing grades from the two is sorta like apples and oranges.

I think it depends on how much of a hurry you are to get started. I think a 3.5 or above in a postbacc is almost necessary. Med school admissions want to make sure one can handle the rigors of med school curriculum by what happens in the postbacc.

Doing well in a post-bacc will boost your MD chances (and DO for that matter). Doing a second undergrad degree can potentially boost your DO chances if you re-take classes for grade-replacement (grade replacement could happen via postbacc too though depending on the classes you didn't do as well in previously and the classes you take for the postbacc)..although if you can land a 25 equivalent or above on the MCAT, you're probably sitting pretty for a DO acceptance as things stand currently.

 

[DoctorDrewOutsidetheLines]

The Second Bachelors is basically a postbaccalaureate. They block transfer in most of your credits. I only have to take 56 units of I remember correctly at NP and even that is negotiable. I haven't had a single science or math since high school. Besides astronomy or something like that for college gen Ed so there will be no retakes because I don't have any awful grades. I'm pretty sure I'll get into med school the first time around. If not, then the following year. If not, then maybe DO. However, I was considering the MSW on the off chance I don't get into med school or I don't like attending medical school because of the curriculum, the environment, or my classmates.

I'm not too worried about getting a 25. I know the MCAT is hard, but I think I can manage above a 510. I'm pretty sure a 25 is selling my potential rather short. I've got time, I'm just at the beginning!

 

[candbgirl]

So you would sooner be a SW than a DO? It would so much easier and quicker to go to a local college/unit and take the pre reqs for med school and a few upper division science classes to prove you are up to the task of med school. Then take the MCAT and apply to med schools and see what happens. There isn't a big need to do another whole degree of any type. If you don't want to do this I guess do the MSW since that seems to be what you want to focus on. After you finish that see how you feel
about med school. You may have decided to just not do it. Good luck. Oh and as far as recognition goes NP isn't particularly well known even in Chicago so I'm not sure why you are considering that at all. How about doing MSW at Loyola or U of I Chicago. Did you say USC was an online program?

 

[DoctorDrewOutsidetheLines]

https://msw.usc.edu

Yes, it's an online program with the possibility to transfer to campus. re: MSW at Loyola or UChicago, I had forgotten I'd applied to USC's MSW because I had started to focus my life and future on premed and going through the application process for any other social work programs seems a moot point at this juncture.

From what I was told @Goro @gonnif the name of the undergraduate college means very little, it's grades. I had never heard of North Park either, but it seems to be worthy of some consideration.

 

[candbgirl]

But I'm not sure why you need another bachelors degree. Wouldn't a DIY post bac to pick up the pre reqs and a few other upper level science classes be more efficient to get you to the application process? I guess I just don't understand why you are looking to get involved in another degree program. I don't think anyone can tell you what to do. You have to decide if you want the MSW or if you want to go to med school. If you want both I guess the MSW would be the first choice. But you'd still need your pre reqs after you finish. You have a big decision to make. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Dral]

Good points.

Anytime you get a degree other than your original undergrad, you have to explain it.

"So, you did a MSW, found out it wasn't all it was cracked up to be so now you're jumping ship to Medicine?"

Just an example of what you could be asked. I'm sure you can explain your ultimate intentions, but just be aware.

This is coming from someone who had a PhD before med school. It haunted me all the way up to residency interviews.

 

[lmn]

MSW might be good if you are highly considering a career in that instead of medicine. I don't doubt the MSW will give you some good knowledge and insight into things, but I wouldn't really count on being able to "use" it all that much if you go the MD/DO route. For the vast majority of doctors it is extremely hard to even remotely find the time to deal with all the medical issues someone has (especially underserved populations that don't have consistent/good healthcare access) in the time you get to see a patient, much less to also be able to add on the social work side of things. This is why we have (and need) teams.

 

[22031 Alum]

I work exclusively with underserved patients, including work as a prison physician. I appreciate why you think an MSW will be helpful. But in my opinion, it would actually be quite unfair to your patients if you tried to be "everything" for them- you will end up being an inadequate physician AND an inadequate social worker. My patients have a ton of social issues and barriers to care. I cannot possibly keep up with all the knowledge my social worker colleagues have about their field, while adequately performing the tasks I need to as the physician. Before you really get started in this process, decide which you want to be, and dedicate yourself to it.

 

[WingedOx]

I work exclusively with underserved patients, including work as a prison physician. I appreciate why you think an MSW will be helpful. But in my opinion, it would actually be quite unfair to your patients if you tried to be "everything" for them- you will end up being an inadequate physician AND an inadequate social worker. My patients have a ton of social issues and barriers to care. I cannot possibly keep up with all the knowledge my social worker colleagues have about their field, while adequately performing the tasks I need to as the physician. Before you really get started in this process, decide which you want to be, and dedicate yourself to it.

Yeah, no to the MSW unless that's ultimately what you want to do. We always need good social workers though.
Is the Loyola program in Rogers Park or Maywood?

/the thought of getting a degree online kinda sounds awful to me.

 

[Petrichor1]

You're going backwards with this Swed thing. Sure they are new and offered 95% of cost but do they do that for most of their students due to european standards of education? Still, I would go with US and being here to do the post-bacca, I mean most internationals come here and do that just to try getting in (heck they aren't even eligible to apply to most schools anyways) so why are you doing the opposite?