So just to clarify; the normal MS is looked upon less favorably simply because it is not coursework taken with Med School Freshmen? I know that many SMP's have you rubbing elbows with them, but is that really the issue? I would think that knocking a bunch of grad classes dead with A's would readily show that you can hack it (and that's what it's all about anyway, isn't it)?
Both graduate level coursework and med school coursework are the same in terms of the fact that they are calculated in your grad GPA. Beyond that, the comparisons between graduate and med school level courses can greatly vary. Med school is more subject intensive (e.g., memorization), while grad school is more research intensive. Getting A's in an SMP's med school curriculum is good since it says you can handle the rigors of the med school courseload. Mainly the basic science classes (e.g., year 1). In contrast, getting all A's in a 1-2 year traditional masters depends on your program.
Clearly, all A's in an english masters program doesn't say much about how well you'll do in med school. But it looks good nonetheless. How good depends on how well you did in other science courses. If you had all A's in a biochemistry masters program, then that can be easier related to med school. Some grad programs are also attached to med schools. My PhD program is like that, thus most of my 1st year curriculum were with med students. My PhD program is obviously not an SMP, but it is quite clear that my classes were med school classes (2nd year med school courses) such as: general pathology, systemic pathology, pharmacology, etc. I took these classes for grade, rather than P/F.
Ultimately it comes down on what you want to do, and what your application looks like. If you have a weak undergraduate GPA, then you would want to provide proof that you can handle a rigorous science courseload. This can be through taking post-bacc upper division undergrad science classes, or an SMP. Graduate school isn't helpful here since it does not boost your GPA, and frequently, the courses are not directly related to med school curriculum. Conversely, if you have proved that you can do well in hard science classes, then an SMP or MS program is fine. No harm no foul doing either. The more important factor is if you enjoy what you are doing.
As RxnMan said, the MS also helps post-MD/DO as well especially if you have publications to prove your capacity to do research. However, one must note that the chances of getting a publication (first/second author) in a masters program is rather low. On average, masters students in our program get 0-1 publications. This is mainly due to the amount of time available. One to 2 years may not be sufficient to complete a project which can be published.
Zolar Czakl said:
Well, don't be so sure that getting a 4.0 graduate gpa is an automatic in. Sounds like graduate degrees have grades that are inflated like crazy. You wouldn't believe the amount of people with bad undergrad averages and like 3.9 graduate gpa's. I'm sure adcoms have noticed this trend, and therefore are not bowled over by a really really high graduate gpa. At least with an SMP, they know there is no grade inflation going on, and that getting a 3.9 means you will succeed greatly in medical school (at least first year).
I wouldn't assume anything about any program (undergrad, graduate, professional) unless you have experienced it yourself. Like every school, program, and individual, the difficulty of a program is dependent on MANY factors. To assume that graduate degrees have grades that are "inflated like crazy" is naive. Additionally, getting a 4.0 in ANY program doesn't equal admission either. As stated above, my PhD program includes med school courses, and have an overall GPA of 4.0, however I still take classes while finishing my PhD thesis since there is never any guarantee.
Grad level courses can be easier, just as hard, or harder then their med school counterparts. For example, I was fortunate enough to take grad level and med school level biochemistry. The grad level class was HARD. The med school class was EASY since it was everything I learned as an undergrad biochem major. This is at a University of California med school. I took grad level pharmacology, and then took med school level pharmacology. Grad level pharmacology was reaction intensive. You better know your OChem. While med school pharmacology merely brushed over the nucleophilic reactions, and emphasized on the clinical aspects as one would expect.
The reason why graduate GPA is "inflated" is because students are EXPECTED to do well. This isn't merely words, its usually defined by policy. You can be dismissed from the program for getting just 1 B-. Here at UC, a GPA of <3.0 puts you on academic probation. Note that a B- is a 2.7 GPA. Additionally, to receive money through grants, you usually have to maintain a 3.5 GPA. The average GPA in my program is probably a 3.5-3.65. Admissions committee members also take this into account. Lastly, some med schools do reward those with high grad GPAs. UC Davis gives you an extra application point for having a grad GPA of >3.8. They do the same if you have an undergrad GPA of >3.7. In closing, and in contrast to an SMP, doing well in the first year does provide an image that you can do well in 1st year med school classes. However the 1st year med school classes are mainly basic sciences. The workload might be great, but the difficulty of the subject material is as hard as the program you compare it to. I challenge anyone to do a masters (or PhD) in biomedical engineering, or chemical engineering, and say its "easy". Adcoms know that. Its a pretty well known concept that certain grad level programs are quite challenging (more so than basic science med school classes). In fact, my PI, an alumnus from UCSF School of Medicine, and also MD/PhD credited grad school as being harder than med school.
on the user name and wonderful avatar.
