Hi, maybe someone can help me out here. My situation is as follows: I finished all my pre-med courses and majored in psych and minored in public health. i am currently a grad student finishing my master's of public health at UW (seattle). I have been working in the ER for the past 5 years, did psychology research as an undergrad, was a peer health educator, and am part of a popualtion health forum on campus. I have also been working extensively in the with the Public Health Department on my thesis project. Here's the issue though...my grades are horrible. Well not bad, but horrible by medical school standards. I graduted with a 3.2, but my grad schools grades are pretty decent. my science GPA is what pulled my overall GPA down and this is a bad thing. i have not taken the MCATs yet but hopefully a good score can be helpful due to my poor GPA. So my question is...are there any options for me? I think I have some really great extra curricular things happening for me and I've really become involved with the community, but i know the one thing that will haunt me in the application process is the GPA... What do think...any hope for an MPH student that wants to go into primary care? C
Somewhat depends on your BCPM. It may pay to find someplace where you can retake any prereqs you did really poorly in, and pick up a few upper level sciences to show you can ace science classes, as well as helping out the GPA a bit. Not sure I advocate taking the MCAT yet unless you are pulling down really strong scores on practice ones, and if you plan to retake any prereqs, you would want to wait until you did that and could benefit from more time with the subject.
Well a 3.2 isn't that bad, but it will make things more difficult. If you have any D's or F's make sure you retake them, but I wouldn't retake C's because both grades will be calculated into your GPA. For the subjects you didn't do so hot in, I would take more difficult coursework in that subject to prove you can master the material. If you don't have time to take more classes, study hard for the MCAT and get a strong score. In the end, your whole app will be considered, so apply early, have strong LOR, do well on the MCAT, and write a compelling PS. Oh, and my question for you if I was on the adcom would be why not just work in PH? Was your MPH just a stepping stone to get to the MD? (not so good...)
Oh, and my question for you if I was on the adcom would be why not just work in PH? Was your MPH just a stepping stone to get to the MD? good question. I think that many people do not understand the various aspects of medicine and the PH side can offer a better perspective on clinical medicine, not to mention the many communities that are underserved in this country. I like PH, but at the same time I also the clinical aspects of primary care medicine drive me. if anything, i think having a MPH sets an applicant apart from the usual group. The MPH was not a stepping stone to get to the MD, but it has helped me clarify what role I would like to play as a clinician. The coupling of public health and primary care medicine is important...especially in our health care system where preventative measures often take the back burner to more specailized fields. Thanks for your response.
