Apply 2011 or wait?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
2

274631

Hello. I am an international student studying in the United States. I want to eventually get an MD and an MPH. My original plan was to apply for dual MD/MPH programs, however I have recently been considering doing the MPH first to strengthen my application. I feel that the extra time would hopefully strengthen my application by - including my hopefully better senior year grades to raise my sGPA, give me more time for shadowing and clinical volunteering and better LORs. My question is whether or not you think I have a fairly strong app now to apply MD/MPH or wait and do MPH first?
My stats at the end of this semester (hopefully):
cGPA ~ 3.76
sGPA ~ 3.51
MCAT ~ >32
Non-clinical Volunteering & Tutoring ~ about 100hrs and a couple Spring Break Trips
Study Abroad in South Africa.
Non-clinical employment in hospitals in my home country as well as some shadowing.
Independent research project in my home country at a blood bank over summer and winter break 2010.
Orgo Lab TA ~ 1yr.
I will be shadowing a couple doctors this semester and doing an unpaid public health type internship in a hospital.
I plan on writing a Senior Thesis in Anthropology which would be public health related as well as doing some sort of paid internship experience or research this summer.
I have also done a couple other random ECs that I may include in my app.

Members don't see this ad.
 
Hello. I am an international student studying in the United States.
Do you have a green card? It is my understanding that the bar is very much higher (not to mention that you need to have all quarter million dollars up front) if not.
 
Do you have a green card? It is my understanding that the bar is very much higher (not to mention that you need to have all quarter million dollars up front) if not.

Agree. not exactly sure but 3.8+ sGPA?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
My opinion is that you'd be better off applying for the MPH, using that degree as a springboard to more research, and using the extra year to gain some solid clinical experience before you apply. I think it might also be a good idea to get involved in some regular nonmedical community service for a cause you care about every week or twice monthly.
 
Hello. I am an international student studying in the United States. My question is whether or not you think I have a fairly strong app now to apply MD/MPH or wait and do MPH first?
My stats at the end of this semester (hopefully):
cGPA ~ 3.76
sGPA ~ 3.51
MCAT ~ >32
Study Abroad in South Africa.

I have a 33MCAT and a lower cGPA and sGPA that you. I also traveled abroad to South Africa and applied for MD/MPH programs. I have been accepted to 3 of them so far (all great schools). Your stats looks good to me!!! Although I know nothing about trying to get into a US medical school if you are not a US citizen so I can't help you with that.

If you can afford it, why not apply and see if you can get in to a dual program? You can apply to MPH programs as a back-up so if you don't get in...you can do the MPH first. But I would definitely go for the dual degree program. It will save you time and money.
 
Thanks so much for the responses! I have been leaning towards doing the MPH first for all the reason you gave Catalystik. I do have some regular long tern non clinical volunteering and hope to add to it. Overall I think this would allow me to bring my application up to where I want it to be.

To answer the question I do not have a green card (I'm working on it but not depending on a change of status to apply). I know how much harder that makes it because I can only apply to certain schools but I also know of a couple internationals who got in without a 4.0, 38 so we'll see.
 
hmm, i dont really understand what people get an MPH for? isnt that just for people who didnt get in the 1st try? anyways, there are residency programs where you earn an MPH at the same time as completing your residency; i think this is the most efficient way of accomplishing your goals. i think going through medicine first will help you identify problems that you can work on rather than doing research now on a topics that may not even have any relevance on what you want to specialize on down the line.
 
hmm, i dont really understand what people get an MPH for? isnt that just for people who didnt get in the 1st try? anyways, there are residency programs where you earn an MPH at the same time as completing your residency; i think this is the most efficient way of accomplishing your goals. i think going through medicine first will help you identify problems that you can work on rather than doing research now on a topics that may not even have any relevance on what you want to specialize on down the line.
In the OP's case, as an international, getting any additional degree will allow for more time in the US to spiff up the ECs for her application. Without that legitimate reason for remaining in the US, she'd have difficulty getting US based clinical experience and physician shadowing and would have more difficulty getting to interviews. Losing student status may also have implications for loan repayment for some. So even though the MPH itself will be looked on more as a nice EC rather than an application booster by many MD schools, the OP's personal interests aside, there are other considerations that may be in play here.
 
me disagree with Cat :(

I dont think getting an MPH will give you much of a boost, and at many med schools, you autoqualify for an MPH, and in fact at some schools you can do MD/MPH in 4 years...

so rather than doing an MPH I would find other stuff to boost my resume.

ya so i agree with the doing ECs, but i dont wanna do MPH. extra unnecessary commitment imo. =(

i dont like work. I DONT LIKE WORK I DONT LIKE SCHOOL NOOOO
 
I also know friends that got in with 3.7/32 3.9/31 or smth along those lines. so unless u are aiming harvard u should be fine somewhere.
 
Thanks so much for the responses! I have been leaning towards doing the MPH first for all the reason you gave Catalystik. I do have some regular long tern non clinical volunteering and hope to add to it. Overall I think this would allow me to bring my application up to where I want it to be.

To answer the question I do not have a green card (I'm working on it but not depending on a change of status to apply). I know how much harder that makes it because I can only apply to certain schools but I also know of a couple internationals who got in without a 4.0, 38 so we'll see.

To the OP -- Just apply, you can apply to both MD/MPH programs and just to MPH programs. If you get into an MD/MPH program, great, if you get into a MPH program, great. I would also apply for JUST MD programs because, based on what you want to do, a lot of residencies allow you to get a MPH during your residency. I don't think you're going to get a huge jump in your application by getting an MPH. Also, most schools are completely fine with international graduates.

1
 
Just to clarify my issue was not whether or not I want to do and MPH, rather when. I want to do an MPH regardless. I know it will not be looked at as more than an nice EC and yes it would allow me alot more flexibility to stay in the country but that was not simply the reason I was doing it. When I said improve my application up I was referring to more clinical experience, shadowing, final year grades, etc which would not be included if I applied after my Junior year. And as an international student I cannot simply stay in the US for a year without a job or something so I figured why not just get my MPH in that time instead of doing an MD/MPH.

And to Myhandsarecold - I want an MPH because too often I find medicine focuses too much on the disease and science rather than the people who have the disease. Some people like to sit in a lab and do that type of research which is extremely important, I like investigating the why and how of how people have reached to the point of needing medical attention; I just see it as different interests in medicine and health. I think integrating public health into my medical training can only benefit me in the future and I would also like to go into program and prevention planning in the future. Public Health, to me, is often the first step in treating a disease through education and prevention. Just my 2cents.
 
To the OP -- Just apply, you can apply to both MD/MPH programs and just to MPH programs. If you get into an MD/MPH program, great, if you get into a MPH program, great. I would also apply for JUST MD programs because, based on what you want to do, a lot of residencies allow you to get a MPH during your residency. I don't think you're going to get a huge jump in your application by getting an MPH. Also, most schools are completely fine with international graduates.

1

Thank you for your response. The reason I started looking into postponing MD applications was because I felt that my application as it would be by the end of Junior year was not as strong as I would like it to be. I only want to do this once and give myself the best chance possible. Cat seems to think the extra year would be better as I kind of do too but I would also like to hear other opinions. Are you saying that you think as it is my app would give me a decent chance of getting in?
 
And to Myhandsarecold - I want an MPH because too often I find medicine focuses too much on the disease and science rather than the people who have the disease. Some people like to sit in a lab and do that type of research which is extremely important, I like investigating the why and how of how people have reached to the point of needing medical attention; I just see it as different interests in medicine and health. I think integrating public health into my medical training can only benefit me in the future and I would also like to go into program and prevention planning in the future. Public Health, to me, is often the first step in treating a disease through education and prevention. Just my 2cents.

you sound like my nursing school colleagues goodluck saving the world :luck:
 
Top