Applying to Medical School while completing an MS?

[numbersloth]

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I am interested in taking longer than usual to fulfill medical requirements, so I would need to take at least one gap year. I also have a keen interest in biostatistics and would love to complete an MS after undergrad. Can I apply to medical school during the first year of an MS in Biostatistics, and thus matriculate to Medical School after I have completed my MS? Will medical schools look down on this, assuming I am not committed to a medical career?

 

[AlteredScale]

I am interested in taking longer than usual to fulfill medical requirements, so I would need to take at least one gap year. I also have a keen interest in biostatistics and would love to complete an MS after undergrad. Can I apply to medical school during the first year of an MS in Biostatistics, and thus matriculate to Medical School after I have completed my MS? Will medical schools look down on this, assuming I am not committed to a medical career?

That's fine. It will not be looked down upon.

My colleague applied to medical school while completing her M.S. at UCSD. She will be matriculating to UC Irvine SOM in the fall.

 

[mcworbust]

As a med student interviewer, I would love to see an applicant with an interest in Biostatistics, and of course this can be demonstrated by completing an MS program, or in other ways (ie research experience). I would be surprised if a medical school adcom looked at this as a negative - if they did not value it, and if you really have an interest in biostats and its associated use in clinical or translational research, then that institution would not be a good fit for you, so screw 'em! 🙂

Some things to consider/questions:
Where did your interest in biostats come from? have you taken biostats classes? used stats for research? I only ask because you might be better served (from a time and $$ perspective) to apply to medical schools that have joint MD/MS programs, and complete your MS in biostats that way. It will probably cost less, take 1 year vs. probably 2 years, and will be more useful for you as you will be able to tailor your course experience based on interests you develop while in medical school, which may be more focused and useful vs. courses taken before medical school.

Biostats knowledge is invaluable in clinical, epidemiological, and translational research, but FYI many institutions have a biostats department that can help investigators address their biostats related questions. With that being said, I have taken biostats courses specifically to ensure that I understand what I am doing in my research, and its been an invaluable skill to have (although I do sometimes still consult our biostats faculty for a second opinion/clarification/etc).

To answer your question - you can apply to medical school during your last (in most cases second) year in an MS in Biostats program, but just make sure to finish the MS before starting medical school.

Finally, please don't complete an MS in biostats for the sole purpose of inflating your medical school application - make sure you have a interest in APPLYING what you have learned in the future as a physician scientist! Also, please take my advice (and really all pre-med advising) with a grain of salt - best of luck!

 

[numbersloth]

As a med student interviewer, I would love to see an applicant with an interest in Biostatistics, and of course this can be demonstrated by completing an MS program, or in other ways (ie research experience). I would be surprised if a medical school adcom looked at this as a negative - if they did not value it, and if you really have an interest in biostats and its associated use in clinical or translational research, then that institution would not be a good fit for you, so screw 'em! 🙂

Some things to consider/questions:
Where did your interest in biostats come from? have you taken biostats classes? used stats for research? I only ask because you might be better served (from a time and $$ perspective) to apply to medical schools that have joint MD/MS programs, and complete your MS in biostats that way. It will probably cost less, take 1 year vs. probably 2 years, and will be more useful for you as you will be able to tailor your course experience based on interests you develop while in medical school, which may be more focused and useful vs. courses taken before medical school.

Biostats knowledge is invaluable in clinical, epidemiological, and translational research, but FYI many institutions have a biostats department that can help investigators address their biostats related questions. With that being said, I have taken biostats courses specifically to ensure that I understand what I am doing in my research, and its been an invaluable skill to have (although I do sometimes still consult our biostats faculty for a second opinion/clarification/etc).

To answer your question - you can apply to medical school during your last (in most cases second) year in an MS in Biostats program, but just make sure to finish the MS before starting medical school.

Finally, please don't complete an MS in biostats for the sole purpose of inflating your medical school application - make sure you have a interest in APPLYING what you have learned in the future as a physician scientist! Also, please take my advice (and really all pre-med advising) with a grain of salt - best of luck!

I would prefer to do an MS/MD, the problem is that I would have to take a heavier science course load in order in finish my pre med requirements in time to apply for direct matriculation to the program. I'm debating whether to spread out all my requirements and take one-two years in between (in which I would pursue an MS) or take all the pre-reqs bunched together and apply during junior year.

 

[mcworbust]

I would prefer to do an MS/MD, the problem is that I would have to take a heavier science course load in order in finish my pre med requirements in time to apply for direct matriculation to the program. I'm debating whether to spread out all my requirements and take one-two years in between (in which I would pursue an MS) or take all the pre-reqs bunched together and apply during junior year.

Do the MD/MS programs require more courses than the MD programs, or extra courses outside what you were planning on taking during your college career? Also, all required courses have to be completed before matriculation, not before submitting your application (although it is usually good to finish the typical premed courses before submitting app, ie gen chem, bio, ochem, physics). Can you take summer courses? I know that I (and many of my classmates) took a few summer courses to make things more manageable during the year...

Another thing to consider is how you have performed so far - assuming you just finished freshman year, how was your course load and how did it go? Take this into consideration when planning out your future course selections, and don't overload yourself - it's better to do well with a normal or lower amount of credits (as long as you remain full time) than it is to do poorly in an overloaded semester!

Finally, spreading out your coursework does allow for more time for clinical and non clinical volunteering, research, etc. I know I left certain requirements for one of my majors (Analytical Chemistry) until senior year solely because of the time it would have taken out of my every day schedule - time that I filled with research and clinical experiences...