At a Crossroad and Need Advice!

[smarty666]

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Hello, I've posted here before but my situation has changed and I have two big decisions I need to make. The one right now, is to whether or not take the MCAT or GRE. I can tell you right now I'm leaning toward the MCAT but let me tell you my situation and I want to get some honest advice and if my course of action sounds right.

Okay, a little about me, undergrad I was a bio sciences major, biochem minor. I graduated with a 3.45 cGPA and a 3.29 sGPA. I had an upward grad trend getting mostly B+'s and A's in my upper division bio sciences courses. Have multiple volunteering activities, the American Lung and Diabetes Associations, JDRF, New Jersey Medical Reserve Corp, College Leadership + Governing bodies, biomedical research experience.

Later this year I'm going to get going on my clinical exposure, hospital volunteer and 2-3 physician shadowing opportunities but I have plenty of time to do these since I would not be applying to MD programs till summer 2013.

I know right that for me to have any chance in hell of getting even interviewed for an MD program, I need to do some sort of Master's and do very well in it and at least higher than a 30 on the MCAT. As I see it I have 3 options, do an SMP, a hardcore science M.S. program or an MPH (certain one that combines science and public health). Right now I'm leaning toward the former 2 but I know friends personally who have done all three routes to boost their resume and are now in M.D. medical school programs (they all had similar if not slightly better stats then me). I've done extensive research on all 3 of these options and I have found not just SMPs but also MS and MPH programs that will accept MCAT scores in lieu of the GRE. That being the case, I think the MCAT is the way to go since the majority of these options accept it. The decision later this year will be based on my MCAT score, what one of those options to take for a Master's degree. Does that sound like a good plan of action for now? Study for the June MCAT and see how that goes?

Also, if I do apply to SMPs, I am only applying to one's that offer a Master's degree upon completion. Here is my reasoning on that, if I do decide to do the SMP route, I don't want to spend all that time and money not getting a degree and walk away empty handed God forbid I do not do well or do not get accepted into med school. I want something to fall back on. At least with a SMP Master's I could use some of that knowledge for clinical research, biomedical research, or a public health career if I had to. I've listed below the Master's programs that accept the MCAT and want your take on the list as well and see if I'm missing any.

* Univ of Pitt School of Public Health (Infectious Diseases and Microbiology) - M.P.H.
* George Washington Univ School of Public Health (PH Microbiology and Emerging Infectious Diseases) - M.S.
* Emory Univ School of Public Health (Epidemiology) - M.P.H.
* Tulane Univ School of Public Health (Epidemiology) - M.P.H.
* SUNY Albany School of Public Health (Biomedical Sciences) - M.P.H and M.S.
* UMDNJ School of Public Health (Epidemiology) - M.P.H.
* Univ of Michigan School of Public Health (Molecular & Hospital Epidemiology) - M.P.H.
* Univ of South Florida School of Public Health (Global Communicable Diseases) - M.P.H.
* Yale Univ School of Public Health (Chronic & Infectious Disease Epidemiology) - M.P.H.
* John Hopkins Univ School of Public Health (Molecular Microbiology + Immunology) - M.H.S.

* Univ of Cincinnati College of Medicine (Physiology) - Special M.S.
* Georgetown Univ School of Arts + Sciences (Physiology) - Special M.S.
* Eastern Virginia Medical School (Medical Sciences) - Special M.S.
* Boston Univ School of Medicine (Medical Sciences) - Special M.A.
* Tufts Univ School of Medicine (Biomedical Sciences) - Special M.S.
* Univ of South Florida School of Medicine (Medical Sciences) - Special M.S.
* Drexel Univ College of Medicine (Medical Sciences) - Special M.M.S.
* New York College of Medicine (Biomedical Sciences) - Special M.S.
* University of Toledo College of Medicine (Medical Sciences) - Special M.S.
* UMDNJ-Newark Grad School of Biosciences(Biomedical Sciences)- Special M.B.S.

* Seton Hall Univ College of Arts & Sciences (Microbiology) - M.S.
* Univ of Connecticut Graduate School (Microbiology) - M.S.
* Georgetown Univ School of Medicine (Microbiology & Immunology) - M.S.
* Temple Univ School of Medicine (Microbiology) - M.S.
* Thomas Jefferson College of Grad Studies (Microbiology) - M.S.
* Drexel Univ College of Medicine (Microbiology & Immunology) - M.S.
* Loyola Univ School of Medicine (Infectious Disease & Immunology) - M.S.
* Univ of Cincinnati College of Medicine (Immunobiology & Microbiology) -M.S.

By the way, the program's I choose are due to my interest in these particular public health/biomedical science area and geographical location. I'm not interested in moving to the west coast or southwest US so I stayed on the east coast, south, and mid-west. If there are any master's program's in those area's of the country that I may have missed, please mention them so I can investigate. Thanks in advance for your input, it is greatly appreciated!

 

[DrMidlife]

I know right that for me to have any chance in hell of getting even interviewed for an MD program, I need to do some sort of Master's and do very well in it and at least higher than a 30 on the MCAT.

True with respect to the MCAT. I don't agree that you must do grad work.

Your GPAs are not that bad. Keep in mind that when you see an average GPA for med school acceptance (3.6ish) that half of acceptances have a lower GPA than the average.

I think if you flesh out your clinical exposure and do well on the MCAT, maybe take a couple more upper div science classes and get A's, then you'd be in pretty good shape, at least for instate public MD.

If you're interested in doing grad work, that's reason enough to do it, and grad work can't hurt you in pursuing med school. Traditional grad work won't do anything to address your undergrad GPA. An SMP will address your undergrad GPA, but it is a completely useless terminal degree if you don't go to med school. An MPH is typically a very bad choice when GPA is low, but imho an MPH is reasonable in your case if your MCAT is strong because you have a decent GPA and A's in upper div science.

So my recipe book for you would go like this:

1. If you are in a hurry to get into med school
- - - do well on the MCAT, finish EC's & apply to med school

2. If you want to study public health
- - - take the MCAT & apply to an MCAT-respecting MPH program
- - - - - before/during the MPH program, finish EC's

3. If you want to study grad-level bio or micro or whatever
- - - take the GRE & apply to grad school
- - - - - before/during the grad program, do well on the MCAT & finish EC's

4. If you want more confidence before you start med school
(confidence in your ability and confidence that you'll get in)
- - - then do well on the MCAT, finish some EC's & apply to SMPs

Best of luck to you.

 

[smarty666]

True with respect to the MCAT. I don't agree that you must do grad work.

Your GPAs are not that bad. Keep in mind that when you see an average GPA for med school acceptance (3.6ish) that half of acceptances have a lower GPA than the average.

I think if you flesh out your clinical exposure and do well on the MCAT, maybe take a couple more upper div science classes and get A's, then you'd be in pretty good shape, at least for instate public MD.

If you're interested in doing grad work, that's reason enough to do it, and grad work can't hurt you in pursuing med school. Traditional grad work won't do anything to address your undergrad GPA. An SMP will address your undergrad GPA, but it is a completely useless terminal degree if you don't go to med school. An MPH is typically a very bad choice when GPA is low, but imho an MPH is reasonable in your case if your MCAT is strong because you have a decent GPA and A's in upper div science.

So my recipe book for you would go like this:

1. If you are in a hurry to get into med school
- - - do well on the MCAT, finish EC's & apply to med school

2. If you want to study public health
- - - take the MCAT & apply to an MCAT-respecting MPH program
- - - - - before/during the MPH program, finish EC's

3. If you want to study grad-level bio or micro or whatever
- - - take the GRE & apply to grad school
- - - - - before/during the grad program, do well on the MCAT & finish EC's

4. If you want more confidence before you start med school
(confidence in your ability and confidence that you'll get in)
- - - then do well on the MCAT, finish some EC's & apply to SMPs

Best of luck to you.

Thanks a bunch for the advice. Option number 3 I most likely won't consider b/c I'm not going to take two standardized test, the GRE and the MCAT. It is either one or the other and I'm leaning toward the MCAT since I have found all these master programs that will accept those scores.

I agree to a certain extent that a SMP is a terminal degree but I would not characterize it as completely useless. You can't sit here and tell me that none of the medical knowledge you gain in that program of study would be completely useless in a biomedical research or public health career. You could at least use it for something. Several of the SMP's, Tufts, Drexel and UCincy come to mind, even let you stay for a second year, take more classes, and complete a research project.

From what my friends who did an MPH and MS before getting accepted into MD programs told me, the interviewers and admission committees seem to take a particular interest in those grad degree b/c it made them stand out from other applicants who in the majority don't come in with that education and experience when applying to med school. So while I agree that it won't beef up your undergrad GPA it sure will help make your application stand out from the pile and make you more unique. I'm just going by what my friends told me the adcoms told them when they were interviewed.

Thanks again for the ideas, now its just decisions, decisions.