Best master degree

[1AO KTG]

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In the event of not getting in, suppose you end up not doing a Special Masters Program. Whats the best alternative masters degree that admissions would like to see. I've heard MS of Public Health. What about Pharmacology? Does it matter?

 

[theseeker4]

In the event of not getting in, suppose you end up not doing a Special Masters Program. Whats the best alternative masters degree that admissions would like to see. I've heard MS of Public Health. What about Pharmacology? Does it matter?

I don't think pursuing a masters with the intention of getting into medical school is a good idea, unless the masters is a SMP or otherwise directly linked to medical school admissions. If you have a low MCAT, a masters won't help. If you have a low undergrad GPA, a post-bac heavy in science classes will help a lot more than a masters. If you have good stats but were still not accepted, you should concentrate on other possible deficiencies in your application, or broaden the range of schools you apply to. Other than an SMP, I don't think pursuing a masters would do much to increase your chances of gaining admission, if that is your goal.

 

[1AO KTG]

Yeah, thanks. My stats will be good, just thought masters would give some kind of advantage if not getting in because extracurriculars were not good enough or something like that.

 

[Brachyury]

Yeah, thanks. My stats will be good, just thought masters would give some kind of advantage if not getting in because extracurriculars were not good enough or something like that.

It doesn't matter how much lipstick you put on a pig, it's still a pig. Albert Einstein posted on their website a few years ago (I'm not sure if it's still up) that they expect re-applicants to have greatly improved their application, and they explicitly state that getting an MPH does not count as improvement

 

[theseeker4]

Yeah, thanks. My stats will be good, just thought masters would give some kind of advantage if not getting in because extracurriculars were not good enough or something like that.

If your EC's aren't good enough, you have lots of time to improve them, which you should be working on already.😀 I just don't think getting a random masters will help you much at all; improve whatever you think might be getting in the way of an acceptance. An example would be a person with a 3.75 but a 28 MCAT trying to improve their chances by bumping the GPA up to 3.8, but not re-taking the MCAT. Focus on what needs the most help, and apply again next cycle.

 

[American Shero]

It doesn't matter how much lipstick you put on a pig, it's still a pig. Albert Einstein posted on their website a few years ago (I'm not sure if it's still up) that they expect re-applicants to have greatly improved their application, and they explicitly state that getting an MPH does not count as improvement

Really??? Crrrap! I'm totally maxed out on undergrad loans, so a post-bacc isn't really possible unless I go to a CC, which I've been told not to. If the OP is in a similar situation, it sounds like an SMP may be the only option. I heard the one at Georgetown is supposed to be really good, and U of Michigan just created one last year, I think, so it may be gaining in popularity as well. There's also a good one in Ohio but I cant remember the name right now. If you have low stats, I doubt that a masters will help unless it's heavy in the sciences. Goodluck

 

[Starlightembers]

Really??? Crrrap! I'm totally maxed out on undergrad loans, so a post-bacc isn't really possible unless I go to a CC, which I've been told not to. If the OP is in a similar situation, it sounds like an SMP may be the only option. I heard the one at Georgetown is supposed to be really good, and U of Michigan just created one last year, I think, so it may be gaining in popularity as well. There's also a good one in Ohio but I cant remember the name right now. If you have low stats, I doubt that a masters will help unless it's heavy in the sciences. Goodluck

😕

Brachyury was talking about getting an MPH (Masters of Public Health). An SMP will help you and does count as improvement.

 

[American Shero]

😕

Brachyury was talking about getting an MPH (Masters of Public Health). An SMP will help you and does count as improvement.

😕 umm.. I know. My response first addressed the disappointment of finding out that an MPH doesn't really help, and then I went on to recommend (to the OP) a couple of good SMP programs that I heard about. I ended the response with the assumption that only a masters in a heavy science will most likely help the his app. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

 

[SJD24]

Not all MPH degrees are created equal, so I wouldn't discount it as an option. For example, there are MPH concentrations such as Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at Yale that will have you take courses in Immunology, Parasitology, tons of Statistics, etc.

MS degrees in biological sciences such as Physiology are also very useful and you will end up with tons of research experience built right into the program. Many times, you can TA as an MS student to make tuition free plus a stipend. Not sure if that is an option for an SMP(?)

Just my 2 cents. Good luck, OP.

 

[Brachyury]

Not all MPH degrees are created equal, so I wouldn't discount it as an option. For example, there are MPH concentrations such as Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at Yale that will have you take courses in Immunology, Parasitology, tons of Statistics, etc.

MS degrees in biological sciences such as Physiology are also very useful and you will end up with tons of research experience built right into the program. Many times, you can TA as an MS student to make tuition free plus a stipend. Not sure if that is an option for an SMP(?)

Just my 2 cents. Good luck, OP.

I don't mean to be a jerk, but this is all really, really bad advice.

In both cases, you are taking graduate level courses which do not equal UG coursework. Having a more science-heavy MPH is great, but the adcoms may noteven look at your coursework if the rest of your application stinks, and evenif they do, as I stated above, grad courses =/= UG courses

Re: free tuition with an MS, I can honestly I have never heard of this (Idid have classmates who TA'ed public health classes during our first, however, none of them received free tuition). Besides, physiology is only part of the pre-clinical curriculum: just because you didwell in physiology graduate courses does not mean you have demonstrated that you are capable of handling--and being successful--in the pre-clinical curriculum

OP et al. if you need to boost your application, true SMPs are the way to go. If you want to earn a MS in physio or MPH in epi, great, but understand that they are not equivalent to SMPs

Let's re-cap:
I have a low gpa: take UG courses or do an SMP
I have a borderline MCAT: retake or do an SMP

 

[SJD24]

Absolutely. Grad courses are MUCH more difficult than UG courses. No argument there. Or are you arguing the opposite?

Being a TA and getting a free degree is not that uncommon. Just because a person has never heard of something does not mean it does not exist. Best decision I ever made. Well, they still made me pay student fees, ha.

I think taking upper level Physiology courses along side med students -- and being successful -- is a great way to prove you can handle med school classes. Am I missing something here?

 

[1AO KTG]

How good to extracurriculars need to be for Special masters? Are they mainly based on gpa and mcat ?

 

[citrusguy2010]

Absolutely. Grad courses are MUCH more difficult than UG courses. No argument there. Or are you arguing the opposite?

i absolutely DISAGREE with this. graduate courses are much EASIER than undergraduate courses which is why it is not uncommon for graduate students to have 4.0's and also why medical school adcoms don't really put that much weight on a masters degree. graduate programs want to see their students do well so that's why they're significantly easier graders. the content may be more difficult but having spent more than a year in grad school now i feel the material is about the same but they are much easier.

that being said, i am currently in a MPH program right now (because i had below average stats for med school after undergrad and an average mcat score). i firmly believe that's why i was able to get an acceptance this year so early was partially in part because i was in a graduate program.

it doesn't matter what graduate program you end up in - the only thing that matters is what you get out of it. through my MPH program i gained different perspectives in medicine not from the doctor's point which i believe ultimately allowed me to craft my personal statement and also allowed me to be able to articulate exactly why i want to enter medicine.

so in short, i support graduate school as an option - if anything it provides you a new perspective and helps you resolidify why you want/do not want to go into medicine

 

[Danlee07]

Most of the comments on this thread is too generalized. No need to argue whether all graduate school programs are easier or harder or undergrad programs easier or harder. All this advice about what GPA needs what...really, just weigh what options you have and make the most of whatever option you can afford.

Graduate programs are school-dependent. Select a program with an intense science course work curriculum and electives. Research-heavy schools do more research credit and not as many core classes; this wouldn't help you in your situation. Assistantships are also program-specific and school-dependent. Master's students can get an assistantship, but many schools do not provide priority funding for Master's students. You could even get a research publication out of your experience which may help even more.

 

[SJD24]

Totally agree with Danlee07. Sorry to hijack the thread with anecdotes, OP.

 

[dmf2682]

If you're that badly off, take a couple years, get a job, and try again later. You'll get some life experience and extra time to commit to volunteering and leadership. A masters may not help, but living life as a normal, working citizen might.