Confused about MS programs

[plsaxepme]

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Hey guys, I'd appreciate any responses to my question...

So, I've just discovered this whole Masters of Science thing, and am wondering whether I should go ahead and apply, even though it's already reaaaallly late in the process. I applied to the class of 2009 for medical school, am on the waitlist for one school, and haven't heard back from two other schools that I had interviewed at (they were late interviews). I'm getting ready to re-apply for the class of 2010, and have been thinking about what to do this year. I was originally planning to find a different (medicine/research-related) job, do some community volunteering, maybe even go abroad and learn Spanish/volunteer. But now that I know about this MA/MS thing, I'm wondering if I should try to do this since it seems like good preparation for med school, a boost for my grades (if I do well), and it would mean one less year of forgetting all those nice things we learned in school. BUT, realistically, do I really want to spend a buttload of money AND work my ass off before med school even starts? I already did two years of post-bacc after college because I was late in making my decision to be a doctor. My undergrad GPA was 3.5, post-bacc 3.3, I've taken the MCAT twice and gotten a 26 and a 33. This year I've been working for and shadowing a doctor. Do you think it's worth it for me to pursue the MA programs at this point? Or do you think I can get away with just accumulating more experiences this year?

Thanks in advance to anyone who reads through the above mish-mash and gives me helpful hints (assuming anyone will respond!).

 

[emgirl]

Hi,

I am like you and have a 3.5 undergrad (cum), 3.3 BCPM and am about to begin 2 years of post bac (retaking a few pre-reqs, taking ones I haven't taken, taking more bio to boost my gpa) and afterwards I plan to do a one year MS or SMP program. I would definitely suggest you do a one year masters program since people with our gpas seem to be 'borderline'- meaning we can get into med schools but every little extra thing will make a difference for us so if you can get a masters (and do well in it!) I think that *could* be a factor that may bump you from waitlist status to acceptance pool, or get you a few more interviews. I would recommend you do a MS and not an MA (unless it is like the BU SMP or other medical science masters that gives out an MA- just don't do like an anthropology MA) so that you can prove you can handle grad/med science courses and from what I have heard, try your best to maintain a 3.5+ gpa as you want to distinguish yourself from all the other 3.5 gpa undergrad applicants with your excellent masters gpa. Great job on your 33 though, that should really help out for this next app cycle. Good luck! Em