If you apply to both, would it look bad because both programs would think one is the back up for the other? If I don't get into med school the first cycle, I would still like to pursue my interest further in science and apply the next cycle. Is this a bad idea?
Does it look bad to apply to med school and masters programs at the same time?
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i would think the adcoms might see it as you're indecisive about it. no med school is gonna think that they're the backup to a grad school, but the grad school for sure would think that you're using them in case med school doesnt work out. so no, i wouldn't do it. thats just me tho
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If you apply to different institutions, they would not know you have a backup plan. I see no problem with this. If you apply to the same institution for both programs, or use the same letters of recommendation, it wouldn't be taken well.
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I am pretty sure they won't know. When you apply to grad programs in the sciences you are going to be applying to a different school - usually the grad school of arts and sciences, but that can vary by school. In addition within the grad school each department has its own subcomittee that handles their own applicants. When you apply to medical school you will be applying to the school of medicine which has its own committee.
I highly doubt anybody from the grad school committee is going to cross check whether the applicant has applied to other programs within that university. As a matter of fact when I applied to grad school their application specifically allows you to use 1 application to apply to multiple programs - so from a grad school perspective they won't care and I am sure its not too uncommon for prospective grad students to apply to multiple programs within the same university (within related disciplines of course).
From a med school perspective - if somehow they find out - if anything it will look proactive on your part, as it will show that you are preparing for the possibility of not getting accepted this year.
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I agree this would be the med school's perspective. But it's been my experience, at least at my institution, that grad schools get bent out of shape when they learn of a simultaneous med school applications, as they automatically (probably correctly) perceive themselves to be the distant second choice.
And if your recommendation letters get mixed up, or a confused recommender accidentally mentions med school in your recommendation to a grad school program, well . . . oops. You could be treated dismissively as not sufficiently committed.
That depends.
What is the graduate school?
A big question in interviews is "What are your plans if you are not accepted to any medical schools?" If your answer is that you're applying to biochem or any other relevant graduate programs, you're in good shape. If you say you're applying to a masters in film study, you're going to have to do some explaining.
What is the graduate school?
A big question in interviews is "What are your plans if you are not accepted to any medical schools?" If your answer is that you're applying to biochem or any other relevant graduate programs, you're in good shape. If you say you're applying to a masters in film study, you're going to have to do some explaining.
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Oh. Well I guess it differs by grad school. I just recently applied to grad school on very short notice this year, as a result I did not have any letters of recommendation collected that were specific to grad programs.
In my case, since I had just asked my professors for letters in pursuit of med school they were all tailored to med schools, I had literally just asked my professors to submit those letters to the premedical committee 1-2 months prior and I did not want to bother then to rewrite and re-submit another letter to grad schools. I therefore called the grad school admissions department and literally asked them if I can submit my committee letter packet in lieu of the 3 required recommendations and they told me it was alright. I did, and I also later got into the MS program (Biochem).
Also, my PS for grad school was more along the lines of how i felt the MS in biochem would eventually help me in the field of medicine and as a future doctor - so it was no secret to them that I was going to be applying to med schools after their program.
Edit: Just to be clear, this worked for me but I don't think it was the best way to go about it. I would recommend actually getting LORs tailored to grad school if possible. I decided to apply to the program 2 weeks prior to the deadline and knew that I would not be able to get any new recommendations prior to that deadline. I therefore had no choice but to tailor the PS in a way that blends med school and the MS together into 1 complete and unified objective (which actually turned out well and summed up my true objectives perfectly) I guess I got lucky?
However, to make yourself the most competitive applicant to your perspective MS program that you can be, my final advice would be to do everything you can to make them sound like they are your one and only at that stage in time. Therefore getting letters tailored to grad school, a PS tailored to how you need their program at that stage of your educational endeavors etc. all help convince them that you are seriously considering their program. Although I don't believe they will discriminate against you for applying to other grad programs, med school, etc. I do believe they will have a problem - if you can't believably articulate that you are giving their program serious consideration.
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Being open and above board about your ultimate goal is a good policy, but probably easier to accomplish when not applying to both types of programs simultaneously. It can be very uncomfortable to have a hidden agenda when your PI confidently expects you to eventually pursue a PhD after your masters work is done or has a predudice against the premed temporary-commitment mentality. Especially when a Letter of Recommendation will be generally expected from your PI and graduate advisor on (re)applying to med schools.
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I agree, that would definitely be a problem if that is the case. I would not advise applying to Ph.D programs and then dropping out to obtain the masters degree and then apply to med school - cause then your likely to have that problem.
However, if you directly apply to terminal masters programs, in lieu of that same departments Ph.D program, then I don't feel it should be expected that you would ever complete a Ph.D.
From what I have seen, the majority of programs that offer masters degree's in the sciences, do so for students that want to enter the workforce sooner. A lot of these students can later decide to complete advanced degrees if they choose, but it should never be expected -if it was then those schools should only offer the Ph.D in that department.
Since P.I.'s are all individuals, whether they have a problem with their students applying to medical school or not varies on the particular P.I. However, if you've develop a good relationship with your P.I during the course of your masters program, and it was a terminal masters program (not a Ph.D program) than regardless of what path you choose, I believe you should still be able to get a good letter from him/her.
