How do DO schools look at graduate degrees/GPAs?

[ChrisMack390]

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The common thought is that MD schools, with some notable exceptions, generally don't care about your graduate GPA very much unless it's an SMP. Are DO schools the same?

 

[FutureDrB]

The common thought is that MD schools, with some notable exceptions, generally don't care about your graduate GPA very much unless it's an SMP. Are DO schools the same?

It's my understanding that unless it's a graduate program with hard sciences, it won't hold much weight. This is due to the fact that most schools pad grades for grad school. I had a 4.0 in my graduate education program...been told it's irrelevant when it comes to medicine, although it does help my cumulative GPA.

 

[ChrisMack390]

Mines in biology...I've taken Biology of Cancer, Stem Cell Biology, Research Methods and Scientific Writing, Neurobiology, Biostatistics, etc. Hopefully that counts for something...

 

[tennerd]

a

 

[ChrisMack390]

I think for graduate degrees they really care more about the applications of the degree. so if you have a masters in sciences they would hope to see some publications or something more quantifiable than graduate GPAs that tend to be highly non-standardized and often highly inflated. that's what it seems like when talking to PHD students so I assume its pretty similar for MD/DO. a good way to look at graduate work is as "extracurriculars".

This is what most MD schools say, though there are a select number of schools that average all classes/GPAs together or even specifically look at your most recent 30 credits regardless of grad/undergrad status.

 

[Gandyy]

Most graduate degrees (counter intuitive as hell) are actually much easier to get straight A's in. So they dont carry near as much weight as your Undergrad Degree.

In fact I've had a few friends tell me they though their undergrads were more difficult than SMPS they took that were linked to a medical school.

Edit: Also I witnessed a friend who made a 3.4 in pre-med bio undergrad do less than half the amount of work he put in at undergrad and he still had a 4.0 in both years of his MPH (masters in public health).... lol.

 

[NonTrad16]

Hope so. MS BioEng here, and I find the general dismissal of the degrees (benefit of experience and GPA) as somewhat sad.

The general wisdoms within graduate programs (that I've heard -- NOT the med school adcom perspective) is not so much "GPA is inflated", but "GPA doesn't matter". I'd say a B was relatively easy to get (no harder than undergrad), but an A was still challenging. I didnt see massive grade inflation, just a diminished emphasis on grades. 3 grad classes while spending 30 hours in the lab was a heck of a lot more work than my undergrad. Oh well...

 

[Gandyy]

Hope so. MS BioEng here, and I find the general dismissal of the degrees (benefit of experience and GPA) as somewhat sad.

The general wisdoms within graduate programs (that I've heard -- NOT the med school adcom perspective) is not so much "GPA is inflated", but "GPA doesn't matter". I'd say a B was relatively easy to get (no harder than undergrad), but an A was still challenging. I didnt see massive grade inflation, just a diminished emphasis on grades. 3 grad classes while spending 30 hours in the lab was a heck of a lot more work than my undergrad. Oh well...

I will not speak about your experience as I do not know. But from what I've seen, and heard from friends from various UG State Universitys, there is a large grade inflation on a graduate degree.

Even some SMP's with direct linkage to the medical school are not exactly as hard as you would think. Regardless, an engineer grad degree like yours would probably carry more weight than your average MPH, and other graduate health degrees.

 

[ChrisMack390]

I've been working my butt off, that's all I know. My grad classes are just undergrad classes with extra assignments and/or more difficult tests. Literally, there are undergrads in the classes with me, they just don't have to read as much or any primary lit or write the research papers, and often my exams will contain extra questions related to research methods and such.

 

[Gandyy]

I've been working my butt off, that's all I know. My grad classes are just undergrad classes with extra assignments and/or more difficult tests. Literally, there are undergrads in the classes with me, they just don't have to read as much or any primary lit or write the research papers, and often my exams will contain extra questions related to research methods and such.

As for your actual question in the Original Post, my understanding is that MD schools are the ones that pretty much auto dismiss grad GPAs, but DO schools will give you another chance if they look good.

Of course Goro or another adcom would know more.

 

[ChrisMack390]

Not all but most MD schools do feel that way.

I would think DO schools would be generally more forgiving.

 

[Gandyy]

Not all but most MD schools do feel that way.

I would think DO schools would be generally more forgiving.

My general rule of thumb is the harder the school is to get into stat wise the less forgiving they are. So far its worked for everything else.

Since MD schools are generally much harder to get into than DO schools I would say you are correct.

 

[Goro]

We tend to be more tolerant of graduate work, even in MPH and research masters. I will wonder about rigor all the same. But remember, MCAT is a great equalizer.

The common thought is that MD schools, with some notable exceptions, generally don't care about your graduate GPA very much unless it's an SMP. Are DO schools the same?

 

[AnonymousD.O.]

After I got rejected, I met with the dean of admissions at my undergrad school (the school that rejected me). This was an option for anyone who got rejected after an interview, and since it was my undergrad I figured I'd take advantage as I lived in town. The Dean told me directly that they DO look at graduate degrees and they are looked at favorably. BUT, as people have said so far, it has to be in a hard science., preferably a SMP of some sort in which the classes are specifically geared toward medical school, or are taken alongside medical students. For instance he told me straight up that a Masters in Public Health holds no weight. He mentioned the TCMC MBS program, and long story short I went and got into a few schools after that. So It depends on what classes you took as opposed to the degree, and how you performed of course. you have to sell that you can handle a medical school curriculum, which is tough to do unless the degree was geared as such

 

[Gandyy]

After I got rejected, I met with the dean of admissions at my undergrad school (the school that rejected me). This was an option for anyone who got rejected after an interview, and since it was my undergrad I figured I'd take advantage as I lived in town. The Dean told me directly that they DO look at graduate degrees and they are looked at favorably. BUT, as people have said so far, it has to be in a hard science., preferably a SMP of some sort in which the classes are specifically geared toward medical school, or are taken alongside medical students. For instance he told me straight up that a Masters in Public Health holds no weight. He mentioned the TCMC MBS program, and long story short I went and got into a few schools after that. So It depends on what classes you took as opposed to the degree, and how you performed of course. you have to sell that you can handle a medical school curriculum, which is tough to do unless the degree was geared as such

This is what I've heard from many as well. Master's in Public Health Programs are akin to community college difficulty level.

I dont know how adcoms would view an engineer master though? Engineering is often extremely difficult even as an undergrad. I wonder how an engineering master looks like.

 

[NonTrad16]

Selfishly, I just hope they don't generalize too much. Some grad degrees are less intense, but only appreciating a "premed 2.0" SMP degree just seems like an opposite extreme.

 

[Gandyy]

Selfishly, I just hope they don't generalize too much. Some grad degrees are less intense, but only appreciating a "premed 2.0" SMP degree just seems like an opposite extreme.

Well, I do know that many MD programs will consider your undergrad engineering major 3.5 gpa equivalent to an undergrad bio major 3.6 or 3.7 even. Or so my Histo professor said.

 

[dapdrow]

I would say my M.S. was a lot easier than my B.S. but my M.S. wasn't in the hard sciences and my B.S. program was VERY difficult, often kicked people out, had people leaving regularly, etc. I did take two graduate level science courses that were probably the most difficult, exam-wise, in terms of coursework. I would not say that my program inflated grades but it was easier in the sense that many of the classes required less studying and more paper writing. My GPA was ALWAYS better in the non-sciences and I always put very little work into any non-science courses comparatively so I would expect to find my M.S. program easier.

That being said, I have heard that graduate degrees do not really hold much weight---it might help in the slightest but it's not like it will hinder you or anything. Mine was free and I don't even use it so I don't even care.

 

[Gandyy]

I would say my M.S. was a lot easier than my B.S. but my M.S. wasn't in the hard sciences and my B.S. program was VERY difficult, often kicked people out, had people leaving regularly, etc. I did take two graduate level science courses that were probably the most difficult, exam-wise, in terms of coursework. I would not say that my program inflated grades but it was easier in the sense that many of the classes required less studying and more paper writing. My GPA was ALWAYS better in the non-sciences and I always put very little work into any non-science courses comparatively so I would expect to find my M.S. program easier.

That being said, I have heard that graduate degrees do not really hold much weight---it might help in the slightest but it's not like it will hinder you or anything. Mine was free and I don't even use it so I don't even care.

Exactly. This is pretty much what I tell everyone. If its not science or math, its not difficult. Thats just how it is and thats how its always been in my experiences.

Study 1 day before a test for Non science classes- Gets an A

Studies 1 week before a Organic 2 Test- Gets slightly higher than class average...... The class average is a 40 percent........