Is it fair?

[peehdee]

Do you think people who have advanced degrees or done other things that are above and beyond undergraduate should be put in the same catagory as someone who worked really hard to get good grades in college?

Doesn't a PhD or DVM or other 'doctorate' deserve special consideration? one could argue that he/she went to graduate school to 'improve' their chances. if they did, so what? it shows resolve and determination. medical school is no harder than undergraduate except the amount of work.. (lots and lots more of it).

any comments?

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[njbmd]

Do you think people who have advanced degrees or done other things that are above and beyond undergraduate should be put in the same catagory as someone who worked really hard to get good grades in college?

Doesn't a PhD or DVM or other 'doctorate' deserve special consideration? one could argue that he/she went to graduate school to 'improve' their chances. if they did, so what? it shows resolve and determination. medical school is no harder than undergraduate except the amount of work.. (lots and lots more of it).

any comments?

Hi there,

Most people with graduate degrees do NOT apply to medical school. That being said, some people do go to graduate school to improve their application to medical school. Many people NEED a graduate degree to overcome a poor undergraduate performance but not most people who apply with graduate degrees.

The AMCAS separates GPA into undergraduate, post-bacc and graduate. Undergraduate still carries more weight than graduate studies because perfomance in graduate school is expected to be higher than undergraduate. After all, graduate work should be in a discipline that you want to study in depth and your grades should reflect this. Grades in graduate school are A, B, C and F. If you do not maintain a B average, you are dropped from most graduate programs. If you fail a course, you are dropped from most graduate programs.

Most of my colleagues in graduate school had absolutely no interest in medicine and were greatly interested in contributing to the body of knowledge in their respective fields. Some of us wanted to take a shot at medical school and did. Those of us who elected to attend medical school after graduate school are a distinct minority. From experience, my graduate work was looked upon differently than my undergraduate work but I didn't receive any special consideration because I had an advanced degree.

njbmd

 

[Khenon]

I'm under the same impression as stated above . . . a graduate degree does not give you an advantage over anyone else. Though it will add to your "uniqueness" and your overall experiences (thus would be a plus), it's not some magic bullet, that gets you immediate consideration. I purchased the MSAR, and some schools stated specifically that people with graduate degrees would be looked at exactly the same as someone with a BS/BA, so they clearly show no preference to those with graduate degrees. Other than being a little extra "umph" on your application, there's no real advantage to an advanced degree.

 

[rocker]

I'm under the same impression as stated above . . . a graduate degree does not give you an advantage over anyone else. Though it will add to your "uniqueness" and your overall experiences (thus would be a plus), it's not some magic bullet, that gets you immediate consideration. I purchased the MSAR, and some schools stated specifically that people with graduate degrees would be looked at exactly the same as someone with a BS/BA, so they clearly show no preference to those with graduate degrees. Other than being a little extra "umph" on your application, there's no real advantage to an advanced degree.

What's MSAR? Where is it sold?

 

[Khenon]

What's MSAR? Where is it sold?

I can't remember what MSAR stands for, but it's a book by AAMC that lists all medical colleges, and brief info on each school. Some will give really detailed info like average matriculating individual MCAT scores, GPA breakdowns, etc, while others are more broad (ie "we're looking for diversity"). I found it helpful for applying to out of state schools. It gave statistics on how many out of staters a school would take, what the tuition and fees are, etc. They update it every year, and I think it's pretty helpful for applying to the "right" schools (eg right for "you"). I think it costs $25, and you can order it right off of AAMC's website.

 

[njbmd]

What's MSAR? Where is it sold?

Hi there,
MSAR stands for Medical School Admission Requirements. This book is published yearly and details admissions requirements for each medical school in the United States and Canada. It is generally available at the public library if not at your school library.
njbmd

 

[peehdee]

doesn't that seem a bit harsh? i mean getting an advanced degree is no small task. yet you're put in with the rest of the application pool.

shh

I'm under the same impression as stated above . . . a graduate degree does not give you an advantage over anyone else. Though it will add to your "uniqueness" and your overall experiences (thus would be a plus), it's not some magic bullet, that gets you immediate consideration. I purchased the MSAR, and some schools stated specifically that people with graduate degrees would be looked at exactly the same as someone with a BS/BA, so they clearly show no preference to those with graduate degrees. Other than being a little extra "umph" on your application, there's no real advantage to an advanced degree.

 

[QofQuimica]

doesn't that seem a bit harsh? i mean getting an advanced degree is no small task. yet you're put in with the rest of the application pool.

shh

What kind of special consideration do you think that having a graduate degree should merit? Are you suggesting that there should be a separate application pool for grad student applicants versus undergrad applicants? I don't really understand what the purpose of that would be, especially if it's true that having the graduate degree helps you to stand out. In that case, wouldn't you WANT to be in the pool together with all of the people who don't have as extensive of an educational background? Otherwise, who are you going to "stick out" from?

 

[Khenon]

doesn't that seem a bit harsh? i mean getting an advanced degree is no small task. yet you're put in with the rest of the application pool.

shh

I have to agree with the post from QofQuimica as well . . . and this is coming from someone who has a Master's degree in molecular biology. I did work hard for 2 years to get my graduate degree, but ultimately how does that make me a better candidate? Like I said, it adds to my overall life and work experience, and certainly that should be counted, but there's no other way to make it more important than a bachelor's degree. I do think adcoms look at graduate degrees favorably (it certainly won't hurt you to have a graduate degree), but it's not going to make up for a poor GPA, poor MCAT score, lack of EC's, or lack of volunteering. You still need all the components that every other applicant needs, so having a graduate degree ultimately isn't that "helpful." Again, it's extra "umph" but nothing more. I went to graduate school because I didn't realize, yet, that I wanted to be more clinical and work with patients. But within my first year I realized I was in the wrong career field and started looking towards a career in medicine. If you already know you want to be a doctor, I don't recommend graduate school (unless you're a reapplicant, and you need something to bolster your application during your time off). It's 2-5 years out of your life that you could have been working towards being a doctor, and it ultimately doesn't help you that much to get into medical school. I don't necessarily think I wasted my time in graduate school, but I do wish I had my "ducks in row" before I spent the time and effort on a master's degree. But everyone's different so who knows.