M.D after earning an MPH

[JLTmsu]

Hello everyone,

I am a year behind on the application cycle due to a major change from History to Human Biology after my Freshman year. Due to this I decided to apply to a number of MPH programs and am into the University of Michigan's MPH program in environmental health science starting this upcoming fall 2016. This will be a two year program and I am still very much so planning on going to medical school after but can also see myself getting a job after earning my MPH. I see myself practicing internal medicine for a few years and then eventually moving into higher administration roles that focus on the population as a whole.

My question is essentially this, how much will having an MPH from a top school like Michigan improve my application? Will schools only look at my graduate school GPA or my undergrad as well? Should I apply to both D.O and M.D schools? Also the main schools I am thinking of applying to are:
Wayne State
University of Michigan
Michigan State both M.D and D.O
Central Michigan
Oakland University
Western University
as well as a variety of other schools within the midwest region.

Stats:
MCAT: 508
Undergrad GPA: 3.62
2 years as an RA
3 years of Brain research focusing on the Claustrum
300 hours Clinical volunteer experience
1000+ Clinical experience as a Certified nurses assistant on a cardiac and renal floor
Another 300 general volunteer hours

Those are kinda the highlights, Thanks everyone!

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[625233]

They look at both, but often place slightly more weight on uGPA.

You have 2 years, take it easy. If you'd like a better shot at MD schools plan to retake ur MCAT in your second year at some point.

 

[takeurmeds02]

I think you would be fine for any of those schools with your overall profile; I personally don't think your MCAT would be much of a detriment. You could worry yourself taking it again but I wouldn't.

 

[eteshoe]

You'll be fine. If you have time, I say retake that MCAT but other than that you have a pretty solid profile

 

[piii]

MPH won't help that much, and your grad GPA won't really matter.

 

[piii]

Also getting your MPH after med school is by far recommended by many MD/MPHs. Just somethings to consider.

 

[gyngyn]

An MPH is independently worthwhile but has little influence on an MD application.
A graduate gpa will not be included in an assessment of academic prowess.

 

[LizzyM]

An MPH is independently worthwhile but has little influence on an MD application.
A graduate gpa will not be included in an assessment of academic prowess.

But your graduate GPA will be shown on your application and it had better be as good or better than your undergrad GPA. If you slack off & do poorly, it can hurt you.

 

[JLTmsu]

Ok, I knew I wanted to do an MPH anyways so since I must take a year off anyways I figure it's worth it. LizzyM so I guess it just keeps getting tougher then? Ok well I guess that's what I signed up for. Thanks everyone

 

[btb93med]

I got an MPH during my year off and I personally think it really helped my application. I was not accepted anywhere before my MPH and after I reapplied I had acceptances at Wayne and Western.

 

[P0ke]

Yeah grad school can only really hurt you if you do poorly. If you do well, it won't help the academic portion of your application. It will be seen more as an EC and your experiences (research, work-experience) will count more than the grades (unless you do badly).

 

[LizzyM]

Yeah grad school can only really hurt you if you do poorly. If you do well, it won't help the academic portion of your application. It will be seen more as an EC and your experiences (research, work-experience) will count more than the grades (unless you do badly).

On the other hand, most MPH programs have community-based group projects and/ or field work and/or research thesis that are all good ECs for your application.

 

[JLTmsu]

LizzyM I know that I have to do a summer internship that will center around Public health research so I'm certain that will look good on an application

 

[JLTmsu]

I have one more question for you all. Am I allowed to apply to medical school in this cycle and then defer my enrollment until the following year? Or should I just wait until I am in the first summer of my MPH program to apply?

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

You should not apply with the intention of deferring. It is unlikely you would be granted a deferment just for doing an MPH. If you want to do the mph you should apply to med school after your first year.

 

[Goro]

I'm not a fan of MPH's because it's hard to determine how rigorous coursework like "Global Issues in Women's Health" and "Minority Health Concerns" are compared to, say, Anatomy or Physiology classes.

The MPH students at our University never bother to come visit the med school and chat with either our DO students or Faculty, which always hurts them in our Admissions process.

Hello everyone,

I am a year behind on the application cycle due to a major change from History to Human Biology after my Freshman year. Due to this I decided to apply to a number of MPH programs and am into the University of Michigan's MPH program in environmental health science starting this upcoming fall 2016. This will be a two year program and I am still very much so planning on going to medical school after but can also see myself getting a job after earning my MPH. I see myself practicing internal medicine for a few years and then eventually moving into higher administration roles that focus on the population as a whole.

My question is essentially this, how much will having an MPH from a top school like Michigan improve my application? Will schools only look at my graduate school GPA or my undergrad as well? Should I apply to both D.O and M.D schools? Also the main schools I am thinking of applying to are:
Wayne State
University of Michigan
Michigan State both M.D and D.O
Central Michigan
Oakland University
Western University
as well as a variety of other schools within the midwest region.

Stats:
MCAT: 508
Undergrad GPA: 3.62
2 years as an RA
3 years of Brain research focusing on the Claustrum
300 hours Clinical volunteer experience
1000+ Clinical experience as a Certified nurses assistant on a cardiac and renal floor
Another 300 general volunteer hours

Those are kinda the highlights, Thanks everyone!

 

[WhaleFace]

I'm not a fan of MPH's because it's hard to determine how rigorous coursework like "Global Issues in Women's Health" and "Minority Health Concerns" are compared to, say, Anatomy or Physiology classes.

The MPH students at our University never bother to come visit the med school and chat with either our DO students or Faculty, which always hurts them in our Admissions process.

I don't think that's a necessarily good reason to not be a fan of the degree. Those issues ARE important. Also, you have a host of other metrics to assess if an applicant would be academically ready for rigorous courses like anatomy or physiology.

 

[JLTmsu]

My MPH will be focused on toxicology so I will be taking some tough classes not just"Global Issues in Women's Health".

 

[btb93med]

I don't think that's a necessarily good reason to not be a fan of the degree. Those issues ARE important. Also, you have a host of other metrics to assess if an applicant would be academically ready for rigorous courses like anatomy or physiology.

I'll agree with this. MPH courses may not be as 'hard' as anatomy or physiology but they do require you to evaluate real issues that do not necessarily have clear, simple solutions. The MPH is also great because it exposes students to policy, ethical issues, social and environmental factors affecting health, etc whereas I think the 'typical' premed tends to want to focus on basic sciences. In my opinion it creates a more well rounded applicant.

 

[piii]

My MPH will be focused on toxicology so I will be taking some tough classes not just"Global Issues in Women's Health".

Still won't matter

 

[medhopeful82]

I have one more question for you all. Am I allowed to apply to medical school in this cycle and then defer my enrollment until the following year? Or should I just wait until I am in the first summer of my MPH program to apply?

Many people will tell you the MPH won't help you get in.. That may be true but it gives you great things to discuss in interviews and makes you a very well rounded applicant. Every single interview I attended asked me about my perception of different health care problems and were impressed by the informed conversation that followed. I don't think I would have had my acceptances without my mph but I'll never know for sure

 

[Goro]

See all these courses (from U MI)? The only ones that will give me a heads up on whether you can handle medical school are in red. The vast majority of MPH coursework I've seen applicants do are nowhere even close to these! So you're, well, an outlier in terms of subject matter.


BIOLCHEM 515 - Intro to Biochemistry 3
BIOSTAT 521 - Applied Biostatistics 4
EHS 601 - Exposure Science and Health 3
EHS 602 - Essentials of Toxicology 3
EHS 688 - Topics in Environmental Health Sciences 1
Year 1 - Winter Term (January - April) Credit Hours
Credits 16
Select one (1) of the following: 3
BIOSTAT 502 - Application of Regression Analysis to Public Health Studies
BIOSTAT 522 - Biostatistical Analyses of Health Related Studies
EHS 603 - Occupational and Environmental Health 3
EHS 612 - Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology 3
EHS 628 - Toxicology Research Analysis and Presentation 1
EHS 697 - Readings 1
EPID 503 - Strategies and Uses of Epidemiology 3
EHS 688 - Topics in Environmental Health Sciences (continued)
BIC Requirement/Electives 2
Field Experience (May-August)
Year 2 - Fall Term (September - December) Credit Hours
Credits 15
EHS 616 - Toxicologic Pathology 2
Select two (2) of the following: 2
EHS 622 - Mechanisms of Developmental Toxicology (2 credits)
EHS 623 - Mechanisms of Reproductive Toxicology (2 credits)
(or EHS 624, in Winter Term)
EHS 600 - Professional Perspectives in Environmental Health 2

My MPH will be focused on toxicology so I will be taking some tough classes not just"Global Issues in Women's Health".

 

[gyngyn]

I have both taken and taught MPH classes (including one that had a title suspiciously similar to @Goro's reference!).
The content is useful independent of an MD application. Good grades in an MPH will convince no one of your academic chops. An understanding of a physician's place in society does make an interview more interesting, though.

As long as you don't think that this is a remedy for an otherwise weak application, an MPH can be a good use of time.

 

[JLTmsu]

Thank you to both goro and gyngyn. The main reason I wish to do an MPH is not so I can simply bolster my med school application or have enhanced experiences to talk about in my interview. The reason I want to do it is so that when I get to med school and beyond I can have a stronger understanding of healthcare and a physician's place within it. I can see myself working in an administrative role later on as well as doing work in third world countries, I believe that an MPH will improve my ability in both of these areas.
I think with my application the way it is I stand a good chance of getting a good DO or low level MD, either of which I would be content with. Once again I'm not doing it to just help my application, I'm doing it to make myself a more well rounded physician in the future.