Master's before med school?

Started by BurghStudent
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BurghStudent

BurghStudent

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10+ Year Member
I've read other threads on this issue but they focused on MPH's etc. I am a senior in college, and plan on applying next cycle. For the time during that cycle (2012-fall of 2013), I am thinking of completing a Master's program at my state university. The M.S. would be in Cell and Molecular Biology.

My question is, besides keeping me busy during the year, is there any long term benefit? Will this help with when applying for residency?

My naive take on this is, it might help me get a research position sooner while in medical school.

Thanks!
 
I am curious about this as well. I am considering between applying to a master's program or staying in college for five years and getting a third major.
 
SU1989 said:
I am curious about this as well. I am considering between applying to a master's program or staying in college for five years and getting a third major.
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I've always heard that one degree at a higher level of education trumps any number of lower level degrees. (Example: 1 BA/BS trumps 20 AS degrees.)

For Residency, MD is going to trump the MS in Bio, so the degree won't have that much value at that point. However, the research you do for your MS still will have value and it will be a nice complement to your CV if you're applying to a more research-oriented program.
 
That's what I'm thinking. The research during the program itself might add to my CV later on. Besides, I couldn't imagine not being in school for a whole year 🙂
 
I've been wondering this too as I am currently finishing up my master's.

I currently don't plan on participating in a lot of research during med school (even though I enjoy it - I don't know if I will have the time to really commit. maybe i'll just do clinical research... but the summer btwn M1 and M2 I plan on traveling). I have a research thesis and plan on publishing my work, so I plan on mentioning in my residency app -- especially since more competitive residencies want you to have research experience.. so i hope it will help.
 
I am doing a masters right now but if I could go back, I wouldn't do it. You can get a job as a research assistant and get the research experience. I feel like that would have been better for me since I would have been able to dedicate all my time to research instead of taking classes also. Also, it is quite expensive to do a Masters so I would take that into account.

Also, I don't think it really helps having a masters since a majority of the applicants won't have one so adcoms won't really have anything to compare it against.
 
They can help. A relative of mine did an MPH at duke and told me that he feels that it helped him match in a top residency following attending a mediocre/average school.


Edit: I feel that the top schools are exclusive and sort of care for their own...
 
I'm about to begin a 2 year MS program this Fall--I'll be applying next summer to medical school. If you decide on a masters, look for programs that will cost you nothing and pay a stipend.

This "free deal" is possible typically with either a teaching assistantship or research assistantship, though not all schools offer these options to MS students so do your research. You should never pay for a masters IMO.

If you're weak on research and you would like more experience, or if you would like the opportunity to teach, or perhaps you want to know more about some specific field, I would recommend a masters.

The weight of such a program on your application seems to generally just look like an EC you did for some amount of time, but the experiences and skills you learn are very valuable and will help you speak passionately about a research/thesis project.
 
ceasefire said:
I'm about to begin a 2 year MS program this Fall--I'll be applying next summer to medical school. If you decide on a masters, look for programs that will cost you nothing and pay a stipend.
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+1. I forgot to mention this. You should never pay for your own master's. My 1-credit summer course is just $1500 (so just around $3ok a year). 😱 I'm glad I'm not expected to pay that.

ceasefire - i'm jealous if you are attending a school that is giving you a stipend. At mine, you have to be a PhD candidate to get a stipend - though I did manage to weasel my way into one for a few weeks.
 
How exactly do you get a stipend in a Master's program? I can't seem to find a single one of these available. What programs have you been attending?
 
BurghStudent said:
I've read other threads on this issue but they focused on MPH's etc. I am a senior in college, and plan on applying next cycle. For the time during that cycle (2012-fall of 2013), I am thinking of completing a Master's program at my state university. The M.S. would be in Cell and Molecular Biology.

My question is, besides keeping me busy during the year, is there any long term benefit? Will this help with when applying for residency?

My naive take on this is, it might help me get a research position sooner while in medical school.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I would go for the M.S. in MCB. If you want to work in science (research assistant/lab manager), molecular biology experience is extremely important. I suggest this because sometimes medical school does not work out your first go around. You need to have a plan B.
 
ceasefire said:
Some University of Arizona MS programs. As a TA or RA you receive 100% tuition remission, healthcare, and a stipend. These positions are competitive but available.
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Wow! This sounds amazing, and I would actually enjoy an MS program, if not for the financial issues. 🙂

For those of you who are taking out loans to cover MS degrees...how exactly do you end up still having enough for medical school, considering the caps? That is something I'd worry over.
 
i'm thinking of starting a one year master's in the fall, and have just submitted my application to amcas last week. in the event that i'm accepted to a school that starts in june (the master's would finish in late july next year), would it be ok to drop out? the program is my best idea of what to do on my year off. 😕
 
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