Masters Degree or Post Bacc.

[Niklu13]

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Which one would be a better option to gain acceptance into medical school for a science undergrad major with a subpar GPA.

 

[poloace]

i disagree. if you want to boost your undergrad GPA, a post-bacc will allow you to do that. once you start a masters degree, however, your science GPA is calculated separately from your undergrad course work. my advice would be to look into a 1 year post bacc program... depending on where you are in the country, you can get into programs which allow you to continue on to their med school if you excel.

if, on the other hand, you are satisfied with your undergrad science gpa, a graduate degree will allow you to start a new record for science and non-science classes.

both routes have advantages and drawbacks. however, based on the fact that you want to raise your science gpa, a post-bacc sounds most ideal for you. good luck-

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[neofight]

You might want to do a search on SDN since this topic has been discussed several times. I think a good thread to read would be the one posted by pathdr2b (posted last month, I believe). Overall, after reading the many different different threads the MS would be the better way to go as far as maximizing your chance of getting into med school.

 

[charlatangirl]

i'm not certain about post-bac programs, but i know that master's programs are less weighty than undergrad - in terms of grades. post-bacs are primarily to just get your GPA boost, whereas i think master's programs can actually develop your knowledge of the subject a little more.

that said, i was told by the admissions director at rush that even public health (which is what i'm getting my master's in) is not 'science-oriented enough' for them to consider including my graduate grades (GPA 3.9) as part of my BCPM.

i told her that i wouldn't have traded public health for the world. and other schools have really liked public health students, historically!

so i say go for a master's if it's in your heart. if you're just concerned about your grades, do the post-bac. you'll have already learned most of the stuff anyway; you won't be so much of a neophyte.

 

[edfig99]

Hey Niklu13, how far along are you in undergrad? any chance you can squeeze in some upper level coursework before you graduate?

having served on an adcom, i would personally recommend (if you are interested in the material) pursuing a master's degree over a post bac. I was less impressed when i reviewed/screened applications from science majors who postbac'd, then those who pursued some advanced degree, UNLESS the post bac was done at a place that was considered a "really hard post bac" or everything else in their application was amazing. Because you are a science major, you should have already gone through the core courses, and to simply postbac and repeat the courses for higher grades...yeah, it'll boost the GPA but won't guarantee you get looked at.

If you do a master's degree, do it in an area you are interested. Public Health has been extremely popular (though not as scientifically rigorous, still demands a fair amount of work and discipline). However, since many med schools are now offering combined MD/MPH tracks (in 5 years instead of 6, and it's paid for) - you may wanna hold off on public health and do a science master's degree, to give yourself the option of getting the MPH later. I looked favorably on advanced coursework - upper division science courses, or grad-level courses as an undergrad.

and the reality is that grades are only one small component of what goes into selecting applicants. you also have to make sure you got other stuff goin on in your life too, like community work, extracurriculars, etc...

 

[applejuice1979]

Originally posted by edfig99
Hey Niklu13, how far along are you in undergrad? any chance you can squeeze in some upper level coursework before you graduate?

having served on an adcom, i would personally recommend (if you are interested in the material) pursuing a master's degree over a post bac. I was less impressed when i reviewed/screened applications from science majors who postbac'd, then those who pursued some advanced degree, UNLESS the post bac was done at a place that was considered a "really hard post bac" or everything else in their application was amazing. Because you are a science major, you should have already gone through the core courses, and to simply postbac and repeat the courses for higher grades...yeah, it'll boost the GPA but won't guarantee you get looked at.......

......and the reality is that grades are only one small component of what goes into selecting applicants. you also have to make sure you got other stuff goin on in your life too, like community work, extracurriculars, etc...

Hi everyone. Lots of good stuff. Depending on your specific circumstances I would suggest any post-bacc program that would allow you to take some courses with medical students. How you fare in these courses is proof of how well you could do in medical school. Other than that, a master's or a post-bacc program are equal in improving your application as long as everything else (extra-curriculars, volunteering, research, MCAT, letters) is fine.

P.S. Not all post-bacc programs simply repeat the core classes. Some involve upper-division undergrad classes, some involve graduate classes, and any good program for those with science work would include one or 2 medical classes.