Masters program or not?!

[Littleg1225]

I am currently in the process of this year's application cycle. I have already been rejected from one school and put on hold by the other school I have applied to. I am going to do a few things that will help make my resume look better for next cycle (assuming I don't get in at the school I am on hold with). I will be retaking the MCAT, retaking a few classes to help with gpa, shadow another DO, and really would like to start a masters program next fall. The only problem I have with doing so, is that the program is 22k per year. Does anyone think that it would be worth the 22k if it would possibly increase my chances of getting in the next time I apply? I am even willing to skip next years cycle so I can finish the masters program if it will help. I am just concerned about that kind of money when medical school is going to be enough as it is. Does anyone have any insight on this?

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[chopstick1]

I am currently in the process of this year's application cycle. I have already been rejected from one school and put on hold by the other school I have applied to. I am going to do a few things that will help make my resume look better for next cycle (assuming I don't get in at the school I am on hold with). I will be retaking the MCAT, retaking a few classes to help with gpa, shadow another DO, and really would like to start a masters program next fall. The only problem I have with doing so, is that the program is 22k per year. Does anyone think that it would be worth the 22k if it would possibly increase my chances of getting in the next time I apply? I am even willing to skip next years cycle so I can finish the masters program if it will help. I am just concerned about that kind of money when medical school is going to be enough as it is. Does anyone have any insight on this?

getting a high score on the mcat is going to weigh a lot more than a masters. plus you'll have more debt (which can be a problem with loans), 2+ years of your life gone, and not refreshed on the basic sciences that are on the mcat. believe me, all that organic/bio chem, cell anatomy comes back to bite you in the ass if you haven't had it in a while. you may want to skip taking classes if you have a decent gpa and concentrate that time on the mcat.

apply broadly, the lower the gpa/mcat = more applications. you never know who will take you. good luck, it can be done~!

 

[PathOne]

I second comments by chopstick1. It seems that you only applied to two (2) schools?!?!? That's REALLY a low number of schools. If you're still waitlisted at 50% of the schools you applied to, you seem to be reasonably competitive.

Personally, I'd stay away from a Master's. They don't usually carry much weight with Adcoms. Get more shadowing/volunteering experience, apply EARLY and apply WIDELY next time. Then you should be ok.

 

[relentless11]

Over the years I have come to realize that in terms of SDN, a normal masters (e.g., non-SMP) should only be done if:

(1) You know you like graduate school.

(2) If you can benefit from graduate courses: personally and academically. Perhaps these classes will prepare you for med school. However if you are looking into grade rehab, then it may not benefit you for allopathic schools since they seperate out GPAs. But it appears you want to do DO so this point is moot.

(3) You want to use a masters as a stepping stone to a terminal degree (e.g., PhD, MD, JD, DO, DDS, etc). A masters isn't neccessarily a "safety" net in case you don't get into med school or decide med school isn't for you. MS/MA's are not terminal degrees unlike an MBA. In terms of JUST programs, a PhD will have more research experience than an MS, therefore may look more appealing to industry. Depends on what you want to do!

However the most important thing to consider is how you SELL YOURSELF when applying. Believe it or not, a lot of people do apply to med school with various degrees including MS/MA, PhD, JD, DDS, etc etc. But this doesn't provide any quantifiable advantage. How you sell yourself in terms of grades, MCAT, personal statement and of course the interview gets you into med school! The take home message here is to do what you like rather than to "appeal" to med schools. If there is something that is TRULY appealing to med schools, people would be flocking towards it ages ago. Instead we are stuck at relying on who we are as a unique individual to get us in.