Masters Program or post-bacc courses?

[zusammen]

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I'm graduating with a degree in Biochemistry soon. I don't plan on applying to med schools for at least a year because I still have to take my MCAT, as well as do research and strengthen my application, in general.

I do want to take some post-bacc courses in Biochemistry. According to my school's website, I only need to take about a semester's worth of additional courses to have a Master's degree in Biomolecular Chemistry. I am a science geek and do like the idea of taking these courses. However, I have heard mixed comments about Master's programs.

The Master's courses tend to be easier in the sense that there is grade inflation, and med schools count them as a different GPA than your undergrad GPA. Since my UG GPA could always use a boost, should I take some of these courses as a post-bacc instead?

On another note, the Masters' program also requires research work and I see this as an excellent way to finally get a research position. I may also have a TA position which will be a nice way to make some cash.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Chemokine7]

I'm graduating with a degree in Biochemistry soon. I don't plan on applying to med schools for at least a year because I still have to take my MCAT, as well as do research and strengthen my application, in general.

I do want to take some post-bacc courses in Biochemistry. According to my school's website, I only need to take about a semester's worth of additional courses to have a Master's degree in Biomolecular Chemistry. I am a science geek and do like the idea of taking these courses. However, I have heard mixed comments about Master's programs.

The Master's courses tend to be easier in the sense that there is grade inflation, and med schools count them as a different GPA than your undergrad GPA. Since my UG GPA could always use a boost, should I take some of these courses as a post-bacc instead?

On another note, the Masters' program also requires research work and I see this as an excellent way to finally get a research position. I may also have a TA position which will be a nice way to make some cash.

What are your thoughts?

I doing a Master's right now and I wish i have just done a post bac. I got accepted to med school and guess what I still have to finish my experiments and write the thesis. unless you can do comprehensive examination masters, do the post bac. you can still do research and improve your gpa. I will be defending my thesis two weeks before school starts. Unless your sure you will finish your masters in time do post bac

 

[plsfoldthx]

I doing a Master's right now and I wish i have just done a post bac. I got accepted to med school and guess what I still have to finish my experiments and write the thesis. unless you can do comprehensive examination masters, do the post bac. you can still do research and improve your gpa. I will be defending my thesis two weeks before school starts. Unless your sure you will finish your masters in time do post bac

Post-bacc even if you've taken your pre-reqs? I've done very well in my pre-reqs... it's just the upper division science classes I screwed up in. It doesn't make much sense to me to do a post-bacc in courses I've done well in. I'd feel like an idiot sitting in general chemistry again.

 

[armybound]

Post-bacc even if you've taken your pre-reqs? I've done very well in my pre-reqs... it's just the upper division science classes I screwed up in. It doesn't make much sense to me to do a post-bacc in courses I've done well in. I'd feel like an idiot sitting in general chemistry again.

you can take any courses you want as a post-bac.

 

[noshie]

If you just take masters courses without actually doing the masters degree, then it will look kind of bad... It will look like you didn't complete what you started. So I would suggest the post bac if you are not going to follow through with the 2+ year degree.

Getting a masters is not EASY. Many people on here say it is, but it all depends on what you get your masters in and where you get it. If you want to get a masters with the intent of med school, you will need to do a hard science masters. That requires a lot of research and a thesis at the end. I wrote an 80 page thesis on my HIV research, and I'm going to tell you, it was absolutely one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. Ever. Not only did I have to write it, but I had to defend it in front of all of my immunology professors for 3 hours...

Sure, people say that grad classes are easy. Well, yes if you are taking graduate classes at an undergraduate university then you are probably really taking undergraduate classes with a different class number for graduates. So I would guess that they are easy… I don't think medical schools will appreciate these type of classes.

You need to make sure you are correct about getting the masters degree in a semester. That is probably not true. It takes about 40-50 graduate level credit hours to get a masters degree. If it doesn't then I would think its a pretty crappy degree... And if you think you can finish graduate research in a semester, you are smoking something...

 

[willen101383]

^^^ A masters is NOT easy I agree with you 100%. I did a hard science masters w/o thesis. We had a final project which was like 30-40 pages but we didnt need to do a defense. And OP there is no way you are going to get a masters in a semester. I was in an accelerated program and it took me 1.5 years of going to school full time (with 2 quarters of 28 credits) (round the clock summers included) to get my masters.

Its hard work OP...and with regards to grade inflation.....ever see the inflation undergrads get at many colleges? I had zero inflation undergrad...no curves..nothing. But then I retook some courses before my MS and discovered an 80 could mean an A. It was mindblowing

 

[Xcited392]

It really depends on where your GPA (overall and BCPM) stand right now.

 

[zusammen]

I just spoke to my advisor and apparently courses I took for my Bachelor's do not count towards a Master's degree.

So I will probably take some of these courses as a post-bacc. I don't intend to re-take the general science pre-med requirements because I did well in them. I didn't do well in the upper level sciences (like Physical Chemistry), so I plan on taking a couple of upper level/grad-level sciences for elective purposes.

If you just take masters courses without actually doing the masters degree, then it will look kind of bad... It will look like you didn’t complete what you started. So I would suggest the post bac if you are not going to follow through with the 2+ year degree.

What do you mean?

 

[willen101383]

I just spoke to my advisor and apparently courses I took for my Bachelor's do not count towards a Master's degree.

So I will probably take some of these courses as a post-bacc. I don't intend to re-take the general science pre-med requirements because I did well in them. I didn't do well in the upper level sciences (like Physical Chemistry), so I plan on taking a couple of upper level/grad-level sciences for elective purposes.



What do you mean?

I think that poster was under the impression that certain classes were only open to MS programs or part of a program....and that would look like you started but didnt finish a MS.

This isnt the case in most schools. Some of my masters courses were for my program only...but the majority anyone in grad school could take. In my year off I took a few classes ala carte at Syracuse University. The classes were part of a PhD program...but I took them anyway.

 

[noshie]

What do you mean?

Well, technically when you go back to take post bac classes, they usually make you apply through the graduate school at your college. That means you are a graduate student, but non degree seeking and only taking undergraduate classes. They do the same thing if you go back for a second bachelors degree... Anyways, you could take upper level grad classes as a non degree seeking graduate student, but not actually do a degree. In your case you will be taking undergraduate classes, but as a non degree seeking graduate student...

Again, my point about being a graduate student and taking graduate classes that are actually undergrad courses is totally backed up by what your advisor told you about having to retake those classes as a graduate student in order to count them for a masters... It's a sad thing that some schools do, it diminishes the advancedness of a masters degree. Which is probably why people figure that getting a masters is "easy."