MPH a good choice before MD?

[jlhanze]

hey guys, quick question.

I've noticed that some people are choosing to get an MPH before going to med school and was just wondering whether its common path for med students. Is it preferred, not preferred by med schools? or does it increase your chance of getting into med school?

I looked up several MPH programs at BU and Johns Hopkins and didn't find any sort of link bw med school and public health school on their websites. It seems like two completely different fields yet to me they are so interlinked.

would appreciate some insight. Thanks in advance!

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[hayden]

they can be interlinked, but getting an MPH will not improve your chances of getting into medical school. they still will look at the rest of the criteria in the same way and judge you on that. go for an MPH if you are interested in public health and doing something in that capacity as a doctor. if not, there's really no use. many people reapply to medical school and for some, its the 2nd time around that works.

 

[63768]

if you're actually going to get an MPH down the road and you're seriously interested in the material and philosophy, i'd say it would help with getting in. in addition, if you need a GPA boost, excelling in the MPH courses will only help you. however, it is not the most preferred method for med schools. i don't even know what the most preferred method.

also an MPH is currently the "in style" degree to segue into medicine.

 

[Prevalent]

I got my MPH before med school -- but not as a way of boosting grades. Its very relevant to medicine, and will prepare you well for what you'll see in healthcare these days.

Do it if you're interested in public health, but it's not going to help you get into medical school... it will, however, help you when you're interviewing -- to have something interesting and unique to talk about.

 

[Law2Doc]

hey guys, quick question.

I've noticed that some people are choosing to get an MPH before going to med school and was just wondering whether its common path for med students. Is it preferred, not preferred by med schools? or does it increase your chance of getting into med school?

I looked up several MPH programs at BU and Johns Hopkins and didn't find any sort of link bw med school and public health school on their websites. It seems like two completely different fields yet to me they are so interlinked.

would appreciate some insight. Thanks in advance!

Agree with the other posters. If you are interested in doing something related to public health after your med school training, then it will be useful. If you are looking for something to improve your chances for med school, there are other masters programs (SMPs), hard science masters and postbacs that are higher yield.

 

[Compass]

What's an MPH?

 

[gocoastal]

Masters in Public Health

In response to OP,
BU's public health courses are in the medical school building, and there are definitely dual degree-ers. I can't say that the MPH helps get into med school as I haven't gotten in yet, but I'm doing it because I'm definitely passionate about community health.

If you want a program at BU that might help you get into med school, the General Medical Sciences program is supposedly a feeder into Boston-area schools. Not sure of the actual statistics, but you get a MA in Medical Sciences, which sounds slightly cooler than a post-bac since you get another degree.

What's an MPH?