- Joined
- Dec 2, 2006
- Messages
- 385
- Reaction score
- 0
Does it make any sense for a post bacc student to enroll in an MPH degree program to boost the GPA prior to applying to medical school?
Rewording the question, does it make sense to do well in an MPH program as a way toward admission into medical school?
Rewording the question, does it make sense to do well in an MPH program as a way toward admission into medical school?
Does it make any sense for a post bacc student to enroll in an MPH degree program to boost the GPA prior to applying to medical school?
The drawback to doing MPH before MD rather than after is that your fund of knowledge is less (you don't have a context in which to place what you've learned) and the time spent in med school may lead to a deterioration of the skills acquired in public health school (you are more likely to immediately use your skills if the MPH is concurrent with or after the MD).
Rewording the question, does it make sense to do well in an MPH program as a way toward admission into medical school?
As others have said, going through an MPH program really won't increase your admissions chances drastically, because it will not effect your GPA in a way that admissions are concerned with.
However, several of my current classmates came into medical school with MPH degrees under their belts (I know at least 3 who completed the degree last year), and they do have some advantages over the rest of us. Most medical schools teach a substantial amount of epidemiology, and much of that information is covered on the boards. People who have already learned epi in great detail, generally have an easier time with it the second time around, giving them more time to study for other classes, etc. Is it a huge advantage? Probably not, and it certainly won't overhaul a poor application in the eyes of the admissions committees, but it is something. If you want an MPH for yourself then go for it, or apply to MD/MPH programs. Even if it doesn't help you get into to medical school, there's no reason to write it off.
People tend to ask about MPH because it seems like an easy way to bolster credentials because it's just one year and not that heady. But for much of the same reasons med schools really don't get excited about this degree. I'm fairly sure I got more mileage with my JD than most people got with their MPHs.
I wouldn't consider it "a substantial amount" -- eg I think my med school spent 2 weeks on epi. And it was perhaps the least complicated thing to pick up for the tests and boards. As I mentioned above, it's a "soft" science. You are better off taking a good stats course if you aren't planning on public health.