MPH before med school
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I have an MPH degree and ive been told its nothing more than a strong extra circ. some courses do count as science, esp if you do a epi track but it wount make up for ones below par grades in the hard sciences.
I would focus on getting your mcat score into the accepted range. MPH will give you more points to talk about and more experience, if your grades are below then that may need work.
You can pm me for specific questions
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Personally, I graduated ugrad with a 3.7+ but flunked my mcat pretty badly the first time around. At that time, I decided to do a Master's in Biology while working on my MCAT. I thought if medicine didn't work out, I could take advantage of the MS and go for a PhD in Biology. I knew at the time that with my relatively high GPA that I didn't need an SMP or postbac, but thought it would be a great way to add extracurricular activities. Doing my Masters gave me quality research experience, teaching experience and very strong letters of rec. I also retook the MCAT and did much better.
That being said, I am now also 2 years of tuition in more debt. In retrospect, I realized my app was decently strong and it was really just my MCAT. I really enjoyed my Masters but if I had to do it again I would have just worked one or two years as a lab tech (which would have given me near equivalent the research experience I did as a Master's student) and would have made some money back. Though I would have missed out on my strong letters of recommendation.
As radian313 said, doing a Masters is just a really expensive extracurricular. Will it make you a stronger applicant? Yes. Will it offset a low GPA/MCAT? No. But it's hard for me to recommend a Master's if you just want it to make you a stronger app because of the ~20-40K debt. You could simply work in research or entry level medical job and take a chunk out of your student loans. If you decide on the Master's, I advise that you must really be interested in what you're studying and it is much more justifiable if it can set you up for a strong plan B if medicine doesn't work out.
That being said, I am now also 2 years of tuition in more debt. In retrospect, I realized my app was decently strong and it was really just my MCAT. I really enjoyed my Masters but if I had to do it again I would have just worked one or two years as a lab tech (which would have given me near equivalent the research experience I did as a Master's student) and would have made some money back. Though I would have missed out on my strong letters of recommendation.
As radian313 said, doing a Masters is just a really expensive extracurricular. Will it make you a stronger applicant? Yes. Will it offset a low GPA/MCAT? No. But it's hard for me to recommend a Master's if you just want it to make you a stronger app because of the ~20-40K debt. You could simply work in research or entry level medical job and take a chunk out of your student loans. If you decide on the Master's, I advise that you must really be interested in what you're studying and it is much more justifiable if it can set you up for a strong plan B if medicine doesn't work out.
If you're concerned that your MCAT will hold you back, in lieu of the MPH (unless public health is something you're super interested in, then maybe do both of these) I would consider just buckling down and studying your butt off for the test and retake. If grades are your concern, save the money from the MPH and just retake courses and take advantage of grade replacement as that will have a greater impact on your overall application. An MPH will not replace a poor MCAT score, or at least that is what I am told.
If you're dead set on that MPH, there are several programs that offer a dual DO/MPH. I am in one now and very happy with my experience so far and how they have me set to complete the program within my 4 years. Perhaps something else to consider.
If you're dead set on that MPH, there are several programs that offer a dual DO/MPH. I am in one now and very happy with my experience so far and how they have me set to complete the program within my 4 years. Perhaps something else to consider.
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I have an MPH, and I agree with what the others have said: the MPH is a nice asset, but it won't make up for a lacking MCAT score. It's probably better to focus on improving the MCAT now, and if you want the MPH later, you can always still do it during or after med school (and possibly get it paid for).
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I would not recommend doing the MPH unless you sincerely want to apply this to your future career. The only way to improve your chances at this point is improving that MCAT score.
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Thank You guys for your responses. I appreciate all the input!
My grades are alright, both cGPA and sGPA are around 3.8. The only problem is the MCAT.
I will take some time to think it over.
My reasoning was that if I need to take more time off to study for the MCAT, why not do something useful, perhaps get the MPH or Masters degree instead of just working full time. I loved my global Health classes, micro and statistics. So i thought getting MPH in Epi or biostatistics would be a great idea. However, maybe I should just concentrate on studying for MCAT.
About DO/MPH, how much more of a work load you get additionally to the regular DO curricula?
I would love to have kids sometime in 2-3 years ( call me crazy, but seriously), so I want to have time for my family as well....which was another reasoning to get MPH first.
My grades are alright, both cGPA and sGPA are around 3.8. The only problem is the MCAT.
I will take some time to think it over.
My reasoning was that if I need to take more time off to study for the MCAT, why not do something useful, perhaps get the MPH or Masters degree instead of just working full time. I loved my global Health classes, micro and statistics. So i thought getting MPH in Epi or biostatistics would be a great idea. However, maybe I should just concentrate on studying for MCAT.
About DO/MPH, how much more of a work load you get additionally to the regular DO curricula?
I would love to have kids sometime in 2-3 years ( call me crazy, but seriously), so I want to have time for my family as well....which was another reasoning to get MPH first.
At least with my setup, the most you would be doing during regular medical semesters is 1 course. The bulk of your coursework is completed in the summers, and public health rotations crossover to count as an elective in 4th year as well as the internship requirement for the MPH.
