Need help deciding (SMP vs MS in Nutrition)

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CYP4a

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Hi everyone I am in a bit of a weird situation.

I, by fluke/accident/fate/some interesting series of events, recently got accepted into a Masters Program for Nutrition. This is odd because no one else got accepted for the Spring semester except for myself. The program is great, I already have an adviser and my Master's research (Human study) is about to start in the coming weeks.

However I also recently found out that I was accepted into the Boston University MAMS program about a week or two ago. Now I am not sure whether to stick with my current degree program or head on over to Boston.

My stats: 27MCAT (first try) 30MCAT (second try)
3.6 CUM GPA, 3.2 Science GPA

Lots of Clinical Research under my belt, a few months of lab research, and at most decent LORs.

So I am really torn here. Any advice would be appreciated.

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I don't think your GPA needs an SMP. On the other hand I don't know if the masters in nutrition will benefit you as much. If you can get some great experience, LOR's, or research experience in then it will probably help.

What you need to try and bring up is your sGPA. Your cGPA is not low by any standards and some solid postbacc courses can bring your sGPA up to 3.35 or better.
 
I don't think your GPA needs an SMP. On the other hand I don't know if the masters in nutrition will benefit you as much. If you can get some great experience, LOR's, or research experience in then it will probably help.

What you need to try and bring up is your sGPA. Your cGPA is not low by any standards and some solid postbacc courses can bring your sGPA up to 3.35 or better.

The Master's courses have some high level science going: things like advanced carb metabolism, nutrition and immunity, advanced clinical nutrition etc. Do you think those would count towards sGPA for AMCAS? Also I could always take courses over at the Med School on campus assuming I reach out to the right people.

My take on everything is that if for some reason med school doesn't work out I actually have a solid degree to fall back on rather than just "Special" Masters geared only towards getting me into medicine.
 
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The master's courses would not change your sGPA.
 
The Master's courses have some high level science going: things like advanced carb metabolism, nutrition and immunity, advanced clinical nutrition etc. Do you think those would count towards sGPA for AMCAS? Also I could always take courses over at the Med School on campus assuming I reach out to the right people.

My take on everything is that if for some reason med school doesn't work out I actually have a solid degree to fall back on rather than just "Special" Masters geared only towards getting me into medicine.

First, lose that negative attitude. When applying to medicine school you should not be considering any other career path. Either you're going to med school, or you're not. Do not let the "med school doesn't work out" take root in your head.

The problem with regular masters programs is that adcoms have no way to know the rigor or difficulty of these programs. Even if you get a great GPA, it will still be overshadowed by the 3.2 sGPA. That said, in my opinion, you have two options:

-Rock your SMP. Your MCAT doesn't suck, but it's not great. Taking it a third time is risky though. Do well in the SMP and you stand a good chance of acceptance.
-Take some upper level science electives and acquire a new meaningful EC/LOR. That should bump your 3.6 and your 3.2, and make you a more compelling candidate.

I'm sure others will chime in with some additional advice though. I think out of all your options a MS is the worst choice. Just my $.02
 
I would do the MS in nutrition. You don't need a SMP with your stats.
 
The Master's courses have some high level science going: things like advanced carb metabolism, nutrition and immunity, advanced clinical nutrition etc. Do you think those would count towards sGPA for AMCAS? Also I could always take courses over at the Med School on campus assuming I reach out to the right people.

My take on everything is that if for some reason med school doesn't work out I actually have a solid degree to fall back on rather than just "Special" Masters geared only towards getting me into medicine.

Also, nutrition courses would not count in sGPA even if they were undergrad courses.

Do not do an SMP - you probably have more to lose than to gain.

If you are set on a masters, do the nutrition and make the most out of it by getting stellar LOR's, trying to get research, volunteering, etc. At some of the programs I've interviewed at, they all were impressed with my masters, even though they didn't know what an SMP was.

Also, depending on when you are planning to apply, you can take more undergrad science courses or even retake MCAT if you so desire to.
 
Furthermore, the whole part about not thinking about a plan b isnt a good attitude IMO. You need to be realistic in this process. I was pretty sure i'd get into med school, but I certainly had a plan for what I'd be doing if I hadnt.

First, lose that negative attitude. When applying to medicine school you should not be considering any other career path. Either you're going to med school, or you're not. Do not let the "med school doesn't work out" take root in your head.

The problem with regular masters programs is that adcoms have no way to know the rigor or difficulty of these programs. Even if you get a great GPA, it will still be overshadowed by the 3.2 sGPA. That said, in my opinion, you have two options:

-Rock your SMP. Your MCAT doesn't suck, but it's not great. Taking it a third time is risky though. Do well in the SMP and you stand a good chance of acceptance.
-Take some upper level science electives and acquire a new meaningful EC/LOR. That should bump your 3.6 and your 3.2, and make you a more compelling candidate.

I'm sure others will chime in with some additional advice though. I think out of all your options a MS is the worst choice. Just my $.02
 
Furthermore, the whole part about not thinking about a plan b isnt a good attitude IMO. You need to be realistic in this process. I was pretty sure i'd get into med school, but I certainly had a plan for what I'd be doing if I hadnt.

I just think if you're going to drop a large sum of money on a Masters program or SMP, you better be damn sure that you will stop at nothing until your goal is reached. Med school is expensive, grad school is expensive, SMPs are expensive. Dropping all that money then deciding you're going to fall back on a masters in nutrition just doesn't sound like an economically sound decision to me.

I think what we can all agree on is that the OP has a few different options and one hard decision.
-He's taken the MCAT twice. A 30 isn't terrible, but it's not great. Coupled with a 3.2 sGPA, doubt is raised about his ability to perform in the hard science courses that make up med school.
-cGPA is right around average. It could stand to be boosted a little bit, but it's not a deal breaker.
-OP has both clinical and bench science research. OP, any other volunteering/clinical exposure? What about any "unique" experiences/LORs? Anything that sets you apart from other applicants?
-Now that I look back on my original post, I'm beginning to think that an SMP isn't the best choice. Overall, his stats aren't terrible, so he's not at the "all or nothing" point yet.

I really don't know what I want to recommend. I think his sGPA and MCAT could use a boost. While I think the MS in Nutrition is a great degree, and probably is the result of difficult coursework, I just don't think it will overshadow a 3.2 sGPA and 30 MCAT. Adcoms love numbers that they can relate to - it's the reason why cGPA/sGPA/MCAT are the main screening parameters. True SMPs prove that the applicant can succeed in medical school, since it is medical school. A masters program, while it is a unique experience, and may in fact be very difficult, does not prove ones ability to succeed in medical school.

I think OP is held back by his sGPA and MCAT. One of those two numbers needs to get bumped up in order to have a shot. 30 credits of upper level science coursework could make a pretty major improvement on both the sGPA and cGPA. The MCAT is tricky though. With 2 attempts under his belt, the third would have to show some drastic improvement. I don't know if it's worth the risk.

If you're deadset on the Master's, try to take some undergrad science coursework at the same time to boost that sGPA. I think even with the MS, the sGPA is going to be a problem.
 
Furthermore, the whole part about not thinking about a plan b isnt a good attitude IMO. You need to be realistic in this process. I was pretty sure i'd get into med school, but I certainly had a plan for what I'd be doing if I hadnt.
+1, I had a plan B of sorts too

I don't think being hard-headed and stubborn towards a goal is always the best approach.

Sometimes its just not achievable. I can run as many miles a week as I like, but I am never ever going to win the Boston marathon - it would be delusional on my part to not have a plan B

Always have a plan B (Carib Med/FMG would be a plan B in my book)
 
If I were in ur position, I would choose Boston MAMS. It has a proven track record of getting people into med schools. Masters is good only as a backup plan if u don't get into med school.
 
His stats are average for med school. Additional postbac work wouldnt be a bad idea but he needs As. SMPs are risky; a relative of mine had 3.6/31 and ended up
doing the Georgetown SMP and doing average; she didn't get into any MD school in 3 cycles and is at a DO school now.
 
His stats are average for med school. Additional postbac work wouldnt be a bad idea but he needs As. SMPs are risky; a relative of mine had 3.6/31 and ended up doing the Georgetown SMP and doing average; she didn't get into any MD school in 3 cycles and is at a DO school now.
Agreed

Don't do an SMP; a handful of upper level classes at 4.0 wouldnt be bad, while working on some solid ECs/earning money
 
...(deleted some of quote so the page wouldn't be elongated)
-OP has both clinical and bench science research. OP, any other volunteering/clinical exposure? What about any "unique" experiences/LORs? Anything that sets you apart from other applicants?
-Now that I look back on my original post, I'm beginning to think that an SMP isn't the best choice. Overall, his stats aren't terrible, so he's not at the "all or nothing" point yet.

I really don't know what I want to recommend. I think his sGPA and MCAT could use a boost. While I think the MS in Nutrition is a great degree, and probably is the result of difficult coursework, I just don't think it will overshadow a 3.2 sGPA and 30 MCAT. Adcoms love numbers that they can relate to - it's the reason why cGPA/sGPA/MCAT are the main screening parameters. True SMPs prove that the applicant can succeed in medical school, since it is medical school. A masters program, while it is a unique experience, and may in fact be very difficult, does not prove ones ability to succeed in medical school....

I don't know how to multi-quote but if I did I would first say thanks to everyone's advice individually. With that said the MS is likely to be less expensive then the BU MAMS considering that my advisor is already working on securing funding for me.

To answer a few questions:

Columbia?-No, University of Florida.

Unique Experiences? I've had so many pre-med friends so nothing feels really unique. At my clinical research gig I actually trained and taught the new research associates as a sort of Chief Resident type position. I also was on the board of a local food pantry at my undergrad which provided free groceries (3-5 days worth) to under (100-200 depending on turnout) privileged families weekly.

Plan B?-Hardly a plan B...I am getting into Med-school...this will just help determine if it's a US Allo vs. DO vs Carib. At the end of the day I cannot picture myself other than an MD.

Once again thanks for all the responses any other comments/thoughts are much appreciated it really helps put things into perspective. I am definitely leaning towards the MS especially if I can get it fully funded (free education FTW!).
 
My friend who did the UF masters in nutrition said:

"2 things (1) make sure that you know your advisor has a track record/is committed to getting you OUT in 2 years (unless you don't care about getting roped into a PhD or spending forever at UF). (2) You can take undergrad classes at UF during the master's program to boost your sGPA if you are not overwhelmed by pointless hours of research."

Hope this helps.
 
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