Post Bacc or MPH

[kcung]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I am in my last two quarters at UCLA and I am a non-science major. I have plans to do community health work, etc. But I am having quite the dilemma trying to figure out which route I should take, seeing that I am a bit new to this pre-medical scene.

my GPA is 3.5, but I haven't taken any science classes.

My problem is that I haven't taken any science classes. I transferred from a community college and I had plans to return to take some classes there for prereqs (because of financial reasons). I would pursue a post bacc, but they are pretty pricey in California.

I feel that it is worth more to get an MPH, but I wanted to know what would make me look more competitive for medical schools.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

Well you can't get into med school without the prereqs so forget the mph. If it helps it will be barely because masters programs are often inflated. Just do the post bacc as you need science classes, not public health classes.

 

[DrMidlife]

post: after
bac: baccalaureate
postbac: after you have a bachelor's degree
postbac coursework: any undergrad coursework after you have a bachelor's

structured formal postbac premed programs are pricey. But you can take the prereqs at any school that offers them. I don't recommend taking them at a CC.

Consider adding a minor to your undergrad program that will allow you to complete the prereqs before you graduate. That's by far the cheapest and most efficient way to go.

I recommend going to the Scripps/Mills web pages that describe their prereq programs, not because you should go there, but because the web pages will describe what's expected from folks who want to get into med school without a science degree.

Best of luck to you.

 

[wholeheartedly]

If you want to go to medical school, focus on taking your pre-reqs first and doing well. Those will be required. You don't need to do an expensive formal postbac program. Only do an MPH if you'd do one regardless, don't do it just with the hope it will help you with medical school admissions.

After you complete your pre-reqs you can think about whether or not you want to do an MPH and how to go about if you do. Quite a few medical schools will allow you the option of doing an additional year to do an MPH while in medical school as part of a joint degree program or to take a leave and do an MPH at another school.

You could get the MPH first. Most people around here say graduate programs count more as an extra curricular activity would as far as helping gain admissions goes. Grades can be inflated in some programs. Also, keep in mind poor performance could hinder medical school admissions and students do struggle with courses like epidemiology and biostatistics.

On the other hand, the MPH can open doors to cool opportunities that could be useful, like an internship at a health department or free clinic or clinical research experience or doing public health advocacy or education. I don't think any of those would look bad to an ad com. If you just show up and get a diploma, maybe not so helpful.

I'm currently doing an MPH majoring in Epidemiology before applying to medical school because it fits my interests and my circumstances to do it at this time rather than during medical school. It's really interesting and I'm enjoying it a lot and think I'll have gained some valuable experiences when I'm done. This route can take more time (usually 2 yrs, vs 1 yr while in medical school) and I do get a little impatient sometimes wishing I could be in medical school already since I'm not getting any younger. Overall though I don't regret my choice.

Also, consider whether or not you need to go to medical school at all to do the community health type work you want. Maybe you only need the MPH and can save yourself some time and money. There a a lot of options either way, just keep asking questions and doing some thorough research before you jump into anything.