reapplication after masters degree?

[tyrobbie]

Hi SDN, I'm pretty new here.

I applied to 14 schools this past application cycle and didn't do nearly as well as I was hoping. I interviewed at Einstein Medical College and Boston University, and now I'm hanging by a thread -- wait-listed at BU.

I rallied in March and fired off a dozen Masters applications to give myself some alternatives. I've had much more success. I've been accepted at Public Health schools both in the US and in Europe, both one-year and two-year programs. Highlights: GWU (MPH -- Global Health Management), Drexel (MPH), Tulane (MPH -- Global Health Management), the NOHA Program at University College, Dublin Ireland (Masters in Humanitarian Assistance), and... the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (MSc in Public Health).

I want to work in global health/ humanitarian relief, and want to eventually have an MD and an MPH (hoped for the MD first, oh well!). How might I structure a reapplication to medical schools? Should I wait to reapply until I've earned my Masters (and perhaps, published a thesis)? Should I apply my final year of a Masters program (i.e. if I was to enroll in a one-year program, I'd really need to get on my reapplication NOW, which seems complicated by the fact that I'm still waiting on BU!)?

Here's my laundry list from my 10/11 application. I applied early, got my AMCAS off the second week of June, and returned secondaries within 2-5 weeks.

- BA in International Relations with Highest Honors at graduation
- 3.75 Science/ 3.51 Other/ 3.60 Total
- MCAT 33Q (11/11/11)
- Solid to Bomber LORs (I sent a packet of 6)
- EMT, with 400 hrs work experience on a BLS ambulance
- 10 weeks volunteering in the ER at a rural Guatemalan hospital, incl. teaching the local volunteer firefighters (this was the main subject of my PS)
- Senior Honors thesis studying humanitarian aid allocation to countries suffering natural disasters (Unfortunately, I didn't seek publication. I used this thesis as my "research" experience on my AMCAS app -- insufficient?)
- Good conferences & awards
- Regional advisor for thelancetstudent.com, an online student global health journal (1 year)
- 4 mos. volunteering in a cardiac ICU
- volunteering as a homework helper at women's shelter (1 year)
- completed the a marathon with the National AIDS Marathon, raising $2.2k

This past year (I graduated from college in March 2010), I've done some volunteering abroad, some local volunteering at a low-income medical clinic, some odd jobs, but not anything really significant.

Thoughts? Would a Masters in Public Health significantly enhance my (re)application? Are there any places I'm particularly deficient? Should I apply only after I've finished a Masters?

Many, many thanks!

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[gl0baltrader]

Hi SDN, I'm pretty new here.

I applied to 14 schools this past application cycle and didn't do nearly as well as I was hoping. I interviewed at Einstein Medical College and Boston University, and now I'm hanging by a thread -- wait-listed at BU.

I rallied in March and fired off a dozen Masters applications to give myself some alternatives. I've had much more success. I've been accepted at Public Health schools both in the US and in Europe, both one-year and two-year programs. Highlights: GWU (MPH -- Global Health Management), Drexel (MPH), Tulane (MPH -- Global Health Management), the NOHA Program at University College, Dublin Ireland (Masters in Humanitarian Assistance), and... the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (MSc in Public Health).

I want to work in global health/ humanitarian relief, and want to eventually have an MD and an MPH (hoped for the MD first, oh well!). How might I structure a reapplication to medical schools? Should I wait to reapply until I've earned my Masters (and perhaps, published a thesis)? Should I apply my final year of a Masters program (i.e. if I was to enroll in a one-year program, I'd really need to get on my reapplication NOW, which seems complicated by the fact that I'm still waiting on BU!)?

Here's my laundry list from my 10/11 application. I applied early, got my AMCAS off the second week of June, and returned secondaries within 2-5 weeks.

- BA in International Relations with Highest Honors at graduation
- 3.75 Science/ 3.51 Other/ 3.60 Total
- MCAT 33Q (11/11/11)
- Solid to Bomber LORs (I sent a packet of 6)
- EMT, with 400 hrs work experience on a BLS ambulance
- 10 weeks volunteering in the ER at a rural Guatemalan hospital, incl. teaching the local volunteer firefighters (this was the main subject of my PS)
- Senior Honors thesis studying humanitarian aid allocation to countries suffering natural disasters (Unfortunately, I didn't seek publication. I used this thesis as my "research" experience on my AMCAS app -- insufficient?)
- Good conferences & awards
- Regional advisor for thelancetstudent.com, an online student global health journal (1 year)
- 4 mos. volunteering in a cardiac ICU
- volunteering as a homework helper at women's shelter (1 year)
- completed the a marathon with the National AIDS Marathon, raising $2.2k

This past year (I graduated from college in March 2010), I've done some volunteering abroad, some local volunteering at a low-income medical clinic, some odd jobs, but not anything really significant.

Thoughts? Would a Masters in Public Health significantly enhance my (re)application? Are there any places I'm particularly deficient? Should I apply only after I've finished a Masters?

Many, many thanks!

Having an MPH does add a flavor to your application but it does not "significantly" contribute to your application for reasons below:
(1) If you reapply while taking your MPH, your graduate GPA will not be considered.
(2) Since you are enrolled in a graduate program, you are required to submit a letter from your graduate advisor, which might delay your overall application if you reapply right away.
(3) MPH is not a science degree and therefore does not tell them how well you can handle the rigorous medical curriculum. That's why many people usually takes a hard science graduate degree or an SMP.

The good thing about an MPH is that you will gain a public health perspective on medicine that you can implement towards your future career as a physician. You also have the opportunity to work on interesting projects that will have an impact on the community.

Since you have a competitive GPA/MCAT already, I would just work full-time in a public health setting and try to publish papers (if you are interested).

Reapply broadly to more schools and focus on ones that fit your experiences. Without research experience I would skip schools with emphasis on research and go to schools with emphasis in public health and community service.

Good Luck

 

[giraffe17]

what schools did you apply to? it looks like you have a pretty competitive application (your cGPA i guess is on the "lower" side, but still good! can't imagine that's what held you back), so i imagine you must have had some school selection issues/bad luck.

i personally agree with the poster above; i don't think getting an MPH will help your application all that much, as you've already shown your interest in global health. i'm not down on the MPH though, i just say wait to get it until you're a fellow or resident and have more experience/can get someone else to pay for it.

maybe consider an international volunteer experience or something like americorps for next year. or consider trying to get an RA position at a school of public health.

good luck!

 

[tyrobbie]

(3) MPH is not a science degree and therefore does not tell them how well you can handle the rigorous medical curriculum. That's why many people usually takes a hard science graduate degree or an SMP.

So, would the degree from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine be the strongest of the programs I've been accepted to? It's a Master of Science in Public Health (also one of the top public health schools!). Does that count as a "hard science" graduate degree?

I probably will do one of the above graduate programs starting this fall -- my career goals include getting an MPH (I've been counseled that it can strongly enhance an MD in the field of global health), but I'm hoping that it'll also enhance my medical school reapplication (c'mon BU!). I think it will, especially since it fits into my demonstrated career path so well.

giraffe17, I *do* think one of my mistakes was applying to too few "backup" schools, definitely. stanford, ucd, ucsd, ucla, ucsf, harvard, brown, BU, columbia, yale, hopkins, einstein, case western, jefferson, tufts. oops!

I also, I think, am a somewhat atypical applicant. I spent two years at a private liberal arts college on the east coast, took a year and a half off (when I got my EMT and worked at the Guatemalan hospital), and then transferred to the University of California. I'm demonstrably interested in global health, but I've bounced around a little. My premed advisor can't quite figure out why I didn't have more success. With acceptance rates around 1% (BU and EMC), at some point, luck starts to have a big influence. At least, that's how I'm rationalizing it to myself!

Thanks for the good thoughts.

 

[gl0baltrader]

So, would the degree from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine be the strongest of the programs I've been accepted to? It's a Master of Science in Public Health (also one of the top public health schools!). Does that count as a "hard science" graduate degree?

Not too familiar with the program but as long as it has classes like microbiology, parasitology, etc... it should be okay. Typically MPH programs (at least in the U.S.) are more focused on study design, survey design, epidemiology (soft science).

Overall, do what you think is best for you but don't forget that your goal is to become a physician. I was thinking of pursuing an MPH prior to medical school but realized that I would not be able to take as much from the program without an extensive health care/ medical knowledge. Besides, taking additional loans prior to medical school was too much for me in the grand scheme of things.

Good Luck on your decision.

 

[eliz220]

Hello! Congrats on all your acceptances.

One important thing to consider is debt. As someone in a similar position (wait-listed my first time applying and attended the Georgetown CAM program; currently reapplying), I wish I would have thought about debt load of a MS before starting it. I don't regret my Master's and feel like I will be a better physician because of what I learned in my program. However, I have an extra 60K of debt on top of whatever I will accrue in med school. Scary!

I am assuming that this is UCL's London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine? What a great program! After finishing my Master's, I worked a quick, 6 month stint in London just down the street from there in the Bloomsbury neighbourhood. If you want to pick a Master's, I would pick this one for four reasons: (1) UK Master's are SO MUCH cheaper than US programs, even as an international student and considering the less-than-advantageous exchange rate the dollar has with the pound, (2) most UK Master's are 1 year vs. 2 for a US MS, (3) UCL is a top word university and this program has an international reputation - a great starting point for the career you want to have, and (4) you will be living in central London (think of it as a chance to live abroad before you commit to a minimum of 7 years of med school and residency in the US).

Additionally, if you get a degree from a UK school, you will automatically be given a 2 year work visa upon graduation. These are VERY hard to come by for Americans!

Hope that helps! PM me if you have any more questions!

 

[Bernoull]

OP have you looked into applying to MD/MPH programs this time around? I think ur stats are competitive, it seems that ur school list was too narrow.

Honestly I don't think a master's adds much to one's chances. I did an M.Sc. in BME (took a bunch of math, science and engineering courses) and I applied with a 4.0 grad gpa and I think u my application cycle would have been just as successful without going to grad school.

In ur shoes i'll reapply for MD (do MPH during med sch) or apply MD/MPH. Doing a MPH b4 just seems unnecessarily risky to me, there's that 0.0001% that you INVARIABLY don't do well in your courses etc etc.

Gdluck in whatever you end up doing.

 

[rofl]

Is it still too late to apply to masters programs?

 

[Mindscrew]

For the MPH, consider Yale. They take a wide variety of applicants and for the health management program it is mixed with the MBA class. If you write the GMAT you can also get the MBA. I think its fantastic but I am biased lol

Ok for the other important things, since you have a decent GPA you dont need to worry as much but many MPH's are not considered towards gpa b/c of the way they are graded

for the MS, if it is research based, then only the few classes you take will be counted to GPA but since you have a decent one, research experience is a good thing esp if you feel there is a publication you can get. If you're not thinking of long term research as a possibility it will be hard to dedicate yourself to your MS in research if you want med school.

Having said all of this the MPH would give you more skills and options (just my 2 cents having done both)