Staying 5th year to do masters

[TurkSurg]

thanks

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[reddyjs]

My research professor said if I do 5th year masters I have a better chance of getting into top med schools. She also mentioned I would have another year to get ready for mcat and etc...

Does it really worth to do 5th yr masters? I'm not even going to PhD and med school is 10-something years anyway, why would I waste another year doing masters?

Well, it depends on how well you're doing now. Most people who do a 5th year have less than stellar resumes or mcat scores and take that extra year to shape up their app, retake the mcats, etc. If you're doing well, don't bother, it's a waste of time.

 

[TurkSurg]

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[wingiv]

Well I'm doing a 5th year. I assume that you would be doing a 5th year to do a research thesis. A research thesis takes a lot of time, and you wouldn't really have time to study for MCAT's if you did that; I didn't. You might as well just work as an RA in your lab for your 5th year and study for the MCAT's.

 

[NiCad089]

My research professor said if I do 5th year masters I have a better chance of getting into top med schools. She also mentioned I would have another year to get ready for mcat and etc...

Does it really worth to do 5th yr masters? I'm not even going to PhD and med school is 10-something years anyway, why would I waste another year doing masters?

If you think it's a waste, then it's a waste. Your research prof probably just wants you working in her lab for another year. Don't do the masters as a way to improve you med school app. Only do it if it interests you.

 

[cudoc2014]

If you think it's a waste, then it's a waste. Your research prof probably just wants you working in her lab for another year. Don't do the masters as a way to improve you med school app. Only do it if it interests you.

Agree. I wouldn't waste your time unless you plan on pursuing a MD/PhD combined program, or plan on doing EXTENSIVE research in the future (and less patient load). However, if your primary goal is patient care and interaction, I would just say go ahead and apply to med school.

I was thinking about getting a masters in Bioengineering, but I decided not to because I enjoy patient interaction more than research. However, I do plan on doing some research during medical school.