tacking on a masters

[monkeyarms]

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i'm starting med school in august and will have the option of tacking on a masters in anatomy relatively painlessly. just wondering if anyone had any opinions about whether or not doing this would help professionally (i.e. residency) in the long run. i'm sure it helps for surgery, but what about in medical fields? from where i stand now, the upside is more education (more letters behind the name) and the downside is that it cuts out some other things i'd been thinking of doing during the first summer off.

 

[sacrament]

Originally posted by monkeyarms
i'm starting med school in august and will have the option of tacking on a masters in anatomy relatively painlessly. just wondering if anyone had any opinions about whether or not doing this would help professionally (i.e. residency) in the long run. i'm sure it helps for surgery, but what about in medical fields? from where i stand now, the upside is more education (more letters behind the name) and the downside is that it cuts out some other things i'd been thinking of doing during the first summer off.

Personally, I don't think you should do anything just for the extra letters behind your name, and you'll learn all the anatomy you need to know without doing a masters program. I say forget about it.

 

[secretwave101]

Unless you REALLY have a thing for anatomy (and I'd wait to see if you still love it after they murder you with in in med school), I'd skip getting a master's in it. There's SO many factors that play into residency selection. Having a masters degree in anything is one of the least important. And I think you'd be a fool to get the degree just to have extra letters behind your name.

I spent my first summer off surfing in Hawaii and informally learning about the former leper colony out there. It was awesome. I still remember watching a sea turtle disappearing into the infinite blue of the ocean while I tried to follow him one day when I was snorkeling.

Over the next 4 years, you'll be doing llllloootttssss of studying. Your summer off after your first year is the last free summer of your life. I'd only get a degree if that was the coolest thing you could imagine doing with yourself - because it won't take you much further than chasing sea turtles.

'Course, I haven't gotten a residency *yet*, so I suppose you should take what I say with some skepticism!