University of Michigan MS in Physiology good??

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genessis42

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Has anyone heard of or been through this program??

It is a 1 year Masters in Molecular Physiology, but I'm not too sure about the linkages or how much it helped for medical school.

Any graduates or current students from this?
 
Not a current student/grad, but I have a friend currently in this program who speaks very, very highly of it. He said it has been a great experience and has prepared him exceptionally well for medical school. He did get in this cycle (not UM, unfortunately) and the majority of his classmates did as well. A few got interviews at UM and at least 1 or 2 were accepted.
 
I graduated from this program. It had a few organizational issues during my year, but I believe they have since been resolved. The research track option is great if you want to beef up an already respectable application, but I'd recommend the coursework track if you're hoping to do some grade repair. Nearly everyone from my class wound up with at least one med school acceptance.
 
But are there any good linkages for it?

How would it help for grade repair though? I thought Graduate GPA was separate
 
But are there any good linkages for it?

How would it help for grade repair though? I thought Graduate GPA was separate
There were no linkages when I was a student. The grad GPA is separate, but ADCOMS aren't stupid; excelling in a bunch of science classes still says something.
 
But I thought the linkages for a Masters is what counts, right?
Are grad GPAs counted less heavily than undergrad GPA because some schools might think they are inflated?

Would I benefit more from a PostBacc that has Undergrad classes?
 
Some programs basically guarantee an acceptance to their Med school if you do well in the masters/post bacc. I don't think many true linkages exist except for temple? and lecom on the DO side. Some programs like Toledo and Rosalind Franklin BMS do tend to take a big amount of students into their Med school. If I'm gonna take a year and spend all the money to do a masters program, I might as well do one that gives me a strong chance at the host med school
Makes sense! Thank you!
 
But I thought the linkages for a Masters is what counts, right?
Are grad GPAs counted less heavily than undergrad GPA because some schools might think they are inflated?

Would I benefit more from a PostBacc that has Undergrad classes?

Linkages are helpful, yes. And you're expected to excel in any MS or postbac program; it's your last chance. Which you'll benefit more from depends on your situation. I'm glad I did the U-M MS program rather than any postbac, though.
 
I'm at 3.4/3.2 with a 32 MCT score. I think these stats could get me into a postbacc/smp or even a DO school.

I was considering UM's MS because its cheaper for me(not having to leave home state) and I was under the impression that Med schools want to see intensity in that year.

Would taking classes as a non-degree student be not AS impressive as an intense grad level program?
 
I'm at 3.4/3.2 with a 32 MCT score. I think these stats could get me into a postbacc/smp or even a DO school.

I was considering UM's MS because its cheaper for me(not having to leave home state) and I was under the impression that Med schools want to see intensity in that year.

Would taking classes as a non-degree student be not AS impressive as an intense grad level program?
Honestly, I'd just apply DO if I were you.
 
I might do both in case the DO cycle goes bad. But I'm not sure still.

I might be able to get a DO letter by July if I start right now, and that could help me even if some of those schools don't ask for a letter
 
I ws just checking up on this program as I was part of the inaugural class. Out of curiosity, what did you decide? Sorry to bump an old thread.
 
I ws just checking up on this program as I was part of the inaugural class. Out of curiosity, what did you decide? Sorry to bump an old thread.

How did you like it? Would you recommend it to someone who was maybe considering DO because of their GPA?
 
Tough to say. Here's how it broke down.

My GPA did not change as I pretty much had a 3.33 going in and a 3.33 at UMich. So, my GPA, however you decide to look at it, did not change. I just got some graduate/med school level courses under my belt, but didn't "excel." My question was whether or not just taking classes and passing was favorable in the eyes of ADCOMs. Probably not.

Anyway, I improved my MCAT score by 5 points after leaving UMich (22-->27). I applied once only to MD schools and didn't get in after I graduated. Took another year off and applied to MD and DO schools, and got accepted to a DO school.

Overall, Ann Arbor is a great town. Made some life long friendships there. Didn't learn much, but that's my fault. Would I recommend it you? Tempted to say no based on my experience, but I don't know your stats. You know mine though. If I could do it again, I would have skipped UMich. Instead? Study for the MCAT real quick (with a better schedule) and make some money.
 
One more thing..
I also would have saved 40 grand in that scenario. However, who knows if I did well in the program and got a better MCAT score at the same time? Possible MD acceptance? Maybe I'm a little bitter, but I honestly feel like I could have got a DO acceptance w/o the program.
 
This program is known as an academic enhancer so that can work in your favor if you are looking to enhance. However, if you feel unsure with what route to take, you need to look at every option possible. You can either retake classes with poor grades and do grade replacement via DO, you can do post bacc classes has to be a good 20+ credits/hard sciences and much showcase 3.7+, you want to show improvement not the same undergraduate performance and since you're from MI--so am I, your post bac in 20+ credits will be well favored and even replace your science uGPA at Wayne State and MSUCHM; both verified from admissions counselors there, enroll in a post bac with a linkage aka VCOM or Temple, those come to my head, or you can get a degree in graduate studies specifically SMP and UMich's program is this or even Wayne State. You have to look at your options for schools as well, there are some schools who really prefer the post bac classes as it does show improvement. I think it would be a good idea to focus on your uGPA more than enrolling in a graduate program at the moment because you need to fix what needs to be fixed and if you think your uGPA is low, then focus on this first; it'll show case improvement for both MD and DO, it can raise your uGPA, and it'll give you time to enhance your application on anything you think you are lacking! I personally think your GPA is not so low as well, there is definitely still time for improvement.
 
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