why not go the non-traditional route? (i.e. MS in nutrition, bioethics, MBA)

[ssa915]

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Has anyone here thrown up their hands and said fck what everyone else thinks, fck the traditional route of post-bacc programs (i.e. hard science masters like MS in anatomy and physiology and medical science) and decided to go the non-traditional route, like doing something you're actually interested in and not doing it because every other post-bacc student is...such as doing a masters in Clinical Nutrition (Columbias program), or an MS in Bioethics, or even an MBA? And if so, how has this affected your application to med school (did it help? or was it pointless, meaning you were better off doing a hard science masters?)

Are there med schools (MD or DO) that actually prefer more well rounded individuals who take the non-traditional routes?

any help is appreciated

 

[NRAI2001]

Would it be possible to get an MBA before going to med school (assuming u ve just graduated and have no work experience)?

 

[cosmicstarr]

Would it be possible to get an MBA before going to med school (assuming u ve just graduated and have no work experience)?

Most MBA programs, epsecially the top tier ones, will require work experience before applying.

 

[housecleaning]

Has anyone here thrown up their hands and said fck what everyone else thinks, fck the traditional route of post-bacc programs (i.e. hard science masters like MS in anatomy and physiology and medical science) and decided to go the non-traditional route, like doing something you're actually interested in and not doing it because every other post-bacc student is...such as doing a masters in Clinical Nutrition (Columbias program), or an MS in Bioethics, or even an MBA? And if so, how has this affected your application to med school (did it help? or was it pointless, meaning you were better off doing a hard science masters?)

Are there med schools (MD or DO) that actually prefer more well rounded individuals who take the non-traditional routes?

any help is appreciated

i think you almost *have* to do something you're interested in, rather than conforming. i doubt any schools really care whether your masters was in bioethics or biochem. i.e., i say go for it!

 

[Sundarban1]

I'd say most students to the traditional post-bacc because they NEED to, not because it's "just the thing to do." How else would one raise their UG GPA or satisfy the minimum requirements for medical school? If you're looking to show off your interests, yes you can take upper level classes or get an MS in a specialty science, but keep the overall goal in mind. If you stray to far from the "norm" you could be shooting yourself in the foot so to speak. If you feel a need to branch maybe you should reconsider what you really want to do as a profession (PhD in bioethics vs MD, etc.)

 

[nena]

i initially wanted to do a masters in bioethics and humanities or an mba, however after speaking to admission counselors in a few places, i was told this would do nothing to my application. a masters in a science would make me waayy more competitive. plus, the masters in biochem, anatomy, etc are interesting to many students because most are directly related to what you will be learning in medical school. you could do a masters in medical sciences instead of a regular masters of sciences. just my 2 cents..

 

[Phil Anthropist]

i initially wanted to do a masters in bioethics and humanities or an mba, however after speaking to admission counselors in a few places, i was told this would do nothing to my application.

I'm actually very interested in getting a master's in bioethics. I'm the kind of dork that reads Kass, Singer, and the JME for kicks. I feel that biomedical and clinical ethics are of the utmost importance in medicine. And yet, the emphasis on these disciplines in healthcare and medical curricula seems to be minimal.

The programs at Georgetown and UPenn are the ones I'm most interested in, but these programs aren't exactly cheap. I know there are plenty of others specifically for biomedical or clinical ethics (e.g., Midwestern U in Arizona, Loyola Marymount, Loyola -- separate healthcare and bioethics programs, Rush, Indiana, Michigan State, SLU, Union, Case Western, Pittsburgh, Virginia, and MCW), but the price tends to be hefty. If I'm going to spend $30k on tuition for a bioethics program, I would have a hard time rationalizing spending that much on a program that isn't considered tops (e.g., Georgetown and UPenn). However, I haven't ruled out the others as possibilities. There are also some schools that have combined MD/MA in Bioethics programs (Case's is the only one I know of that can be finished in 4 years). There are also some schools that have strong bioethics research or institutes even if they don't offer graduate programs specifically for bioethics (the University of Chicago is a good example).

If you want to go for a degree in something like Bioethics, I think it would be good because you want to get it. I don't think it's a wise choice if you have a questionable academic record.

...i was told this would do nothing to my application. a masters in a science would make me waayy more competitive. plus, the masters in biochem, anatomy, etc are interesting to many students because most are directly related to what you will be learning in medical school. you could do a masters in medical sciences instead of a regular masters of sciences. just my 2 cents..

The adcoms have a point. Put it this way: If a person has a low GPA (especially in sciences) with no discernible upward trend, is a graduate program in a non-science field going to prove that he/she can hack med school? Even with a strong MCAT, it wouldn't demonstrate that the individual will be consistent, hard working, and able to handle rigorous medical coursework. In contrast, SMPs, traditional MS, and undergrad postbac enhancement programs are more similar to the medical curriculum.

Now if your GPA is already strong, then I doubt getting another graduate degree in a discipline you like is really going to hurt your applicant profile. But I would be prepared to explain why you pursued the degree. I know a lot of MPH grads applying to med school are frequently asked why they got an MPH and whether they got the degree because it would look good to the adcoms.

 

[kimt2234]

I am a bit confused...I live in Madison, WI and just started this fall taking my pre-med prereq's. My status is as a special student. What's does it mean to be a post-bac and does it matter when applying to med schools if you are not in a formal post-bac program. I wan't even aware that was an option. I didn't see anything on the UW website when I went on to apply for the classess?

 

[Phil Anthropist]

I am a bit confused...I live in Madison, WI and just started this fall taking my pre-med prereq's. My status is as a special student. What's does it mean to be a post-bac and does it matter when applying to med schools if you are not in a formal post-bac program. I wan't even aware that was an option. I didn't see anything on the UW website when I went on to apply for the classess?

Postbac can mean different things depending on the context.

By definition, postbaccalaureate means any coursework completed after graduating with a bachelor's.

For the AMCAS medical application, postbaccalaureate refers specifically to undergraduate coursework completed after graduating with a bachelor's.

Most "postbac" programs fall into one of two categories:

(1) Career-Changers: In these, you are attempting to fulfill your pre-med requirements. Some of these are formal programs with set structure, but other people choose the "do-it-yourself" route. These grades factor into the undergraduate GPA for AMCAS (primary MD application) and AACOMAS (DO) applications.

(2) Enhancement Programs: Some of these are undergraduate level, while others are at the graduate level. These programs are for those who have completed the pre-reqs, but feel that they need to enhance their academic credentials before or while applying. These programs may contain upper-division undergraduate coursework (typically upper-division biology courses relevant to medicine), graduate coursework (graduate courses in the biomedical sciences), or graduate coursework with medical students (programs containing medical courses are often referred to as "special masters programs"). Undergraduate postbaccalaureate coursework will feed into the cumulative undergraduate GPA for AMCAS. Grades from graduate programs, however, will not feed into your cumulative undergraduate GPA. These grades will appear on AMCAS in their own separate category. I'll confess I'm not exactly sure how it feeds into the AACOMAS application. There are formal programs for enhancement, but you could also do-it-yourself.

The original poster appears to be discussing options for enhancement.

There are advantages of formal programs for career changers. For example, some have informal or formal associations with medical schools that essentially guarantee admission or give you a good chance at obtaining admission to various med schools--this is referred to as linkage. Some formal programs also offer special research opportunities, advising, etc. Some formal programs have reputations for being very demanding (however, some people choose the informal, do-it-yourself route at demanding schools).

If you can do well enough on the pre-reqs on your own and you're a well rounded applicant (grades, MCAT, extracurricular activities, etc.), there's really no need to go the formal route. Some admissions committees specifically advise against taking pre-reqs at community colleges and I believe there are even a few med schools now that don't accept community college courses at all (Boston University is one example, if I remember correctly). But you're taking your pre-reqs at a Big Ten w/ a good academic rep, so I wouldn't worry if I were you. And you'll probably save a lot of money in the process. 😉