Jump to content
Premed 101 Forums

Master's Degree?


Recommended Posts

Does anyone here have any thoughts on the benefits of doing a master's before applying to Queen's for med?

 

I absolutely fell in love with the school during the interview weekend, so I really want to do something to improve my chances at this school. The site says that a master's does allow people who do not meet the GPA cutoff to have a file review - but does anyone think/know if it also has some weight in the final decision process? 

 

Trying to decide whether or not I should do a master's next year or just work for a year and apply again!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does anyone here have any thoughts on the benefits of doing a master's before applying to Queen's for med?

 

I absolutely fell in love with the school during the interview weekend, so I really want to do something to improve my chances at this school. The site says that a master's does allow people who do not meet the GPA cutoff to have a file review - but does anyone think/know if it also has some weight in the final decision process?

 

Trying to decide whether or not I should do a master's next year or just work for a year and apply again!

If you interviewed this year the benefit is likely negligible. An MSc could help your ECs, but likely not as much as doing other volunteer/leadership/enrichment stuff. Going to grad school to improve your med school application is not a great idea. Going to grad school because you love the field of study is sometimes a good idea.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

If you interviewed this year the benefit is likely negligible. An MSc could help your ECs, but likely not as much as doing other volunteer/leadership/enrichment stuff. Going to grad school to improve your med school application is not a great idea. Going to grad school because you love the field of study is sometimes a good idea.

But to be fair, grad school can morph your application.

 

If your application after grad school is basically the same, but you add an extra ABS item under education, it won't have much of an effect. If your application transforms and is full of unique educational/experiential opportunities that you got because of grad school, it'll change things dramatically.

 

As a personal example, during my Western interview one of the interviewers pointed out that Western did not consider my PhD when selecting me for an interview, and so I would have merited the interview without the PhD. While it was very kind of her to say that (and I'm sure helped my interview score quite a bit), the truth is my sketch/CV is totally different because of my PhD. So its not about the one extra "graduate school" entry that you add to your sketch, rather all the unique opportunities that come along with the degree.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If your application after grad school is basically the same, but you add an extra ABS item under education, it won't have much of an effect. If your application transforms and is full of unique educational/experiential opportunities that you got because of grad school, it'll change things dramatically.

 

So much this. Graduate school is a perfect opportunity to show your stuff and your dedication to your work. In a good MSc, opportunities will make themselves available to boast your perspective, skill set and lastly, application. If there isn't those opportunities during your MSc...go out a find them.

 

Like most things life, its what you make of it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does anyone here have any thoughts on the benefits of doing a master's before applying to Queen's for med?

 

If I were you I'd be looking at the bigger picture when thinking about doing grad school. Do you have a medical specialty that you are interested in already? Is residency matching for that field competitive? As a physician will you be interested in doing research, as a Clinician-Scientist?

 

If you are dead-set on Family Med, doing a Masters probably won't make much of a difference. If you're chasing Peds Neuro or Cardiac Surgery, something specialized with a limited number of seats, you may be at a disadvantage when being compared to other applicants with publications/conference presentations/connections in a relevant field. If you're passionate about a specialized field, you won't only get to practice in that field, but you can actually help it grow, and make an impact that way. As someone interested in being a Clinician-Scientist, I can honestly say that grad studies have been one of the most fulfilling experiences, as my field of research is what I hope to practice and do research in one day in the future [hopefully]. If it was stuck doing research in something that is irrelevant or that I don't really care much for, I'd probably hate my life right about now.

 

TL;DR - Do grad studies if you're interested in the field, and if you think it will actually help you become a better physician one day. Look beyond just using it as a stepping-stone to get into med.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

A grad degree in something like epidemiology or public health or education - that would be ideal for medicine. Many residents and staff doctors are getting graduate degrees in these fields in academic settings. I've openly heard staff with a science based grad degree say how they wished they'd done these subjects instead.

 

Even if you pick a masters related to what you "think" you want - most people end up changing their mind when they get more exposure in medical school. Do something that is generically relevant.

 

Also - I'll echo: don't do grad school if you don't want to. It's not a great med school app addition and it's also not easy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...