Do Master of Arts first?

[Biolulu]

Hi everyone, 

This is my first time posting here but grateful to be part of the community. 

I am graduating from Queen's University in biology with a gpa of 3.0 out of 4.3 which is horrendous. I struggled with depression and anxiety a lot but my grades are on an upward trend. I can't even dream of getting into medical school with these grades so I immediately started applying to graduate programs this semester. I applied to coursed-based and research-based programs. I applied to Master of Public Health specifically with the intention of bringing up my GPA but found out today that I got rejected. However, I got into a research-based Master of Arts program in environmental studies. I am hesitant to take it, since it is an MA and I am not sure how medical schools would look at that. It is out of Ontario, so I considered that maybe it could benefit me to become a resident of a different province to increase my chances of getting into medical school. But apparently being a full-time student prevents me from becoming a resident of the province. 

My questions are:

1) Are research-based masters programs considered full-time school? I heard someone say on here that it is sometimes considered work and thus, could be considered a resident of the province after certain time. 

2) If you were me in this position, what would you do? Should I accept this gracious offer? Should I apply to MSc again and try to get in? 

I am so broken and lost over this and I need to give an answer to the school by April 5th. 

 

Thank you for reading this 

[wishcalculator]

14 minutes ago, Biolulu said:

Hi everyone, 

This is my first time posting here but grateful to be part of the community. 

I am graduating from Queen's University in biology with a gpa of 3.0 out of 4.3 which is horrendous. I struggled with depression and anxiety a lot but my grades are on an upward trend. I can't even dream of getting into medical school with these grades so I immediately started applying to graduate programs this semester. I applied to coursed-based and research-based programs. I applied to Master of Public Health specifically with the intention of bringing up my GPA but found out today that I got rejected. However, I got into a research-based Master of Arts program in environmental studies. I am hesitant to take it, since it is an MA and I am not sure how medical schools would look at that. It is out of Ontario, so I considered that maybe it could benefit me to become a resident of a different province to increase my chances of getting into medical school. But apparently being a full-time student prevents me from becoming a resident of the province. 

My questions are:

1) Are research-based masters programs considered full-time school? I heard someone say on here that it is sometimes considered work and thus, could be considered a resident of the province after certain time. 

2) If you were me in this position, what would you do? Should I accept this gracious offer? Should I apply to MSc again and try to get in? 

I am so broken and lost over this and I need to give an answer to the school by April 5th. 

 

Thank you for reading this 

1. masters will do nothing for your GPA. You will not be considered in province if you are registered full time for a graduate degree (or undergrad, for that matter).

2. What is your year-by-year GPA? Did you have a full courseload each year (10 courses, 28-30 credits, etc)? Most likely, your best option is to go back for a second undergrad degree. by all means, you can go for the MSc and complete it and build an excellent CV with extracurriculars if it is something you are passionate about, but the unfortunate reality of med school admissions in Canada is that GPA is king :/ 

[Biolulu]

Thank you for replying @wishcalculator! 

Due to my illness, I did not have a full course-load for a few years. I did courses in the summer and did extra year of undergrad. 

I thought maybe research-based MA could help my application since medical schools like it when their applicants have experience with research. Am i wrong? 

[wishcalculator]

1 minute ago, Biolulu said:

Thank you for replying @wishcalculator! 

Due to my illness, I did not have a full course-load for a few years. I did courses in the summer and did extra year of undergrad. 

I thought maybe research-based MA could help my application since medical schools like it when their applicants have experience with research. Am i wrong? 

You're not wrong, it definitely can help, but Masters are most beneficial to applicants who have the stats to reach interviews, but lack experiences (such as research). It's just that without the GPA, your file will be automatically screened out by a computer and nobody will get a chance to see the awesome things you've done.