masters? any benefit?

[dr2013]

Do med school look favorably on having done a Masters? I have a bachelors degree but it was done part time by distance as I worked and the adcomm didn't seem impressed with the less than F/T course load. If I did a masters, would that be of any benefit?

[Rayven]

Very few med schools will care that you did your masters. Those that do care might give you 0.1 boost to your cGPA of your undergrad but that's about it. I think it was Manitoba that gives PhD students a 0.2 boost. Keep in mind that universally pretty much all med schools will look at your undergrad GPA for admission processes. So there's much more benefit to raising your undergrad GPA by either doing another year or starting a new undergrad than there is doing a masters.

[Potter]

There is a separate "graduate package" to submit for U of T.

 

McMaster will give you a 1% bonus for a completed MSc, and a 4% bonus for a completed PhD.

 

Being a MSc student myself, I'm not expecting any benefit from being a graduate student!

[rmorelan]

There is a separate "graduate package" to submit for U of T.

 

McMaster will give you a 1% bonus for a completed MSc, and a 4% bonus for a completed PhD.

 

Being a MSc student myself, I'm not expecting any benefit from being a graduate student!

 

Queens has a separate pool which has some advantages.

 

I think generally the advantage to a masters is not really pre-interview. Masters won't get you the normally rigidly adhered to GPA or MCAT scores you need, although maybe you might get a better letter of reference. What it can do I think is help at the interview itself.

[Rayven]

Given the OP's specific scenario, what's keeping you out seems to be your undergrad full-time course-load years. A masters won't help that.

[dr2013]

What I was thinking was doing a Masters F/T to at least have a better GPA in a full courseload. Rather than starting another undergrad and doing a couple of years for the sake of just doing courses. I would have something at the end and hopefully they would look favorably on the full courseload.

If I knew that what I did in 1st year would come back to haunt me like this, things would have been different. Who knows when you are 19 that how you do in university will follow you forever!

[keepontrying]

so are you planning to do a course-based master then?

[JP2107]

It is my understanding that a masters will help in that it gives you extra experience and education, not to mention good references.

[Rayven]

It doesn't matter how well you do in masters... Med schools are really strict about basing their decision on your undergrad GPA. The only school i can think of you even pleading this case would probably be UofT but you'd have to publish quite a few papers to have a real shot of overriding your undergrad.

 

Really, if the only thing that's keeping you out of interviews is your undergrad GPA because of your part-time correspondence years then you really have to either do at least 2 years of full-time undergrad. I'm afraid that you'll be entering a masters for 2 years only to be in the same position you are now.

[dr2013]

Thanks for your input, I appreciate your advice. The part that frustrates me is that they despite the gpa, they granted me an interview, which I did very well in (5/5 from each of 2 interviewers). I guess this is where the life experience and maturity came into play. I could not have done any better, and was told in my post rejection meeting, that the interview was "outstanding". So basically what they said happened after the interview, was that everyone was looked at equally again, in all areas. So I was not good enough to make the first cut with the GPA, but they felt that the application warranted an interview, which they say I did very well in, only to put in back into the group of students with the great GPA's to start with. I don't understand this process. Once you get to an interview, then isnt it fair game from then on in??

[Rayven]

What school did you apply to? Queen's is renown for being 100% interview once you make the cut-offs.

[dr2013]

Memorial University

[janny_jan]

Yea like others have said, not many pre-interview advantages. mac has the bonus to your GPA but you have to have finished your Masters by a certain date. U of T has a seperate grad pkg.

 

A master's will get you experience, publications, a solid academic reference unless you really piss your supervisor off, and personal development (independent learning, maturity, blah blah) which the interview people like to hear about.

[JP2107]

Yea like others have said, not many pre-interview advantages. mac has the bonus to your GPA but you have to have finished your Masters by a certain date. U of T has a seperate grad pkg.

 

A master's will get you experience, publications, a solid academic reference unless you really piss your supervisor off, and personal development (independent learning, maturity, blah blah) which the interview people like to hear about.

 

Not to mention on the application package as well! (i.e. for MMIs)

[gibson303]

Yeah, and just to add, as a med student who finished a Master's myself, most students who apply with a Master's tend to have a good enough undergrad GPA already.

 

The students in my department who didn't have the GPA or the MCAT score, simply did not interview. Even in U of T, despite the grad package, the two students who interviewed both had undergrad GPA averages above 3.8.

 

Here is a quick summary of the Ontario Schools:

 

Western --> None

Queens --> They let your GPA slide, but must meet the MCAT requirements.

Otttawa --> Previously had "grad review policy", no longer exists

McMaster --> Basically nothing, 1% for MSc, 4% for PhD if completed.

U of T --> Grad Review Package....for those who are very productive in their research and/or have a strong undergrad GPA

 

The other med schools in Canada have various ways that they evaluate a Master's degree. But honestly, with the exception of a few, most Master's students who are successful in getting into a CDN med school have a solid undergrad gpa/MCAT.

 

Your best bet would be to start a new degree, most science Master's are two years long anyway.

 

And as many have already stated, the Master's does however help you during the interview, it gives you so much to talk about.

[Hackintosh]

how does a canadian masters degree help you in applying to the US? does anyone know?

[NWOsw]

Here is a quick summary of the Ontario Schools:

 

Western --> None

Queens --> They let your GPA slide, but must meet the MCAT requirements.

Otttawa --> Previously had "grad review policy", no longer exists

McMaster --> Basically nothing, 1% for MSc, 4% for PhD if completed.

U of T --> Grad Review Package....for those who are very productive in their research and/or have a strong undergrad GPA

 

Add:

NOSM --> adds 0.2 points to cGPA for masters

[Potter]

Yeah, and just to add, as a med student who finished a Master's myself, most students who apply with a Master's tend to have a good enough undergrad GPA already.

 

The students in my department who didn't have the GPA or the MCAT score, simply did not interview. Even in U of T, despite the grad package, the two students who interviewed both had undergrad GPA averages above 3.8.

 

Here is a quick summary of the Ontario Schools:

 

Western --> None

Queens --> They let your GPA slide, but must meet the MCAT requirements.

Otttawa --> Previously had "grad review policy", no longer exists

McMaster --> Basically nothing, 1% for MSc, 4% for PhD if completed.

U of T --> Grad Review Package....for those who are very productive in their research and/or have a strong undergrad GPA

 

The other med schools in Canada have various ways that they evaluate a Master's degree. But honestly, with the exception of a few, most Master's students who are successful in getting into a CDN med school have a solid undergrad gpa/MCAT.

 

Your best bet would be to start a new degree, most science Master's are two years long anyway.

 

And as many have already stated, the Master's does however help you during the interview, it gives you so much to talk about.

 

oh

I was under the impression that for Queens you could be a bit under with the MCAT if you were a graduate applicant...

 

anyone know for sure?

[Slashsev01]

From what ive read about SDN,

 

masters does not help much in the usa...it looks like an fancy EC

 

most people suggested doing a official or unofficial post bacc (taking as many courses as you can to lift your mark..and show a very strong upward trend)

 

...i think if u dont have a 3.7 and up...masters will not help

[sv3]

i've heard from 3 folks in UofT who had Masters and got in. They had uGPAs of less than 3.4

 

So from what I know, it helps there. Do the majority of MAsters candidates have good uGPAs? - I'm sure they do, but it certainly helps to have a MASters at UofT and Queens if your uGPA is low.

 

It's not as big a deal at other schools but you really don't know how much it counts for as part of the Personal score. Manitoba has a 45% PAS score - perhaps a Masters can really help you there. Similar for other schools. And then I'm sure some schools could care less.

 

If your gonna do one, just make sure you like it.

[Tabitha]

The masters need to be in a relevant biological science field to carry any weight. Fields such as biochem, anatomy, physiology,etc, would be relevant as it shows you are capable of high-level biological coursework that would be similar in medical school; thus you have provided evidence to an admissions board .