Which masters degree would look better?

[monty]

Hey guys I need some advice. I finished a BA in psychology originally and went back to university afterward to finish my premed requirements when I figured out what I wanted to do. I wasn't terribly focused in the psychology program and because of that my gpa suffered a little. After finishing my prereqs I have a 3.8/4.33 gpa in bc. My last 60 credits are around a 3.86/4.33 tho. I applied to ubc this year and because of the change in AQ I received a startlingly low score for my academics.

 

In fact my NAQ is low in spite of three years of student governance (president for a year, VP finance for two years), a primary author publication, research scholarship, played guitar for 10 years for a church that went to Switzerland and New York to play music etc, I also taught self defense to bullied children and battered women for years and so on. Anyway, I was curious about a Masters program that could help me get my academics a little more competitive and work more on my NAQs. I am planning on doing the masters at UoC so when I'm done I will have Alberta residency at that school.

 

Anyway, I was looking at the kinesiology masters there because physical fitness/anatomy have always fascinated me. Do you guys think a masters program like this will be looked favorably on or would I be better looking at a masters of public health?

 

Anyway input would be appreciated! It is really sad UBC changed so much this year I thought I would have had an interview for sure this year but I am willing to do what it takes to strengthen my app.

 

Ps my mcat was a 30M

[monty]

Ps I suppose a masters in physical therapy is an option as well especially considering there are more job options following graduation if I don't get into to medical school at that point.

[future_doc]

Yes, I think the Plan B aspect s/b a consderation. I would imagine that any of these Masters would be looked upon favourably.

[leap87]

Hey guys I need some advice. I finished a BA in psychology originally and went back to university afterward to finish my premed requirements when I figured out what I wanted to do. I wasn't terribly focused in the psychology program and because of that my gpa suffered a little. After finishing my prereqs I have a 3.8/4.33 gpa in bc. My last 60 credits are around a 3.86/4.33 tho. I applied to ubc this year and because of the change in AQ I received a startlingly low score for my academics.

 

In fact my NAQ is low in spite of three years of student governance (president for a year, VP finance for two years), a primary author publication, research scholarship, played guitar for 10 years for a church that went to Switzerland and New York to play music etc, I also taught self defense to bullied children and battered women for years and so on. Anyway, I was curious about a Masters program that could help me get my academics a little more competitive and work more on my NAQs. I am planning on doing the masters at UoC so when I'm done I will have Alberta residency at that school.

 

Anyway, I was looking at the kinesiology masters there because physical fitness/anatomy have always fascinated me. Do you guys think a masters program like this will be looked favorably on or would I be better looking at a masters of public health?

 

Anyway input would be appreciated! It is really sad UBC changed so much this year I thought I would have had an interview for sure this year but I am willing to do what it takes to strengthen my app.

 

Ps my mcat was a 30M

 

It doesn't matter which Masters you do. However, I'd say to do a Masters which you will enjoy because you don't want to spend 1-2 years in either a research course or based course Masters and hate it. Trust me.. I'm in my Masters in Kinesiology right now and if I didn't enjoy what I was doing, I would be a pretty miserable person. So, pick the Masters that you think would be interesting for you and which you'd enjoy.

 

As for physical therapy vs kinesiology (phys concentration), I'd say that physical therapy definitively has job positions after. But so does kinesiology after you're done your Masters. It's all about connecting with people during your Masters, collaborating, etc. so that those people end up offering you a job. You have to be smart about it and play your cards in a smart way. My friend did her Masters in Ergonomics and at the end of it, got an offer for a job from a director of CRE-MSK for whom she did a project in her first year of Masters. So anything can really happen.

[future_doc]

What you say makes so much sense. Aside from competence, personality, communication skills and relationships are very important in our advancement in any field.

[monty]

I suppose I would go towards the masters in kinesiology then because sports science is interesting and a hobby of mine I already enjoy.

 

Do you guys think a course based masters is worth less if I plan on med school after? In the end I don't care if I go to the US for med school and the reason why the particular masters I am interested in has it's merits is it is only a little over a year.

 

Oh and this is one of the reasons I love premed101, I'm just sad I didn't find it sooner because it's really appreciated!

[leap87]

I suppose I would go towards the masters in kinesiology then because sports science is interesting and a hobby of mine I already enjoy.

 

Do you guys think a course based masters is worth less if I plan on med school after? In the end I don't care if I go to the US for med school and the reason why the particular masters I am interested in has it's merits is it is only a little over a year.

 

Oh and this is one of the reasons I love premed101, I'm just sad I didn't find it sooner because it's really appreciated!

 

I'd say that a research based Masters if you're planning on doing it in sports science would be much more interesting than just plain course based Masters. I don't know how this applies to medical school - I know that uoft for example looks at your publications and research... other med schools don't really look at graduate studies (aside from giving you a bit of a boost - like Mac).

 

Besides, you can get your Masters done in 1.5 years if it is research based. I know of many people who have done it and I'm doing it too so it is possible.

 

Again, I would go with whatever interests you because in the end, the med school committee is going to ask you about your experiences and if you didn't have a good experience during your Masters, you will have nothing to talk about. On the other hand, if you learned something during your Masters and enjoyed it a lot, you will have plenty to talk about (including the research you've done). I don't think med schools really care about what Masters degree you do. What they care about is that you're mature enough to enter the field and you definitively mature a lot more in grad school.

[Genemo]

To be honest, your research experience is great and I don't see how much NAQ improvement you'll get by doing more research as grad student, if you are still aiming to UBC. As graduate student you have not that many credits to boost your GPA and not much free time to do volunteers.

Im not saying its a bad idea but just to point this out.

[monty]

If I did a course based masters I hope it would boost my gpa a little but you are right that it probably wouldn't be enough. I might have to forget UBC and do the research masters and apply out in Ontario and other schools where I get a boost for the grad degree.

 

Although, the program I was looking at had 10 courses in the first year. That might help with my last 60 credits in be AQ for ubc if my average is high. If I can boost the academics a little and learn how to rephrase my NAQ (since I have lots of volunteer work already) and add a as mug as I can to the volunteer it might be enough to get me an interview. I missed the cutoff by 3 points this year and only had a 12 awarded to me for my NAQ which I could probably improve!

 

Doing the masters in Alberta would be a great experience I phoned their admissions office today and it seems like a good program and when I am finished I will classify as in province which opens a bunch of doors there as well.

 

Just have to decide between course based which will boost the gpa more and a clinical research program which will undoubtedly be a better experience (eg the effects of exercise on cancer patients etc) but not as much of a boost on the application at least where ubc is concerned.

[monty]

I appreciate everyones input. I think I will go for the course based option. The research degree seems more prestigious but after looking at the courses in the program they seem to interest me way more and that is the most important. The program has a great practicum as well, I'm going to do what interests me most instead of something that I think may give me a tiny bit more of an edge.

 

Thanks again!