Must we complete grad degree?

[Guest Bones]

Hey there,

 

I'm just wondering if the U of A requires that those that are accepted into its program as Master's students finish their degrees before starting med? If so, I'm assuming they allow folks to complete the Master's concurrently with their med studies... will they allow deferals for this purpose as well?

 

Thanks...

[Guest Lactic Folly]

1st question, I know people who are finishing their grad degrees concurrently.. not sure about the 2nd, someone can answer.

[Guest Nehpets]

You do not need to finish your graduate degree to begin medical school. If you want, you can quit your masters once you get in. They will consider you for a deferral to finish your degree but there are no guarantees that you will be granted one. As Lactic Folly said, you can also opt to work on your masters concurrently.

N.

[Guest Bones]

Hmmm.... so here's an interesting one: It says on the U of A site that: "To have your graduate work considered as part of the application, students must complete and defend their Thesis by June 15." Now, let's say I start my Master's in January and apply for meds in Nov of '06. I will have technically completed one year of my Master's, taking at least one course each semester. Has anyone else done something similar to this?

 

If I apply to meds in Nov '06, will I be expected to finish my Master's by June 15, under penalty that they would refuse to take my already completed year into consideration for my GPA? Is that how the above should be interpreted? I did talk to Andrea in admissions, and from what I gathered from talking with her my grades from Jan.- Aug. would be counted towards my GPA no matter what; she never even mentioned the June 15 deadline. I hope all of this made sense...!

 

Also, I noticed on the U of A med site that there were 13 accepted students with a Master's or Ph.D, vs 91 BSc students. Can one take this to mean that it's not a great idea to do grad studies in the hopes of boosting one's GPA in order to be more competitive for the school? Because, after all, there's so few grad students, proportionally speaking... of course, some people may have ditched their MSc or PhD in order to start meds... but how many is that really?

 

Thanks again for your patience and help... this is all so confusing...

[Guest Nehpets]

Hey Bones,

What the website is referring to is that to have the graduate bonus points counted for your application, you need to be finished by June 15th. Your one year of graduate work will still be considered during your file review, you just won't get the extra points (2 for masters and 5 for PhD I think).

N.

[Guest Bones]

one year of graduate work will still be considered during your file review, you just won't get the extra points

 

Thank you for the info Nehpets. I called admissions, but didn't get this impression from them... can anyone else confirm this please?

 

Can U of A make acceptances conditional upon completion of a Master's? One reason I ask is because the admissions people told me that U of A can actually revoke someone's acceptance if that person decides to, worst case scenario, ditch their Master's.

 

I'm starting a thesis based Master's in January, and I want to be sure that my first year of grad studies will help boost my GPA, and I also don't want to be penalized in case I can't finish the Master's by June of the following year.

 

I'm sorry to belabour these points, but a lot of what's written on the website is confusing to me and I didn't get much information from the admissions people on the phone. I think I actually annoyed one of them

 

Thanks again...

[Guest Nehpets]

Hey Bones,

They could have changed it I guess. I know 2 people who dropped their programs when they got in but it was a while ago. I also asked before I started my graduate work but that was a while ago too. Sorry I can't be more helpful. If the admissions people said 'no' I'd go with that.

N.

[tooty]

Can U of A make acceptances conditional upon completion of a Master's? One reason I ask is because the admissions people told me that U of A can actually revoke someone's acceptance if that person decides to, worst case scenario, ditch their Master's.

 

Note that this question was asked in 2005. I'm going to call admissions about this question specifically. In the meantime, does anyone know how UA treats accepted applicants who do not complete their M.Sc?

 

I'm in the middle of my M.Sc and there is a ton of work to be done still, and I'm not sure if I can finish everything by September. It was bad planning on my part to be in this position in the first place. I'll be busting my balls trying to finish everything on time. If I can't, how will UA treat my 1) withdrawal from my M.Sc or 2) working on my thesis during med school?

[Wut?]

I'll be busting my balls trying to finish everything on time. If I can't, how will UA treat my 1) withdrawal from my M.Sc or 2) working on my thesis during med school?

 

As far as I know, I have classmates still working on their masters. I believe that the U of A doesn't grant the bonus point towards your admissions score until you actually provide proof of being granted your MSc, so it shouldn't pose a significant problem.

 

As always, though, phone the office to confirm.

[tooty]

I have classmates still working on their masters.

 

ugh. what a nightmare.

 

the fact that i got in before june 15th means that the bonus points were not applied to me and, thus, are not a problem, right?

[Wut?]

the fact that i got in before june 15th means that the bonus points were not applied to me and, thus, are not a problem, right?

 

That's my understanding.

[tooty]

Update:

 

I spoke with Gisele. I am only required to complete my current grad degree for the purposes of "bonus" points, not to register.