master’s degree

[djo12]

Hi,

I am hoping to apply to medical school and I was wondering how much a Master’s Degree in a biomedical science can help compensate for a poor undergraduate performance.

I majored in French and Biology as an undergrad. My overall GPA was 3.17 and my science GPA was 2.65. I then did a Master’s Degree in Biotechnology where I took courses such as Microbiology, Immunology, Physiology, Cell Bio, etc.. and got a graduate science GPA of 3.93 worth 40 credits. I took the MCAT in August and got a 31 (Biology: 11, Phys Sci: 10, Verbal: 10, Writing: O). I worked as a research tech at a medical school for two and a half years and got a publication, an abstract, volunteer experiences and some new recommendations.

I realize that, because my undergrad science GPA is very low, I will still have a hard time applying to medical school despite my recent academic improvement. I was wondering, would I still have a chance at a U.S medical school? If not right now, would there be something else I could do to make myself a stronger applicant?

Thanks for your help!

[wshelton]

Assuming the school from which you received your Master’s in Biotechnology is a reputable institution, my sense is that there are many mid level medical schools that would give you a serious look. You seemed to have made good progress and now have some reasonably solid credentials. If you want to be a physician, my advice is to go for it!
Good luck.
Wayne Shelton, PhD
Senior Consultant
Admissions Consultants, Inc.
wshelton@admissionsconsultants.com

AdmissionsConsultants
http://www.admissionsconsultants.com/medical/blog.aspx
703.242.5885

[djo12]

Thank you very much for your advice. I really appreciate it. I went to the University of Pennsylvania for undergraduate studies and I did my Master’s at Johns Hopkins University.

I think one of the reasons that my GPA from undergrad is horrendous is because my undergrad institution was way too hard for me. I got into Penn based on academic reasons, but I think compared to the other students, I was far less prepared in high school than they were to succeed in science classes. As a result, I really struggled to compete with other kids at Penn when taking science exams. I am not calling myself stupid, but I knew from the beginning I was not as smart as the other kids I was in class with. For me to even achieve a score slightly above the mean was an accomplishment for me.

I am willing to go to any medical school that will take me. Ranking doesn’t matter to me at this point. Any school that will accept me and give me the opportunity to follow this career dream will be enough of a blessing.

Thank you very much again for your advice! I will let you know how this turn out.

quote:

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Originally posted by wshelton

Assuming the school from which you received your Master’s in Biotechnology is a reputable institution, my sense is that there are many mid level medical schools that would give you a serious look. You seemed to have made good progress and now have some reasonably solid credentials. If you want to be a physician, my advice is to go for it!
Good luck.
Wayne Shelton, PhD
Senior Consultant
Admissions Consultants, Inc.
wshelton@admissionsconsultants.com

AdmissionsConsultants
http://www.admissionsconsultants.com/medical/blog.aspx
703.242.5885

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Rita Sahai

[Author]

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