Has any one thought of getting an MPH and taking the prereq course work for medschool? Has anyone received feedback on this as an option?
I wonder if this is a good option for a few reasons…
MPH degree is not generally not helpful into getting into medical school; it will not make up for less than competitive GPA or MCAT.
My speculation as to why MPH is looked down upon is that prior to the explosion of post-bacc programs beginning in the mid to late 1990’s, MPH was often used by med school applicants with less than optimal GPAs/MCATs as a way to improve their chances. Additionally, MPH is often a mechanism for non-physician medical professionals and administrators to gain education and thus advancement at their jobs. Thus giving the perception that programs maybe watered down to accommodate these students.
It could moderately helpful a small demographic of students that are already in the field and are advancing for an existing career as it would be a piece of showing motivation and commitment. For example, a nurse who is in public health already, a non-clinical health worker/administrator, etc. But these are applicants who already have an existing pattern of public health work or interest
However, for the vast majority of oldpremeds, an MPH will not add to your competitiveness and will also take away resources (ie time, money, energy) from doing things that would extremely helpful like post-bacc or MCAT prep class.
Thanks gonnif,
That was one of my concerns. My only bonus (if you want to call it that) is that for the past year now, I have been working for a company providing medical necessity review for various drugs proceedures,etc. As much as I dislike my company, I do feel passionate about my patients as I see how often they are taken advantage of by many health care providers. And I am also a volunteer rape crisis counselor. I would like to impliment this experience, and the MPH to illustrate how I feel about ethics in medicine and educating one patients. (I’ll need to work on that statement of intent later of course, Ha).
If I am taking my science classes along with this, AND I have a competitive GPA, good MCAT scores, the planets all allign etc…is it a good idea? That is rather than retaking a few poorly executed classes?
Thank you all so much for the advice! I was just looking into a few SMP’s based on the thread(that dont require a ton of prereqs even BEFORE that starts).
I was just looking at one at an MA in Biomedical Sciences at Midwestern.
Any thoughts/ opinions on that one?
give us your quick background,
GPA science/non science, MCAT
prereq status, etc
2.8 for science
3.0 Non science (10yrs ago in undergrad)
No MCAT
Taking prereqs one at a time and very slowly–working full time and it is very expensive. No loan option 
and I apologize for that…it is MBS–MBS in Biomedical Science
Looking at two different things at once.
If you don’t care about MD vs DO then most DO schools have postbaccs with linkages. Off the top of my bald head I know that VCOM and Touro NYC have them. Look for academic enhancement SMP’s via the AAMC website.
btw don’t bother with another degree. Don’t let anything else get in the way. Your stats do not indicate to me that adding even more to your current coursework is going to help. Not being mean. I did a M.Div. when what I should have done was continue with my prereqs. It’s my path but when asked for advice I usually advise that people focus 100% on what they are currently trying to do without adding any magic ferry dust from other degree…like I did. At this point an academic enhancement SMP is what would serve you best. That’s what I’ll be doing as well next year, applying to a few postbaccs.
Hi Seth80 ,
I have an MPH and on my way of obtaining a PhD in public health so if you have any specific questions, let me know. Many people who have completed an MPH here at Columbia have been accepted into medical schools. Probably around 30% of the students are using the degree as a stepping stone (although I have no idea what percentage actually go to med school or change their mind by the time they graduate).
In my view, having the degree can be beneficial for your application IF you are interested in public health AND can explain why it can be relevant to the specialty you choose (of course you absolutely need to have good numbers so you must stay focused on prereqs and MCAT!). I know many physicals with MPH, some have obtained the degree before and some during or after med school. Also, it is a versatile degree that can open up opportunities (as long as your main goal is not making money) and you will study subjects such as biostats, epi and health policy/management that are not covered in med school. I am very happy with my public health degrees and would do them all over again in a heartbeat.
Oh yes I absolutely agree, in fact I just added this to my reply before reading your post:). The people who got into med school had good GPAs and MCAT + interest in public health.
gonnif,
I also wanted to address your point above about why the MPH is sometimes looked down upon . I think a major reason is the fact that salaries in the public health field are low (unless the MPH is combined with a professional degree or PhD) and therefore the quality of applicants is lower overall and consequently it is much easier to get admitted. However, I would recommend getting an MPH from one of the better schools and some relevant research experience while obtaining the degree- a good recommendation and especially manuscript co-authorship seem to be extremely helpful.
I’ve earned ~ 15 credits toward the MPH, so I feel qualified to say the following about the perception of the MPH.
I think there are 2 issues with why the program isn’t highly regarded. 1) TONS of applicants from the 90’s on, used the degree as a stepping stone to med school, feigning interest in the field of public health. 2) The “science” you learn in the program isn’t as rigorous as what’s required for typical “hard core” MS programs.