What's your advice? MPH or SMP?

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GoingforGold

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I applied to medical school last year, got one interview and was placed on their wait list. Frustrated with the process, but still wanting to push forward with healthcare I applied to both SMP and MPH programs. I got into both Yale and Columbia for the MPH and was quite shocked that I was placed on the wait list for my most desirable SMP (and the only one I applied to).

Needless to say I have gone ahead full steam to get ready for my MPH, but have received notice of a space opening on the SMP program. I got a great scholarship/loan offer from the MPH and have put a lot of effort into planning to transition my life to the program's area. Quite fankly have come to feel that an SMP would be a waste of my time, in addition to coming out with nothing in a worst case scenario. In addition, I've come to find that I definitely want to get a dual MD (or other doctorate)/MPH.

What would you all choose based on the assumption that I would try to apply to medical school again in the future?

Stats:

BS Biochemistry
GPA: 3.3
Sciences: 3.15
Last two years cum GPA: 3.8
Science last 2 years: 3.5
MCAT: 31 PS 12, VR 10, BS 9

Research: 3 years - Basic Bio, Cadiology, Inf. Dis.
other med stuff: grant from pharma to do fully funded infectious disease work abroad
Papers: 1x in review

note: all the academic/research creds were known to schools at the time of application

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MPH is nice, but if you want to improve your chances at medical schools, you should do an SMP, or more undergrad.
 
If you're worried about a terminal degree, the MPH would be terminal, because it won't get you into medical school.

You can more practically get your MPH during or after med school.

You could skip the SMP, and go DO. If you apply to Nova, you can still get an MPH for free there.

Best of luck to you.
 
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What if while during the MPH I were to retake the MCAT and score higher? I was scoring 14 PS; 12VR; and 12BS on practices (best ofs not at once - best at once = 33) Test day blunder knocked me to 31. Surely by having knocked out my last few undergrad upper level courses, performing outstandingly in the MPH and hopefully upping that score I could make it happen. I say this while knowing full well that an answer would be that they didn't accept me this past app cycle...

I know it sounds like i'm fishing for the answer I want, but it does seem rather pointless to me to take these courses via SMP and then have to redo the whole of them once/if I start my first year of school. The program I got into offers a waiver of those courses for the top performer(s) in the SMP class, but again, the agony of going through the same junk again would be...agony. I guess the main thing is that I'm feeling like I need to remove myself from the purely MD-aimed attack for the moment to get a feel for what other health related options there are.

In other words, while exploring the other possibilities through the MPH would getting my MCAT 33+ really help push me through if I decided to definitely try again?
 
I wouldn't recommend taking the MCAT again with a 31, unless you start scoring 36+ on the practice exams.

MPH won't significantly help your chances of admission. SMP would. Yes, you'd have to take some courses again most likely. But if you're asking us what would be the best way for you to get into medical school, the answer is a SMP. Nothing is going to change that.

Now, if you want to expand your horizons and do a MPH to explore other options, then its a different story. But if you want medical school - SMP.
 
...I know it sounds like i'm fishing for the answer I want, but it does seem rather pointless to me to take these courses via SMP and then have to redo the whole of them once/if I start my first year of school. The program I got into offers a waiver of those courses for the top performer(s) in the SMP class, but again, the agony of going through the same junk again would be...agony....

The point of doing an SMP is to get into med school. Like me, you didn't get the grades that would set you up to have better choices. Like me, you haven't sufficiently demonstrated to adcoms that you're a good academic risk under the rigors of a med school curriculum. An MPH doesn't help this story - it's not sufficiently difficult.

If you really want to do the MPH, go for it, but don't pretend it's something it's not. So maybe do the MPH, and then later go do something that'll get you into med school, if that's still what you want.

Things I would rank above an MPH as med school app improvements:
1. Published lab or clinical research (edit: you already did that, never mind)
2. Enough additional undergrad coursework to raise both GPAs over 3.4.
3. Peace Corps
4. Start a foundation that serves the underserved
5. MS in a hard science from a well known school

Note that all of the above will take quite a bit longer than 1 year in an SMP.

Best of luck to you.
 
If you really want to do the MPH, go for it, but don't pretend it's something it's not


from what ive read, SMP= gpa enhancer or take pre reqs

so what's the point of a MPH?= to have a fall back option? for someone with good stats (gpa, mcat) but not well-rounded enough? quite a few people have been getting in with an MPH, but if you do get in, isnt it time consuming (2 years + 1 'glide' year)

also- is it looked down on that MPH's are used to get into med school
 
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