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hi there ,

 

 

I applied to 14 schools  last year and have been rejected by all of them due to my not so grade gpa. I have pretty much all science classes due to my bachelors in science. I was wondering if i pursue MPH would that improve my chances? i have another option to pursue masters in medical science online from university of south florida but honestly that master is quiet expensive and  i really cant work with it. MPH atleast gives me some hope of finding employment after work incase if i need to . Any advice is greatly appreciated .. i am just too desperate to get into PA school now :(

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Hi there TexasGirl. If you can share with us what pre-reqs you've taken, the grades you got, and how long ago you took them we'd be in a better position to offer some advice. In general if you've gotten a B- or worse in any pre-req course then it's strongly suggested to repeat the class. You may also want to look into upper-level courses such as cellular biology, genetics, biochemistry, pathophysiology, etc.

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i have a bachelors of science in biochemistry graduated with 2.6. I have taken genetics, pathophysiology,  immunology, biochemistry, orgo, A&P, cell biochemistry with As and Bs. I was able to raise my gpa upto 2.8 after taking few more postbacc classes. I believe at this time i have run out of all the possible high level science classes. Thats why i was thinking of MPH now.

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well not sound cliche but i had financial troubles and working 72 hours didnt really help with couple of semesters and by the time i cut down work it was too late and  all the decent grades did not compensate for bad gpa. my sgpa is 2.9 cgpa is 2.8 . I am an EMT-B and CNA and have around 3000 hours of HCE.

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ya thats the reason i am more inclined towards MPH over medical masters. Atleast will give me a job but im just scared if it will improve my application any

it will help if you do well with a > 3.0 gpa. It shows you can do grad level work.

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I think you'd be better off going for a second bachelor's in nursing or an allied health specialty.  You'll make more than with an MPH most likely and it will give you good HCE to strengthen your app in addition to raising your GPA.  Clinical laboratory science can be done as a 1 year accelerated track and provides tons of sciences like hematology, clinical chemistry, immunohematology, etc that you haven't taken before.  Getting into these programs or the MPH may be a challenge in itself, though.  You might have to look towards post-baac or master's programs designed for low GPA folks to enhance your app.

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actually i am already accepted into MPH program starting in september

 

Well that's a plus.  I guess now you need to compare the curriculum to CASPA's course subject list and make sure you will be able to raise both your cgpa and sgpa, since both are low.  It would suck to go through the MPH and still have your app automatically tossed in the round file due to a sub-3.0 sgpa.  Maybe some current/former adcom members can chime in as to how they view an MPH in the application process.

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 Maybe some current/former adcom members can chime in as to how they view an MPH in the application process.

I was always impressed by folks who managed to get an MPH with a solid GPA.

having an MPH opens lots of doors as a PA including ability to work for doctors without borders, work for govt at higher rate of pay, more teaching options, etc.

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I have an MPH and the courses are not considered as a part of your science GPA, so since your GPA is low, I would take courses that can help both your cumulative and science GPA. And take it from personal experience, securing a well-paying job is not guaranteed at all, especially if you want to be in the federal government.

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 And take it from personal experience, securing a well-paying job is not guaranteed at all, especially if you want to be in the federal government.

my point was, many jobs with the govt as a pa(state dept, etc) will pay more if you ALSO have an MPH.

so if you are going to live/work in central Africa for 2+ years for the state dept, why not make 100k/yr instead of 80 k/yr for doing the same job.

see here: http://careers.state.gov/work/opportunities/vacancy-announcements/hp

specifically this:

  1. Two additional steps may be given for a doctoral degree in a work-related field, awarded before the date of the appointment.
  2. One step may be given for a master's degree from an accredited college or university in Public Health.

This is one reason I decided to go back to school to get a doctorate in health science/global health

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public health courses count as "other science" on CASPA and thus can be used to raise your science GPA

 

OTHER SCIENCE:
  • Acupuncture
  • Animal Science
  • Astronomy
  • Athletic Training (not PE courses)
  • Atmospheric Science
  • Audiology
  • Bioarchaeology
  • Biobehavioral Health (BBH)
  • Bioengineering
  • Bioethics
  • Bio-mechanics
  • Biomedical Engineering (BME)
  • Biotechnology
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Chinese Internal Medicine
  • Chiropractic
  • Clinical Chemistry
  • Clinical Hematology
  • Clinical Immunology
  • Clinical Lab Sciences (CLS)
  • Clinical Microbiology
  • CPR
  • Cytology/Cytotechnology
  • Dentistry
  • Dietetics
  • Earth Science
  • Electronics
  • Emergency Med-Tech (EMT/EMS)
  • Engineering (Civil, Electrical, etc.)
  • Environmental Science
  • Epidemiology
  • Exercise Physiology
  • Exercise Science
  • First Aid
  • Food Science
  • Forensic Anthropology
  • Forensic Archaeology
  • Forensic Science
  • Geology
  • Gerontology
  • Gynecology
  • Health Science
  • Herbology
  • Kinesiology
  • Marine Science
  • Medical Lab Tech (MLT)
  • Medical Technology (Med Tech)
  • Meteorology
  • Natural Science
  • Nursing
  • Nutrition
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Oceanography
  • Optometry
  • Oriental Medicine
  • Osteology
  • Paramedic
  • Pharmacology
  • Phlebotomy
  • Physical Anthropology
  • Physical Geography
  • Physical Science
  • Physical Therapy
  • Physician Assistant (PA)
  • Podiatry
  • Public Health
  • Radiology
  • Respiratory Therapy
  • Sonography
  • Speech and Hearing Science (SPHS)
  • Sports Medicine
  • Surgery Tech
  • Toxicology
  • Veterinary
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If the course is offered by the public health department of the college or university, it will likely count as other science. My biostats course was offered in the department of public health (PCH 5XX) and it counted as other science for me. If it is offered through a different department, then it would probably depend on what department it was in. 

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MPH would probably open more doors than a post-bac program designed to get people into other graduate programs, like the one at USF, especially if it were to not work out and you were just left with that degree. I think whether or not your MPH classes can count towards your science GPA is a big deal though, given that you need to get that above 3.0 to be competitive at most programs. If the MPH classes will not count towards science GPA, even if you can improve your overall cumulative GPA, and get Master's level credit showing you can handle such work, you still may be weeded out by several programs just because of science GPA issue.

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Hmm makes sense I think I should pursue medical masters than from USF it offer courses like medical biochemistry , medical anatomy etc and not only it will help me boost my sgpa it will also raise my cgpa. I really appreciate everyone's input you guys are really awesome

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I'd check out MHS programs that offer a guaranteed interview to a PA program. I know at my program there is a high rate of acceptance from our MHS program into our PA program (over 95%).

 

The program is 1 year and will prep you for PA school very well.

 

Just throwing that out there.

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Hmm makes sense I think I should pursue medical masters than from USF it offer courses like medical biochemistry , medical anatomy etc and not only it will help me boost my sgpa it will also raise my cgpa. I really appreciate everyone's input you guys are really awesome

 

I think that's the wrong way to go if you aren't doing the MPH, unless it's one of those virtually guaranteed pathways like Timon mentions.  You should get a second bachelor's in nursing, paramedic, or an allied health field so you have something that gives you an avenue to earn HCE and a real income while you're going through the PA admission process(or if it doesn't pan out).

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