Running in with issues with gaining another bachelors degree

[VAgirl89]

I have two prior bachelors degrees (both are around a 2.9, so I know not competitive). So I am running into the issue with schools allowing me to complete another bachelors degree. I have an option to complete a 16 month masters Public Health in time for PA school to start in fall of 2020. I know there are several MPH & PA school combos out there. If I maintain a good GPA will they look at that even though my bachelor of science is low? I have well over 4,000 patient contact hours. I also have good community involvement right now.  Thoughts and what would you do?

[UGoLong]

I have two prior bachelors degrees (both are around a 2.9, so I know not competitive). So I am running into the issue with schools allowing me to complete another bachelors degree. I have an option to complete a 16 month masters Public Health in time for PA school to start in fall of 2020. I know there are several MPH & PA school combos out there. If I maintain a good GPA will they look at that even though my bachelor of science is low? I have well over 4,000 patient contact hours. I also have good community involvement right now.  Thoughts and what would you do?

Not sure why you would want yet another bachelors degree. You want more good grades, but you don’t need another bachelors to do that.


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[VAgirl89]

My overall GPA is not at a 3.0 GPA or higher.  That is why I would be taking courses. Taking a few courses would not raise my GPA and I cannot repeat classes from specific schools since I have graduated.

[UGoLong]

My overall GPA is not at a 3.0 GPA or higher.  That is why I would be taking courses. Taking a few courses would not raise my GPA and I cannot repeat classes from specific schools since I have graduated.

You can take classes at other schools anyway.

Under CASPA, all grades count, so even if you could repeat in the same schools, both the new and old grades would count. So retaking them somewhere else has the same result.


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[VAgirl89]

I would still need the last 45 credits (as some schools focus the last  45-60 credits) and that is basically the same amount of a bachelors degree. Only started to focus the last year of school. I did volunteer EMS while I was in school so that took time away from studying.

[UGoLong]

I would still need the last 45 credits (as some schools focus the last  45-60 credits) and that is basically the same amount of a bachelors degree. Only started to focus the last year of school. I did volunteer EMS while I was in school so that took time away from studying.

 

Your call, but I personally would get the 45 credits and not worry about yet another degree. That way you can be strategic in what you take and focus on science classes that would demonstrate you could handle PA program level work. No need for 3 bachelors degrees to show that.

 

 

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[VAgirl89]

I've seen some people get in with Masters of Public Health degrees would that be beneficial?

[UGoLong]

I've seen some people get in with Masters of Public Health degrees would that be beneficial?

Your grades are the issue, not your degrees. If your grades are too low, I doubt just getting other degree, even an MPH, is going to help you get into PA school. If you are considering it as a back-up career, that would be a different story.


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[MT2PA]

The act of having an MPH will not give you any advantage when applying.  People get in who *happen* to have an MPH.  The MPH did not get them in.  I'll be honest with you, I did not find MPH courses to be that difficult.  A 4.0 in an MPH will not be as impressive as taking things like biochemistry, A&P, immunology, etc etc and doing well in those hard science courses.

Like UGoLong is saying - just take courses.  Most schools will let you take a limited (# depends on the school) number of courses as a non-degree seeking student.  Community college is fine.  Take science courses and get A's.  Take difficult upper level science courses and get A's.  An MPH will not help your science GPA as most of those courses won't count as hard science.

Unless you actually want to have a career using an MPH if you don't get into PA school, an MPH will likely be significantly more expensive than taking stand alone courses.