Hello all!!

This is my first message but I felt the need to ask for a little help since I cant seem to make a decision. A few weeks ago I got accepted into AUG and was very happy and almost sure that I wanted to go to AUG. Then, last week I received a call from Boston University that I got accepted into the Bioimaging master's degree. I know Boston University is a very competitive university and is an honor to just being accepted there. What has me confused is the fact that Boston U. is a good school and is much closer to home and I think that maybe receiving a degree from B.U. could help me in the future if I decide to apply to a med school later on. On the other hand, from what I hear UAG is a great med school and what attracts me most is the clinical experience that we will get since the beginning.

Also, I've never been far from home so it's going to be a great adjustment no matter where I go. I'm from Puerto RIco so the spanish is not an issue. I'm worried as to how easily I can adjust to a different lifestyle since I have never been to Mexico, even though I want to some day. If I decide I want to go to UAG I have a couple of friends attending which would make the transition a little easier. On the other hand, if I choose to go to Boston I would be on my own, not to mention the cold weather...which I'm obviously not used to since I'm from the caribbean.

I would appreciate any insight you guys may have that could help me make a decision. Thanks!!

Hi Yanilka,

I think that it boils down to how badly you want to be a doctor. I don't think that holding out to obtain a master's will be helpful. I know of a few people who have advanced degrees that did not get accepted. Competition is getting more tough each year with more and more applicants. Many of those applicants have advanced degrees, so if they were to start accepting students with advanced degrees over those without, students would no longer be able to get into med school after their bachelor's. This is probably the reason why many applicants with advanced degrees are being turned down.

The fact that you speak Spanish is a big plus for you. As for your concern to being able to adjust to a different culture, being that you are from Puerto Rico, I think that you would adjust more easily in Guadalajara than in Boston. I have never been to Mexico, but as someone who has traveled many places and who also is originally from the Caribbean, it has been my experience that I am able to adjust very easily because of my background. I think that Americans with a Caribbean background are generally able to adjust more easily than other Americans when exposed to a foreign culture.

I guess the negative that you face is the greater difficulty to get into a residency program after attending UAG. You will have to weigh that versus the possibility of never getting in to a US medical school or perhaps having to wait years before you finally get in.

Out of curiosity, did you apply to any of the Puerto Rico schools?

The way I see it, if the end goal is to become a doctor, why wait any longer? Since you already speak Spanish and know people at UAG, your transition there would be easier. Now, if you don't think you're ready for Med School and just want to add to your resume (and to your debt), then sure I'd go to Boston (which, btw, is a beautiful city).

But like TexasStudent said, "it really depends on how badly you want to become a doctor."

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We are fools, whether we dance or not. So, we might as well dance.

I concur . Look at your stats and if the graduate degree will help to get into the US, go for it. Otherwise, there is no need to wait. You are the only one that knows waht your stats are and how competitive you are as of now ; it is your decision. Have you taken the mcat? do you have a good gpa? are you a non-tradional student? it seems to me that there is a reason why you applied to UAG so one of those items must be lacking. The mcat can be taken again and now you can take it 3 times a year almost every month so that wont take long. Bad GPA seems to take longer depending on the amount of units you have already. All in all, if you are a borderline applicant and young, I would suggest to wait. Otherwise, move on and see you in July

don't quote me on this, but I think BU has a program that will take a select few students from their master programs into their med school. Likely very competitive, and probably requires MCAT's, LOR, etc.

I would say though, that I don't think bioimaging is all that useful, compared to a regular masters program. Students trying to get into radiology usually pursue bioimaging degrees.

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There is no chance, no fate, no destiny that can circumvent, or hinder, or control a firm resolve of a determined soul.

"I've got a degree in Homeopathic Medicine!....You've got a degree in baloney" -Futurama

"...you should take some echinacea, or St. John's Wort...Or a big fat placebo. It's all the same crap" -Futurama

At what point did you come from Puerto Rico to the US though, and also if you are planning to practice in Puerto Rico for some or all of your career or just the U.S. mainland? If you're considered a resident in Puerto Rico, or can go in under their resident umbrella, all you gotta do is get a decent MCAT score and then pursue the three med schools they have there because their MCAT averages are much lower than the rest of the U.S. However, as you probably know, the UAG has a great reputation in Puerto Rico...probably a better reputation than it has in many parts of the U.S. mainland, as many of their doctors practicing in Puerto Rico are from UAG. So, my recommendation is if becoming a physician is definitely the end goal and you are say, 24 or older, then just go and kill the MCAT and get into a Puerto Rican school, or just race down to UAG asap. If you're 23 or younger, I believe its a worthy investment to pursue some sort of postbaccaulareate work for a year or two and let that bridge you into a U.S. or Puerto Rican school. (one of the programs that offers conditional acceptance or a guaranteed interview at a U.S. school would be the best investment)
Finally, if you need to study and live somewhere different, then UAG would gain another point for providing that benefit also.

If you don't mind wasting a year/two..I say go get the degree at BU. The only problem is that you'll be driving yourself deeper in debt. A lot of medical schools focus more on such masters programs when you re-apply and somehow seem to ignore/not pay as much attention to low GPA/low MCAT that may have deterred admissions during first try.

You are overlooking something important. It snows in Boston. Snow is cold. Cold is bad. Thus, going to school in Boston is bad.

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"You do not truly understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother." Albert Einstein

you did learn something in your logic class in college .....

No, I learned that from Hömér Símpsön... and I lived in PA for 16 years. I could have gone to school there (in PA), but it snows in PA, and not in GDL. Thus, I am in GDL

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"You do not truly understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother." Albert Einstein