Does a Masters degree help?!?!?

I think that you submitting late will hurt you even more than your masters will help.

edkNARF said:

I think that you submitting late will hurt you even more than your masters will help.

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I agree. While your masters will do no harm at all, and might even give you a certain boost, it is very important to get that application in asap.

A masters verse a undergrad,

masters wins, handsdown. If Rity gets a decent DAT score, he will get in this cycle regardless of when he applies. Might be the last person, but I think he really has a shot.

The amount of work that goes into a masters, especially in biology is by far more indepth than our silly undergrad degree. D-schools respect that, especially in this day in age.

HD

Where did you get your undergrad degree? I also got an undergrad in Neuro...I didnt know there were many programs around.

Ritly said:

Hi everyone

I am a recent graduate that holds an Undergrad in Neuroscience and a Masters in Dev Biology. I submitted a paper for publication and my GPA is 3.8. I haven't taken the DAT yet....but plan on taking it at the end of October My question is, will my masters be considered at all when applying to these schools as I don't have all the pre-req classes completed and its late in the game!??? Any suggestions would be a big help

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I hope a graduate degree is a significant advantage, especially since that's my case as well. A couple of things to consider:

-> Could you take your DAT any earlier? The sooner the better, really. My advice would be to buy some practice books/CDs, take some practice tests, see where you stand, and think about how much time you really need to study to get a decent score. With the 3.8 GPA and grad degree, you probably won't have to have an absolutely STELLAR DAT score to get interviews. I'd say that having SOME score earlier so you can apply earlier could be better than having a STELLAR score and appliying later. You can always re-take and improve your score this cycle; then you'd be re-considered and probably moved up on the lists of applicants at the schools you're interested in.

-> As far as the pre-reqs, how many are we talking about? I'm going to be taking pre-reqs this Fall and Spring for sure, and it's not uncommon to do that. Are you currently enrolled in any pre-req courses? Can you have them all done by the start of Dental school? If you can, then it might be to your advantage to try and apply this time around.

-> Schools (typically) consider undergraduate and graduate GPAs separately, so it might be your undergraduate GPA that counts as far as your raw numbers on your application, so you probably want to calculate them separately.

-> It's not still terribly EARLY in the application cycle, but it's not too LATE either. What's the official deadline: November somethingth? Also, what schools are you thinking of applying to? There are some schools that are considered "easier" to get into than others. Is location important to you when choosing a school, or would anywhere in the country be ok?


Just a few thoughts. Best of luck!

A Master's is a HUGE help and will make you a much better applicant than most others.

Plus, just because you won't take your DAT until the end of October doesn't mean that you can't turn your applications in NOW!

^^^ Good point! Turn in your application as early as possible, then worry about the DAT.

Tomorrow I start an MS program in Medical Sciences at a local university here in Chicago, IL. I have already applied once (2004) and I applied for the 2005 cycle pretty early. My question is....because it takes 2 years to get MS is it possible to gain admission after 1 years worth of grad credits? I know that realistically the answer to this question is "Apply in the year you are going to receive MS (2005) for the following year"...I just didnt want to waste an opportunity to get in to d school if I had a chance. I understand you do research, take a few more courses, and get good letters of rec if you finish off the program in the second year but I will be taking 26-28 gaduate credits by May and probably will have around 31-32 credits after summer. To get an MS where I am going you need to have 36 credits (including research credits), so isnt it possible to show that you have accomplished a vast amount of grad credit in one year (I know schools will most likely only see 1 semesters worth of grades and you have to have a 3.6+)??? Any thoughts? Lastly, if I have to apply for 2006, because I have a BS in Finance, did post-bac work (pre-reqs) and will have an MS do my chances go up from obtaining an MS or are would I still be fairly equal to a BS applicant?