Advice on finishing masters degree before going to dental school

[Confused engineer]

Hey folks,

I am looking for advice.
I am currently in my first semester as a graduate student, generally enjoying the courses, but..... I'm thinking I will want to go to dental or medical school.

I'm leaning toward dentistry. I've shadowed dentists before, but I will need to shadow more dentists and some physicians before deciding.

Something I'm concerned about is student loans. I will apply to dental or medical school this summer or next summer. Should I continue in my masters program? It will take me a total of 3 semesters to complete. Would getting the masters degree in biology open any doors for me at some point in the future if I do go to dental school or medical school?

If I do end up in dental school I know that I will probably want to specialize (probably pediatrics, periodontics, or endodontics). Will having research experience and the M.S. degree help me get into a competitive residency?

I just don't want to continue paying a whole bunch of money for something that won't help me too much in achieving my goals.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer me! Also if I am posting this in the wrong place, please let me know.




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[ElenaDDS]

You're thinking about this in the wrong way. If you enjoy the MS in engineering and have already started you should finish it. I have 2 masters degrees and from what I understand they matter very little for specialties.

And you should rush into a decision of medical vs dental so soon. You need to decide that before trying to figure out if an MS will help in specialty admission. I can tell you it comes down to dental school academics for the specialties.

 

[doktorinprogres]

If your undergrad gpa or atleast gpa in the pre-reqs is good and you're ready to commit to either dentistry or medicine then I think you should leave the Masters program. It sounds like you're still shaky on what you want to do though.

 

[bwc]

I can say that if you started a grad program, it can hurt you to drop out. You should have only started the MS if you intended on finishing it. The experiences you get from doing the MS will only help you, if anything. In general, when you apply to dental or medical schools, they just want to see that you sought an experience because it was meaningful to you, not because you felt that you ought to do it.

 

[schmoob]

Finish the masters. To go from one specific field, to another specific field, onto ANOTHER may not reflect well. It could show a pattern of indecisiveness. The least you could do is finish what you started. Plus it might show adcoms that you can do well in any academic program out attempt.
Good luck!

 

[Confused engineer]

Thanks for your responses.

I do enjoy my graduate coursework. It is just that from what I have read, having the minimal debt necessary as a new dental grad is important to your financial success as a dentist.

Of course when entering a field like dentistry, where you are probably going to be a small business owner has some inherent risk, and I am comfortable with this.

That said, I do not want to put myself in a bigger hole than I need to.

That is the reason I am hesitant to remain in the M.S. Program. It seems that if I go the dental route, it won't really help me.

If I do go the M.D. route, I see the graduate degree as only helping me:
The research experience is greatly appreciated by admission counsellors for some competitive schools, and the debt isn't as big of a problem for physicians.
1) it's not as probable I'll go into private practice and want to take out a huge private loan to get my practice started
2) it's much easier as a physician to get your loans forgiven: i.e. I work for 10 years at a VA or other eligible hospital like a nonprofit, pay the minimum monthly payment for those ten years, and then at the end of the ten years get the balance of my student loans erased.

Soooo....it sounds like you are right, ElenaDDS, I need to figure out if I should go MD or DMD

Doktorinprogess, my gpa was 3.75, so this should be competitive for most schools I think. It is just hard to commit to dental or medical. Both seem pretty great. Either way, I would like to become a surgeon.


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[schmoob]

Sounds like you've made your decision. Best of luck to you.

 

[Rambunctious]

A MS will actually benefit you not only when applying to dental school but also to a residency.

 

[Confused engineer]

Sounds like you've made your decision. Best of luck to you.

Oooooh, have I...?

What did I decide? Lol
I still am not sure.


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[bwc]

Oooooh, have I...?

What did I decide? Lol
I still am not sure.


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Well if you entered the MS program, you basically made the decision to follow through with it. Dropping out reflects poorly on you. You should have only started a graduate degree program if you intend to finish.

If financing the remainder of your MS education is your concern, try applying for funding opportunities through your school. If they give you a graduate student instructor or research assistant position, that helps.

MD or DMD/DDS, whichever one you choose, having a master's would never reflect negatively on you. You said that you find the material to be interesting, and that's what's important. If you can make connections between your coursework and medicine or dentistry, even better. Whatever programs you apply to want to see that you do things for your own benefit, not simply because you feel that you ought to do it.

 

[MahiMahi]

Thanks for your responses.

I do enjoy my graduate coursework. It is just that from what I have read, having the minimal debt necessary as a new dental grad is important to your financial success as a dentist.

Of course when entering a field like dentistry, where you are probably going to be a small business owner has some inherent risk, and I am comfortable with this.

That said, I do not want to put myself in a bigger hole than I need to.

That is the reason I am hesitant to remain in the M.S. Program. It seems that if I go the dental route, it won't really help me.

If I do go the M.D. route, I see the graduate degree as only helping me:
The research experience is greatly appreciated by admission counsellors for some competitive schools, and the debt isn't as big of a problem for physicians.
1) it's not as probable I'll go into private practice and want to take out a huge private loan to get my practice started
2) it's much easier as a physician to get your loans forgiven: i.e. I work for 10 years at a VA or other eligible hospital like a nonprofit, pay the minimum monthly payment for those ten years, and then at the end of the ten years get the balance of my student loans erased.

Soooo....it sounds like you are right, ElenaDDS, I need to figure out if I should go MD or DMD

Doktorinprogess, my gpa was 3.75, so this should be competitive for most schools I think. It is just hard to commit to dental or medical. Both seem pretty great. Either way, I would like to become a surgeon.


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It seems like you answered your own question. If you're going into medicine, this program will do you good, with minimal disadvantage.