Better chances for MD or DDS?

[thedrknows]

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Graduated from one of the military service academies with right at 3.0 GPA (no less), served two combat tours with 6 total years in the military and am thinking about either MD or DDS. I was originally set on MD, but after a lot of debate I think DDS is what suites me best. Assuming I am able to get a 19+ on the DAT or 30+ on the MCAT, are my chances better for DDS or MD? I am not sure how much schools look at life experience and school type over just looking at GPA and test scores.

 

[DoeAdeer]

graduated from one of the military service academies with right at 3.0 gpa (no less), served two combat tours with 6 total years in the military and am thinking about either md or dds. I was originally set on md, but after a lot of debate i think dds is what suites me best. Assuming i am able to get a 19+ on the dat or 30+ on the mcat, are my chances better for dds or md? I am not sure how much schools look at life experience and school type over just looking at gpa and test scores.

dds

 

[KittySquared]

You can do DO with grades like that or Caribbean MD. To be honest you still should ask yourself the question what you like more - caring for the entire body or dealing with dentition primarily?

 

[Greenvneck]

.

 

[mario0923]

If you are trying to choose a carrier based on stats, then you are doing it wrong.
You should think more about what you like more. Have you done shadowing? you should shadow both MD and DMD.
both MD and DMD are a life time job and a hard job. You really need to love the job in order to do it. If you simply choose because it "seems" easier to go to dentistry because of stats, that is wrong.
No matter how hard it is, try to pursue what you really want to do.
ask yourself, what will make me happy and open your eyes not only to MD, DMD but other jobs too.

 

[Stacker]

NYU and USC are good D schools for you. As for med school with a 3.0, i'd think you'd need like a 35 on mcat

 

[Seahawk]

Podiatry

 

[DoeAdeer]

NYU and USC are good D schools for you. As for med school with a 3.0, i'd think you'd need like a 35 on mcat

more like a 40...

 

[ushaseos]

From a purely "competition" point of view, your stats are more akin to DDS applicants than pre-meds. I'll spare you the "follow your passion" stuff, but if you really find both of these very different fields to your liking, DDS will be the easier route in terms of getting into the programs.

Either way though you'll need a good DAT/MCAT score so pick one and start studying! I wish you good luck regardless of which field you pick.

 

[yappy]

I disagree. OP, if you want to be a physician go to a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic) medical school and become a physician. This will give you the same practice rights as a MD but the admission statistics are much lower. For example if you raise your GPA to a 3.2 by doing some postbac work and score a 28+ MCAT score you will have a decent shot given your background.

On the other hand if you find dentistry is right for you, you will most likely need to bring that GPA up to at least a 3.2 and score very well on the DAT (21+) for a decent shot.

My point is that they're within reach but it will require some hard work. Just figure out what career path you want and begin preparing for it.

**For GPA repair the DO route will allow you to retake a class you did poorly in and totally replace the grade. For example say you got a C in Chem I then retook the class and got an A. That will be calculated as a 4.0. This is NOT the case for MD or DDS applications. The grades will be averaged to a 3.0.

Depending on your transcript you may be able to really up your GPA simply by taking some classes you bombed (F or D). Good luck.

From a purely "competition" point of view, your stats are more akin to DDS applicants than pre-meds. I'll spare you the "follow your passion" stuff, but if you really find both of these very different fields to your liking, DDS will be the easier route in terms of getting into the programs.

 

[thedrknows]

Thanks all for the replies. I really enjoy medicine and the sciences, but I also really enjoy working with my hands. The more I read, the more I feel dentistry is for me.

The debate between what I may be more likely to get into is centered around the fact that-

1. I'm still in the military and don't have the oportunity to attend post bac classes. I am also based in Germany (when I'm not in Kuwait) and sciences classes like I would need are not offered.
2. The fact I will be applying for 2014 year means I will be 29 when I start and 33 when I finish. If I do MD and have a 2-3 yr residency I will be 36 at the completion. Bottom line is I don't want to waste my time trying to get into either DDS or MD if I have no chance. In my opinion, I can't afford to keep pushing it back.

 

[Zbtb7]

First, thank you for your service.


Just out of curiosity, which academy did you attend and what was your class rank (quintile)?

Your gpa may give you trouble but the fact that you came from an academy and served for 6 years makes your an extremely unique and attractive candidate. Still, you may have to do an SMP to be competitive for med (MD) or dental schools.

 

[thedrknows]

First, thank you for your service.


Just out of curiosity, which academy did you attend and what was your class rank (quintile)?

Your gpa may give you trouble but the fact that you came from an academy and served for 6 years makes your an extremely unique and attractive candidate. Still, you may have to do an SMP to be competitive for med (MD) or dental schools.

West Point and I was right at 50%.

Still learning...what is SMP?

 

[Zbtb7]

A special masters program. There's a lot of info on them in the postbacc section of this forum.

They usually compensate for a low undergrad gpa but you have to do well in them. The setback is that they're year-long programs and you may have a glide year afterwards.

An ordinary candidate with a 3.0 has a slim chance at getting into med and dental school without an SMP. But I recommend you make an appointment with a dean of admissions at your state/1st choice school to discuss your situation. I know from friends the difficulty of getting a high gpa from the academies so you may not need an SMP.

 

[thedrknows]

Zbtb7, thanks for the info. I'll read up on it more.