Dental Hygienist Program

[PhiKappaGuy]

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I am a recent graduate (December 2014) that was denied from the six programs that I applied to. I have been accepted to get my Masters in Chemistry from my alma mater. I was wondering what would be a better route to strengthen my chances of getting into dentistry school:

1) To get my Masters and re-take my DATs

OR

2) Get an associate's degree in dental hygiene and re-take my DATs?

 

[TheEpicFruitCake]

Masters

 

[DocJL]

Masters.


What is your GPA? you graduated with a Chemistry bachelor degree?

Major university? or community college?

 

[PhiKappaGuy]

I went to two major universities. I transferred out of the first university after 2 years with poor grades because I was going through personal issues and didn't put any effort into exceling at school. I graduated with a 3.6. But when my original GPA from my first school is factored in, the AADSAS shows I have a 3.1. I graduated with a BS in Biology with minors in chemistry and biochemistry and in my last year or two, I realized that I enjoyed chemistry more than biology so I applied for a MS in Chemistry.

 

[doc toothache]

How would a degree in DH help you be a more competitive applicant?
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/dental-hygiene-to-ds.952937/

 

[irishmom]

Masters...trust me.

 

[tooth knockn]

Why masters ?
If you graduate with a masters, you will be stuck with a desk job, most likely.....

Dental hygiene when you graduate and pass the licensure state exam, you start working in the clinical setting in dentistry.....


These are the outcomes of you do not get accepted to DS, for every year.....

Masters=a typing pencil pusher

DH= A dental professional

 

[PhiKappaGuy]

Masters...trust me.

I see that your sig says "From hygienist to dentist...oh yeah!". How tough was it to transition since you suggested a Masters program?

 

[irishmom]

Well, the transistion isn't hard, everyone tells me that I will breeze through handskills...but the classes in Hygiene school are allied health classes. Pretty much alower level classes. Masters classes would show an upwards trend in harder classes. Don't get me wrong, hygene school is tough, but not as tough as Masters.

 

[Tikidude19]

Why masters ?
If you graduate with a masters, you will be stuck with a desk job, most likely.....

Dental hygiene when you graduate and pass the licensure state exam, you start working in the clinical setting in dentistry.....


These are the outcomes of you do not get accepted to DS, for every year.....

Masters=a typing pencil pusher

DH= A dental professional

What are you basing this on? I did a masters in microbiology and got a job right afterwards in R&D, working in an awesome lab environment with a ton of freedom and a salary of ~70k. A masters in business/finance you may be right, but a masters in STEM you are definitely not going to be a "pencil pusher".

 

[tooth knockn]

What are you basing this on? I did a masters in microbiology and got a job right afterwards in R&D, working in an awesome lab environment with a ton of freedom and a salary of ~70k. A masters in business/finance you may be right, but a masters in STEM you are definitely not going to be a "pencil pusher".

Maybe in your case, not a pencil pusher, but in your cases probably in a lab, recording data from your lab bench relating to your study, so your probably using a computer to type your data..... And you probably do have a nice income, but how much one to one time are you having with dental patients....

I am not scientific lab person, I am a person who likes to help other people, many people probably would not mind working In a lab and repeating Microbio, organic chemistry, and math related responsibilities day to day.....

I could not do that, but I am pro-dental, and getting a masters is really not pro-dental, a masters will not guarantee a position as an enrollee into dental school.....

So if you can be happy knowing that you will be working your LAB job for an extra year, then good....

But if an individual is not that type, and wants to be with the people, I mean, patients in the dental office, THEN, dental hygiene is the way to go!

It is flexible, good pay (20-60$ per hour range), mostly part time, and then have time to do a masters as well.... No biggie....


Congrats to your 70k bench job, with a computer.

 

[Tikidude19]

Maybe in your case, not a pencil pusher, but in your cases probably in a lab, recording data from your lab bench relating to your study, so your probably using a computer to type your data..... And you probably do have a nice income, but how much one to one time are you having with dental patients....

I am not scientific lab person, I am a person who likes to help other people, many people probably would not mind working In a lab and repeating Microbio, organic chemistry, and math related responsibilities day to day.....

I could not do that, but I am pro-dental, and getting a masters is really not pro-dental, a masters will not guarantee a position as an enrollee into dental school.....

So if you can be happy knowing that you will be working your LAB job for an extra year, then good....

But if an individual is not that type, and wants to be with the people, I mean, patients in the dental office, THEN, dental hygiene is the way to go!

It is flexible, good pay (20-60$ per hour range), mostly part time, and then have time to do a masters as well.... No biggie....


Congrats to your 70k bench job, with a computer.

Unfortunately being a people person won't prepare you for pathology, histology, microbiology, or just about any other science course that you will be taking in dental school.

And thanks. Computers help in dental school, or so I've heard.

 

[tooth knockn]

Was SDN just offline?



So


Yea dental hygiene is not a bad route.