Dmd / mba

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Vosko

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  1. Pre-Dental
I'm considering in possibly pursuing a joint DMD/MBA and was wondering what are the potential benefits (if there are any)?. Does anyone have any opinions??? Thanks 🙂
 
The trick about getting business degrees is don't pursue the parchment. An MBA degree isn't very useful on it's own. It's the skills, connections, leadership abilities you get from getting an MBA. I think it's great for opening up a private practice or managing a chain. From a capitalist perspective, think about it. If you go to a highly ranked university(which is a must for MBA programs. Rankings and name is essential) you will be dealing with some of the most ambitious people around. They will likely one day be wealthy, powerful, and they will have plenty of connections. Now, this is an idealistic view. However, they may help you set up, expand, and evolve your private practice. Maybe you can even go corporate and start up a dental tool company. An MBA is very versatile. If you are considering a DMD/MBA know a few things;

A. The degree itself will be totally useless. It's what you learn while in program that will count for dentistry.
B. It will be a lot of work! Dental school is not easy.
C. Duel programs are risky. Unless you know what you're getting into and have a plan, you shouldn't do them. You can't fully utilize an MBA program if you're in professional school. This is a popular track with PharmD students. Even MDs have MBAs.
D. Your school name counts. I know pharmacy students often choose MBA programs. I knew a graduate from Gerogia. He went to Mercer. He was a PharmD/MBA. Mercer has an unranked, terrible business school. His program was not useful, and it was mostly filled with post bacs and pharmacy students.

OSU, on the other hand. Fisher business school is world renowned. Their pharmacy school is top. An MBA/PharmD from OSU would make sense.

If you're spending more money than you have to in D-school make it count.

EDIT: I didn't see Harvard there in your sig. That being said? An MBA may be worth it in your case!
 
getting a dmd/mba may look cool or may make you appear to be accomplished in the eyes of others, but an mba is a total waste of money.

an mba is simply a tool that people use to staple another 20k (minimum) to a resume. it says , "hey i know business fundamentals and theories", but it doesn't really give you the experience that you would acquire on your own in the real world.



edit: but, i just noticed that you're going to harvard, so despite what i've just said..you may want to consider it if it is within your financial means, because a: it's harvard b. their business school is #1 i believe (if not, top 5).

either way, it wouldn't have any relevance to your dmd/dds, but...hey, it's harvard 🙂
 
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So by this logic I might as well get an MBA while at Penn so I can start throwing around the Wharton name?

Eh, I dunno about that.

But honestly I was sort of wondering the same thing as OP-- and I can't really see any benefit of obtaining the extra degree.
 
So by this logic I might as well get an MBA while at Penn so I can start throwing around the Wharton name?

Eh, I dunno about that.

But honestly I was sort of wondering the same thing as OP-- and I can't really see any benefit of obtaining the extra degree.

an mba from wharton means practically a guaranteed job at a top firm. that's just the way it is
 
an mba from wharton means practically a guaranteed job at a top firm. that's just the way it is


an MBAand working experience (prior to getting your MBA) would probably get you a great job at a top firm. An MBA alone, you will probably get a job, but not very likely from a top firm. but again, wharton does rock
 
an MBAand working experience (prior to getting your MBA) would probably get you a great job at a top firm. An MBA alone, you will probably get a job, but not very likely from a top firm. but again, wharton does rock

right, an mba from wharton implies that you've had prior work experience as this is a prereq (unless you're in a combined program, in which case i'm still pretty sure that you're required to get an internship before matriculating). any reputable business school requires prior work experience unless it is a specialized program, in which case there may be loopholes around it.

bottom line: OP should consider an MBA bc it's from the #1 business school in the nation, but only consider it if his/her enrollment in their dental school could in some way, shape, or form help in obtaining admission--then i say go for it.

however, if being in harvard's dental school has no effect on chances at business school (would have to apply separately, take the gmat, and go through the whole process), then i would honestly say that it's a waste of time...you're competing against hungry investment bankers and finance analysts for a spot in the best U.S. business school.
 
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Thank you everyone for the feedback. I'm going to try and get in touch with some current students in the program and see what they have to say.

right, an mba from wharton implies that you've had prior work experience as this is a prereq (unless you're in a combined program, in which case i'm still pretty sure that you're required to get an internship before matriculating). any reputable business school requires prior work experience unless it is a specialized program, in which case there may be loopholes around it.

bottom line: OP should consider an MBA bc it's from the #1 business school in the nation, but only consider it if his/her enrollment in their dental school could in some way, shape, or form help in obtaining admission--then i say go for it.

however, if being in harvard's dental school has no effect on chances at business school (would have to apply separately, take the gmat, and go through the whole process), then i would honestly say that it's a waste of time...you're competing against hungry investment bankers and finance analysts for a spot in the best U.S. business school.

According to the Harvard Business School website...

"Students who are currently enrolled in the first or second year of the HSDM DMD Program will be considered for the joint MBA/DMD Program only if they have completed the additional course and summer internship requirements on a "current" basis and according to the timetable prescribed for students already admitted to the joint program."
 
so it's like..yea, go through the trouble of taking these courses and getting internship experience.. and we might consider you?
 
That's what it sounds like lol
 
For duel degrees, remember:

-You probably still have to apply and meet their add'n reqs.
-Scholarships won't cover it
-It's lot of extra work on top of the 25+ credits of D school
-Like anything in dental school, it's what you make of it.
 
Instead of paying money to learn generalized theories and get a worthless piece of paper, go read dentaltown for an hour a day. Those guys have experience in the same field as you and you can learn from their success and their failures. It's free and relevant, win win.
 
If you get an MBA from Harvard, you may have a difficult time practicing dentistry.
 
^Yeah that's true. You'll be unstoppable with the business side of things. Might even start a chain dental company or something with a degree like that. Like Walmart style dentistry, with minions of newly grads willing to work for less, brain washed and drilling away aimlessly by the thousands in a dome like structure in 2020. Whoa, need to stop watching so much scifi.
 
Imo not many benefits. Almost irrelevant

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an mba from wharton means practically a guaranteed job at a top firm. that's just the way it is

True. But I want to be a dentist. So that's kind of the problem people run into I suppose.
 
side note: mitt romney went to harvard for his MBA

so, if you want to potentially make millions of dollars by running a train on different companies, then an MBA from harvard might be an excellent back up plan if dentistry doesn't work out. the power of a harvard mba is pretty substantial.
 
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