does a master's really help with dental school acceptances?

[lilchew]

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Hi Everyone,

So I am going to start my masters program in the fall and I am wondering if it will assist my application and hopeful acceptance to dental school. My stats are low, but I am still going to try.

Undergrad GPA 3.0
Sci: 2.7

DAT: 17

Any pointers or advice would be highly appreciated, thanks in advance!🙂

 

[4thMolar]

Thanks to doc toothache: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=602095

Also, I would re-take the DAT. What is your breakdown of individual sections? Do you plan on applying to dental school now or after you complete your Masters program?

 

[lilchew]

thanks so much for your reply! I really don't want to re-take the DAT, but if I have to then I will. I am not totally sure when I should apply, I have heard a mix of advice. Some say apply now and some say to wait.

Individual score break downs were:

RC: 28
BIO: 19
GCHEM: 17
OCHEM: 14
MATH: 12
PAT: 14

total score 17

and thanks for the link to the other post🙂

 

[Lurchdubious]

Yes.

 

[Ranelar]

Wow... retake your DAT for sure. You are no where near competitive with:

GCHEM: 17
OCHEM: 14
MATH: 12
PAT: 14

With a 2.7 science GPA I would say you need to get 20's+ on your DAT. If you got a 4.0 in your masters, maybe you could make due with 19's... but no one section below 17, and certainly no 12

 

[4thMolar]

Yeah, you definitely will need to re-take the DAT, which kind of sucks, especially with a score of 28 on the RC, which is excellent. I think you should focus solely on studying for the DAT for the next 2 months or so before you start your Masters program, b/c you'll be busy with classes once it starts and won't have time to put a full-hearted effort into studying for the DAT. I've also heard mixed advice on if you should apply before or after completing a Masters. If you had already finished one semester of a Masters, I would say to go ahead and apply, but I think since you are starting in the fall, you should wait and apply next cycle. That way you will have 2 full semesters of a graduate GPA plus your new and improved DAT score. If you apply now, I don't think you would have a great chance at an interview, maybe at your state school though. There is always a chance though, so don't feel discouraged. So, retake the DAT, get at least a 3.8 in your grad program, and apply early next cycle.

 

[Ranelar]

Wow... retake your DAT for sure. You are no where near competitive with:

GCHEM: 17
OCHEM: 14
MATH: 12
PAT: 14

With a 2.7 science GPA I would say you need to get 20's+ on your DAT. If you got a 4.0 in your masters, maybe you could make due with 19's... but no one section below 17, and certainly no 12

The Masters (with ~4.0) will help but it's not enough. You'll need a DAT retake with at least 19 AA, 19 TS, and no less than 17 on any individual section. It is extremely unlikely for you to gain acceptance unless both of these areas are met, if dental school is your dream you'll have to sacrifice everything in the next year or two to accomplish it.

Hah, amazingly similar posts at the exact same time 😛

 

[lilchew]

thanks to everyone for the advice, I guess I need to decide if I want to take the dreaded DAT again. Any pointers on improving on PAT and Math? I did crack pat and destroyer and all that jazz...

 

[Lurchdubious]

thanks to everyone for the advice, I guess I need to decide if I want to take the dreaded DAT again. Any pointers on improving on PAT and Math? I did crack pat and destroyer and all that jazz...

I'd suggest TopScore.

 

[Emmie]

How did you manage to get a 28 on RC tho?

 

[notin]

How did you manage to get a 28 on RC tho?

i think there's a bit of luck at the top end, its probably a single question per point from 24-30. i got a 26 rc on my first test and a 19 on the second, though the second i got 0 sleep and got frapped, and my car broke down on the way there and my gf had to leave work to take me... but anyway the admission guy told me don't worry about a 26 dropping on a retake as there's some variance in that range.

but op, getting a 3.7/3.8+ in a master's WILL vastly improve the gpa side of things and is definitely worth it. i think just a one year post-bac is effective too but the master's is probably better because its unlikely you'll get in halfway through. but the other advice here is spot on, you badly need to focus on the dat. if you can't get your scores up to 19s or so the master's won't change anything. also i thought the kaplan study book was good.

 

[Dental Mom]

Does it have to be 100% science masters or post bac? How about a combination of science and MBA? I'm looking into this....

 

[LNinlove]

Dental Mom,

I asked the admissions office of my state school that same question. Since my science gpa is not stellar, they said to do a science masters. In the end, it's the only way to boost both your science gpa and overall gpa at the same time, whereas an MBA will simply boost your overall gpa. If you have a 4.0 science gpa and a much lower overall gpa (for some odd reason) you could consider the MBA.

The MS will help prepare you for dental school classes as well, where the MBA will help you with the business aspect after dental school...

Good luck!👍

 

[Dental Mom]

Dental Mom,

I asked the admissions office of my state school that same question. Since my science gpa is not stellar, they said to do a science masters. In the end, it's the only way to boost both your science gpa and overall gpa at the same time, whereas an MBA will simply boost your overall gpa. If you have a 4.0 science gpa and a much lower overall gpa (for some odd reason) you could consider the MBA.

The MS will help prepare you for dental school classes as well, where the MBA will help you with the business aspect after dental school...

Good luck!👍

Makes sense 100% I'll keep looking for a science masters. Thank you!

 

[lilchew]

to those wondering about the reading comp. score, i have always scored high in that arena, it is my strongest field, as you all can see the others not so much 🙂 thanks for all the comments!