Leaning towards.....

[Jchoi]

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[Pikeyman]

Just a question creeped in:

Why do you want to be a dentist so badly?

If you look up the projected job growth for dentists, it's only "fair", which is bad. If you're going to spend two years on a Masters, you might as well go for a PhD in something different, I suppose.

I don't know. Just something to think about.

If you want a DDS that bad, definitely go for a Masters and re-apply. Good luck.

 

[Sprgrover]

If you are worried about a low gpa then pursuing a Master's to boost it would be a great way to improve it. In regards to job growth, yes, most sources list it as fair, however declaring that is 'bad' is a mis-guided statement. The growing numbers of retiring baby-boomer dentists is creating a demand to fill their places. The new dentists are therefore not necessarily filling newly created positions but rather filling an existing ones, which is different than growth, and it is this reason that an outlook of "fair" job growth is expected. Here is a little article from the US Department of Labor that explains this in more detail. If you feel that dentistry is a good fit for you career-wise then I think it is worth going the extra mile to achieve that goal. Best of luck! 👍

 

[Jchoi]

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[Pikeyman]

First off, I appreciate the encouraging replies.

I always knew I wanted to have a career in dentistry. As an undergrad, I simply wasn't mature enough or deciplined enough to put in the work.....and I am really paying for it now.

At the same time, I do realize I can still have a career in dentistry. I understand it won't happen for me overnight. But I am more than wiling to invest time and hard work for an eventual career in dentistry.

My main concern now is that I do the research (reason for this thread) so that I can make the right/smart decisions that will make me a stronger applicant and gain me acceptance into dental schools. Most on this site seem to agree that for someone in my position (TERRIBLE GPA), a masters program would be the right path. However, it does mean TWO YEARS and additional tuition and I just wanted to make sure I picked the right school/program so as to not regret my decision in the future.

I certainly understand I'll have to invest the two yrs. But does it matter which school/program I complete a Masters from? I mean, will it matter to dental schools that I earn my MS from a Cal State as opposed to a UC? And also, assuming I do well in the Masters Program at a Cal State (Fullerton), am I then a strong applicant? I mean, how much does a Masters help my chances at admission?

I totally understand I will have to put in the work and do well in the Masters program. I guess I am just worried that after doing well and earning an MS degree from Cal State Fullerton, I may still end up not getting in 🙁

So anyone sharing ANY info or personal experience would REALLY be helpful!!!!! 🙂

Thanks everyone

Keep your head up, dude.

 

[savvysearch]

First off, I appreciate the encouraging replies.

I always knew I wanted to have a career in dentistry. As an undergrad, I simply wasn't mature enough or deciplined enough to put in the work.....and I am really paying for it now.

At the same time, I do realize I can still have a career in dentistry. I understand it won't happen for me overnight. But I am more than wiling to invest time and hard work for an eventual career in dentistry.

My main concern now is that I do the research (reason for this thread) so that I can make the right/smart decisions that will make me a stronger applicant and gain me acceptance into dental schools. Most on this site seem to agree that for someone in my position (TERRIBLE GPA), a masters program would be the right path. However, it does mean TWO YEARS and additional tuition and I just wanted to make sure I picked the right school/program so as to not regret my decision in the future.

I certainly understand I'll have to invest the two yrs. But does it matter which school/program I complete a Masters from? I mean, will it matter to dental schools that I earn my MS from a Cal State as opposed to a UC? And also, assuming I do well in the Masters Program at a Cal State (Fullerton), am I then a strong applicant? I mean, how much does a Masters help my chances at admission?

I totally understand I will have to put in the work and do well in the Masters program. I guess I am just worried that after doing well and earning an MS degree from Cal State Fullerton, I may still end up not getting in 🙁

So anyone sharing ANY info or personal experience would REALLY be helpful!!!!! 🙂

Thanks everyone

Hi. A post-bac may also be a great route because it adds to your undergrad GPA. As for Masters vs. Post-bac, you'll have to talk to dental schools to see which is favored. But don't assume anything. Also, you may want to look into Calstate LA which has a post-bac health science certificate program for those applicatants wanting to salvage a low GPA.

 

[sinned]

Let me try to shed some light, as I was in a similar position as you...
I graduated from UCSD as an undergrad with a low gpa. I knew this wasn't competitive so I enrolled in the Cal State Fullerton Post Bac program and got a 3.75 gpa after taking about 50 units of sciences, all the general sciences including 6-7 upper division sciences. This means that I only received 3 B's and after taking close to 20 classes. But since the undergrad gpa weighs so heavily due to the number of courses you need to complete before graduation, my cum gpa calculated by AADSAS is exactly 2.98 right now. But my science gpa is 3.25, so that is what Im counting on. Last application cycle I got 3 total interviews with those stats plus a 21 on my DAT.

Looking back, I think a Masters program will be an awesome idea, since those hard classes show the Dental Schools that you can get good grades in those classes. Rather than taking a Post-Bac to just raise your gpa. It will give them a better idea of who you are. Plus don't worry that you are taking the classes at CSUF. Dental schools want to see good grades, and they don't really care where you go school at. This is because the DAT puts everyone on a level playing field.

Although I am a re-applicant, I have taken a few more courses, with A's in all of them. I have put in about 200+ hours in shadowing a dentist, and I also have lab experience, got a recommendation from a dentist, and will be taking the DAT's again to be more competitive.

So with that in mind, go for the Masters program and kick butt and be persistent. You will eventually get into dental school.

 

[Three-Oh]

Let me try to shed some light, as I was in a similar position as you...
I graduated from UCSD as an undergrad with a low gpa. I knew this wasn't competitive so I enrolled in the Cal State Fullerton Post Bac program and got a 3.75 gpa after taking about 50 units of sciences, all the general sciences including 6-7 upper division sciences. This means that I only received 3 B's and after taking close to 20 classes. But since the undergrad gpa weighs so heavily due to the number of courses you need to complete before graduation, my cum gpa calculated by AADSAS is exactly 2.98 right now. But my science gpa is 3.25, so that is what Im counting on. Last application cycle I got 3 total interviews with those stats plus a 21 on my DAT.

Looking back, I think a Masters program will be an awesome idea, since those hard classes show the Dental Schools that you can get good grades in those classes. Rather than taking a Post-Bac to just raise your gpa. It will give them a better idea of who you are. Plus don't worry that you are taking the classes at CSUF. Dental schools want to see good grades, and they don't really care where you go school at. This is because the DAT puts everyone on a level playing field.

Although I am a re-applicant, I have taken a few more courses, with A's in all of them. I have put in about 200+ hours in shadowing a dentist, and I also have lab experience, got a recommendation from a dentist, and will be taking the DAT's again to be more competitive.

So with that in mind, go for the Masters program and kick butt and be persistent. You will eventually get into dental school.

thanks for the post, it helped me too, but one thing,

i noticed that you included a separate GPA for your post-bacc. is that how aadsas calculates post-baccs? because that would be great. i'm doing a post-bacc this year, and if i don't get into dental school (i just applied), then i'm counting on doing very well in my sci post-bacc. also, when i applied through aadsas, it didn't give me the option of telling them that i'll be doing a post-bacc, was i supposed to fill them in?

 

[I AM SARA]

First off, I appreciate the encouraging replies.

I always knew I wanted to have a career in dentistry. As an undergrad, I simply wasn't mature enough or deciplined enough to put in the work.....and I am really paying for it now.

At the same time, I do realize I can still have a career in dentistry. I understand it won't happen for me overnight. But I am more than wiling to invest time and hard work for an eventual career in dentistry.

My main concern now is that I do the research (reason for this thread) so that I can make the right/smart decisions that will make me a stronger applicant and gain me acceptance into dental schools. Most on this site seem to agree that for someone in my position (TERRIBLE GPA), a masters program would be the right path. However, it does mean TWO YEARS and additional tuition and I just wanted to make sure I picked the right school/program so as to not regret my decision in the future.

I certainly understand I'll have to invest the two yrs. But does it matter which school/program I complete a Masters from? I mean, will it matter to dental schools that I earn my MS from a Cal State as opposed to a UC? And also, assuming I do well in the Masters Program at a Cal State (Fullerton), am I then a strong applicant? I mean, how much does a Masters help my chances at admission?

I totally understand I will have to put in the work and do well in the Masters program. I guess I am just worried that after doing well and earning an MS degree from Cal State Fullerton, I may still end up not getting in 🙁

So anyone sharing ANY info or personal experience would REALLY be helpful!!!!! 🙂

Thanks everyone

Move to a state that has a low application % and apply there as a resident. That will work!

 

[I AM SARA]

Hey Everyone,

My undergrad GPA is absolutely TERRIBLE and really cannot be repairedup with a yr or two of post bacc work. So I've decided to take on a Masters which I believe will allow me to have an entirely seperate (and hopefully much higher) GPA for dental shcools to compare and evaluate.

I have been reading up on the Masters program in Biological Science offered at Cal State Fullerton (my low GPA eliminates me from any UC programs).

I was really hoping someone with ANY information/insight/advise in regards to the program would be able to be kind enough to fill me in. Personal experiences in regards to how helpful the program was in getting into dental schools would be AWESOME as well.

Again.....ALL info/advise will be GREATLY APPERICIATED!!!

Thanks 🙂

Just how low is your GPA?

Hard for us to comment when we dont have all the info.

 

[jay228]

D schools adcoms will not care whether your MS is from a cal state or UC... heck for the adcoms outside of California I doubt they'll even know what the difference between the two is.

As for possibly not getting in even with a MS... well.... admissions are never guarantees