Master's and professional schools...please help!!!

[khentoog182]

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For those who completed a master's program and then retook your DAT (or MCAT for conversation's sake)..did you notice a huge improvement in your test scores after taking all those classes?

My DAT scores are average..not bad but not that good either, and some people have told me to wait until after I complete my master's program. My test is scheduled in 2 weeks, and I'm just a little confused and need some advice...Thanks!!

 

[jslo85]

Have you really thought this through at all?

I don't mean to come across as abrasive but shouldn't this purely be a subjective thing for yourself to figure out? I'm assuming the graduate programs that you are referring to are SMP style thus if the sections that you were weak in say were perhaps Biological Sciences specifically in understanding Biochemistry (glycolysis, kreb cycle, etc) or the section in BS about transduction/translation and bacteriophages then yeah if your curriculum includes Virology that it might help you.

But if your weaknesses are in PS such as physics and gchem or in verbal, the program isn't going to help you at all in that type of knowledge. Same for the DAT. If your weakness is in perceptual, no program is going to strengthen you in that section. No SMP is going to teach you reading comprehension. Therefore if you know the breakdown of your AA and you feel that your current study materials/study habits are not sufficient to the task of tackling a few bio sci chapters/sections then take it afterwards, if not, I don't see why you need to wait a year afterwards for 2-3 classes to cover certain sections.

 

[deleted248403]

Yah i'm confused as to how taking upper level courses helps one take a test based on a lower standard of science.

Maybe you have test-taking problems, or should consider reviewing your study habits

 

[khentoog182]

Ok...OBVIOUSLY I've thought about it, and I've asked admissions counselors for advice, but they all keep telling me to wait (which in my opinion doesn't make much sense). My biology scores are strong, that's not the problem, but my gchem and math scores are low.

I've told the counselors that, and despite that they keep telling me to wait after my master's program is complete..I just thought that it's weird and wanted to know if anyone else had a similar experience or problem..

 

[deleted248403]

So again, i'm confused how you think taking upper level biochemistry and virology and histology in an SMP or MS in Core Sciences will help you on the basic math and general chemistry you have identified as the problem....

 

[khentoog182]

Ok..I DON'T THINK it will help, but many counselors keep telling me that it will...and I don't quite understand the connection. That's why I came here to try to see if anyone else had a similar problem and to see if it helped them in some weird way.

You don't have to be rude, I obviously came here for some advice. If you can't contribute I'd rather you not say anything.

 

[deleted248403]

I'm not being rude - i'm pointing out the obvious flaw.... why not ask the counsellor how they make this connection?

Maybe they see a connection we don't

 

[DrMidlife]

OK, the instinct to reality-check what you're hearing from counselors is GOOD. Assume that none of your counselors have taken the DAT/MCAT or that they're qualified to counsel any premeds/predents except those that don't need counseling. What your counselors are likely trying to protect is your grades in the masters program, which could suffer if you divert your attention to the DAT.

Nothing's free, and the "free" anonymous advice you get on SDN is frequently laced with impatience and scorn. 99% of the people who post advice here only do so because we've invested a HUGE amount of time researching every last detail of the med school admissions process. So if you feel like we're throwing fish at you, you might choose to interpret this as an intention to get you to learn how to fish. IMHO.

I know nothing about the DAT, and there's no math section on the MCAT. That said, in my view, if your trouble on the DAT is math & gen chem, then unless you're taking math & gen chem in your masters program, no, your masters program won't help your math & gen chem scores.

Whatever your reason is for doing a masters program, whatever problem that's solving, it's not solving your DAT problem, imho. In your shoes I'd plan on finishing the program you started, with excellent grades. Then take another six months or so to prepare for a DAT retake. Ideally, take more math & genchem coursework and do it differently: get a tutor, go to a different school, do research on what teachers are the best. Also, pony up the cash to take a prep course.

Best of luck to you.

 

[khentoog182]

Thank you..I appreciate it.

I'm doing this master's program to raise my science GPA to be a little more competitive with the pool of applicants that are applying. The counselors are giving me advice that didn't make any sense, so yes, I wanted to check with people on here because maybe someone went through a similar situation.

I understand that everyone is frustrated and works really hard to try to get into professional schools, but I mean we're all in the same place. I don't find it necessary to lash out against people you don't really know.

I'm just going to continue with my original plan and take the test, because I don't feel like the counselors are really helping or understanding what I'm saying.

But thanks anyway.

Good luck to you guys.

 

[jslo85]

Again, I didn't mean to come off as condenscending or abrasive but it just baffled me as to how SMP courses would help bolster those particular sections/subjects, much like if you say took upper division quantum physics and expected it to help your organic chemistry. Just.. doesn't make sense.

If anything, the only positives is as what Dr. Midlife said (detracts time/effort away from doing well on the SMP) or that it will build up the study/work ethic that would make you possibly do better on the DAT? There is no knowledge or material connection/overlap that I can see that exists.

I actually do know the DAT and I have taken it before. It's a long story that I won't go in depth into but I did score a 20 AA so if you want to take my advice as someone who has been through what you're talking about then great, if not you can toss it out the window. As I'm sure you've already realized by now or are wondering, I can't see how taking upper level science courses will aid in RC, PAT, or QR. You say you do poorly in QR so what are the problems? Time (you aren't getting to all the problems in reasonable time)? You can't understand how to tackle the QR problems quickly enough? You have poor reading comprehension?

You figured out what your problem is in those two sections so do something productive to fix them that you can 100% convince yourself goes along with common sense and not take SMP medical school/dental school level science courses for the knowledge to help you on gen chem and basic math. You don't make apple sauce with radishes. I don't care if Alton Brown tells me differently, it just doesn't work that way you know? That was the point I was trying to get across. Take in all advice but filter out what is constructive and makes sense to you and screen out what doesn't. It's part of the medical school admissions process. These boards cut both way and for me, the only productive purpose has been reading the inputs of those with "credibility" and "personal experience" and taking in whatever overlaps that I find. Find out what works for you (if you're asking questions, try to imagine having thick keranized callous skin)