Masters & Dental school

[seunglim87]

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I need your opinions and advices
So I just graduated undergrad this May with overall gpa of 2.984
My mojor gpa in economics is 3.458
and minor gpa in biological science is 3.167
I did so bad in electives especially in one of the easier ones.
Obviously, i was thinking about going to post-bacc or masters, but i dont wanna stay in undergrad any longer, so i was leaning toward masters.
BUT i took DAT today, and i got some insane scores that i wasnt expecting.
AA:23(98.3%)
TS:25(99.6%)
PAT:23(98.1%)
Bio:22(95.7%)
Chem:30(100%)
OC: 26(98.1%)
RC:18(44.0%)
QR:18(75.8%)
I know RC and QR are low, but i guess AA 23 makes up for it

So my plan is doing the 1-yr biomedical masters this upcoming fall (i am still yet to apply, june 1st the deadline), and also apply to dental school this upcoming cycle. Do you guys think i have chance of getting accepted without the masters?(this would be the best scenario) If i do go to the masters, is there anyway i can inform the dental school admission that i am enrolled in masters program? or is the Masters effective only if i complete the program. I would hate to wait another year wasting my life away. Also, which school should i apply to. I lived in Jersey my whole life and i would love to stay around here. My first choice would be UMDNJ, and also i am gon apply to NYU(but i would hate to go there, the most expensive school there is) Temple, Tufts, BU, Buffalo. i am thinking about applying to about 10 schools, where else should i apply?

 

[dentalWorks]

I need your opinions and advices
So I just graduated undergrad this May with overall gpa of 2.984
My mojor gpa in economics is 3.458
and minor gpa in biological science is 3.167
I did so bad in electives especially in one of the easier ones.
Obviously, i was thinking about going to post-bacc or masters, but i dont wanna stay in undergrad any longer, so i was leaning toward masters.
BUT i took DAT today, and i got some insane scores that i wasnt expecting.
AA:23(98.3%)
TS:25(99.6%)
PAT:23(98.1%)
Bio:22(95.7%)
Chem:30(100%)
OC: 26(98.1%)
RC:18(44.0%)
QR:18(75.8%)
I know RC and QR are low, but i guess AA 23 makes up for it

So my plan is doing the 1-yr biomedical masters this upcoming fall (i am still yet to apply, june 1st the deadline), and also apply to dental school this upcoming cycle. Do you guys think i have chance of getting accepted without the masters?(this would be the best scenario) If i do go to the masters, is there anyway i can inform the dental school admission that i am enrolled in masters program? or is the Masters effective only if i complete the program. I would hate to wait another year wasting my life away. Also, which school should i apply to. I lived in Jersey my whole life and i would love to stay around here. My first choice would be UMDNJ, and also i am gon apply to NYU(but i would hate to go there, the most expensive school there is) Temple, Tufts, BU, Buffalo. i am thinking about applying to about 10 schools, where else should i apply?

ofc... anyone walking around with a 25TS has a chance to get in (post-bacc or none)

Make sure you apply to Columbia, rumor has it they favor high DAT over low GPA.

As far as letting schools know your going to do masters, its almost irrelevant since schools prefer results, not "plans".

One final thing... I'd increase the number of schools to 15

 

[4thMolar]

With your DAT score, I wouldn't be surprised if you get some interviews, but it may be harder to land an acceptance since your GPA is on the low side. What exactly is your science GPA? If you do opt to go for a 1 year masters program, I believe UMDNJ does have a program geared towards pre-health students. The only problem is that if you apply to dental schools this year, they may want to see how you do in your program before they send you an interview, which means you'll have a gap year. Specifically, UMDNJ told me they don't take applicants who are enrolled in Masters programs; they want to see you complete it first. I would talk to somebody in admissions there since it is your top choice.

If you do plan to apply this year, you can add schools such as Maryland, Nova, and a couple other along the east coast, as well as some of private ones out west if you are willing to relocate out there.

 

[BruinDentist]

You should definitely apply for both Master's programs and dental schools. I talked to many dental schools and they said that they look favorably upon those who get accepted to a Master's program, even when your attendance coincides with the application year. In other words, you should apply to Master's programs, apply to dental schools in June and mention the fact that you're participating in a Master's program in your application(should you be accepted), then update your application in November/December with your first semester grades through Academic Update. With your DAT scores, you should have a great chance of getting accepted. I took a chance last year and didn't apply to Master's programs hoping that I would gain admission a dental school, but I didn't and ended up wasting this year doing nothing. I wouldn't take that chance. UMDNJ has a great Master's program that's also relatively cheap and attending that program will give you recognition with the NJDS.

 

[Dentite21]

Hey, I am graduating from a Master's Program right now. I had a similar situation as yourself. My GPA was not as low as yours though. So heres part of the problem. In order for schools to even see your application, it must pass the minimum requirements of the school. It may be denied almost immediately because of low GPA. If you go to any interview or dental school tour, the admissions are going to tell you they want performers. Yes your DAT is outstanding which is a strong point.

So this is what I would do. Apply to a 1-year non thesis Master's Program. With your DAT score you will at least get one interview. But the magic number is 3. Do not ask me who came up with that, but with 3 interviews you are guaranteed a spot somewhere. Do well in your first quarter/semester in the masters program. Send your unofficial/official grades to the schools. I got one interview with a 3.3 total and a 3.0 sGPA with a good DAT. Then I got a 4.0 in my Master's program and sent out the grades. Then I got 4 other interviews within a two week span. Now I'm going to my state school and couldn't be happier. I still have a 4.0 in my masters program and it is not easy at all. Plus a masters program will give you a neck up if you want to do an advanced degree since board scores are about to turn pass/fail.

Let me know if you need advice on programs. I did a good amount of research before I choose mine.

 

[UBERlowGPA]

You should definitely apply for both Master's programs and dental schools. I talked to many dental schools and they said that they look favorably upon those who get accepted to a Master's program, even when your attendance coincides with the application year. In other words, you should apply to Master's programs, apply to dental schools in June and mention the fact that you're participating in a Master's program in your application(should you be accepted), then update your application in November/December with your first semester grades through Academic Update. With your DAT scores, you should have a great chance of getting accepted. I took a chance last year and didn't apply to Master's programs hoping that I would gain admission a dental school, but I didn't and ended up wasting this year doing nothing. I wouldn't take that chance. UMDNJ has a great Master's program that's also relatively cheap and attending that program will give you recognition with the NJDS.

I was going to apply to a masters program concurrently the first time around but was told by a few dental schools that they would want me to COMPLETE the masters program before matriculation. That's why I opted for a postbac.

 

[Dentite21]

I was going to apply to a masters program concurrently the first time around but was told by a few dental schools that they would want me to COMPLETE the masters program before matriculation. That's why I opted for a postbac.

That stinks. Not one dental school told me that. In fact, they liked that I was in an one year program so I could go to their school with a masters. And my standing in the masters program was really good.

 

[UBERlowGPA]

That stinks. Not one dental school told me that. In fact, they liked that I was in an one year program so I could go to their school with a masters. And my standing in the masters program was really good.

I think a one year program would work, because you'd finish by the time you matriculate. My issue was a lot of the programs I was looking at took a lot longer than that and I didn't want to wait.

 

[bing12]

aim for 15 schools like Dworks said, cause you have 2 things working against you, the sgpa is RIGHT below 3.0 ( soo close). and your RC score is not good ( like mine). BUT, obviously the rest of your app is great. Don't get cocky though, apply to a good amount of schools because you still have flaws ( that can be detrimental at some schools) in ur app. Goodluck.

 

[Pennywisdom]

Honestly, I don't think 23/25 DAT (great numbers BTW) will salvage your low oGPA. If I were you, I'd seriously consider a master's program. One of the programs you should look into is UMDNJ, where they offer a 1-year program in Biomedical Sciences. I have plenty of friends who have successfully completed the program and are now in dental/medical schools.

Like many have already said, apply to both Master's programs and Dental schools, and see what happens.

EDIT: Basically, what BruinDentist said.

 

[Doc Smile]

With those DAT scores, I find it difficult to believe DSchools will NOT want you as their student. Many of my friends took informal, non-thesis, 1 year masters programs in biology and got in their second time. Most of these people did it in the year it took to get their GPA up to snuff.

 

[John Durian]

Normally, I would say wait due to your GPA.

But daaaaaamn, a 23/25/23 is insane. Apply this cycle. Apply to a few SMPs as back up. I think you'll land at least one acceptance 🙂

 

[dds86]

I would recommend waiting to apply. I was in a similar situation to you, low gpa and pretty high DAT scores. I applied to 14 dental schools the summer before I started a 1 year non thesis master's in medical sciences...didn't receive a single interview. Most schools that I spoke with after the cycle had completed, said that they wanted to wait and see how I did in a substantial # of credit hours in the Masters program before they would decide to grant me an interview. So, I reapplied after the spring semester of my Masters, and got 6 interviews and multiple acceptances. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

 

[prehealthstudent69]

Hey guys old thread I know but the situation OP is in currently pertains to me. I was wondering if maybe for the people who applied for dental and the masters program at the same time, got rejected because the dental school saw that you were enrolled in the masters? Is there a chance they saw that you were enrolled, and from there decided to reject you?

 

[ILLchief]

Hey guys old thread I know but the situation OP is in currently pertains to me. I was wondering if maybe for the people who applied for dental and the masters program at the same time, got rejected because the dental school saw that you were enrolled in the masters? Is there a chance they saw that you were enrolled, and from there decided to reject you?

this happened to me... applied to both dental school and masters programs. decided to go for the masters the year after graduation. interviewed at a few dental schools while taking classes... eventually i was waitlisted/denied from all dental schools. they never specifically told me it was bcuz i was to "drop" the masters to matriculate in dental school. but i assume this was the case because i interviewed at some of the same schools and boom was accepted. just my 2 cents, plan to finish your masters first.

 

[prehealthstudent69]

this happened to me... applied to both dental school and masters programs. decided to go for the masters the year after graduation. interviewed at a few dental schools while taking classes... eventually i was waitlisted/denied from all dental schools. they never specifically told me it was bcuz i was to "drop" the masters to matriculate in dental school. but i assume this was the case because i interviewed at some of the same schools and boom was accepted. just my 2 cents, plan to finish your masters first.

wait so obviously if they knew you were in a masters program they would want you to finish it before accepting you right? Do you think if you weren't currently enrolled in a masters at the time they couldve just accepted you then?