Masters in Public Health or Post Bacc Program??

[Girlgeetit]

So I am deciding what I should do for after I graduate my undergrad. I am getting my bachelors in biology but my overall GPA would be a 2.7. I was thinking that maybe if I did a masters program such as Public health it would be a good change and also give me a separate GPA. So far I have applied to two MPH programs but from here I am thinking about taking post bacc because of my amount of Cs and retakes I have had to take during my undergrad. I had to take micro 3 times along with retake in orgo, anatomy and calculus 2. I think my overall sGPA is a 2.5. I am so determine to ace my masters but I am just wondering if I making the right choice. Overall I also don't want to spend 40k on a post bacc program.

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[TanMan]

I think it's a good way to package yourself as someone who cares about the community and impact of health policy on the dental needs of underserved communities (or something that sounds fancy and noble). MPH sounds like a great plan if you can accomplish it in one year, easy classes (translating to high GPA), and crush the interviews by selling yourself as a student who wants to go into public health and community dentistry for underserved communities/minorities. It's also easier to create a backstory about your past experiences, hardships, etc... Post-bacc sounds harder than MPH, so I would find out if your MPH program counts as its own separate GPA category and whether most MPH courses are underwaterbasketweaving. Overall, sounds like a great plan.

 

[Girlgeetit]

I think it's a good way to package yourself as someone who cares about the community and impact of health policy on the dental needs of underserved communities (or something that sounds fancy and noble). MPH sounds like a great plan if you can accomplish it in one year, easy classes (translating to high GPA), and crush the interviews by selling yourself as a student who wants to go into public health and community dentistry for underserved communities/minorities. It's also easier to create a backstory about your past experiences, hardships, etc... Post-bacc sounds harder than MPH, so I would find out if your MPH program counts as its own separate GPA category and whether most MPH courses are underwaterbasketweaving. Overall, sounds like a great plan.

I just really hope I am making the right decision. The program I want to get into is a 2 year masters program. What I am worried about is that I've also have been reading and thinking that maybe some dental schools will think that I took the easy route and if that's the case I would be losing money and time. I am also thinking about applying to a Bio Masters program just in case. As of right now I am trying my best to get into these graduate schools but the choice of where do go and what to do is what I am unsure about.

 

[TanMan]

I just really hope I am making the right decision. The program I want to get into is a 2 year masters program. What I am worried about is that I've also have been reading and thinking that maybe some dental schools will think that I took the easy route and if that's the case I would be losing money and time. I am also thinking about applying to a Bio Masters program just in case. As of right now I am trying my best to get into these graduate schools but the choice of where do go and what to do is what I am unsure about.

It is THE easy route that many people don't want to take. Someone's gotta work in the dental public health department of the university. Maybe if you have meaningful research during your MPH program and tie it into dentistry, that adcoms/people will believe that you want to help the (dental) world via public health policies and prevent caries in susceptible populations. All I can remember from public health was DMFS (decayed missing filled surface) index. I don't really know what it is nor care to look it up, but that's the kind of stuff they like to focus on. If you can get into a MPH/DPH program, that's even better, because if you want to specialize later on in pediatrics, they love that kind of stuff.

Edit: Even if you do all that stuff with no intention of pursuing that during your dental school experience, the important part is that you get in through these pretenses... and unlike others, you have tangible proof that you might want to do public health.

 

[knewstance]

Do you actually plan on working in a public healthcare setting? If so, sure do what has been discussed above. Seems like a good plan.

If that is not your goal/dream, why pretend? Since you didn't do stellar in your science classes, I would much more suggest doing a separate master's degree with lots of high-level biology courses. Find one that is a 1 year program. There are several all over the country. While this may be more difficult, the knowledge gained will be much more applicable and helpful while in dental school and your DAT performance will be benefitted by having the stronger science background.

Above all, the key here is that you MUST have a highly improved GPA if you plan on really being a dentist.

Edit: Don't do a Post-Bacc. Find a program that you earn a Master's degree.

 

[TanMan]

Do you actually plan on working in a public healthcare setting? If so, sure do what has been discussed above. Seems like a good plan.

If that is not your goal/dream, why pretend? Since you didn't do stellar in your science classes, I would much more suggest doing a separate master's degree with lots of high-level biology courses. Find one that is a 1 year program. There are several all over the country. While this may be more difficult, the knowledge gained will be much more applicable and helpful while in dental school and your DAT performance will be benefitted by having the stronger science background.

Above all, the key here is that you MUST have a highly improved GPA if you plan on really being a dentist.

Edit: Don't do a Post-Bacc. Find a program that you earn a Master's degree.

I think the main issue that's not brought up by the OP (but implied) is finding the path of least resistance. A 1 year program with a lot of high level biology courses might end up blowing up in their face. Although they should, in theory, be able to handle that courseload, in reality, I think it all depends on priority of the OP. If your priority is to get in, a 1 year MPH program is probably easier than a master's in biology. It's also more unique (better to sell yourself), less risky (less science courses), and easier path. Let's say the OP goes through a master's in bio and fails spectacularly... then what is plan B or C? This is already plan B, and a safer plan B than a Master's in Bio.

 

[knewstance]

Let's say the OP goes through a master's in bio and fails spectacularly... then what is plan B or C?

At that point plan C is choose a different career. If you do the master's and it goes poorly, better to learn it there than get $75k+ in tuition for your first semester of dental school and then have to quit.

Risky? Sure - but if you are unable to perform well there, it's unlikely you'd be able to make it through dental school.

I have friends that failed out of my master's program. They were med school bound. They've find other career paths and seem content.

I considered a MPH but ultimately decided against because I had no intention of pursuing public health.

In the end, I agree @TanMan. It just depends on the driving motives. Everyone is different.

 

[2jz]

I wouldn't rush things, go the two year route for a master's. Take the minimum number of credits and do really well in upper level bio classes. My program only required 9 credit to be full time, made a huge difference. I had joined a master's expecting it to take a year and two summers, but due to class availability it caused me to have to wait an extra year - but it worked out so well in my favor. I had enough time to really do well in class - maintained a 4.0 in upper level bio classes. I also made sure I had filled my resume through my classes and research experience to basically guarantee having a career in biotech if I wasn't accepted. Expanding your skill set and packing your resume for an alternate plan is something I would highly recommend. Go the public health route if you can see yourself as a public health official if you don't get accepted to dental school.

 

[TanMan]

At that point plan C is choose a different career. If you do the master's and it goes poorly, better to learn it there than get $75k+ in tuition for your first semester of dental school and then have to quit.

Risky? Sure - but if you are unable to perform well there, it's unlikely you'd be able to make it through dental school.

I have friends that failed out of my master's program. They were med school bound. They've find other career paths and seem content.

I considered a MPH but ultimately decided against because I had no intention of pursuing public health.

In the end, I agree @TanMan. It just depends on the driving motives. Everyone is different.

I think it can be idealistic to think that going beyond your bachelor's to test yourself to be able to handle a dental school curriculum is wise, but idealistic as well. After you rack up debt in your post-bacc or master's program, you need to have a plan to pay for it. Fake it till you make it into a professional school or get stuck in indentured servitude for a very long time. The question would then be, does the ends justify the means? In my opinion, just because someone has a C average in undergrad, doesn't mean they can't hack it in dental school. However, if you don't even have the chance to get into dental school, that's a whole different story. If you are thinking of taking the harder path, you can do so, but know that the path should have a mechanism to pay back any debt that you may accumulate during that time.

I wouldn't rush things, go the two year route for a master's. Take the minimum number of credits and do really well in upper level bio classes. My program only required 9 credit to be full time, made a huge difference. I had joined a master's expecting it to take a year and two summers, but due to class availability it caused me to have to wait an extra year - but it worked out so well in my favor. I had enough time to really do well in class - maintained a 4.0 in upper level bio classes. I also made sure I had filled my resume through my classes and research experience to basically guarantee having a career in biotech if I wasn't accepted. Expanding your skill set and packing your resume for an alternate plan is something I would highly recommend. Go the public health route if you can see yourself as a public health official if you don't get accepted to dental school.

I would advise otherwise. Remember, if you had all the time in the world, take the two year route.... and I always say this, if you live to be 50, 2 years equates to 4% of your total life span. I'd still advocate for a 1 year program, preferably an easy 1 year mph program for two reasons: 1. less science-y, 2. more flexible in case dentistry doesn't pan out. Community health settings of any allied health professions needs MPH's.

 

[aspiring-dentist101]

Don’t waste your money on getting masters degree. Try to aim for a postbacc or take upper division courses through extension. But if you do have the money to pay for living expenses and moving elsewhere to pursue masters program, do it. Nowadays many applicants can’t afford to pay $50k for masters degree.

 

[AEZDent]

I would advise a masters in the bio field. I'm not sure how helpful a MPH will be as you need to show admission committees that you can handle rigorous science classes and need to improve your sGPA. While these programs might be expensive, at least at the end of it you'll have something to show for it and other employment possibilities, instead of just taking more classes. From personal experience, at least the program I'm in, they want you to succeed and will do what they can to help you. My school has a learning specialist specifically for our program and multiple tutoring services. They also offer the Kaplan for free and give presentations about applying, interviewing, and all sorts of stuff like that. IF you really want to get into dental school, find a program that will help you reach that goal and put all your time and energy into that.