Need a plan B for if I don't get into Dental School

[tannermcivor]

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I'm a senior this year. Without making any excuses for myself my GPA at the moment is under a 3.0. Everyother part of my portfolio is good however. So anyway since there is a good chance I won't be getting into dental school this cycle what should I be pursuing for next year as an alternative? Should I try to get a Masters Degree or find a job or an internship or try getting a second major. I'm not giving up on dental school anytime soon, I'm just looking for advice as to what I can do to improve my chances for next time.

 

[pinhi]

I'm a senior this year. Without making any excuses for myself my GPA at the moment is under a 3.0. Everyother part of my portfolio is good however. So anyway since there is a good chance I won't be getting into dental school this cycle what should I be pursuing for next year as an alternative? Should I try to get a Masters Degree or find a job or an internship or try getting a second major. I'm not giving up on dental school anytime soon, I'm just looking for advice as to what I can do to improve my chances for next time.

masters degree will be beneficial to your dental app......working will be beneficial for your work/life experience and interviewing skills.....
At this point I would suggest a masters as your plan b and work as your plan c
Your ogpa may not be affected by even a great gpa in a masters program but your sgpa and bcp will....plus......dschools really like masters degrees...u'll also learn a lot for professional level education....
Good luck!

 

[doc toothache]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=602095

 

[oae]

my plan is to jump off a bridge. Maybe the Golden Gate.....


but kidding aside, I wouldnt do a masters (unless you already have some serious research experience from your undergrad). Stick to doing some sort of formal OR informal post-bacc program (essentially what this means is take 3-4 science class per semester at a some college, and get as many A's possible.)

Then apply to dental school again.

 

[jrobb220]

my plan is to jump off a bridge. Maybe the Golden Gate.....


but kidding aside, I wouldnt do a masters (unless you already have some serious research experience from your undergrad). Stick to doing some sort of formal OR informal post-bacc program (essentially what this means is take 3-4 science class per semester at a some college, and get as many A's possible.)

Then apply to dental school again.

HAHAHA.

You would really recommend some classes over a 1 year masters or something? I would think that the masters would look significantly better; however, may be slightly more difficult.

 

[pinhi]

HAHAHA.

You would really recommend some classes over a 1 year masters or something? I would think that the masters would look significantly better; however, may be slightly more difficult.

so agreed....a post bacc is a waste of time.....1 year masters programs=no thesis or research...unless u wanna do some on your own......
1 year masters will prepare you for the rigors of dschool....undergraduates going into dschool have absolutely no idea what the level of coursework is like when they get there and they tend to have some difficulty adjusting at first.....masters programs will prep you for this transition and will give you the ammunition you need to excel.....as well as feel somewhat comfortable during the first year or two......

 

[IdahoDoc]

best program out there is the 9 month masters from midwestern hands down.

 

[Rubber Dam Man]

so agreed....a post bacc is a waste of time.....1 year masters programs=no thesis or research...unless u wanna do some on your own......
1 year masters will prepare you for the rigors of dschool....undergraduates going into dschool have absolutely no idea what the level of coursework is like when they get there and they tend to have some difficulty adjusting at first.....masters programs will prep you for this transition and will give you the ammunition you need to excel.....as well as feel somewhat comfortable during the first year or two......

HIGHLY AGREE... PLAN B should definitely be a science M.S. degree! ...I'm talking with a lot of experience here. Do not waste your time with a post-bac unless your GPA isn't that bad and the reason you didn't get in isn't necessarily your GPA.

 

[WUD UP]

plan b = med school

 

[dentalWorks]

but kidding aside, I wouldnt do a masters (unless you already have some serious research experience from your undergrad). Stick to doing some sort of formal OR informal post-bacc program (essentially what this means is take 3-4 science class per semester at a some college, and get as many A's possible.)

Then apply to dental school again.

Thats a good advice. I wouldn't touch a masters program with a 10-foot pole ESPECIALLY if my undergrad GPA isn't even touching 3.0.... I am not saying a masters program is a bad idea, I am just saying post-bacc is a better option

HAHAHA.

You would really recommend some classes over a 1 year masters or something? I would think that the masters would look significantly better; however, may be slightly more difficult.

What evidence do you have that a 1 year masters is "slightly more difficult" than post-bacc? When I was contemplating between masters vs post-bacc back in 2006 do you know what some dental schools told me? They said (and paraphrasing here) "well, both options are good, but generally speaking, many masters programs tend to be easy to land a decent mark on them - 3.5 or so".... After that conversation, I jumped ship into an informal post-bacc. I was able to bring my undergrad GPA from 3.0 to 3.3 and my science from 3.15 to 3.6.

I am a HUGE advocate of post-bacc ESPECIALLY if your undergrad gpa is lower than 3.0.

so agreed....a post bacc is a waste of time.....1 year masters programs=no thesis or research...unless u wanna do some on your own......
1 year masters will prepare you for the rigors of dschool....undergraduates going into dschool have absolutely no idea what the level of coursework is like when they get there and they tend to have some difficulty adjusting at first.....masters programs will prep you for this transition and will give you the ammunition you need to excel.....as well as feel somewhat comfortable during the first year or two......

I don't know where to begin to dissect how wrong this post is. Post-bacc is a GREAT option to increase undergrad and science GPAs..... You certainly can't say the same thing for masters program as they give them a separate category with the GPA calculations. Sure some schools lump sum the undergrad+masters GPAs, but most don't.

"1 year masters will prepare you for the rigors of dschool"
the only way this statement is true is if your talking about SMP, anything other than SMP and your statement goes down the drain

"undergraduates going into dschool have absolutely no idea what the level of coursework is like when they get there and they tend to have some difficulty adjusting at first.....masters programs will prep you for this transition and will give you the ammunition you need to excel"
You realize you can accomplish this very "transition" by doing a heavy post-bacc full of 300 and 400 level courses right? Go on and take Biochemistry I, Genetics, Physiology, pharmacology, oh and I almost forgot, Gross anatomy in 1 semester.... and you'll see for yourself.

besides, why would you suggest to have someone "overload" their schedule like that of dental school? Thats not a smart idea if your looking to bring up your GPA, what if you overload your schedule and you end up doing semi-bad? IMO, Anything less than 3.2 would be considered low for a post-bacc or a masters student. So why take that chance?

The OP is trying to increase his chances to land more interviews, so our advice should be adjusted accordingly.

One more point I'd like to make as to why I am so partial to the post-bacc is because its cheaper options than the masters program.... AND if your like me (worked full time) you can tailor your informal post-bacc anyway you like to work around your personal schedule.

 

[DividedByZero]

best program out there is the 9 month masters from midwestern hands down.

LOL. That's quite the statement... what makes you say that?

Although I do agree that a 1 year masters should definitely be plan B, there are several options out there and choosing the best one is highly dependent on the rest of your application.

 

[doc toothache]

Thats a good advice. I wouldn't touch a masters program with a 10-foot pole ESPECIALLY if my undergrad GPA isn't even touching 3.0.... I am not saying a masters program is a bad idea, I am just saying post-bacc is a better option
I am a HUGE advocate of post-bacc ESPECIALLY if your undergrad gpa is lower than 3.0. Go on and take Biochemistry I, Genetics, Physiology, pharmacology, oh and I almost forgot, Gross anatomy in 1 semester.... and you'll see for yourself.

A post bacc is always a good idea especially if it is hard to gain acceptance into an MS program. A graduate program is about one's ability to handle courses that are beyond the level of the sophomore year (for non science major); not so much for experiencing the "rigors of ds". The courses you enumerated may be in the 300 and 400 level but they remain intro courses at best. It is not like you can pack a heck of a lot into a 1 semester gross anatomy course. The main disadvantage of a post bac is that it is not much of a preparation for anything else if plan A fails.

 

[jmt1984]

My advice here may not be popular, since we are all suppose to chase our dreams no matter what, but here it is:

If your uGPA is under 3.0 (like mine was) I think you will find it difficult to shift it regardless of doing a Master's or post-bacc. I'm not going to say that you can't get into dental school, because many people do get in with sub-3.0 GPAs, but I would encourage you to do some soul-searching on other possible career options that you can fall back on if dental school doesn't work out. So my advice would be to get a Master's degree becuase if you end up not getting into dental school, a formal degree program with research experience might prepare you better for another career path.

I was in a similar situation you are in now, and the first time I applied for dental school it was the fall of 2006, and I am still trying, but am aware that dental school might not happen, but hopefully am set up to pursue something else without greatly distrupting my life.

 

[Mudfever]

Thats a good advice. I wouldn't touch a masters program with a 10-foot pole ESPECIALLY if my undergrad GPA isn't even touching 3.0.... I am not saying a masters program is a bad idea, I am just saying post-bacc is a better option



What evidence do you have that a 1 year masters is "slightly more difficult" than post-bacc? When I was contemplating between masters vs post-bacc back in 2006 do you know what some dental schools told me? They said (and paraphrasing here) "well, both options are good, but generally speaking, many masters programs tend to be easy to land a decent mark on them - 3.5 or so".... After that conversation, I jumped ship into an informal post-bacc. I was able to bring my undergrad GPA from 3.0 to 3.3 and my science from 3.15 to 3.6.

I am a HUGE advocate of post-bacc ESPECIALLY if your undergrad gpa is lower than 3.0.



I don't know where to begin to dissect how wrong this post is. Post-bacc is a GREAT option to increase undergrad and science GPAs..... You certainly can't say the same thing for masters program as they give them a separate category with the GPA calculations. Sure some schools lump sum the undergrad+masters GPAs, but most don't.

"1 year masters will prepare you for the rigors of dschool"
the only way this statement is true is if your talking about SMP, anything other than SMP and your statement goes down the drain

"undergraduates going into dschool have absolutely no idea what the level of coursework is like when they get there and they tend to have some difficulty adjusting at first.....masters programs will prep you for this transition and will give you the ammunition you need to excel"
You realize you can accomplish this very "transition" by doing a heavy post-bacc full of 300 and 400 level courses right? Go on and take Biochemistry I, Genetics, Physiology, pharmacology, oh and I almost forgot, Gross anatomy in 1 semester.... and you'll see for yourself.

besides, why would you suggest to have someone "overload" their schedule like that of dental school? Thats not a smart idea if your looking to bring up your GPA, what if you overload your schedule and you end up doing semi-bad? IMO, Anything less than 3.2 would be considered low for a post-bacc or a masters student. So why take that chance?

The OP is trying to increase his chances to land more interviews, so our advice should be adjusted accordingly.

One more point I'd like to make as to why I am so partial to the post-bacc is because its cheaper options than the masters program.... AND if your like me (worked full time) you can tailor your informal post-bacc anyway you like to work around your personal schedule.

This! I have a sub 3.0 GPA. I spoke with multiple schools' deans of admissions and they said the same thing. If you have a low undergraduate science GPA, focus on retaking those courses and all the upper level science courses your university offers and doing well in them (All A's with maybe a B or two). Then once you have aced the undergraduate sciences and still need a boost, then consider a masters. (If you are good at math, english, history, etc., then add one of those courses each semester to help.)

Good Luck,

Mud

 

[userah]

+1 to smp's. Sub 3.0 gpa from undergrad. Did the masters program at umdnj. Got myself 3 interviews this cycle =)

oh and don't listen to jmp1984. I had loads of people tell me to give up and do something else. When you want something bad enough, fight for it and prove to them that this is what you want to do. Negative thinking won't help you get to where you want to go

 

[jmt1984]

oh and don't listen to jmp1984. I had loads of people tell me to give up and do something else. When you want something bad enough, fight for it and prove to them that this is what you want to do. Negative thinking won't help you get to where you want to go

Sorry, not trying to be negative, just realistic that not everyone is able to do what they 'dream'. I agree that negativity is not helpful, and am glad that things have worked out well for you. 👍

 

[pinhi]

Thats a good advice. I wouldn't touch a masters program with a 10-foot pole ESPECIALLY if my undergrad GPA isn't even touching 3.0.... I am not saying a masters program is a bad idea, I am just saying post-bacc is a better option



What evidence do you have that a 1 year masters is "slightly more difficult" than post-bacc? When I was contemplating between masters vs post-bacc back in 2006 do you know what some dental schools told me? They said (and paraphrasing here) "well, both options are good, but generally speaking, many masters programs tend to be easy to land a decent mark on them - 3.5 or so".... After that conversation, I jumped ship into an informal post-bacc. I was able to bring my undergrad GPA from 3.0 to 3.3 and my science from 3.15 to 3.6.

I am a HUGE advocate of post-bacc ESPECIALLY if your undergrad gpa is lower than 3.0.



I don't know where to begin to dissect how wrong this post is. Post-bacc is a GREAT option to increase undergrad and science GPAs..... You certainly can't say the same thing for masters program as they give them a separate category with the GPA calculations. Sure some schools lump sum the undergrad+masters GPAs, but most don't.

"1 year masters will prepare you for the rigors of dschool"
the only way this statement is true is if your talking about SMP, anything other than SMP and your statement goes down the drain

"undergraduates going into dschool have absolutely no idea what the level of coursework is like when they get there and they tend to have some difficulty adjusting at first.....masters programs will prep you for this transition and will give you the ammunition you need to excel"
You realize you can accomplish this very "transition" by doing a heavy post-bacc full of 300 and 400 level courses right? Go on and take Biochemistry I, Genetics, Physiology, pharmacology, oh and I almost forgot, Gross anatomy in 1 semester.... and you'll see for yourself.

besides, why would you suggest to have someone "overload" their schedule like that of dental school? Thats not a smart idea if your looking to bring up your GPA, what if you overload your schedule and you end up doing semi-bad? IMO, Anything less than 3.2 would be considered low for a post-bacc or a masters student. So why take that chance?

The OP is trying to increase his chances to land more interviews, so our advice should be adjusted accordingly.

One more point I'd like to make as to why I am so partial to the post-bacc is because its cheaper options than the masters program.... AND if your like me (worked full time) you can tailor your informal post-bacc anyway you like to work around your personal schedule.

Dentalworks....i feel as tho u r upset here......Im only providing facts about the experiences that i have been through....I completed a masters in biomed and can confidently tell you (and everyone) that it is the best course of action. Post bacc will only have you retake undergrad courses...which again, I will emphasize are MUCH easier than dschool...plus if you take an intensive masters program it is designed to prepare you for the level that dschools/med schools teach......i took physio, anatomy, etc during undergrad.....fine and dandy.....when i got to the masters program (which are 500-600 level courses..not 300-400) i learned what PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL was all about and our exams were med school exams....no joke.....this is in no way equivalent to post bacc....
I understand that the OP wants to increase his/her gpa.....so did i.....i worked hard and did very well and can now say im much more prepared.....(even tho i have friends in dschool right now who say its even harder in dschool......WAY HARDER).....
I'd say that (financials aside)....if you can handle an accelerated masters program (like a 9 month biomed program).....you can handle dschool.....if you cannot...then dschool is going to steam roller your a**....and you will know your limitations......for some people....the masters was their last shot......they couldn't hack it...rather it be there than dschool.....
I have so many friends in dschool telling me about so and so breaking down balling in the classroom b/c they had no idea how overwhelming dschool was going to be.....
This is not intended to scare or deter anyone......this is honest and factual......dschool is going to put a level of strain on you that you have never felt b4......you're going to have to redefine your entire concept of TIME MANAGEMENT and ORGANIZATION or you will drop the ball.......
At least a masters degree will PREPARE you fro PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL....one b/c IT IS PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL.....and you also learn approx. 70% of what you will be taught in dschool......
my program made you carry 18-21 credits per quarter (10 weeks).....rigorous for sure.....dschool will make you carry 27-34 per semester......post bacc will not prepare you for this......it may help bring up your gpa a little but AADSAS is going to give you a CUMMULATIVE gpa either way.....so now i have an ogpa, a sgpa, a masters gpa, etc......
Many adcoms will look at MASTERS first (not all...ie. CASE, NOVA for sure wont).
Just b/c your feelings tell you that you are correct about something doesnt mean you are.....go take an accelerated masters and then we can talk about it ;

 

[DividedByZero]

This! I have a sub 3.0 GPA. I spoke with multiple schools' deans of admissions and they said the same thing. If you have a low undergraduate science GPA, focus on retaking those courses and all the upper level science courses your university offers and doing well in them (All A's with maybe a B or two). Then once you have aced the undergraduate sciences and still need a boost, then consider a masters. (If you are good at math, english, history, etc., then add one of those courses each semester to help.)

Good Luck,

Mud

This is really the best advice on this thread that's written out logically and not in a heat of passion 🙂 I only went for the masters instead of a post-bac because I took all the upper level sciences offered at my school and finished my major in 4 years. A post-bac is a cheaper and safer option if you're a non-science major or have only finished your pre-reqs by graduation. Take all the upper level sciences you can at your local 4-year college and once you've exhausted that resource, then go for the 1 or 2 year Masters degree.

 

[dentalWorks]

Dentalworks....i feel as tho u r upset here

YES I AM, I AM RAGING HERE lol. Just kidding.

Im only providing facts about the experiences that i have been through....I completed a masters in biomed and can confidently tell you (and everyone) that it is the best course of action. Post bacc will only have you retake undergrad courses...which again, I will emphasize are MUCH easier than dschool...plus if you take an intensive masters program it is designed to prepare you for the level that dschools/med schools teach......i took physio, anatomy, etc during undergrad.....fine and dandy.....when i got to the masters program (which are 500-600 level courses..not 300-400) i learned what PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL was all about and our exams were med school exams....no joke.....this is in no way equivalent to post bacc....
I understand that the OP wants to increase his/her gpa.....so did i.....i worked hard and did very well and can now say im much more prepared.....(even tho i have friends in dschool right now who say its even harder in dschool......WAY HARDER).....
I'd say that (financials aside)....if you can handle an accelerated masters program (like a 9 month biomed program).....you can handle dschool.....if you cannot...then dschool is going to steam roller your a**....and you will know your limitations......for some people....the masters was their last shot......they couldn't hack it...rather it be there than dschool.....
I have so many friends in dschool telling me about so and so breaking down balling in the classroom b/c they had no idea how overwhelming dschool was going to be.....
This is not intended to scare or deter anyone......this is honest and factual......dschool is going to put a level of strain on you that you have never felt b4......you're going to have to redefine your entire concept of TIME MANAGEMENT and ORGANIZATION or you will drop the ball.......
At least a masters degree will PREPARE you fro PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL....one b/c IT IS PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL.....and you also learn approx. 70% of what you will be taught in dschool......
my program made you carry 18-21 credits per quarter (10 weeks).....rigorous for sure.....dschool will make you carry 27-34 per semester......post bacc will not prepare you for this......it may help bring up your gpa a little but AADSAS is going to give you a CUMMULATIVE gpa either way.....so now i have an ogpa, a sgpa, a masters gpa, etc......
Many adcoms will look at MASTERS first (not all...ie. CASE, NOVA for sure wont).

You realize many of the 400 level undergrad courses that you claim are "easy" are the SAME courses offered to the grad students with the number "500" infront. Thats right, they sit in class with us, take the SAME EXAMs with us, same lecture notes, pretty much the same level of education. The major difference between us and them is they have additional homework assignments or more research articles to write up at the end of the semester. For example, in my advanced human physiology course right now, there are 25 of us, where 3 are master's students. Our Requirements are exactly the same, the ONLY difference between us, is that at the end of the semester, the 400 students need to write up a 15-20 page research article and the 500 students need to do 2 articles before the end of the term...... Point I am trying to make, undergrad courses CAN be almost as difficult as a tough 1 year masters program IF YOU DECIDE TO OVERLOAD YOUR CURRICULUM (which for the life of me, I can't understand why anyone in their right minds would want to do that in the first place)

Getting into dental school is a numbers game. You can throw your EC's, LORs, personal statement in my face all you want, but without strong numbers (GPA for example) your odds of an interview are rather low. So the first step to improving your chances is to IMPROVE YOUR STATS.

pinhi, you are combining two very different aspects of the dental application into one. "improving my chances to get into dental school" is NOT the same as "I need to expose myself to the difficulties of dental school cirriculum". These are two separate ideas. Do you have any idea how many people start dental school WITHOUT ANY PREVIOUS EXPOSURE to the difficulty of the dental curriculum? I don't have any data in front of me, but I am pretty sure majority of new enrollees are folks straight out of undergrad. And I forgot where I saw this, but more than 90% of people starting DS year 1 end up graduating with DDS/DMD. Majority of these kids didn't have dschool steam roll thier a**, well, maybe it did, but they still managed to get through it. Why? I am guessing because many people have an amazing ability to adapt to new environments, irrespective of how unpleasant it might be.

The point I am trying to make is, if you have a low GPA / low stats, find a MANAGEABLE way to improve your numbers. Simply aiming at the MOST difficult route isn't a smart idea. Do you know how many people have taken these super tough 1 year SMPs and ended up doing mediocre and possibly shutting the door of ever getting into a professional school? I don't have numbers, but I imagine quite a few. Now these same "mediocre" folks I am referring to, you realize if they perform at the same mediocre level in DS, they woulda most likely passed dental school. Sure they ain't any where near the top of the class or even the average, but at least they woulda passed (obviously, making a lot of assumptions here..... but so is the nature of this whole debate)

Another thing you need to consider is, many people, CANNOT find an SMP in their area. If your going to advice someone to pursue an SMP instead of a post-bacc, you best be sure that the person DOES HAVE access to an SMP. No point in telling someone that "a post bacc is a waste of time" when that person has no other option. You see what am saying? And also, some folks have jobs, leaving thier work and income just to complete an SMP program that MIGHT get them into dental school is just foolish when you can pretty much accomplish the same goal (getting into dental school) WHILE keeping your job.

I've said my opinion before and I'll say it again, post-bacc > masters UNDER MOST CASES. Of course, there are some instances where a post-bacc would be a waste of time, and that mostly applies to students who have decent GPAs to begin with and have taken many of the upper level sciences in undergrad, there simply isn't many more classes to take.... Yes these people would benefit from an SMP in the 1 year off

go take an accelerated masters and then we can talk about it ;

Planning on it as we speak, matter of fact, my first interview is in 2 days.

 

[FutureDent020]

You don't need a program to prepare you for the rigors of dental school. The information is easy to grasp. The hard part is having to go to class from 8-5 then come home and study for several hours. Or stay in all weekend and study. You will adapt to this in the first couple weeks though. No need to start adapting through means of some accelerated masters program, even if they are similar.

 

[coolslugs]

I'm a senior this year. Without making any excuses for myself my GPA at the moment is under a 3.0. Everyother part of my portfolio is good however. So anyway since there is a good chance I won't be getting into dental school this cycle what should I be pursuing for next year as an alternative? Should I try to get a Masters Degree or find a job or an internship or try getting a second major. I'm not giving up on dental school anytime soon, I'm just looking for advice as to what I can do to improve my chances for next time.

I think the first thing you should do is to calculate whether doing a 5th year would significantly improve your undergraduate GPA. If not, I would look into a Special Masters Program to establish a separate graduate GPA that will also influence your cumulative GPA (Undergrad + Grad combined). A Special Masters Program (SMP) is usually a course work only, non-thesis program specially designed to help enhance your credentials and solidify your science background. Please note that it is not a traditional research based Masters program where you only take 12 units or less per term.

Here is a sample curriculum of a SMP. If you challenge yourself and do well, your application will look much better and you will also have a easier transition into dental school. Although the minimum is 15 units, serious students average at least 17 units per term.

Midwestern University - MA in Biomedical Science
Fall Quarter, (15 credits minimum)
Required Courses:
HIST 1502 Histology (3 credits)
BMED 508 Learning Styles and Assessment (1 credit)
BMED 550 Biochemistry (3 credits)
BMED 554 Molecular Cell Biology (3 credits)
PHYS 571 Human Physiology I (4 credits)

Winter Quarter, (15 credits minimum)
Required Courses:
ANAT 503 Human Anatomy with Laboratory (4 credits)
BMED 500 Introduction to Capstone Course (1 credit)
BMED 522 Microbiology, Immunology, Virology I (3 credits)
BMED 574 Pharmacology I (3 credits)
PHYS 582 Human Physiology II (4 credits)

Spring Quarter, (15 credits minimum)
Required Courses:
BMED 516 Introduction to Medical Ethics (3 credits)
BMED 523 Microbiology, Immunology, Virology II (3 credits)
BMED 541 Genetics (3 credits)
BMED 575 Pharmacology II (3 credits)
BMED 590 Capstone Course (3 credits)

Selected Elective Course Options: Medical Terminology, Pre-Professional Exam Prep, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Embryology, Oncology, Medicinal Chemistry, Nutritional Biochemistry with Laboratory, Health Career Planning, Neuroscience, Pathophysiology


UMDNJ - Master in Biomedical Science (MBS)
Semester I (Fall)
Fundamentals 1/Dental Physiology* 3/5
Research rotation† 2
Seminar 1
Elective(s)‡ 4-6
Total 12-14

Semester II (Spring)
Fundamentals 2/Dental Biochem.* 3/4
Elective(s)‡ 7-10
2nd research rotation† 0-2
June elective§ 3
Total 12-18
______________________________________
TOTAL 30
*Students in Dental Physiology and Dental Biochemistry are taught and graded identically with the dental school class.
‡Dental interest electives include Oral Microbiology, Dental Histology and Dental Immunology, which are also taught side by side with dental students

 

[pinhi]

YES I AM, I AM RAGING HERE lol. Just kidding.



You realize many of the 400 level undergrad courses that you claim are "easy" are the SAME courses offered to the grad students with the number "500" infront. Thats right, they sit in class with us, take the SAME EXAMs with us, same lecture notes, pretty much the same level of education. The major difference between us and them is they have additional homework assignments or more research articles to write up at the end of the semester. For example, in my advanced human physiology course right now, there are 25 of us, where 3 are master's students. Our Requirements are exactly the same, the ONLY difference between us, is that at the end of the semester, the 400 students need to write up a 15-20 page research article and the 500 students need to do 2 articles before the end of the term...... Point I am trying to make, undergrad courses CAN be almost as difficult as a tough 1 year masters program IF YOU DECIDE TO OVERLOAD YOUR CURRICULUM (which for the life of me, I can't understand why anyone in their right minds would want to do that in the first place)

Getting into dental school is a numbers game. You can throw your EC's, LORs, personal statement in my face all you want, but without strong numbers (GPA for example) your odds of an interview are rather low. So the first step to improving your chances is to IMPROVE YOUR STATS.

pinhi, you are combining two very different aspects of the dental application into one. "improving my chances to get into dental school" is NOT the same as "I need to expose myself to the difficulties of dental school cirriculum". These are two separate ideas. Do you have any idea how many people start dental school WITHOUT ANY PREVIOUS EXPOSURE to the difficulty of the dental curriculum? I don't have any data in front of me, but I am pretty sure majority of new enrollees are folks straight out of undergrad. And I forgot where I saw this, but more than 90% of people starting DS year 1 end up graduating with DDS/DMD. Majority of these kids didn't have dschool steam roll thier a**, well, maybe it did, but they still managed to get through it. Why? I am guessing because many people have an amazing ability to adapt to new environments, irrespective of how unpleasant it might be.

The point I am trying to make is, if you have a low GPA / low stats, find a MANAGEABLE way to improve your numbers. Simply aiming at the MOST difficult route isn't a smart idea. Do you know how many people have taken these super tough 1 year SMPs and ended up doing mediocre and possibly shutting the door of ever getting into a professional school? I don't have numbers, but I imagine quite a few. Now these same "mediocre" folks I am referring to, you realize if they perform at the same mediocre level in DS, they woulda most likely passed dental school. Sure they ain't any where near the top of the class or even the average, but at least they woulda passed (obviously, making a lot of assumptions here..... but so is the nature of this whole debate)

Another thing you need to consider is, many people, CANNOT find an SMP in their area. If your going to advice someone to pursue an SMP instead of a post-bacc, you best be sure that the person DOES HAVE access to an SMP. No point in telling someone that "a post bacc is a waste of time" when that person has no other option. You see what am saying? And also, some folks have jobs, leaving thier work and income just to complete an SMP program that MIGHT get them into dental school is just foolish when you can pretty much accomplish the same goal (getting into dental school) WHILE keeping your job.

I've said my opinion before and I'll say it again, post-bacc > masters UNDER MOST CASES. Of course, there are some instances where a post-bacc would be a waste of time, and that mostly applies to students who have decent GPAs to begin with and have taken many of the upper level sciences in undergrad, there simply isn't many more classes to take.... Yes these people would benefit from an SMP in the 1 year off


Planning on it as we speak, matter of fact, my first interview is in 2 days.

Dental works....i appreciate your feedback here.....I am never opposed to a good debate and if someone can present a solid argument then I will be the first to say so.....
That being said...some of your words are valid...others are not....but its alright for us to disagree......From all of the info i have been given + my experiences i have come to find that the SMP is the most direct and looks the best on your app.....adcoms will respond to it more readily....
I was also told to do some post bacc work several years ago and instead chose to do the masters....took me a little while to decide.....
anyway....what i took away from my SMP is what I am holding on to with respect to this discussion......the OP needs to make his own decision regarding this matter....afterall that is why he posted this thread....
Read coolslug's post .....i have to say he has presented a strong case for predental school foundations......many people move from their home state to undertake these programs and it would be very difficult to work during the course of a SMP...but it's possible...not suggested if you want to do well and improve your grades tho....😉
Also ..you are correct (as is futuredent)...some students dont need to prepare for dschool or take a post bacc or masters program...they did well in undergrad....the OP seems to need a plan B in case he doesnt get in tho so im thinking hes concerned about his undergrad performance....however as futuredent said: people do have the ability to adapt...... and will have to in dschool anyway.....

 

[JBieber]

"you dont need a plan B because it detracts from plan A" - some guy on this forum's sig

 

[dentalWorks]

Dentalworks....its alright for us to disagree......

👍

I am sure everyone knows this, but the purpose of these threads is not to prove whos ideas and opinions are correct but rather to state them in a logical fasion and let the readers (such as the OP) decide for themselves what is the best option for their future.....

We both made our arguments, even though we didn't agree on the same thing, I believe that we can both agree that whoever reads this thread in the near future can make a better decision for their future endeavors.

 

[yappy]

OP - do yourself a favor and calculate what your GPA would be if you delayed graduation 1 year and got a 3.7+ @ 15 credits / term for a 5th year plus this summer. If you can go from 2.9 -> 3.2+ just do the 5th year. If you dont already get a great DAT score.
You'll have a below avg gpa (but not terrible) + good DAT + good upward trend.
I dont know as much as these other guys but that's what I would do. Less money and less risk.

PS start your GPA turn around this term too! Now you'll have two years of upward trending 😉

 

[CANgnome]

These days i kind of wish I did a post-bacc instead of a Masters because, yes, some schools do not lump Masters and undergrad scores together.

However, I have taken just about all the upper div biology courses at my undergrad school, so it seems like Masters in Biology is the only option.

But I would say that if your undergrad GPA is below 3.0 or even just a little above like me, post-bacc is probably better.

 

[pinhi]

👍

I am sure everyone knows this, but the purpose of these threads is not to prove whos ideas and opinions are correct but rather to state them in a logical fasion and let the readers (such as the OP) decide for themselves what is the best option for their future.....

We both made our arguments, even though we didn't agree on the same thing, I believe that we can both agree that whoever reads this thread in the near future can make a better decision for their future endeavors.

absolutely agreed!! 🙂

 

[r8 dds]

best program out there is the 9 month masters from midwestern hands down.

This in itself is difficult to get into.

 

[pinhi]

This in itself is difficult to get into.

so true.....the program has been getting harder and harder to gain acceptance....which is becoming the trend all over the place.....

 

[promolion]

explore community college option.