PLEASE HELP ASAP regarding Post-bacc

[SJL81]

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[Bis-GMA111]

Hi, I need help on making a decision and was wondering if SDN people can help me to decide.

I graduated undergraduate with 2.34 GPA and majored in Biology. I passed all of my science courses with C or better except for organic chemistry I which I got D in (I got C in organic chemistry II).

With that said, I applied to couple of post-bacc programs/master's programs hoping that I can improve my academic record. I got into Northeastern Univeristy's pre-medical post-bacc program (undergraduate) and Mississippi College's 1-year MS in Medical Sciences (graduate). Since I am trying to enhance my academic record to make myself a better candidate for dental school, I didn't know which route to take.

Would it be better for me to take few 400 level undergraduate courses at Northeastern retaking organic chemistry (increasing my undergraduate GPA to about 2.5~2.7) and start master's program after a year or is it better for me to just go straight to master's program keeping my current undergraduate GPA?

Please help and share some of your thoughts! I would really appreciate it!

graduate program. post bacc is meant to help those who have borderline gpas above 3. with a 2.3, enroll in a masters and do well (like minimum 3.85)

edit: you have to retake orgo I because the minimum requirement is a C for dental schools. retake orgo, do well, then go to the masters. good luck!

 

[SJL81]

thanks for your input! do you think i should retake organic chemistry while attending graduate program?

 

[Bis-GMA111]

thanks for your input! do you think i should retake organic chemistry while attending graduate program?

grad school is tough, but if you can handle orgo while doing that then go for it.

only you know your limitations. if you're motivated, and are willing to put in the time then go for it.

 

[LaughingGas]

I think you are looking for at least 2+ years of work. IMO I think you should be in postbac first then masters. Despite of the numbers, you haven't shown you can get As in hard sciences, and graduate level courses are tougher (except for those research units). What makes you think you can suddenly get As doing graduate level courses. Sorry if I sound harsh but if you go to master directly ,in my opion, worst case scenario you end up doing bad, not only you are adding more debts but also you run out of options. While you stil have an option of advancing from postbac to masters, it is bad idea to go back to taking upper div bio classes after masters. You know your own capabilities so in the end it's up to you
Best luck

 

[Bis-GMA111]

I think you are looking for at least 2+ years of work. IMO I think you should be in postbac first then masters. Despite of the numbers, you haven't shown you can get As in hard sciences, and graduate level courses are tougher (except for those research units). What makes you think you can suddenly get As doing graduate level courses. Sorry if I sound harsh but if you go to master directly ,in my opion, worst case scenario you end up doing bad, not only you are adding more debts but also you run out of options. While you stil have an option of advancing from postbac to masters, it is bad idea to go back to taking upper div bio classes after masters. You know your own capabilities so in the end it's up to you
Best luck

good point.

 

[SJL81]

can i just retake organic chemistry I and recover the D, or do i have to retake 2 as well eventhough I got C in orgaic chemistry II?

 

[SJL81]

thanks for your input laughinggas! you have a good point about leaving my options open...

 

[Bis-GMA111]

can i just retake organic chemistry I and recover the D, or do i have to retake 2 as well eventhough I got C in orgaic chemistry II?

retake orgo 1 only. it would be a waste of time to retake 2 in my opinion.

try to get your gpa as close as possible to 3.0 before enrolling in a masters program. i've heard of people getting into dental schools with like 2.7-2.9 but a really good masters gpa (but thats just from my personal experience). to help you, search the forums for the gpa calculator. by playing around with some numbers, you'll see what it would take to get your gpa to a certain point

 

[doc toothache]

You can get into a grad program with a 2.3?

 

[Bis-GMA111]

You can get into a grad program with a 2.3?

some programs just want $$. it wouldn't surprise me really

 

[jmukid]

Some schools actually require the post-bacc in order to do masters so i would contact certain schools your interested in and talk to them. But i think your looking at 2+ years of grad school. You have to do really well in post-bacc and then also do really well in masters to have any chance.

 

[periopocket]

Postbacc it to 3.0 and then do Masters. Masters is harder than undergrad classes, so become comfortable enough to get 4.0 in masters.

 

[SJL81]

i've been playing with some numbers and it seems like i can get my gpa up to 2.7~2.77 if i take 1 year of post-bacc and do really well in it..by then i would have taken all of upper level bio courses as undergraduate. do you think it's worth it to do one year of post-bacc before enrolling in master's even though it's well below 3.0?

 

[jhc83]

i've been playing with some numbers and it seems like i can get my gpa up to 2.7~2.77 if i take 1 year of post-bacc and do really well in it..by then i would have taken all of upper level bio courses as undergraduate. do you think it's worth it to do one year of post-bacc before enrolling in master's even though it's well below 3.0?

I would recommend just doing master's.
Master's courses are somewhat challenging but you should be able to do well if you work at it.

Good luck!

 

[calid]

A post-bacc is probably a waste of time with that low of a GPA. Do a SMP and get a 3.75+ in it, at which point schools pay much less attention to your Undergrad GPA, if at all. Doing a post-bacc with the intent of then going on to do a Master's is kind of counterproductive.

 

[Bis-GMA111]

A post-bacc is probably a waste of time with that low of a GPA. Do a SMP and get a 3.75+ in it, at which point schools pay much less attention to your Undergrad GPA, if at all. Doing a post-bacc with the intent of then going on to do a Master's is kind of counterproductive.

while that is a valid point, not all schools do that. nova is really the only school that i found to more or less neglect a low ugrad gpa in favor of a high masters gpa. most other schools that i spoke to still look at the cumulative gpa of both ugrad+grad. if it's below their standards, then they'll give the benefit of the doubt to the high masters gpa... so it's not like they completely neglect the ugrad gpa

 

[SJL81]

thanks for that info preDENT1210.. so do you suggest that i go thru one year of post-bacc if i can get my undergraduate gpa from 2.33 to 2.7? plus, i believe i can defer my master's at mississippi(which is a one year program) until next year so i will have something set up when im done with the post-bacc..i don't mind spending more time in school preparing as long as i become a competitive candidate for dental schools.

 

[calid]

while that is a valid point, not all schools do that. nova is really the only school that i found to more or less neglect a low ugrad gpa in favor of a high masters gpa. most other schools that i spoke to still look at the cumulative gpa of both ugrad+grad. if it's below their standards, then they'll give the benefit of the doubt to the high masters gpa... so it's not like they completely neglect the ugrad gpa

western u also does. it's the same logic as saying 'schools like an upward trend.'

 

[KittySquared]

If you want your masters to really give you a boost, your undergrad GPA really should be hovering at a 2.9 at the very worst case scenario. With more and more people doing masters, you want your degree to count. While most people do well in their masters with a 3.7+, it'll boil down to comparing your undergrad GPA. Those with higher undergrad GPA will take precedence.

How many credits do you have from undergrad? I can help you calculate your grades. But it seems like you need at least 4 science class in the fall and 4 in the spring to raise that GPA up close to a 3.0, and then 3 more classes in the summer. And then do a 1 year masters starting next fall and apply summer of 2014. If you want to apply next summer, I suggest you apply to only the newer schools like the two Midwesterns and LECOM and Roseman. That way, you can forward your fall masters transcript over during academic update so that you can at least give it a shot. Otherwise, if you successfully complete your masters, you'll have a much higher chance the summer after if that makes sense.

 

[gcecchini]

Sorry to jack this thread, but I need some advice. I graduated with a Molecular and Cellular Biology degree with uGPA 3.3 and sGPA of 3.2. I applied to dental school once and got denied, but my DAT scores were fairly low. I retook my DAT this summer at got 19's TS, AA, PAT.

What do you guys suggest doing now? Masters program or postbacc to boost my GPA?

Thanks for the replies in advanced.