post-grad plans for pre-dents with low GPAs? Do grad schools take DAT?

[Dr.CinnamonRoll]

LONG STORY SHORT, my GPA probably ain't gonna cut it (3.25 cGPA, 3. 2 sGPa). I still have a year to bring it to a 3.38 cgpa and 3.29 sGPa before I graduate and apply, but I still don't know if i'll make the cut, thus, im planning on post-graduation plans on the very likely chance that I end up unwanted 🙁.

Do you guys have any suggestions for post-graduation? I've heard of nearby schools offering bms programs for students that need to up their gpa, but I'm not sure how competitive those are. I also have no idea how competitive masters programs are either, because I can't seem to find acceptance rates or student matriculation stats online.

I've heard of this program at johns hopkins called post-bacc health science intensive, which basically gives you an addition to every aspect of your medical/dental application, but again, I have no idea how difficult it might be to get into... I can imagine it's very difficult, considering it's brand name.

The thing that sucks is that people tell me to try going for a masters or post-bac, but I'm not sure if I'll make the cut for that either... And now, i'm wondering if I need to start preparing for the GRE, even though I'm not done with the DAT, simply because I don't know if grad schools around me will take DAT scores... HELP ME

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[Dr.CinnamonRoll]

nvm on the johns hopkins program... they said it's their most intensive and competitive program out of all grad school programs at jh lol... Question still stands though

 

[Kouneko]

Did you even try searching google "Low GPA Post-Bacc SDN"? Tons of information will pop up on which post-bacc/SMPs are good, GPAs, etc.

Besides, your GPA isn't that low. If you do really well on your DAT you won't need a post-bacc. In case that you did not do well, look into Rutgers, Barry's, BU, WesternU, Tufts, Tulane, LECOM etc. For all of these, you won't need GRE to apply, just DAT. So just do well on that DAT then everything will be fine 😉.

 

[Dr.CinnamonRoll]

Did you even try searching google "Low GPA Post-Bacc SDN"? Tons of information will pop up on which post-bacc/SMPs are good, GPAs, etc.

Besides, your GPA isn't that low. If you do really well on your DAT you won't need a post-bacc. In case that you did not do well, look into Rutgers, Barry's, BU, WesternU, Tufts, Tulane, LECOM etc. For all of these, you won't need GRE to apply, just DAT. So just do well on that DAT then everything will be fine 😉.

haha this was supposed to be a thread on questions I had about jh, UMich, and other grad schools that I couldn't find, but I changed it before uploading. should've done more research i guess (now im embarrassed)
and yea you're right, google shows that alot of grad schools take DAT scores o.o .. More motivation to do well!!

 

[Ollivander]

You're not in a terrible position GPA wise. You're on the low end for sure, but there are people that have been in worse situations compared to the one you're in. Tread lightly with SMPs and formal post-bacc's. They could take your current standing and either vault you into dental school, but they could juts as easily flush your hopes and dreams down the drain. I used to be an advocate for SMPs. Now I'm jaded though and try to steer those students who don't necessarily excel in their undergrad science courses to avoid these programs (particularly the masters programs). I've seen more accounts personally and on this forum of students pursuing other career options afterwards than the success stories that gain entry into their targeted professional school.

There are two types of people. Those who have the academic potential to excel but haven't put forth enough effort in their undergrad which resulted in a poor GPA, and those who actually struggle grasping concepts and content at a quick pace. In dental school it's one thing. All you've got to essentially do is pass. In these SMPs and formal post-bacc's you need to excel and be towards the top of the class with a 3.6+ if not better. My advice would be to go with a post-bacc over a SMP, and I'd suggest one where you can pick the courses you're taking. So essentially an informal post-bacc at a local state university where you're taking upper level science courses you've yet to take.

Good luck!

 

[Atdent]

You're not in a terrible position GPA wise. You're on the low end for sure, but there are people that have been in worse situations compared to the one you're in. Tread lightly with SMPs and formal post-bacc's. They could take your current standing and either vault you into dental school, but they could juts as easily flush your hopes and dreams down the drain. I used to be an advocate for SMPs. Now I'm jaded though and try to steer those students who don't necessarily excel in their undergrad science courses to avoid these programs (particularly the masters programs). I've seen more accounts personally and on this forum of students pursuing other career options afterwards than the success stories that gain entry into their targeted professional school.

There are two types of people. Those who have the academic potential to excel but haven't put forth enough effort in their undergrad which resulted in a poor GPA, and those who actually struggle grasping concepts and content at a quick pace. In dental school it's one thing. All you've got to essentially do is pass. In these SMPs and formal post-bacc's you need to excel and be towards the top of the class with a 3.6+ if not better. My advice would be to go with a post-bacc over a SMP, and I'd suggest one where you can pick the courses you're taking. So essentially an informal post-bacc at a local state university where you're taking upper level science courses you've yet to take.

Good luck!

Is this true? If you research masters programs, you'll see that many of them display statistics in favor of graduates moving onto a professional school (as high as 9/10 graduates). I may be wrong.

 

[Ollivander]

Is this true? If you research masters programs, you'll see that many of them display statistics in favor of graduates moving onto a professional school (as high as 9/10 graduates). I may be wrong.

I know the statistics you're speaking of. I relied on them heavily when sorting through which masters program I'd attend myself. My firsthand experience with about 40 other people in one of those has painted a different picture versus the statistics these schools put online. I'm not saying it's all fabricated. I just have skepticism. I have a lot of peers as well as messages in my inbox on here of people who are sitting out multiple years after completing a masters program still trying to get accepted. Take that for what's it's worth. Do your own research and ask around. There have to be 50 or more threads on past experiences. I think some of the for-profit SMPs make multiple accounts on here to hype their programs though (Barry).

I'd say pursue a post-bacc if I were you. It's less of a risk financially and to your GPA. I'd only resort to a SMP if you were trying to get into medical school where you were guaranteed a seat upon achieving a certain GPA. These professional schools just want to see that you're excelling in upper level science courses. By enrolling in a SMP, you're taking it upon yourself to essentially take on similar if not identical courses you'd be taking first year of dental school while being asked to get a high GPA to prove to dental schools you can hack it. Anything less than a 3.5+ won't cut it from the accounts I've seen of people who have matriculated. I myself think that's a tall order to fill. I think post-bacc's offer a similar return at a lower academic and financial risk.

 

[Dr.CinnamonRoll]

I know the statistics you're speaking of. I relied on them heavily when sorting through which masters program I'd attend myself. My firsthand experience with about 40 other people in one of those has painted a different picture versus the statistics these schools put online. I'm not saying it's all fabricated. I just have skepticism. I have a lot of peers as well as messages in my inbox on here of people who are sitting out multiple years after completing a masters program still trying to get accepted. Take that for what's it's worth. Do your own research and ask around. There have to be 50 or more threads on past experiences. I think some of the for-profit SMPs make multiple accounts on here to hype their programs though (Barry).

I'd say pursue a post-bacc if I were you. It's less of a risk financially and to your GPA. I'd only resort to a SMP if you were trying to get into medical school where you were guaranteed a seat upon achieving a certain GPA. These professional schools just want to see that you're excelling in upper level science courses. By enrolling in a SMP, you're taking it upon yourself to essentially take on similar if not identical courses you'd be taking first year of dental school while being asked to get a high GPA to prove to dental schools you can hack it. Anything less than a 3.5+ won't cut it from the accounts I've seen of people who have matriculated. I myself think that's a tall order to fill. I think post-bacc's offer a similar return at a lower academic and financial risk.

now that i think about it, what you said makes alot of sense. I know alot of smps combine their masters and medical courses (almost every one that I was interested in), so I can imagine that it'd be very difficult to do well against them... well that's terrifying...

But I know of programs where their job is to enhance your academic scores, so wouldn't they take that into account? I feel like they wouldn't grind you down as hard as med/dental students if they know you're only using them as a stepping stone to get into a professional school. like, some of the grad sites actually say that the sole purpose of the program is to help those that are academically at a disadvantage 😵

 

[FeralisExtremum]

Doing well enough on the DAT could allow you to avoid a post-bac/master's entirely. I would make excelling on that your current focus rather than grad programs until you've got a better idea of your current situation.

 

[Ollivander]

now that i think about it, what you said makes alot of sense. I know alot of smps combine their masters and medical courses (almost every one that I was interested in), so I can imagine that it'd be very difficult to do well against them... well that's terrifying...

But I know of programs where their job is to enhance your academic scores, so wouldn't they take that into account? I feel like they wouldn't grind you down as hard as med/dental students if they know you're only using them as a stepping stone to get into a professional school. like, some of the grad sites actually say that the sole purpose of the program is to help those that are academically at a disadvantage 😵

When I started asking similar questions on here people would tell me how there was a grade inflation in these types of masters programs because they want you to do well for all your hard work and willingness to go the extra mile. I think that's a load of crap. These programs are around to make a profit off students who weren't able to achieve certain statistics in undergrad. Mind you, this is completely my own biased opinion from a jaded past experience and my own research. Some schools out there I believe really do want you to succeed and that's their goal. I think there's definitely a mix of each type of program though. We never had a curve or anything of that sort. We were graded on the same scale as the vet students that were going to the same school, and taking the same or similar first year courses as they were. Like I said, if you're going to keep taking more classes I'd do more upper level undergrad science courses. It's less of a risk. I think @FeralisExtremum's advice was spot on though. You're in a spot where you'd benefit primarily from your DAT score. Why spend 25-50K on a SMP or formal post-bacc when you can just work towards improving your DAT score and get in after doing that? You're very close to a 3.4 oGPA/3.3 sGPA which I've seen several students on here gain acceptance with. You just need to shoot for a good DAT score. If you raised your GPA to what I just listed and knocked the DAT out of the park, you'd get in somewhere if you applied smart and broadly enough.

 

[periopocket]

A masters could help a lot, but may be unnecessary, a 22+ Dat could do the trick my boy/girl.


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[tlnjd117]

Just to answer your question: western u's masters in medical sciences program accepts DAT scores!

 

[Dr.CinnamonRoll]

Doing well enough on the DAT could allow you to avoid a post-bac/master's entirely. I would make excelling on that your current focus rather than grad programs until you've got a better idea of your current situation.

I JUST realized that you're the guy that got a crazy score on his DAT. I knew I recognized your name from somewhere!
Your notes are alot of help btw, thanks for those. 😀