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Scholarship Access: Becoming a Student Doctor course
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what to do?
- Thread starter valuepak17
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With your GPA, I'd take a full course load. 2 classes a semester isn't going to cut it.
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Go get another useful degree, such as an MBA. It will help you run a more efficient practice and give you a boost for the next application cycle. But you are going to have to kill the GMAT in order to get into a decent MBA program.
This way if you do not get in next time, you will have a good back up.
This way if you do not get in next time, you will have a good back up.
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I agree, take full course load and choose your class carefully! What I meant is that choose class that you think you will get "A"s, like those easier bio courses or any other courses thatz easy for you. You objective now is to raise your gpa. So again, try to get a 4.0 next semester and study the entire summer to rock the DAT. Then you'll be fine
Oh btw, quit your day job, sounds like its affecting your grades!!!
best of luck🙂
Oh btw, quit your day job, sounds like its affecting your grades!!!
best of luck🙂
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well...im actually already out of school....ive been in this lab for almost 2 years....i got a 21/21/19 on my dat.... i just want to boost my gpa somehow....but i heard that i have to take harder classes to show that i can do well....i dont think easier bio classes will look good..they might think its a booster class and will not take it serious...
you DO NOT need to retake your DAT. I think your DAT scores are fine. its just your GPA that is killing you. i don't know how many units you have completed already, but if you can bring that GPA to like 2.9+ you probably be ok next year after taking some full load sci courses for the next coming semesters.
if you don't think you can get your GPA to around 2.9 then i think you should go for your MBA.
good luck
if you don't think you can get your GPA to around 2.9 then i think you should go for your MBA.
good luck
I dont know about the states, but in Canada, getting into an MBA program is just as hard (if not harder) as getting into a dental program.
wy do you think you should quit your job?
are you saying that yo uwon't be able to g to school while working in te lab?
are you saying that yo uwon't be able to g to school while working in te lab?
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Depends where you want to go. The program I went to was very competitive in that you need a 600+ on GMAT, 3.5 gpa and min 2 years work experience.
There are about 1000 MBA programs in the USA. Of those around 500-600 are accredited by the AACSB. This is the gold standard. DO NOT attend any program that does not have this accreditation. You will get a watered down degree and it won't do much in the work force. When I was at Citibank, we looked to see if applicants with MBA's went to a school with this accreditation.
Schools may sometimes have a regional accreditation, but thats not good enough... it needs the AACSB stamp of approval.
Any question, just let me know.
There are about 1000 MBA programs in the USA. Of those around 500-600 are accredited by the AACSB. This is the gold standard. DO NOT attend any program that does not have this accreditation. You will get a watered down degree and it won't do much in the work force. When I was at Citibank, we looked to see if applicants with MBA's went to a school with this accreditation.
Schools may sometimes have a regional accreditation, but thats not good enough... it needs the AACSB stamp of approval.
Any question, just let me know.
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I think perfect is the last person you should be taking advice from, he hasn't even been accepted to any schools yet.
valuepak,
i was in your place last year thinking of what to do to make my application more competitive. I looked at MS and post bacc programs and they either seemed too long and/or out of my interest. So i made up my own post bacc program by taking upper level bio and chem courses this fall and spring semester. I managed to get 3.88 GPA by taking these courses, but they all will be averaged with my undergrad grades since this is not a separate program. this is what UPitt told me today. the secretary said had i enrolled in a post bacc program (10-12 Credits), they would look at that separetely and often instead of my undergrad GPA since it is a separete program. i wish if i had known this before. Now i am letting you know. It seems schools do give value to post bacc programs eventhough they are only 10-12 credits.
Comet
i was in your place last year thinking of what to do to make my application more competitive. I looked at MS and post bacc programs and they either seemed too long and/or out of my interest. So i made up my own post bacc program by taking upper level bio and chem courses this fall and spring semester. I managed to get 3.88 GPA by taking these courses, but they all will be averaged with my undergrad grades since this is not a separate program. this is what UPitt told me today. the secretary said had i enrolled in a post bacc program (10-12 Credits), they would look at that separetely and often instead of my undergrad GPA since it is a separete program. i wish if i had known this before. Now i am letting you know. It seems schools do give value to post bacc programs eventhough they are only 10-12 credits.
Comet
Ahhhh... and i JUST figured it out that the Post-Bacc programs are NOT for people who majored in bio/chem/biochem or any health related fields. the curriculum for most just incluse taking 1 year of bio/chem/orgo/math/physics.... didnt we just take these all as undergrads?? thats why the program is not designed for us. Rather, it is designed to cater to those who are making career changes. I wonder if there is a program for us (beside masters programs)
Comet
Comet
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Then In my case I have to figure out a way to get into a post bacc. But by the time I put myself in position of applying to one.
I would have taken all the prereqs, which leads me to wonder what the point of applying to post bacc is if all the coursework is done??😕
I would have taken all the prereqs, which leads me to wonder what the point of applying to post bacc is if all the coursework is done??😕
Blankguy,
BU has a MS of biomedical sciences that is designed for unsecessful applicants to health professional schools like us. you can finish the program in 2 semesters and a summer if you work hard. they let anyone in as long as you can afford it and have GPA of around 3.0. Usually a MS makes up for poor grades in undergrad.
Comet
BU has a MS of biomedical sciences that is designed for unsecessful applicants to health professional schools like us. you can finish the program in 2 semesters and a summer if you work hard. they let anyone in as long as you can afford it and have GPA of around 3.0. Usually a MS makes up for poor grades in undergrad.
Comet
Hey all, application is still early.
Be patient and have faith.
Perfect is the perfect example. Interviews will come.
A mean a backup plan is good, but it is not time yet.
Be patient and have faith.
Perfect is the perfect example. Interviews will come.
A mean a backup plan is good, but it is not time yet.
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Well, there is a perfect example of sometimes having to know the rules of the game. If I were a freshman and thinking med or dental but did not know for sure or still had a party itch to scratch, I would choose an easier major such as sociology or what have you and stay completely away from the hard sciences. Then after gettting my BA and deciding that med/dental school was for me afterall, I would apply to a post bac program. Hopefully I would be more mature by then, ace those hard science courses, and be able to present a spotless record to the adcoms . I think it can be a big mistake to go premed/predent right out of the shoot as a freshman unless you are a little wiser and a lot more mature than most of your peers.
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Why are you working? Do you not have financial aid? Two classes a quarter, I think, is not going to impress the adcoms even if you do get all A's. You should try to find a way to fulfill at less four classes per semester or three sciences per quarter for the adcoms to respect the course load. In the end, I do not think fulltime work supplements fulltime studying. You end to kill the class you enroll in to. Achieve at least 3.5 GPA for the next 4 quarters, and spend the whole summer studying for the DAT. You know, get the 20/20 on DAT and you will be set. Apply early and have your essay and statements check to make sure you are not saying anything stupid. Also apply to many schools. I think doing all of this will ensure your spot for next year. And remember, this is only Dec; your chances are not finished until classes start.
I am in a similar situation as you. 2.7 GPA overall, 2.4 non science, and 3.3 BPC. I applied in mid September. When UDM gave me an interview, I arranged the earliest possible, traveled out there the next week spent 350 buck on expense. I kicked a$$ and came home. I spent all summer with my studies for DAT and feel that is what got me in.
I am in a similar situation as you. 2.7 GPA overall, 2.4 non science, and 3.3 BPC. I applied in mid September. When UDM gave me an interview, I arranged the earliest possible, traveled out there the next week spent 350 buck on expense. I kicked a$$ and came home. I spent all summer with my studies for DAT and feel that is what got me in.
I thought ucsf has a postbac program for dental school. may be you can check that out.
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Groundhog, are you implying that sociology is an easy way out? That hurts, man. I had to work way harder in sociology than my roommates majoring in Early Childhood Development and Interior Design. 😉
BTW, my degree is really in biology. 🙂
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The UW has a post bac program for non-science majors with excellent academic records who need to take the science prereqs in order to qualify for entrance to med/dent/pharm programs. It also qualifies for financial aid but is very competitive.
As a side note, and to show how the world has changed, veterans of WWII and the Korean Conflict who went to college on the GI BILL were able to enter med school and dental school fairly easy by just maintaining an even balance between C's and B's in their undergrad work.
As a side note, and to show how the world has changed, veterans of WWII and the Korean Conflict who went to college on the GI BILL were able to enter med school and dental school fairly easy by just maintaining an even balance between C's and B's in their undergrad work.
If your interested in a masters degree, here's some info that I posted before that might help if you have too low of a GPA:
I took one semester and a summer of graduate classes as a student-at-large. My school, Northern Illinois University, has a policy where if you get a 3.2 or above in graduate level courses and get a decent GRE score, they will overlook your previous grades. I got a 3.8 and had my instructors from the graduate level courses write me letters of recommendation. Since these were teachers that the admissions board knew, I think it helped. Just make sure that the classes you take can transfer in and count towards the degree once you're accepted. They have a cap on how many credits they allow to transfer in.
My advice would be to order a graduate catalog from where you want to apply and READ it THOROUGHLY. You never know when you might find some hidden loop hole. I really needed something to stand out since my first 70 something credits really messed up my GPA. It's hard to recover when I have to count these classes that I initially messed up, even though I retook all of them once I had my head out of my a$$.
Here are my stats, as bad as it gets:
Northern Illinois University
Undergrad Ed: Biology Major (B.S.)
Cumulative Overall GPA: 2.5
Science Overall GPA: 2.5
Graduate Ed: Master of Public Health
Cumulative Graduate GPA: 3.8 (30 semester hours so far)
Science Graduate GPA: 3.8
BCP Graduate GPA: 4.0
Last 90 semester hours:
Cumulative GPA: 3.3
Science GPA: 3.4
BCP Graduate GPA: 3.1
Schools Appling to (I think):
UIC, SIU, NOVA, U of Detroit Mercy, U of Nebraska, NYU, Case Western, BU, UNLV, Tufts, Temple
AADSAS Submitted Date: Decided to wait until next year
Hope this gives you some options.
Mike
I took one semester and a summer of graduate classes as a student-at-large. My school, Northern Illinois University, has a policy where if you get a 3.2 or above in graduate level courses and get a decent GRE score, they will overlook your previous grades. I got a 3.8 and had my instructors from the graduate level courses write me letters of recommendation. Since these were teachers that the admissions board knew, I think it helped. Just make sure that the classes you take can transfer in and count towards the degree once you're accepted. They have a cap on how many credits they allow to transfer in.
My advice would be to order a graduate catalog from where you want to apply and READ it THOROUGHLY. You never know when you might find some hidden loop hole. I really needed something to stand out since my first 70 something credits really messed up my GPA. It's hard to recover when I have to count these classes that I initially messed up, even though I retook all of them once I had my head out of my a$$.
Here are my stats, as bad as it gets:
Northern Illinois University
Undergrad Ed: Biology Major (B.S.)
Cumulative Overall GPA: 2.5
Science Overall GPA: 2.5
Graduate Ed: Master of Public Health
Cumulative Graduate GPA: 3.8 (30 semester hours so far)
Science Graduate GPA: 3.8
BCP Graduate GPA: 4.0
Last 90 semester hours:
Cumulative GPA: 3.3
Science GPA: 3.4
BCP Graduate GPA: 3.1
Schools Appling to (I think):
UIC, SIU, NOVA, U of Detroit Mercy, U of Nebraska, NYU, Case Western, BU, UNLV, Tufts, Temple
AADSAS Submitted Date: Decided to wait until next year
Hope this gives you some options.
Mike
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i say apply, get rejected (or accepted and jump for joy) and then apply for the UCSF post-bac program.... (i would have done that if i didn't get into dental school... a majority of them get into ucsf after doing the post-bac program..... but you have to have been rejected to ANY/(all that you apply) to get into the program...and since you're already at ucsf it won't hurt one bit... and they also prep you for the DAT and somehow boost up your application cause most people get into dental school after that...
good luck
At my school graduate level classes are at night so you should be able to keep a day job.
I put off applying because I just can't afford the cost of applying twice. Since I started a Master's Degree and didn't apply this year, by the next application cycle I will have completed and recieved my MPH (Masters in Public Health). Even though I initially didn't intend to. I guess it worked out since my options have opened up and maybe an MPH will look good to Adcom's.
However, if you do take graduate level classes they would be looked at seperately. When you fill out the AADSAS, in the course work section you would specify the course type GRADUATE. This would help to show your current ability as well as bring your overall GPA up.
This is only if it doesn't work out for you this year, but it's very smart to have a back up plan. Good Luck!
I put off applying because I just can't afford the cost of applying twice. Since I started a Master's Degree and didn't apply this year, by the next application cycle I will have completed and recieved my MPH (Masters in Public Health). Even though I initially didn't intend to. I guess it worked out since my options have opened up and maybe an MPH will look good to Adcom's.
However, if you do take graduate level classes they would be looked at seperately. When you fill out the AADSAS, in the course work section you would specify the course type GRADUATE. This would help to show your current ability as well as bring your overall GPA up.
This is only if it doesn't work out for you this year, but it's very smart to have a back up plan. Good Luck!
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From this thread:
1) A post-bac program is mainly for non-science students
2)Taking a non-program post-bac is just going to have your grad gpa calculated into your undergrad gpa.
For someone who has already graduated and wants to do everything short of taking a Masters program, what should I do?
My only option is to apply to take non-program graduate classes, but will that be enough? I have 19/20/19DAT and 2.59+/- science gpa and 2.92 +/- gpa.
1) A post-bac program is mainly for non-science students
2)Taking a non-program post-bac is just going to have your grad gpa calculated into your undergrad gpa.
For someone who has already graduated and wants to do everything short of taking a Masters program, what should I do?
My only option is to apply to take non-program graduate classes, but will that be enough? I have 19/20/19DAT and 2.59+/- science gpa and 2.92 +/- gpa.
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