Do I have a chance of getting into a Masters?

[nakdolski]

Currently pursuing a CS major at a respected university (top 40) with 72 credits completed, I've had a change of heart towards dentistry. After 2+ years of mental health issues and acting like an idiot I’ve completely bombed my GPA.(2 flat) I’m currently in the middle of a 2 year leave of absence due to military service.

Realistically, I know that my chances of dental school with this GPA are slim, even if I get straight A’s for the rest of my classes.

One upside of my situation is that I only took 2 courses that will count towards my BBCP GPA- the rest are CS and humanities courses.

Considering my options, I’m aiming to change my major to bio, get As for every single prerequisite class (bio, chem, etc), end up with around a 3.1 oGPA, 3.6+ sGPA, 3.9+ BBCP, 23+ DAT, and get admitted to a pre-dental masters program. I also plan to get as much volunteering, shadowing, and work experience as possible along with other extracurricular activities.

Not as easy as I might think, not even close, trust me I know. But after everything that I’ve been through, I honestly believe I have the academic capacity and determination to do what it takes. My concern was that even if everything goes as planned, my low oGPA and my status as an international student would hinder my chances of being accepted at a pre-dental masters program like BU OHS, Tufts, Barry, Rutgers, and so on.

With my stats, and the extreme upward trend in GPA, would I (as an international student) have a chance at getting into a masters program, and eventually into dental school?

If anyone could provide your own experience in getting into a masters program, what your stats looked like, or just any advice in general, I would appreciate it so much. Thanks in advance! 🦷

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[macsak]

Currently pursuing a CS major at a respected university (top 40) with 72 credits completed, I've had a change of heart towards dentistry. After 2+ years of mental health issues and acting like an idiot I’ve completely bombed my GPA.(2 flat) I’m currently in the middle of a 2 year leave of absence due to military service.

Realistically, I know that my chances of dental school with this GPA are slim, even if I get straight A’s for the rest of my classes.

One upside of my situation is that I only took 2 courses that will count towards my BBCP GPA- the rest are CS and humanities courses.

Considering my options, I’m aiming to change my major to bio, get As for every single prerequisite class (bio, chem, etc), end up with around a 3.1 oGPA, 3.6+ sGPA, 3.9+ BBCP, 23+ DAT, and get admitted to a pre-dental masters program. I also plan to get as much volunteering, shadowing, and work experience as possible along with other extracurricular activities.

Not as easy as I might think, not even close, trust me I know. But after everything that I’ve been through, I honestly believe I have the academic capacity and determination to do what it takes. My concern was that even if everything goes as planned, my low oGPA and my status as an international student would hinder my chances of being accepted at a pre-dental masters program like BU OHS, Tufts, Barry, Rutgers, and so on.

With my stats, and the extreme upward trend in GPA, would I (as an international student) have a chance at getting into a masters program, and eventually into dental school?

If anyone could provide your own experience in getting into a masters program, what your stats looked like, or just any advice in general, I would appreciate it so much. Thanks in advance! 🦷

you could get into dental schools with those stats...

 

[nakdolski]

you could get into dental schools with those stats...

Thanks for the encouragement! I heard that international students who get into dental school usually have a 3.7+ oGPA and a 23+ DAT, which is why I assumed that I would have a very slim chance of getting in straight away.

I was under the impression that getting into a pre-dental masters program is more feasible, and if I do very well there, my undergrad GPA would not affect my application as significantly.

 

[macsak]

Thanks for the encouragement! I heard that international students who get into dental school usually have a 3.7+ oGPA and a 23+ DAT, which is why I assumed that I would have a very slim chance of getting in straight away.

I was under the impression that getting into a pre-dental masters program is more feasible, and if I do very well there, my undergrad GPA would not affect my application as significantly.

yeah, sorry
i read that you were international previously, but i forgot that when i answered

you need to research the actual stats for int'l acceptance rather than "i heard that"
then you can decide on your course of action...

 

[nakdolski]

yeah, sorry
i read that you were international previously, but i forgot that when i answered

you need to research the actual stats for int'l acceptance rather than "i heard that"
then you can decide on your course of action...

I’ve done some research and talked to some international students currently in dental school, and to be honest it seems more to be common knowledge than just a “I heard so”. They all recommended at least a 3.5 GPA to be competitive.

For pre-dental masters programs, I couldn’t find much information on the stats of those accepted, let alone international students. I did see a lot of cases where people with low undergrad GPAs like myself were admitted to a masters, and successfully went on to dental school (after doing great at their masters).

 

[macsak]

I’ve done some research and talked to some international students currently in dental school, and to be honest it seems more to be common knowledge than just a “I heard so”. They all recommended at least a 3.5 GPA to be competitive.

For pre-dental masters programs, I couldn’t find much information on the stats of those accepted, let alone international students. I did see a lot of cases where people with low undergrad GPAs like myself were admitted to a masters, and successfully went on to dental school (after doing great at their masters).

so you said, "i heard" "3.7+ oGPA and a 23+ DAT"
but you really meant "common knowledge" from doing "some research" and "talking to some students" who recommended "at least a 3.5 GPA to be competitive"?
got it

i think you would be better off asking the masters programs themselves
your situation is not common
best of luck to you
sounds like you know what are up against and have figured out a way to get ther, you just have to find a way to make it work...

 

[Mr.Smile12]

So let's slow down a bit. Are you saying you HAVE the grades you described, or those are your planned GPA and DAT? As you mentioned, if your oGPA doesn't contain a lot of courses that are dental school requirements, you can ask for "career changing" postbacs to give you the focus you need to show (though there may not be many career-changing predental postbacs). Ask postbac program and masters program directors about whether their programs really help you, or if you can work on getting through a second bachelors.

International student admissions is relatively simpler for dental schools than for medical schools. As noted, it sounds like your map is sound. Meet some current students or recent dental school graduates who can appreciate your journey.

 

[nakdolski]

so you said, "i heard" "3.7+ oGPA and a 23+ DAT"
but you really meant "common knowledge" from doing "some research" and "talking to some students" who recommended "at least a 3.5 GPA to be competitive"?
got it

i think you would be better off asking the masters programs themselves
your situation is not common
best of luck to you
sounds like you know what are up against and have figured out a way to get ther, you just have to find a way to make it work...

My current undergrad university has a great pre-dental masters program, so I will definitely ask my adviser and an admissions director for that program, as well as other schools. Thanks for the advice and encouragement, really helped

 

[nakdolski]

So let's so down a bit. Are you saying you HAVE the grades you described, or those are your planned GPA and DAT? As you mentioned, if your oGPA doesn't contain a lot of courses that are dental school requirements, you can ask for "career changing" postbacs to give you the focus you need to show (though there may not be many career-changing predental postbacs). Ask postbac program and masters program directors about whether their programs really help you, or if you can work on getting through a second bachelors.

International student admissions is relatively simpler for dental schools than for medical schools. As noted, it sounds like your map is sound. Meet some current students or recent dental school graduates who can appreciate your journey.

They are my planned gpas - I’m in the middle of a 2-year leave due to mandatory military service. My plan is to change my major to bio once I return next year and ace all the prereq classes, ace the DAT, and get a ton of shadowing and volunteering hours, and apply to a pre-dental masters. I was worried that even if I get my oGPA up to a 3.1, my low GPA would not get me into any masters program's.

The reason why I am primarily considering a pre-dental masters instead of a post-bacc is because I assumed a post-bacc would not do much to increase my undergrad GPA when I am planning to take over 180+ undergrad credits total (with a 3.1 GPA).

I also saw that a lot of dental schools tend to focus much less on undergrad GPAs if that candidate completed a masters program with a good GPA. A BU dental school admissions officer said in a recent interview that he does not even look at the undergrad GPA if that candidate completed a masters, although this differs from school to school.

I will definitely contact admissions officers at the pre-dental masters program at my current university, as well as those at other masters programs.

Thanks so much for your advice and encouragement!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

The reason why I am primarily considering a pre-dental masters instead of a post-bacc is because I assumed a post-bacc would not do much to increase my undergrad GPA when I am planning to take over 180+ undergrad credits total (with a 3.1 GPA).

I also saw that a lot of dental schools tend to focus much less on undergrad GPAs if that candidate completed a masters program with a good GPA. A BU dental school admissions officer said in a recent interview that he does not even look at the undergrad GPA if that candidate completed a masters, although this differs from school to school.

I will definitely contact admissions officers at the pre-dental masters program at my current university, as well as those at other masters programs.

Thanks so much for your advice and encouragement!

It differs from school to school about how we treat GPAs. That said, graduate GPA's are supposed to be higher, so often there is a high bar (3.7+). Other schools would look at the most recent coursework taken in the last 2 years (undergraduate or graduate). There's no hard rule about this, and many programs use a combination of GPAs. All you can do is ask.