RE: Post by RICKtheDentist

[mkmkhan]

Originally Posted by RicktheDentist

I think there should only be two reasons why you pursue a Master's Degree

 

1) You really want to do one

2) Your marks are too low and you want to be more competitive.

 

 

I worked for two years after my undergrad. I had lots of interesting experiences I could talk about during my interviews. Also working allows you to pay off some debt and have some fun. Just something you should consider when going down the Master's route......

 

 

 

Rick.

 

 

That is sort of a misinformed post.

 

I agree with you Rick about wanting to do a Master's and then yea sure, pursue one.

 

I STRONGLY disagree with you about having low grades and applying to dentistry and getting in JUST because you have a master's. I have a friend (a master's student) who didnt even get an interview at U of T but, ended up getting into UBC even though he had a master's. WHY??? U of T places a STRONG emphasis on grades but, UBC has an essay, 3 reference letters e.t.c. i.e., U of T admissions process is NOT as comprehensive as you alluded to in your post.

 

Secondly, I am very sure that the grades of the master's students at U of T dentistry are way up to par with undergrads. According to U of T grade scale, undergrads who're in their 4th year or 3rd years have only 2 yrs that are cumulated towards the average that admissions look at. HOWEVER, master's students have 3 yrs that are cumulated. So in the end, it can be advantageous or disadvantageous depending on how you did.

 

LASTLY, U of T dentistry has:

 

1) NO ESSAYS to communicate the experiences gained during the course of a master's degree

2) NO GRAD PACKAGE unlike U of T meds

2) NO referee letters from the master's students committee

3) No CV that needs to be handed in

4) Supervisor reference letter that THEY do allow you to give in is only supposed to communicate whether or not the master's degree will be completed by august 15th in the opinion of the supervisor (This according to the lady whose at the front desk in the office)

 

When you say that the admissions committee is assuming the applicant is perfect "JUST" because he is a master's student, IMO is a complete misassumption.

Hope that clarifies some issues that Allsmiles is having about pursuing a master's. In the end, it MAY help you, it MAY not. A master's is a challenge and in the end how you do depends upon your own self-discipline, self-motivation and drive. DO NOT do a master's if you think you're doing it because you have to (you could do it but, it WILL be miserable).

[Adversary]

You seem very informed. I will just add my two cents. A masters degree is too often falsely accepted as a viable back up to Dentistry. Honestly, if you plan to utilize a masters degree to assist with your dental school application, I suggest you look closely at which schools you are interested in and how they treat masters students. Some schools do not care about a masters degree and treat such applicants like undergrads (ie. UBC).

 

Remember, often you are tied down for the years that you need to complete a masters degree so if you want to get in as soon as possible, this is NOT an option. Furthermore, the salaries of graduate students are quite low compared to normal jobs (given the great economy especially) - looking at between $1200 to $1900 per month (masters payroll is at the lower end of the range). Thus, if you want to earn money to help reduce your loans, I suggest getting a real job.

 

If you want to stay in school for reasons related to a security blanket, I suggest a 10-month Certified Dental Assistant program. It will further your knowlege of dentistry and give you a heads up on certain procedures. I have seen the benefits of such an experience among one of my colleagues who took that route. Also, they get paid between $15 and $20 per hour. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[Adversary]

There is one caveat to the above suggested backup - you will need to find time away from school to attend interviews. Of course, one option is to transfer a CDA-style interview score to the other schools of interest.

[AllSmiles]

And...while doing Master's one may have to rewrite the DAT on top of everything else (which means studying for it again while doing your master's)..since I believe that the DAT is only good for 2 years...right?

[mkmkhan]

yea, that's no problem ...

i did my DAT in nov'06 in the second yr of my master's ...had to be organized but, it wasn't hell

that was the first time i wrote it too and it was doable IN CASE you don't get in