Ok to use PhD as backup to dental school while applying?

[cdent09]

I'm a pre-dent, and I've gotten into a PhD program straight from undergrad. My grades are kind of borderline for dental school. Would it be a bad move to jump into a PhD program and keep applying to dental school at the same time (once every year)?

Would dental schools want references from my grad school, or just undergrad? That could cause a problem since it would reveal my intention to apply to dental schools.

I understand the whole "keep trying at it and you will succeed" idea, but I've always been an advocate of having a backup plan just in case my current one doesn't pan out. I don't like putting all my eggs in one basket, and I feel like doing another undergrad would be doing exactly that. Thanks!

[w8kg6]

This would be a good way to burn a lot of bridges at the school you're going to be doing your PhD at. Imagine a person getting into dents, and then after first year leaving to do a PhD. It takes a seat away from someone whose dream it is to be a dentist, and that's not really a cool thing to do.

 

By starting a PhD and then leaving, you waste a boatload of funding from your supervisor, and take a lot of high-level research away from the academic community. Honestly, if you don't plan on finishing the PhD, I wouldn't start it. There's no reason you can't finish that doctorate, and then go on to pursue dents (your dent colleagues would respect you a lot more for this too, I think).

[Jochi1543]

Why don't you just do a master's? It's only a 2-year commitment (usually), and that way, you can still apply a year from now without hurting your lab. And if you don't get any interviews that year, you can continue onto a PhD.

[mcgill_student]

I agree with the above statements. Unless you want a phd in the end (ie. your goal was md/phd and you want to get the phd part out of the way), do not do it.

 

actually, i mean dmd/phd

[bnface]

This would be a good way to burn a lot of bridges at the school you're going to be doing your PhD at. Imagine a person getting into dents, and then after first year leaving to do a PhD. It takes a seat away from someone whose dream it is to be a dentist, and that's not really a cool thing to do.

 

By starting a PhD and then leaving, you waste a boatload of funding from your supervisor, and take a lot of high-level research away from the academic community. Honestly, if you don't plan on finishing the PhD, I wouldn't start it. There's no reason you can't finish that doctorate, and then go on to pursue dents (your dent colleagues would respect you a lot more for this too, I think).

 

so the alternative is to sit around and keep getting rejecting? Please... we all know how difficult it is to get into professional schools. Having a "back-up" is a requirement not a choice. It does not take a seat away from someone else; you are equally deserving of that seat if you get in. For thinking about your future and not being tunnel-visioned, I commend the OP. I strongly suggest pursuing the PHD if you can see even a remote chance of yourself doing in the future. Why would you do an MSc (as someone suggested), when the PhD is clearly the superior degree, and you'll be done in 2 less years.

 

If they didn't want us to do this, they should make professional school admissions easier for everyone. You would then have to compete intensely after your MD/DDS for a job, but at least you wouldn't be "taking someone else' seat". But of course, this is not how the system is set up, and us poor pre-dents/premeds have to survive. We need jobs and stable futures.

[boodog]

yeah i say go for it too. if you try and make the phd somewhat relevant to dentistry even better for you chances to get in. ie. oral microbes, dental appliances, neuromuscular studies, etc.

[w8kg6]

so the alternative is to sit around and keep getting rejecting? Please... we all know how difficult it is to get into professional schools. Having a "back-up" is a requirement not a choice. It does not take a seat away from someone else; you are equally deserving of that seat if you get in. For thinking about your future and not being tunnel-visioned, I commend the OP. I strongly suggest pursuing the PHD if you can see even a remote chance of yourself doing in the future. Why would you do an MSc (as someone suggested), when the PhD is clearly the superior degree, and you'll be done in 2 less years.

 

If they didn't want us to do this, they should make professional school admissions easier for everyone. You would then have to compete intensely after your MD/DDS for a job, but at least you wouldn't be "taking someone else' seat". But of course, this is not how the system is set up, and us poor pre-dents/premeds have to survive. We need jobs and stable futures.

 

I'm not saying don't do the PhD. I'm saying don't do it if you're going to quit halfway through. If you start the PhD next year, it wouldn't be professional to quit partway through. If you start it, finish it, and THEN apply to dents again. If you don't want to finish it, do something else with your year off. This is coming form a person who just finished a lot of soul-searching about taking my name out of the MD hat draw for a year to do a master's, so it's not completely blind advice .