Most Epic Under 3.0 Acceptance

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Hello SDN! Let me start off by thanking everyone on here who has helped me on this path towards getting into dental school.

First off here are my stats: Overall GPA 2.95, Science GPA 2.8. DAT 20/20/18

Here's the story.

The end of my third year in college I stood at a 2.4 with 10 classes I had FAILED. The hopes of becoming a dentist seemed out of reach and impossible to attain. Faith however brought me to SDN and this site gave me the belief that I COULD GET INTO DENTAL SCHOOL. Here's my thread from 2008 if you wanna read it http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=511370

I decided enough was enough and I needed to study harder and get more focused. During my 4th year I brought my grades up. I decided to stay a fifth year in college and continued the upward trend. My last 2 years in college I had a 3.5 GPA average. By the time I graduated from my undergraduate, I brought my GPA up to a 2.8. I was accepted to Midwestern University's 1 year Master's Program and completed it with a 3.89. I retook my DAT and got the scores you see above. Applied to 16 schools and received four interviews and just got accepted to Midwestern's Downer's Grove c/o 2015! I have another interview to NYU next month.

I just want to let anyone in a similar situation as I was two years ago know... TO NEVER GIVE UP! DON'T DO IT! I didn't want to live my life wondering WHAT IF I had gotten into dental school and became a dentist. I wanted to live my life knowing I weathered the storm of my situation, and got into dental school. You have to change your study plan if its not working. Yes I wish I got into dental school earlier but you know what things happen for a reason... and right now I'm soaking in this incredible feeling. Its one thing to get an acceptance with a 3.5 GPA, its another to get it with a sub 3.0 (not that I'm undermining the hardwork people with good GPAs put forth). Thanks for everything SDN!

CONGRATS, I know how hard you have worked. Hope to have the same joy myself one day!

Congrats! What was your BCP?

I have to admit, your story is truly inspiring

Great great story. I had a very similar path to dentistry and it will make for a great inspirational story to spread to others. Congrats

Wow, CONGRATULATIONS!!! A truly inspirational story that will give many the much needed hope through this grueling application process. Thanks for sharing!

Originally Posted by AlexOdentchkin8

Great great story. I had a very similar path to dentistry and it will make for a great inspirational story to spread to others. Congrats

What were your stats Alex?

Good Job! I just applied to Midwestern's 1-year masters program too! I have a 3.27 GPA, and I am hoping I get in. I sent off my application about 3 weeks ago!

.

Originally Posted by flyingforever

What were your stats Alex?

2 years Community College + first year undergrad =2.33 GPA
(this includes a semester in CC where I dropped ALL my classes, for no reason by the way, which left me with 5 W's on my transcript)

the summer between 1st & 2nd years of undergrad, I almost dropped out of biology. I got some great support from my friends and family who convinced me to continue. I showed upper ward trend ever since.

Final 3 years = 3.5
Post-bacc = 4.0

AADSAS GPA overall= 3.07
AADSAS GPA science= 3.0

Bio = 21
Gen = 21
Org = 23
QR = 19
RC = 19
PAT = 23
AA = 21
TS = 21

This is also my third application cycle.

I had a lot of people in family (not my immediate family, they were extremely supportive of my decision to go into dentistry) who told me that "getting into dental school is too hard, you should think about something else." Of course there are moments where I said, well maybe they're right. I looked into a lot of professions and in the end, all I wanted to do was dentistry. No other profession gave me the same feeling of motivation to do well.

Now that I'm in, I have a feeling that not only can you do anything you want in life as long as you work hard enough, but I now have the satisfaction of going up to my detractors and saying, "I got into dental school, how you like dem apples!"

I'm sure its the same feeling as OP has and any person who struggles to get into dental school. This is my opinion, but I think that people like us appreciate getting in more then someone with a 3.8 and 22's. These types of people work just as hard as everyone else, but never did they have a feeling that getting into dental school was impossible. Forums like these are great bc they give people like me and OP and anyone else who needs hope to continue and follow their dreams. There is a deeper lesson to be learned here and it applies to not only getting into dental school, but really every aspect of life and that it is to never give up.

Nice job Alex! I hope you enjoy dental school. One thing that struck me about your stats that you posted was that you had 3 years at 3.5 and 1 year at 4.0. This is essentially completing a 4 year degree. The bothersome part of it to me is that you only just then broke 3.0 cum. It seems like there should be a limit to how many credits AADSAS should count toward your GPA to allow people like you to show the adcoms a more accurate description of your capabilities as a potential dental student (the objective of admissions). I guess what i'm suggesting is that really really old credits would fall off when more than 5 years of course work has been done to allow the applicant to make a more serious impact on there gpa. I'm not suggesting this be a function of time but rather additional course work completed.

Originally Posted by yappy

Nice job Alex! I hope you enjoy dental school. One thing that struck me about your stats that you posted was that you had 3 years at 3.5 and 1 year at 4.0. This is essentially completing a 4 year degree. The bothersome part of it to me is that you only just then broke 3.0 cum. It seems like there should be a limit to how many credits AADSAS should count toward your GPA to allow people like you to show the adcoms a more accurate description of your capabilities as a potential dental student (the objective of admissions). I guess what i'm suggesting is that really really old credits would fall off when more than 5 years of course work has been done to allow the applicant to make a more serious impact on there gpa. I'm not suggesting this be a function of time but rather additional course work completed.

I'm totally with you on this one yappy. Definitely a flaw in the system. I'm not even close to the same person as I was in CC yet I felt like it was holding me back. We all mature at different rates yet we belong to a society that treats education like a straight path rather than a winding road. At 18, I was expected to go to college but there was no way I was ready. And because of my struggles early on, I was stuck fighting an uphill battle. In the end my situation is a state function like entropy, you don't care how you got there, all you care about is where you start and where you end up

Its the job of adcoms to find the diamonds in the ruff. Its hard for large schools to do it because of the volume of applications but I got lucky in that I live in a state that takes the time to look at all in-state applicants. I believe most state schools do that

My BCP is 2.8.

I'm glad this story has inspired others. It truly taste so sweet when you come from behind. I felt like an 8th seed playoff team that went to the NBA finals and won. I really think my Masters program and current DAT score was what made the difference for me.

It really is a tough journey but man is it worth it. I still can't believe it happened... my Bio counselors told me to consider something else. Thankfully I had faith in myself and still kept fighting.

xaznx-you should post your story to the under 3.0 club, you will inspire people years from now

I dunno about 'most epic' (As I didn't read anything about roundhouse kicks, vulcan miniguns or large breasted women), but good job for sure.

Originally Posted by armorshell

I dunno about 'most epic' (As I didn't read anything about roundhouse kicks, vulcan miniguns or large breasted women), but good job for sure.

HAHAHA top 3 maybe? You were one of the people who helped keep my hopes alive. I remember reading your posts before.

Such an inspiration. Honestly. I too dropped a whole semester and was hopeless. I was doubting whether to apply this cycle but now I am for sure. I have a 2.9 GPA and 3 semesters to go so I will probably end up with Alex's GPA and I hope my story ends up like yours getting into dental school.

Their has to be a large breasted woman for something to be classified as epic in my book. hahaha.

I think you are extremely lucky and/or MWU is desperate to fill their 125 spots. Not many people can get a look with a 2.95/2.8/2.8 while being out of school.

Originally Posted by Destiny11

I think you are extremely lucky and/or MWU is desperate to fill their 125 spots. Not many people can get a look with a 2.95/2.8/2.8 while being out of school.

Well for this cycle have a total of 4 interviews... so I guess schools must have seen something... I did have very good EC's. (Community service fraternity, dental experience, research, worked two jobs).

My personal statement was well written too I believe.

Originally Posted by alej1020

Such an inspiration. Honestly. I too dropped a whole semester and was hopeless. I was doubting whether to apply this cycle but now I am for sure. I have a 2.9 GPA and 3 semesters to go so I will probably end up with Alex's GPA and I hope my story ends up like yours getting into dental school.

Their has to be a large breasted woman for something to be classified as epic in my book. hahaha.

Don't give up hope! 2.9 is fixable for sure. The next 3 semesters study like your life depends on it.

Originally Posted by xaznxcountx

Well for this cycle have a total of 4 interviews... so I guess schools must have seen something... I did have very good EC's. (Community service fraternity, dental experience, research, worked two jobs).

My personal statement was well written too I believe.

Congrats on seeing your hard work pay off!!

I think a lot of people falsely view themselves as being more qualified, more worthy of an acceptance over other applicants due of their higher academic stats, because they think they know more about dentistry, or because they feel they can eventually offer more to the profession. The fact of the matter is, no one is guaranteed to get accepted into any given school.

If you have a low GPA, then that just means you have to work hard to not only improve your GPA, but also do that much better on your DAT. Both require a lot of hard work, and there are no short cuts. As such, I commend you for putting in the work and seeing your hard work pay off.

Congrats!

Good to see someone who posts on here finally get something that they deserve. Its also nice to see someone in a position like mine (not as bad as yours though) get into dental school.

Congratulations. Keep at it, and best of luck at Dental School.

Originally Posted by Destiny11

I think you are extremely lucky and/or MWU is desperate to fill their 125 spots. Not many people can get a look with a 2.95/2.8/2.8 while being out of school.

I tried to restrain myself, but honestly, this is a VERY rude, distasteful comment.

The OP obviously worked very hard over an extended period with a goal becoming a stronger applicant. Now, having EARNED acceptance into dental school, he was kind enough to come share his story.

Instead of congratulating him, you try and belittle his accomplishment with this VERY distasteful comment. Stop hatin on others.....

Congratulations Xaznxcountx! You showed determination and persistence can pay off despite any previous mistakes. Well done.

Originally Posted by yappy

Nice job Alex! I hope you enjoy dental school. One thing that struck me about your stats that you posted was that you had 3 years at 3.5 and 1 year at 4.0. This is essentially completing a 4 year degree. The bothersome part of it to me is that you only just then broke 3.0 cum. It seems like there should be a limit to how many credits AADSAS should count toward your GPA to allow people like you to show the adcoms a more accurate description of your capabilities as a potential dental student (the objective of admissions). I guess what i'm suggesting is that really really old credits would fall off when more than 5 years of course work has been done to allow the applicant to make a more serious impact on there gpa. I'm not suggesting this be a function of time but rather additional course work completed.

I agree.

Originally Posted by sequential

I tried to restrain myself, but honestly, this is a VERY rude, distasteful comment.

The OP obviously worked very hard over an extended period with a goal becoming a stronger applicant. Now, having EARNED acceptance into dental school, he was kind enough to come share his story.

Instead of congratulating him, you try and belittle his accomplishment with this VERY distasteful comment. Stop hatin on others.....

I also agree.

Originally Posted by sequential

I tried to restrain myself, but honestly, this is a VERY rude, distasteful comment.

The OP obviously worked very hard over an extended period with a goal becoming a stronger applicant. Now, having EARNED acceptance into dental school, he was kind enough to come share his story.

Instead of congratulating him, you try and belittle his accomplishment with this VERY distasteful comment. Stop hatin on others.....

Thanks Sequential for saying what I was going to say.

Originally Posted by sequential

I tried to restrain myself, but honestly, this is a VERY rude, distasteful comment.

The OP obviously worked very hard over an extended period with a goal becoming a stronger applicant. Now, having EARNED acceptance into dental school, he was kind enough to come share his story.

Instead of congratulating him, you try and belittle his accomplishment with this VERY distasteful comment. Stop hatin on others.....

It may be rude, but there is truth to my statement. I did congrat the OP first. Based on OP's other posts, he had a low GPA because he played around in college. So he basically got in by doing slightly above average on the DAT and in a 9 months masters program where he took the minimum amt. of units required. With a 2.95/2.8/2.8, he also was not taking any classes this year to improve on that. Just stating the facts.

To the OP...congrats again on your acceptance and I wish you the best in dental school!

Originally Posted by Destiny11

It may be rude, but there is truth to my statement. I did congrat the OP first. Based on OP's other posts, he had a low GPA because he played around in college. So he basically got in by doing slightly above average on the DAT and in a 9 months masters program where he took the minimum amt. of units required. Just stating the facts.

To the OP...congrats again on your acceptance and I wish you the best in dental school!

So you knew it was rude, yet said it nonetheless?!?

Honestly, if I remember correctly, YOU have LOW stats...your BCP is low enough that you couldn't pass the initial screening stage at MWU, the same school you claim accepted the OP because they were DESPERATE to fill their 125 spots. Again...you are just a hater. NO dental school is DESPERATE to fill their spots.

Slightly above average on the DAT? What did you get on your DAT?...I am fairly sure it wasn't a 20 (TS or AA), and yet you still applied and currently have a thread up where you ask those with multiple acceptances to hurry up in picking their schools. You clearly hoped of getting in somewhere with stats that are lower than the OP's...so why hate when him getting in could serve as hope, motivation for others with lower stats? Wouldn't it be much more beneficial for all if we can all work to build each other up?

Originally Posted by sequential

I tried to restrain myself, but honestly, this is a VERY rude, distasteful comment.

The OP obviously worked very hard over an extended period with a goal becoming a stronger applicant. Now, having EARNED acceptance into dental school, he was kind enough to come share his story.

Instead of congratulating him, you try and belittle his accomplishment with this VERY distasteful comment. Stop hatin on others.....

I didnt come here to start beef... but i dont understand why people would consider this guys story to be true inspiration.

Bare with me here, Its a great feeling to get into dental school but boasting and saying that you got in with a subpar gpa or bellow 3.0 gpa sets a bad example to future pre-dents. If i were a predental student, it gives me the wrong message that its ok to have couple years of bad gpa you can make it up later in life...

Op i am sorry. IMO your story was not inspirational at all. You were lazy in your undergrad with excuses. Then you became mature just like others, nothing inspirational about it. I have read the whole thread before replying to the post.

OP may be i would consider your story to be inspirational if you were to own up how hard you worked instead of making a foolish statement such as "Its one thing to get an acceptance with a 3.5 GPA, its another to get it with a sub 3.0." I dont think its correct at all, you are highlighting the wrong things to tell your story.

Originally Posted by sequential

So you knew it was rude, yet said it nonetheless?!?

Honestly, if I remember correctly, YOU have LOW stats...your BCP is low enough that you couldn't pass the initial screening stage at MWU, the same school you claim accepted the OP because they were DESPERATE to fill their 125 spots. Again...you are just a hater. NO dental school is DESPERATE to fill their spots.

Slightly above average on the DAT? What did you get on your DAT?...I am fairly sure it wasn't a 20 (TS or AA), and yet you still applied and currently have a thread up where you ask those with multiple acceptances to hurry up in picking their schools. You clearly hoped of getting in somewhere with stats that are lower than the OP's...so why hate when him getting in could serve as hope, motivation for others with lower stats? Wouldn't it be much more beneficial for all if we can all work to build each other up?

Jeez... you made your freaking point... feel better

Originally Posted by peanutb123

Jeez... you made your freaking point... feel better

He isn't boasting. If you go read his post on the "below 3.0 thread" he clearly states in BOLD that anyone who is discouraged about their stats should NOT give up. He wanted his story to give others hope and motivation that no matter how low your stats may be, hard work and perseverance can give you hope.

It isn't like this guys joined last week with the sole purpose of coming on here to boast. He has been around the last few yrs and wanted to share his story. He further goes on to thank those that helped him on this forum, something a person with the purpose of simple boasting wouldn't do.

Take it as you will, I just don't see why negative, straight rude comments are needed.

In addition, you said it yourself, the guy matured and put in work. How many people come on here and claim that they'll study hard and destroy the DAT to compensate for their low GPA?....and how many actually follow through and do well on the DAT to get accepted into school? Well, this guy did it.

Originally Posted by sequential

So you knew it was rude, yet said it nonetheless?!?

Honestly, if I remember correctly, YOU have LOW stats...your BCP is low enough that you couldn't pass the initial screening stage at MWU, the same school you claim accepted the OP because they were DESPERATE to fill their 125 spots. Again...you are just a hater. NO dental school is DESPERATE to fill their spots.

Slightly above average on the DAT? What did you get on your DAT?...I am fairly sure it wasn't a 20 (TS or AA), and yet you still applied and currently have a thread up where you ask those with multiple acceptances to hurry up in picking their schools. You clearly hoped of getting in somewhere with stats that are lower than the OP's...so why hate when him getting in could serve as hope, motivation for others with lower stats? Wouldn't it be much more beneficial for all if we can all work to build each other up?

Geez...all I said was:

I think you are extremely lucky...which is true for someone with 2.95/2.8/2.8

MWU is desperate to fill their 125 spots...may be true for a new, very expensive school

Not many people can get a look with a 2.95/2.8/2.8 while being out of school...true

No need to attack my BCP...I know it's low, but not because I partied for 3yrs in undergrad

Peanut... I think what the inspirational part of his story is that he was able to overcome some adversity to acheive his dream of getting into dental school to be a dentist.
Not everyone knows exactly they want to do in life at an early age. Some even have to work during UG due to different reasons and this can result in a lower GPA. Or like the OP, goofed off due to no clear goals or immaturity. But that doesnt preclude someone from the career of their dreams if they're willing to work hard and fix it.

Originally Posted by peanutb123

Jeez... you made your freaking point... feel better

Originally Posted by Destiny11

Geez...all I said was:

I think you are extremely lucky...which is true for someone with 2.95/2.8/2.8

MWU is desperate to fill their 125 spots...may be true for a new, very expensive school

Not many people can get a look with a 2.95/2.8/2.8 while being out of school...true

No need to attack my BCP...I know it's low, but not because I partied for 3yrs in undergrad

You said the OP could have gotten in because MWU was desperate to fill their seats. That's rude. And the fact that your BCP (or DAT) is low for any reason besides undergrad partying is besides the point. Everyone has their own story...and the OP chose to tell it.

Listen, the fact of the matter is, the OP received multiple interviews prior to being accepted. Obviously, the adcoms at several schools liked what he had to offer their program. These are factors you nor I have great knowledge of, but being in a similarly difficult position as the OP, wouldn't it have been more productive to try and help each other with things such as info, experiences, etc. as opposed to straight belittling his success on a public forum?

Originally Posted by peanutb123

I didnt come here to start beef... but i dont understand why people would consider this guys story to be true inspiration.

Bare with me here, Its a great feeling to get into dental school but boasting and saying that you got in with a subpar gpa or bellow 3.0 gpa sets a bad example to future pre-dents. If i were a predental student, it gives me the wrong message that its ok to have couple years of bad gpa you can make it up later in life...

Op i am sorry. IMO your story was not inspirational at all. You were lazy in your undergrad with excuses. Then you became mature just like others, nothing inspirational about it. I have read the whole thread before replying to the post.

OP may be i would consider your story to be inspirational if you were to own up how hard you worked instead of making a foolish statement such as "Its one thing to get an acceptance with a 3.5 GPA, its another to get it with a sub 3.0." I dont think its correct at all, you are highlighting the wrong things to tell your story.

Originally Posted by yappy

Peanut... I think what the inspirational part of his story is that he was able to overcome some adversity to acheive his dream of getting into dental school to be a dentist.
Not everyone knows exactly they want to do in life at an early age. Some even have to work during UG due to different reasons and this can result in a lower GPA. Or like the OP, goofed off due to no clear goals or immaturity. But that doesnt preclude someone from the career of their dreams if they're willing to work hard and fix it.

read what i wrote...

No one is taking ops dream away to become a dentist. he did it to him/her self. Regarding your comment about undergrad, most of the undergrads work close to full time or some even go over that and still manage to do fine, by not just giving up... Let me ask you this. if op had to work SOOO hard during undergrad just to keep him/her self in school, wouldnt they work even harder attending midwesterns post bac program being that its private and all... IT just does not make sense... other than to use excuses to make up for bad gpa.

I have bolded the text that has bothered me... I just believe this thread is setting bad example. Not inspirational at all. And the last comment that he made about being a less than 3.0 and comparing to a 3.5 was just crazy.

Originally Posted by sequential

You said the OP could have gotten in because MWU was desperate to fill their seats. That's rude. And the fact that your BCP (or DAT) is low for any reason besides undergrad partying is besides the point. Everyone has their own story...and the OP chose to tell it.

Listen, the fact of the matter is, the OP received multiple interviews prior to being accepted. Obviously, the adcoms at several schools liked what he had to offer their program. These are factors you nor I have great knowledge of, but being in a similarly difficult position as the OP, wouldn't it have been more productive to try and help each other with things such as info, experiences, etc. as opposed to straight belittling his success on a public forum?

you guys are going back and forth and claiming facts you cannot prove... You have to take everything that you see online(SDN) for its face value.

Originally Posted by peanutb123

you guys are going back and forth and claiming facts you cannot prove... You have to take everything that you see online(SDN) for its face value.

Yo peanut, what the guy said was rude and uncalled for.

As for the rest, you see it one way, and some of us see it another way. For example, when you felt that the OP was boasting about how he got in with a sub 3.0 (as opposed to someone who has gotten in with a 3.55), I feel like having read the rest of his post that he was AGAIN reiterating how hard work and perseverance can give you hope of getting the same acceptance letter as someone who has gotten in with a 3.55.

I didn't mean for this to be a back-and-forth. I felt you either could have congratulated the OP or not said anything. There really wasn't anything on THIS thread that prompted the rude comment. That's all.

"Its one thing to get an acceptance with a 3.5 GPA, its another to get it with a sub 3.0. "

which is similair to:

Its one thing to get an acceptance with a 19 DAT, its another to get it with a 15.

which is similair to:

Its one thing to get an acceptance as a ORM, its another to get it as an URM.

which is similair to:

Its one thing to get an acceptance with a degree 120 units, its another to get it with a 60 units.

Meh, you can interpret it in many ways. I'm happy OP perserverence paying off, but I felt the quote was unwarranted.

Edit: You can also play around with the title of the thread like I did with the above which it makes the entire thread seem...even worse than it really is -_-. But anyways, we all know its just for inspiration, to never give up, to ace all the remaining classes and to end up in dschool! So good job and hopefully it inspires alot of others.

Originally Posted by beatsdre

"Its one thing to get an acceptance with a 3.5 GPA, its another to get it with a sub 3.0. "

which is similair to:

Its one thing to get an acceptance with a 19 DAT, its another to get it with a 15.

which is similair to:

Its one thing to get an acceptance as a ORM, its another to get it as an URM.

which is similair to:

Its one thing to get an acceptance with a degree 120 units, its another to get it with a 60 units.

Meh, you can interpret it in many ways. I'm happy OP perserverence paying off, but I felt the quote was unwarranted.

Edit: You can also play around with the title of the thread like I did with the above which it makes the entire thread seem...even worse than it really is -_-. But anyways, we all know its just for inspiration, to never give up, to ace all the remaining classes and to end up in dschool! So good job and hopefully it inspires alot of others.

I imagine he meant it more like "You guys can dunk, but you're all 6'8"... I somehow managed to do it as a little Asian guy, and I'm still in shock about it."

Come on... maybe we should just forgive the poor use of hyperbole (he just got accepted) and give the guy a pat on the back?

Originally Posted by lnngu

I imagine he meant it more like "You guys can dunk, but you're all 6'8"... I somehow managed to do it as a little Asian guy, and I'm still in shock about it."

Come on... maybe we should just forgive the poor use of hyperbole (he just got accepted) and give the guy a pat on the back?

Ye ye!! I definately agree. I meant it in a good way. Like high five good job, BUT I can understand why some people would be TURNED off. Just pointing that out in my previous post.

Anyways, I mean the best, and wish the OP best of luck in school

I find this thread fascinating. The individual who doesn't find OP's story inspirational obviously doesn't need inspiration. But who are you to say what is inspirational or not. I believe that someone will read OP's story and rather than give up, continue on to achieve a goal.

A statement like "Midwestern must be desperate to fill seats" is made out of pure ignorance and quite frankly makes you appear completely out of touch. Do you know how many qualified students get rejected every year? If people could go to Ireland or England to study dentistry and come back to the US or Canada and practice right away, I guarantee they would. Pre-dents don't have the same options as pre-meds when it comes to attending school so to gain acceptance in the US or Canada is quite an accomplishment, no matter who you are or how you got there.

The fact of the matter is, a group of dentists sat around a table to took a decision on OP and found this person to be competent enough to treat patients in the future.

Originally Posted by AlexOdentchkin8

I believe that someone will read OP's story and rather than give up, continue on to achieve a goal.

True, but take it with a grain of salt. There is a small detail that the OP failed to mention on how he received his interview with a 2.95/2.8/2.8 and 20DAT

Congrats!

ps, the rest of you guys make me want to lollerskate

Originally Posted by Destiny11

True, but take it with a grain of salt. There is a small detail that the OP failed to mention on how he received his interview with a 2.95/2.8/2.8 and 20DAT

I assume you mean his Masters degree? If this is what you are referring to, I would not try to belittle achieving high marks at the graduate level. if he did well in that, there is no reason to assume that he couldn't continue this trend into dental school and become a success.

Whoa... this thread took a very interesting turn. Okay let me start off by stating, I was in no way trying to boast about getting in with a sub 3.0. I would never undermine the focus and hardwork that someone with a 3.5 GPA put in. So hopefully that clears it up. About my "Its one thing to get an acceptance with a 3.5 GPA, its another to get it with a sub 3.0," comment... Well after reading it I realize it could come off the wrong way. I do apologize for anyone who was offended by this. My message was mainly that people with 3.5 GPAs in their minds know they'll get into dental school granted they have everything else in place for their application. For those of us with weak GPAs you really sit and wonder what your future holds,and its a scary thought. Therefore for me to get in with my low GPA made it so sweet. So yeah not trying to rub it in and say hey look at me with the low GPA I got in and I partied way more than you did!

As for the past... the story goes I messed up years 1-3. Years 4 and 5 in college I averaged a 3.5 GPA and the Masters program was a 3.89. I don't know why Destiny 11 put this, " So he basically got in by doing slightly above average on the DAT and in a 9 months masters program where he took the minimum amt. of units required. With a 2.95/2.8/2.8, he also was not taking any classes this year to improve on that. Just stating the facts."

You make it seem like I just failed my whole undergrad, got into Midwestern's MA program, rocked it... and now got into dental school. Midwestern's MA program saw my upward trend and gave me an opportunity to demonstrate I can handle dental school. As for taking the minimum amount of units... only people in my program would know that. BTW the minimum amount of units was still a heavy workload, this is graduate level work. Obviously it looks like you were in the Midwestern's MA program and knew me personally... but whatever, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

I know my story is inspirational to those who are in my position. I felt inclined to post this story to motivate others because it was someone like myself that I read about 3 years ago that convinced me to still pursue dentistry. I just want to have that same effect on someone on this forum, and I know I will.

I am not here to make excuses about my past. Things happen for a reason, we all take different paths towards (dental school in this case). My road happened to be more of an incline and long.

Another thing... do not insult MWU IL and state that they are desperate. They have plenty of qualified students to choose from.

The best advice I can give is work hard, stay resilient, and handle business! I wish fellow low GPAers the best of luck!

Originally Posted by Destiny11

True, but take it with a grain of salt. There is a small detail that the OP failed to mention on how he received his interview with a 2.95/2.8/2.8 and 20DAT

My my...this thread started out far from being epic, but it's got potential now. You wouldn't happen to be a large breasted woman, Destiny11?

Originally Posted by Destiny11

True, but take it with a grain of salt. There is a small detail that the OP failed to mention on how he received his interview with a 2.95/2.8/2.8 and 20DAT

what's the magic behind op getting interviews???

Originally Posted by lnngu

My my...this thread started out far from being epic, but it's got potential now. You wouldn't happen to be a large breasted woman, Destiny11?

I would think large breasts would get destiny11 some acceptances knowing some of the ODB's that instruct at these schools! bahahaha...Im sorry that was mean, my apologies

Originally Posted by OU11BB

what's the magic behind op getting interviews???

I think it was a combination of my upwards trend, DAT score, VERY STRONG LORs, and a well written personal statement that had a very moving story.

Originally Posted by xaznxcountx

I think it was a combination of my upwards trend, DAT score, VERY STRONG LORs, and a well written personal statement that had a very moving story.

Do not let these jokers on SDN take anything away from you. You deserve to be where you are, hold your head up high