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Hello everyone on SDN,
I'm a new user of this forum after my friend introduced me to it. I find SDN incredibly helpful for my situation as I am applying to American dental schools.
I'm applying this cycle for the 2014 intake. I'm hoping my application will be completed by June 12.
I'm starting this thread because I need help from other students who have had the same situation and stats as me and who have applied to American dental schools as a Canadian.
Here is my profile:
cGPA (based on AADSAS GPA table) is 3.87
sGPA is 4.116
BCP is 3.985
My American DAT includes:
PA 24
QR 21
RC 21
Biology 26
GC 24
OC 24
TS 25
AA 23
I wrote the American DAT only once.
I have 3 LOR from professors (excellent) and 1 LOR from dentist
My EC include hospital volunteering (116 hrs), Senior home (81 hrs), Dentist (150 hrs and still going), Peer mentor (96 hrs), and family physician shadowing and volunteering (50 hrs)
I have worked for 3 years of my undergrad (year 2 to 4) for about 2100 hrs
I did some volunteer research for one summer for a plant biologist professor, it was nothing special though (I didn't get published or anything) ... I just learned the basics (how to use several laboratory equipment and how to grow bacterial colonies) ... I did about 80 hrs .
I received two awards and two scholarships from university.I am graduating this summer from Biomedical Science program but will be returning to school in the fall to take a second English course (as it is required) and to do a research course.
As I am Canadian, I will be applying to the following schools:
University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry (UOP)
University of Southern California Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry (USC)
Howard University College of Dentistry (HOW)
Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine (NSU)
Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Illinois (MWU-IL)
Indiana University School of Dentistry (IND)
University of Louisville School of Dentistry (UL)
Boston University Henry M Goldman School of Dental Medicine (BU)
University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry (UDM)
University of Minnesota School of Dentistry (MIN)
Creighton University School of Dentistry (CRE)
University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine (BUF)
New York University College of Dentistry (NYU)
Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CUL)
Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine (CASE)
University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine (PITT)
The Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry, Temple University (TEMP)
University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine (PENN)
Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine (USN)
I was a full time student. First year had 40.5 semester hrs, second year had 33 semester hrs, third year had 36 semester hrs, and fourth year had 28 semester hrs (I know this is less than 30 semester hrs, which is considered the FULL LOAD but this occurred because of financial problems so I had to increase my work hours)
I do not know any Canadians applying to American dental schools (all my friends are applying to medical schools), so i'm pretty much alone here . I would love to hear any replies from other students concerning my chances of getting in (or whether I will even make it to the interview as I know my profile has flaws lol) and whether my school list is okay. Thanks for the help upfront!
Canadian university GPA scale is a joke...80% and above = A.
shoulda gone to college there
I'm a Canadian and I have to agree with you, the scale is ridiculous. But to be fair, for example at UofToronto, some courses you can't get above 90%. Professors make it clear the very first 10 minutes of the first lecture of these courses (i.e. not just one). They put a mark cap on the entire course ("unofficially" of course).
I'm a Canadian and I have to agree with you, the scale is ridiculous. But to be fair, for example at UofToronto, some courses you can't get above 90%. Professors make it clear the very first 10 minutes of the first lecture of these courses (i.e. not just one). They put a mark cap on the entire course ("unofficially" of course).
Well................Isn't that conveniently misleading
I'm a Canadian and I have to agree with you, the scale is ridiculous. But to be fair, for example at UofToronto, some courses you can't get above 90%. Professors make it clear the very first 10 minutes of the first lecture of these courses (i.e. not just one). They put a mark cap on the entire course ("unofficially" of course).
I have a solution for that: don't. go. to. Toronto. Go. To. Western. Or. McMaster.
Again, I totally agree with you. I'm still kicking myself in the foot for not going with my gut instinct to go to Western when I had the chance way back in senior high school. I was blinded by the so-called "reputation" that UofToronto has in the international scene. In retrospect, all that rep was for research, they cater to prospective researchers very well. Not so friendly to the pre-meds and pre-dents.
Canadian university GPA scale is a joke...80% and above = A.
shoulda gone to college there
Not all Canadian schools use that grading scheme. For those that do, perhaps the courses and exams are harder. If, at your American school, you can actually get 90% (A), then maybe your exams are too easy. "A's" - whether they're 60%, 80%, or 90% -- are made to be difficult to attain anywhere you go - that's why letter grades can be relatively standardized by AADSAS. .
Or they could have mastered the material.
Or their exams/courses are too easy.
Not all Canadian schools use that grading scheme. For those that do, perhaps the courses and exams are harder. If, at your American school, you can actually get 90% (A), then maybe your exams are too easy. "A's" - whether they're 60%, 80%, or 90% -- are made to be difficult to attain anywhere you go - that's why letter grades can be relatively standardized by AADSAS. .
Why do you want to go to a US dental school? With a 3.87 GPA, you could get into a Canadian school.