Did any of you dental students ever get C's in undergrad?

[SexyMariGal]

I think a C is the minimum required grade for dental school prerequisites, and I wanted to ask if any of you dental school students ever got a C in undergrad? I have been getting all A's and some B's, but I might be getting a C or 2 in Organic Chemistry and Physics. I really hate those classes, and the material is so hard for me compared to Biology. This is my last year, and I'm just trying to pass these classes; I've already failed some tests in them, but I can still manage to pass with at least C's, I think.

Do you think it would be a big deal if I got a C or 2 in these classes? I don't think any of these classes are part of the dental school curriculum either, right? I know you take Biochemistry, but I'm not sure how much Organic Chemistry you'd have to know. I hope I can make it through and that this will be the last time I ever have to see anymore Organic Chemistry or Physics.

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[KingT]

yes

 

[dentalWorks]

not all dental classes require C or C-.... many of our first year classes don't have such requirement. This is especially true (for my school) when we are talking about basic sciences (biochem, gross anatomy, histology, etc). For these classes, you just need a D (60% or higher to pass).

However, the C- requirement is there when dealing with classes DIRECTLY related to dental practice (Dental anatomy, operative dentistry, clinical practice studies, etc)

As far as dental school goes, my class is FULL of next-to straight A students from undergrad, but in dental school its different. You don't have the pressure that forces you to be a straight-A student, so many tend to slack off, and not score as well. Thats all.

 

[HupHolland]

I got 2 D's my first year of college (both pre-reqs) and still got into dental school my first attempt, during the most competitive application cycle yet (2007). It's possible!

How did I do it? I re-took both courses and got A's. I graduated with a 3.6 GPA, 3.5 SGPA, and DAT 20. Upward trend is key, my friend.

Hup

 

[btk2333]

I got a C+ in a class that had it's final after I was accepted. Needless to say I didn't study much...

 

[AmpedUp]

I had 2 (in OChem1 and English I) on my record and was accepted. I retook OChem 1 and got in A in that though...

 

[rowsdower]

I got a D in 5 credit Algebra class which of course went to my sci GPA. It took a lot of A's to recover from that. I'm also grateful for the BCP column

 

[Khompressor]

Yup, got 4 C's.

 

[HillsNayyr]

Nope. Got a B- in genetics and intro to anthropology though.

 

[HillsNayyr]

not all dental classes require C or C-.... many of our first year classes don't have such requirement. This is especially true (for my school) when we are talking about basic sciences (biochem, gross anatomy, histology, etc). For these classes, you just need a D (60% or higher to pass).

However, the C- requirement is there when dealing with classes DIRECTLY related to dental practice (Dental anatomy, operative dentistry, clinical practice studies, etc)

As far as dental school goes, my class is FULL of next-to straight A students from undergrad, but in dental school its different. You don't have the pressure that forces you to be a straight-A student, so many tend to slack off, and not score as well. Thats all.

Interesting. At minnesota we need a C or higher in every class, though the cutoff for a C is different for each class. Biochem is 65%. Where as you need a 85% for a B in oral anatomy.

And there's definitely less people gunning for A's than in undergrad, especially in the more difficult classes.

 

[flapaTron]

C- in "Fine art II - Cinema". Last semester of college.

 

[phebz1125]

2 C's in Bio1 and Bio2. Didn't retake but I get 22 on Bio section of the DAT tho

 

[pixidust]

Yes, C's happen, but it's not the end of the world.

 

[SexyMariGal]

If I get a C in either of those classes, should I bother to retake them to try for a better grade? From what I've read on here, AADSAS averages the initial and retaken grade, so even if I got an A on a retake, it would only average out to a B for my overall GPA. Doesn't seem like it's worth the trouble to me, since a couple C's won't affect my GPA or BCP that much.

Since the DAT doesn't test on Physics, I don't have to worry about that too much, but I guess I've got to ace the OChem section on the DAT it seems. I guess I should just manage to pass these classes with a C at the least. Is this pretty logical thinking here, or am I missing something? Thank you for all that have chimed in thus far to help out, I appreciate it.

 

[noles]

C's equal degrees

 

[amalgamator42]

yes, but it was after I was already accepted - Bazinga!

 

[Voltron2010]

I think a C is the minimum required grade for dental school prerequisites, and I wanted to ask if any of you dental school students ever got a C in undergrad? I have been getting all A's and some B's, but I might be getting a C or 2 in Organic Chemistry and Physics. I really hate those classes, and the material is so hard for me compared to Biology. This is my last year, and I'm just trying to pass these classes; I've already failed some tests in them, but I can still manage to pass with at least C's, I think.

Do you think it would be a big deal if I got a C or 2 in these classes? I don't think any of these classes are part of the dental school curriculum either, right? I know you take Biochemistry, but I'm not sure how much Organic Chemistry you'd have to know. I hope I can make it through and that this will be the last time I ever have to see anymore Organic Chemistry or Physics.

Wow, i am getting flash backs. My first year of undergrad was a disaster. I had a GPA of 1.6 in my first semester and I improved to a 1.8 the second semster. So I had worse than C's I had D's and F's... I was placed on academic probation and was going to be kicked out of school. I got scared and cleaned up my act. I took school seriously study and prepared for the DAT two years in advance. I then took the DAT and scored really high. So I knew I had a second chance. I keep my grades up and left with a GPA of 3.4 and a science GPA of 3.8

I applied to dental school and got into all four school i applied to. but at the interview they asked me about my academic probation. I told them the truth I was stupid I didnt study, I did nt go to school but when I was placed on academic probation reality kicked in I got scared clean up my act and my grades show that trend and so do my scores. I told them I grew up. They all like that answer. So one bad grade wont hurt you. I got in and graduated and I had a disatrous first year.

 

[dontistwannabe]

Hi, I am a freshman this fall and just bombed my first math course (C-)... should I retake the course or just advance to next one? cuz i realize that if I retake it then i gotta combine 2 marks and average it out right?

 

[Daurang]

C+ in Microbiology.

 

[txaggie03]

I dont mean to sound like an ass, but the biggest thing is that you need to do is reevaluate what your priorities are. A 'C' will not keep you out of dental school; A history of 'C student' behavior will.

Show the admissions committee what you want with your grades, your extra-curricular, volunteering, and shadowing. Join a pre-dent society if only to make you see what some of the 'other' applicants are pushing themselves to do.
For your info, I started life out with a 2.79 GPA engineering degree. Worked for nearly six years and went back to school. Final GPA was a 3.15 I think.

Engineering degree:
9 'A's
13 'B's
8 'C's
1 'D'
and three drops.

Biology degree:
30 'A's
1 'B' (after I was accepted).


If you want it, make your plan to get there, and stick to it.

 

[HandsOnPractice]

I had a 1.8 GPA after my first year of college and a 2.0 after my second year, and I got in so.....

 

[HandsOnPractice]

Granted I finished with a 3.3 GPA. Really had to work my but off for that one

 

[CMistry]

I got a D and multiple Cs, but still graduated with a 3.6X.

 

[sacapuntas]

I had a load of B's and C's. I started my post-bacc with right around a 3.0 gpa. I took the bare minimum pre-reqs for dental school (it was something like 45ish credits?) and got a 4.0 in those. My final GPA was somewhere around a 3.3. As others have said, upward trend is critical if you start out bad and getting a good DAT score helps solidify your upward trend.

 

[ktran17]

I got a F in business calculus and business law. I forgot to drop the classes. I ended up with a 3.73 ogpa, 3.78 sGPA, and 3.89 BCP. As you probably know, I aced the rest of UG . Including getting an A+ in my entire biochemistry series. I was a biochemistry major and was the first person to do this in 8 years at my UG . Just try hard and you will be fine. Overall gpa is probably the most important imo

 

[free99]

Echoing what a lot of people have said above, but... trends matter. A rogue C or D won't matter much if you prove in other ways you're a capable student. I had a couple F's, a D, a couple C's, and a hefty string of B's in my first run through college. Went back to school immediately after graduating and came within 10 credits of completing a second B.S. in bio with a 3.7. Luckily my BCP was untarnished from my first go-around and I had that 3.7 BCP GPA as a standout gem on my application. Applied in June, offered 10 interviews, and attended/was accepted at five.

 

[dontistwannabe]

Wow thank you for so many replies!! Makes me so much less worried after reading inspiring stories~ Will do work hard. You'll see.

 

[syap]

Yes...Biochem, Microbiology, 1 semester of Ochem, 1 semester of Bio...I had to apply a few times lol

 

[yappy]

I've found that the type of people who get As in dental school were the students who perfected cramming in undergrad. Indeed, dental school As are out of reach for many students because of the volume, and rate, that material is covered rather than its complexity. Cramming in UG is a good simulation for dental school because the required readings and course load are not reasonable to work through in a meticulous manner, gaining full understanding, prior to exams. You really need to be a great crammer/memorizer to make it through the material in the allotted time.

OP: Tons of people have Cs or worse and make it into DS.

 

[Silent Cool]

Heh, yes. Quote a few actually.

Keep in mind that schools vary considerably in their competitiveness, so getting As at some colleges is cake.