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Sameffect

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Hey everybody ! I'm a student who is taking 16 credit hours in this semester. I am managing a club of which I am the President, taking part in all of my group activites of my pre-health frat club, shadowing a dentist and working a part time job. Right now, I am on my way of getting 3 As, 1 B and 1 C-. I am trying my best to bump up the B and C to A, but it's challenging. Those B and C- are in my electives Human Physiology and Cell Biology respectively. The As are in my pre reqs. I wanted to ask you if getting a low grade in electives impacts the dental school application because I am low key stressing out right now.

Thank you!!

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Minimum is a C, you need to retake that C- to count in admissions.

A few bad grades will lower your gpa but wont kill you. If I were you I would drop the clubs and move on, they are literally the most useless things on a persons application. Dental/medical schools don't give a crap about clubs, why risk low grades because of them? I have ZERO clubs on my application and have 4 interviews so far.

Have you taken/studied for the DAT?
 
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I'm in a similar situation. I have made good grades in my pre-reqs...but made a C in sociology (still mad at myself about it), and I hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the butt
 
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It's not impossible not to get into dental school with C's. I've read past threads about this topic and there have been plenty of people who have been accepted with C's and even W's. With one C on your record, don't sweat it! It's not the end-all-be-all.
 
Human Phys and Cell Bio will count towards your science GPA, which is extremely important. My advice is to calculate what your Science GPA would be (consult ADEA's website to learn how they do it for the AADSAS app so that you know exactly how it will be on your application).
 
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Rule of thumb: If you get a C or C- in a course, the best action is to take the next higher level and get a B or an A. For instance, get a C in Gen Chem, get a B or A in Gen Chem II. Your GPA may still be hurt, but when a human reads your transcript, you'll be ok.
 
Minimum is a C, you need to retake that C- to count in admissions.

A few bad grades will lower your gpa but wont kill you. If I were you I would drop the clubs and move on, they are literally the most useless things on a persons application. Dental/medical schools don't give a crap about clubs, why risk low grades because of them? I have ZERO clubs on my application and have 4 interviews so far.

Have you taken/studied for the DAT?

I am planning on taking my DAT next year since I still need to take Orgo. The organizations I've joined do fieldwork at hospitals and are all purely med based, so they give experience regarding it too. Wow that's amazing. Which dental schools did you apply to?
 
I'm in a similar situation. I have made good grades in my pre-reqs...but made a C in sociology (still mad at myself about it), and I hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the butt
Your DAT score is INCREDIBLE. I will definitely be following your tips on how to study for it. Do you think that Orgo 2 came more or was it mainly Orgo 1? Also, I think your science GPA won't be affected so it's cool
 
It's not impossible not to get into dental school with C's. I've read past threads about this topic and there have been plenty of people who have been accepted with C's and even W's. With one C on your record, don't sweat it! It's not the end-all-be-all.
Haha why did we choose such a tough field. I love the challenge, but sometimes it gets too stressful
 
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Human Phys and Cell Bio will count towards your science GPA, which is extremely important. My advice is to calculate what your Science GPA would be (consult ADEA's website to learn how they do it for the AADSAS app so that you know exactly how it will be on your application).
I have As in all my sciences and HP and CB are electives for my degree. They're optional for dental schools, but I'm hoping to make a min B on them or try my hardest to do so
 
Rule of thumb: If you get a C or C- in a course, the best action is to take the next higher level and get a B or an A. For instance, get a C in Gen Chem, get a B or A in Gen Chem II. Your GPA may still be hurt, but when a human reads your transcript, you'll be ok.
Would the same rule apply for electives? I already have As in my sciences, apart from Orgo because I haven't taken it yet
 
I have 7 C's and 2 D's on my transcript. All of them in my first two years except for english which I took in the summer of my third year. But in my 3rd,4th,5th years I don't have a single grade below A/A+. My cGPA is 3.57, sGPA 3.61, and BCP is 3.70. I have two interviews so far at UDM and Nova. Mailed out august 12th and applied to 19 schools. But who knows, maybe the reason why I haven't heard from any of the other 17 schools for interviews is cus of my weak first two years.
Oh and I'm Canadian. So it should be easier for a US citizen to gain acceptance with C's than for me.
 
I am planning on taking my DAT next year since I still need to take Orgo. The organizations I've joined do fieldwork at hospitals and are all purely med based, so they give experience regarding it too. Wow that's amazing. Which dental schools did you apply to?

I'm not saying to drop them for the heck of it. I'm saying if you are struggling in your classes you need to tone it down. What's the point of spending all those hours volunteering/fieldwork or whatever if you are getting Cs? Those extra 20 hours isn't worth having your gpa drop when you can spend that studying for your tests.

I applied all over the east coast nyu stony VCU buffalo etc etc.
 
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Isn't the semester just getting started? You have some time to raise any grades. Prioritize.

A "C" or two won't kill you. Just make sure it isn't lower than a C.
 
Your DAT score is INCREDIBLE. I will definitely be following your tips on how to study for it. Do you think that Orgo 2 came more or was it mainly Orgo 1? Also, I think your science GPA won't be affected so it's cool

On my exam, I felt like there was a bigger focus on Ochem 1. But it's best to know all the material, including Ochem 2, because you never know what you will get on the test.
 
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You can always make up for extracurriculars later but if you screw up your grades it's a much longer road to recovery. I agree completely with Likky here. You can always get a ton of ECs in a gap year if necessary. My ECs are fairly standard but I have an interview right now so don't think you need to go crazy with the outside stuff.
 
I have 7 C's and 2 D's on my transcript. All of them in my first two years except for english which I took in the summer of my third year. But in my 3rd,4th,5th years I don't have a single grade below A/A+. My cGPA is 3.57, sGPA 3.61, and BCP is 3.70. I have two interviews so far at UDM and Nova. Mailed out august 12th and applied to 19 schools. But who knows, maybe the reason why I haven't heard from any of the other 17 schools for interviews is cus of my weak first two years.
Oh and I'm Canadian. So it should be easier for a US citizen to gain acceptance with C's than for me.

Oh wow. Yes that gives me hope haha but I have gotten a C in my life and I certainly don't want to start getting it NOW out of all the times.
I'm sure you'll get in and make a great dentist :) Good Luck !!
 
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@LuckBloodandSweat @Likkriue I'm gonna ease up on my ECs now and just make up for my grades in the coming tests and do my hardest to do better. Thank you for your insight into this. I honestly didn't expect to get so much support and good advice this quickly. Won't let y'all down B)
 
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one or two bad grade doesn't kill you. Just try to do better in subsequent semesters and you should be okay.
 
2 Cs 2 Ws and 3 interviews in Texas, don't fret!
 
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2D's and Idek how many C's and still got in. You're fine as long as it's just a hiccup
 
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oh wow our stats really are quite similar... my dat a bit lower and gpas a bit higher...
 
Update: Thank you everyone who gave me the helpful advice. I am currently on my way of getting 4As and 1 B (if everything works out hehe), but I just wanted to know that your efforts weren't in vain as all of my grades have improved considerably
 
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3 C's and 2 W's = I have interviews.
 
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I'm also in Texas atm. Particularly, studying at UH, hoping to get into UT Health Science Centre
Ayyyyy Texas AND UH club checking in. Let's go coogs
 
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If I were you I would drop the clubs and move on, they are literally the most useless things on a persons application. Dental/medical schools don't give a crap about clubs, why risk low grades because of them?

That's ridiculous. If that were true, why would they ask for extracurricular activities on your application?

What if you drop the clubs AND still get a bad grade anyway? Putting more time into a course is not the solution to every problem regarding academic performance. Then, you'd have nothing to offer dental schools and frankly you'd look like a loser.

Also, if you have no extracurriculars, how are you going to prove that you have the time management skills necessary for dental school? (That's a frequently asked interview question, btw.) Unless you're taking 24-30 credit hours per semester (like in dental school), your undergrad coursework should not be taking up all of your time.

If I were OP, I'd protect my sGPA by avoiding these unnecessary science courses in the first place rather than sacrifice the rest of my applicant profile. OP is not risking low grades because of the clubs; OP is risking low grades by taking the courses!
 
That's ridiculous. If that were true, why would they ask for extracurricular activities on your application?

What if you drop the clubs AND still get a bad grade anyway? Putting more time into a course is not the solution to every problem regarding academic performance. Then, you'd have nothing to offer dental schools and frankly you'd look like a loser.

Also, if you have no extracurriculars, how are you going to prove that you have the time management skills necessary for dental school? (That's a frequently asked interview question, btw.) Unless you're taking 24-30 credit hours per semester (like in dental school), your undergrad coursework should not be taking up all of your time.

If I were OP, I'd protect my sGPA by avoiding these unnecessary science courses in the first place rather than sacrifice the rest of my applicant profile. OP is not risking low grades because of the clubs; OP is risking low grades by taking the courses!

Extracurricular activities is a broad broad term. It could mean volunteering tutoring working etc. Being a member of 8 clubs versus 5 clubs wont make a difference especially if you already have done tons of volunteering shadowing etc. He's already been a member of the club for quite awhile, what difference does it make whether he's been in it for 2 years versus 1 year? And for the record I have 5 interviews and Im not a member of ANY club but I still have extracurriculars that work WELL with my schedule.

Avoid science courses? He has classes he needs to take and once you finish your pre-req science course your next trip is to take more advanced science courses. Theres nothing to avoid there. A bachelors in science requires these courses. And for the record cell biology and human physiology is not even that advanced. Its not like he's taking masters level science courses for the sake of it. Those are legit undergraduate courses.
 
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Hey everybody ! I'm a student who is taking 16 credit hours in this semester. I am managing a club of which I am the President, taking part in all of my group activites of my pre-health frat club, shadowing a dentist and working a part time job. Right now, I am on my way of getting 3 As, 1 B and 1 C-. I am trying my best to bump up the B and C to A, but it's challenging. Those B and C- are in my electives Human Physiology and Cell Biology respectively. The As are in my pre reqs. I wanted to ask you if getting a low grade in electives impacts the dental school application because I am low key stressing out right now.

Thank you!!
This may or may not be the case for you, but typically, I find that people (including myself) score lower grades whenever their schedule's are impacted with other activities. You're already taking 16 units and have to do well in these classes, add in president of a club, a pre-health frat, shadowing and part-time job, this becomes a struggle. I would seriously suggest you hold off on the shadowing and the pre-health frat and focus on academics more. The part-time job I would say try to hold off on as well, if you're financially secure and seriously focus on the semester ahead of you; but if that's not the case and money is short, the part-time job I understand. I was shadowing, doing research, part of a club and taking 16 units one semester, after dedicating most of my time to extracurriculars, my grades started to suffer, so I stopped shadowing that semester, asked a friend to take over my club duties, asked for a two week extension on my research due date and focused on my classes, come midterm time I was able to turn around my grades from B/B-'s to A's and maintain it through the whole semester. Physiology and Cell Biology are well to do courses that dental schools typically require/recommend so a low grade in these courses is not optimal. If you have time on hand during winter or summer, I'd say shadow or work then so you have more time to focus on the semester at hand. Again, this might not be the case for you, but I would say you getting a 4.0 gpa this semester worth of 16 credits is more important than various extracurriculars, which can be done at a later time.
 
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Much more difficult to repair grades than it is to find some extracurriculars after you've done well.
 
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Those B and C- are in my electives Human Physiology and Cell Biology respectively. The As are in my pre reqs. I wanted to ask you if getting a low grade in electives impacts the dental school application because I am low key stressing out right now.

Human Physiology and Cell Biology are pretty important courses in dental schools' eyes, IMO.
 
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That's ridiculous. If that were true, why would they ask for extracurricular activities on your application?

What if you drop the clubs AND still get a bad grade anyway? Putting more time into a course is not the solution to every problem regarding academic performance. Then, you'd have nothing to offer dental schools and frankly you'd look like a loser.

Also, if you have no extracurriculars, how are you going to prove that you have the time management skills necessary for dental school? (That's a frequently asked interview question, btw.) Unless you're taking 24-30 credit hours per semester (like in dental school), your undergrad coursework should not be taking up all of your time.

If I were OP, I'd protect my sGPA by avoiding these unnecessary science courses in the first place rather than sacrifice the rest of my applicant profile. OP is not risking low grades because of the clubs; OP is risking low grades by taking the courses!

Cell Bio is a part of my bio major and human phys is the bio elective that I'm taking, so I HAVE to take them. Right now I've bounced back thankfully :)
 
This may or may not be the case for you, but typically, I find that people (including myself) score lower grades whenever their schedule's are impacted with other activities. You're already taking 16 units and have to do well in these classes, add in president of a club, a pre-health frat, shadowing and part-time job, this becomes a struggle. I would seriously suggest you hold off on the shadowing and the pre-health frat and focus on academics more. The part-time job I would say try to hold off on as well, if you're financially secure and seriously focus on the semester ahead of you; but if that's not the case and money is short, the part-time job I understand. I was shadowing, doing research, part of a club and taking 16 units one semester, after dedicating most of my time to extracurriculars, my grades started to suffer, so I stopped shadowing that semester, asked a friend to take over my club duties, asked for a two week extension on my research due date and focused on my classes, come midterm time I was able to turn around my grades from B/B-'s to A's and maintain it through the whole semester. Physiology and Cell Biology are well to do courses that dental schools typically require/recommend so a low grade in these courses is not optimal. If you have time on hand during winter or summer, I'd say shadow or work then so you have more time to focus on the semester at hand. Again, this might not be the case for you, but I would say you getting a 4.0 gpa this semester worth of 16 credits is more important than various extracurriculars, which can be done at a later time.

I think i'm on my way of getting those points, but only time will tell. I have decreased my volunteering hours this month, even though I am volunteering to maintain some level of consistency. Looking at what I can do to get the 4.0 :)
 
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It may draw a question in the interview, and it may keep you out of some super competitive programs, but a C or two won't preclude you from dental school. I certainly had some C grades from a long time ago (I am non-trad) before I took my prereqs and I failed a class my first semester of college. I had multiple admissions, so it is certainly not a deal breaker.
 
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My transcript has 2-3 F's and 2-3 W's from when I first started college and wasn't ready for it. I have a couple C's after that, but it's mostly A's and a few B's. Currently sitting on 4 interviews this cycle. Do as well as you can from here on out and you'll be fine.
 
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My transcript has 2-3 F's and 2-3 W's from when I first started college and wasn't ready for it. I have a couple C's after that, but it's mostly A's and a few B's. Currently sitting on 4 interviews this cycle. Do as well as you can from here on out and you'll be fine.

What was your DAT score if you don't mind me asking? Also, what would you say regarding volunteering?
 
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What was your DAT score if you don't mind me asking? Also, what would you say regarding volunteering?

24AA 24TS 20PAT. About 28 hours of volunteering at the local nature center and a couple blood drives. 105 hours of shadowing with 5 general dentists and 5 specialists.
 
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Hey everybody ! I'm a student who is taking 16 credit hours in this semester. I am managing a club of which I am the President, taking part in all of my group activites of my pre-health frat club, shadowing a dentist and working a part time job. Right now, I am on my way of getting 3 As, 1 B and 1 C-. I am trying my best to bump up the B and C to A, but it's challenging. Those B and C- are in my electives Human Physiology and Cell Biology respectively. The As are in my pre reqs. I wanted to ask you if getting a low grade in electives impacts the dental school application because I am low key stressing out right now.

Thank you!!


had like 6 Cs got into 4 schools
 
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