What do you think are my chances of getting into dental school with a low gpa 2.75 and a high dat 24? I have already graduated and I don't know how to raise my gpa. Could I take undergrad science classes as a nondegree student? because at this point my gpa is not high enough to get into most postbac or master programs. I would be taking undergrad classes at a nearby university. Does anyone know how that gets calculated in AADSAS? Also, I am currently working in a dental office as a dental receptionist and hoping to become a dental assistant. So, I have several hours in a dental office.
Low GPA High DAT
- Thread starter ArielKwok
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Well.. I think the best place to look is under 3.0 club. Honestly I don't know if 24 would be able to compensate 2.75..maybe if it was around 3.1~2 it would've been another story. Applying early and applying broadly could give you few interviews if you have great ec lor ps and dat score. Study for dat, aim for 30 in every section. It's impossible to actually get a 30 but aim high
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Some people do an "informal" post-bac where they just take science classes at a local university. This will raise your GPA. I'd want it in at least the 3.2ish range. Also, if you take a slew of upper-level classes and make consistently high grades, this upward trend will be noticed.
Have you already made a 24, or is that theoretical?
Have you already made a 24, or is that theoretical?
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If I Recall Correctly
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nvm
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I have already taken the DAT. Also should I be taking upper-lever undergrad classes or would some graduate classes be beneficial too? I do have a question about informal post bac, is that the same as being a non degree student taking classes?
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Honestly, I would recommend going for grad program before you apply to dental school. I know many students with low undergrad GPA who got decent grad GPA and got into dental school. All of these people were rejected when they applied with low GPA and high DAT scores but I guess there can be exceptions.
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Everyone and every school is different in what they are looking for. If you have the time and money to apply then why not. I already graduated as well and was a little worried about my GPA. I have a lower GPA (3.0) and a 21 on the DAT and I got 4 interviews, with 1 acceptance and 1 waitlist right now. If you have good EC's, LOR's, and PS and apply early(meaning first days) and broadly, you very well could have a chance. That's what I did and it worked for me. Study the schools past acceptance stats and which schools are more open to oos students(if you don't have very many instate options like I didn't) and you could still have a chance. You could try and take some science classes at a University as well and put that in your application that you are currently taking classes to raise your GPA. Whatever you can do to show schools your best! Good Luck!
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I'm not sure if other schools has this, but Iowa State has a one year masters program in biomedical sciences that you can use your DAT score to get into. Application is due April 1st and it's just a little more than undergrad tuition. You will get lots of lab experience and it's non thesis based so that's also a plus. This would be a great GPA and resume builder!
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I'm not sure if your AADSAS question was answered, so I'll try. Undergrad classes all get averaged together. Graduate classes all get averaged into a different group, and you get a 3rd group that is cumulative across them both. When you're entering your grades (all of them), you mark some as biology, chem, physics, and "other science," and those are used to calculate a "BCP," "Science," "Non-Science," and total GPA (so 4 GPA's). Hopefully you did well on your science classes. You also get a with-"+/-" and without-"+/-" version of those 4 GPAs, where the +/- may actually make you look better if you got a lot A+/B+/C+ grades.
If you have the time, I would retake the classes you need to get your GPA up, and consider the Masters tracks that some are mentioning. Good luck.
If you have the time, I would retake the classes you need to get your GPA up, and consider the Masters tracks that some are mentioning. Good luck.
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Hey all,
Thanks in advance for reading this - I will follow up and post my results throughout the coming cycle.
I have a 3.2 sci GPA (poor undergrad, good masters)
I had a rough time during undergrad; my father was very sick, then there was a divorce, plus I was aimless. I don't know what I was thinking, but my overall GPA was roughly 2.75 (95% non science). After I graduated with a music major, I wrote an album, taught music around town - even directed music for a school play, however I found the lifestyle unsatisfying. So I decided to do pre-health, did some post-bacc science and got a job at a hospital, then enrolled in a rigorous masters program. It worked out well; I turned over a new leaf.
~ 21 DAT
~ I did my masters (with thesis) in a medical school curriculum and got all A's and B's. It is the same school I hope to get into for dental.
~ 3 scientific publications (paleontology, which is largely the study of tooth morphology)
~ URM (African)
~ I have great EC's: 1 year of hospital work (scribe), ~ 100 volunteer hours playing music in various hospitals and charities, jazz musician within 5 instruments (violin, guitar, bass, percussion, mandolin), ~ 500 tutoring hours within music, sciences and philosophy at the school I hope to get into, lead roles in 9 plays, high school state runner up in track and field.
~ Letter of Recs are good, one comes from a professor (my mentor) in the dental school who was previously on the admissions committee.
~ Around 100 shadowing hours with a busy dental clinic.
I wonder what you think of my odds? Did I blow it in undergrad? I am the kind of student who was always good with his hands and involved in everything, from music, theater, science, athletics - but my grades were a problem until my masters where I pulled it up. I know many students do 4.00 in masters programs, but mine was especially challenging - it was with med students (SMP with thesis) and I consistently scored above average.
Well, hit me. What do you think?
Thanks in advance for reading this - I will follow up and post my results throughout the coming cycle.
I have a 3.2 sci GPA (poor undergrad, good masters)
I had a rough time during undergrad; my father was very sick, then there was a divorce, plus I was aimless. I don't know what I was thinking, but my overall GPA was roughly 2.75 (95% non science). After I graduated with a music major, I wrote an album, taught music around town - even directed music for a school play, however I found the lifestyle unsatisfying. So I decided to do pre-health, did some post-bacc science and got a job at a hospital, then enrolled in a rigorous masters program. It worked out well; I turned over a new leaf.
~ 21 DAT
~ I did my masters (with thesis) in a medical school curriculum and got all A's and B's. It is the same school I hope to get into for dental.
~ 3 scientific publications (paleontology, which is largely the study of tooth morphology)
~ URM (African)
~ I have great EC's: 1 year of hospital work (scribe), ~ 100 volunteer hours playing music in various hospitals and charities, jazz musician within 5 instruments (violin, guitar, bass, percussion, mandolin), ~ 500 tutoring hours within music, sciences and philosophy at the school I hope to get into, lead roles in 9 plays, high school state runner up in track and field.
~ Letter of Recs are good, one comes from a professor (my mentor) in the dental school who was previously on the admissions committee.
~ Around 100 shadowing hours with a busy dental clinic.
I wonder what you think of my odds? Did I blow it in undergrad? I am the kind of student who was always good with his hands and involved in everything, from music, theater, science, athletics - but my grades were a problem until my masters where I pulled it up. I know many students do 4.00 in masters programs, but mine was especially challenging - it was with med students (SMP with thesis) and I consistently scored above average.
Well, hit me. What do you think?
Post-bac or masters would be the far better thing to do to improve your chances the most. Going the hygienist path is much too risky and will most likely waste too much of your time. If youre gpa is very low: masters > post-bac
I am in illinois. .
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That too, but the program itself takes about 2 years to complete. So, after you get the degree, you would want to put that degree into use, so that few years after you get your degree is an extra time you are spending not in the dental school. If you are just going to finish your RDH degree and not use it, why even bother getting it? Just to show that you are serious in dentistry?
I think if you are already a RDH and are interested in dental school, it can be something that might help you get into dental school, but I wouldn't get RDH degree just to use it as a stepping stone.
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you have a great chance to get into a dental school especially UIC Dental school especially they take 100% from Illinois
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You were accepted this cycle? I didn't think it went out until Dec. 2nd.
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I didn't know you can actually get acceptances prior to Dec 2?
You can't.
This is precisely what I'm doing. Not to raise my GPA, but because I majored in political science and only took one semester of physics, zero chem, zero bio, zero anything else.
I had a 3.49 undergrad GPA and am rather enjoying the fact that I've been getting A's in the science classes I've been taking so far, and I'm hoping for 3.6 by the time I apply. From what I've been told, since the post bacc classes I've been taking are prerequisites, they will count.
