Id really appreciate a little advice on how to approachthis application cycle. I am currently a junior at a small Baptist college andhave been pursuing pharmacy school for the past 4 years. Recently, I havedecided to change my career to dentistry. I dont know much about how to applyto dental school but here is a little about me:
I currently have a 2.98 cumulative GPA and a 3.1biology/chemistry GPA. I havent taken the DAT yet but plan to this summer. Iwill also have 80 completed hours shadowing/working with a dentist and 20 hourswith an oral surgeon. I am also Secretary of Tri Beta Biological Honors Society at my university.
Important classes/grades:
Organic I C lab B-
Organic II C+ lab A-
General Chem B+ lab B
QuantitativeAnalytical Chem B- lab A-
Gross/CadaverAnatomy A
MammalianPhysiology B
Embryology B
Genetics B+
Cell andMolecular Bio B
Pathology A
Microbiology B
Of coursethese are not all my grades or my GPA wouldnt be so low. These are my upperlevel and pre-req classes. I only want to attend/apply to Tennessee School ofDentistry which is in-state for me so I will need at least a 20 DAT tosurvive. I will be taking Biochemistry and Histology this upcoming fall alongwith other university required courses to complete my degree in Biology. I havealso looked into a Masters in Biochemistry and Cell and Molecular Biology toenhance my GPA.
I guess whatIm asking is, should I apply this year? If so, would applying in August be early enough?Or should I wait for my fall grades to improve my GPA? What should be my gameplan?
Thanks foryour help!