Seeking Direction!

[LNR4205]

Long term lurker but I decided to post now. I need some sort of direction as to where to go from here. This will probably be a long post so brace yourselves!!

I graduated from HS in 2006 and went to play football at a small Division 3 school. Always knew I wanted to be a dentist, however, I didn't take school as serious as I should. I made the mistake of trying to chase the football dream and "make it to the league." Because of this I transferred to 5 different schools trying to find a program that would take me to the NFL (young and dumb I know).

My GPA suffered tremendously throughout my college career. Because of this, I ended my undergrad career with a 2.47 BCP, 2.71 Science, 3.27 non science and 2.94 total.

After graduating, I applied to a masters certificate program for students who did not perform well in undergrad but wanted to attend professional school. In that program I took histology, biochem, biostat, anatomy and physiology. I received a C in biostat and was on the verge of making a C in anatomy. Because of this, the dean of the program suggested that I withdraw from the program and when I applied to dental school she said she would write a letter of rec explaining my situation and why I withdrew. I finished the grad program with a 2.82

I applied last year and didn't receive any interview invites. As far as my application is concerned, I feel like I have a solid personal statement, letters of rec and extra curricular activities. My grades are what's holding me back.

SDN where do I go from here. I'm sorry if my post is grammatically all over the place (my thoughts are all over the place)! I am a 27 year old URM father of a 5 year old girl. At this point I don't know if it's worth doing another grad program or even if a grad program will accept me because of my GPA.

Also, On my aadsas app the grad school GPA is factored in under my undergrad GPA as Post BS/BA undergraduate.

I have been working as a dental assistant for the last 3 years and recently was just hired as a manager for an orthodontic practice.

How can I turn this around and get into school?

Sorry for the scattered thoughts but I need help!

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[wonkyduck]

You need to meet with the admissions office of the schools you want to apply to. Their jobs are to give advice for situations like yours.

 

[8_man]

It's going to take an incredible amount of time, money, and discipline for you to bring your GPA up. Straight A's ONLY. And unless your DAT is 21+, I would retake. At this point, your biggest hurdle is proving to Adcoms that you can handle a dental school curriculum.


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[Likkriue]

Low grad gpa AND undergrad gpa is tough. Whats your dat score?

 

[workofshart]

LECOM has a program where if you maintain I think a 3.5 you are guaranteed an interview at their dental school. I would look into programs like those because unfortunately I think it's going to be very hard for you since you already finished a masters program with a <3.0

 

[wengerout]

LECOM has a program where if you maintain I think a 3.5 you are guaranteed an interview at their dental school. I would look into programs like those because unfortunately I think it's going to be very hard for you since you already finished a masters program with a <3.0

Ohio State also has a program like this specifically for URM. I would contact admissions and discuss this situation with them as well as explore similar programs. Otherwise you're gonna have to get the GPA to at least a 3.0 overall with a DAT of 21+. If dentistry is your dream don't give up though, you only have one life.


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[AlecGaro]

Ohio State also has a program like this specifically for URM. I would contact admissions and discuss this situation with them as well as explore similar programs. Otherwise you're gonna have to get the GPA to at least a 3.0 overall with a DAT of 21+. If dentistry is your dream don't give up though, you only have one life.


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Just curious, when you say 21+ are you also including 21 or do you mean 22-30?

 

[wengerout]

Just curious, when you say 21+ are you also including 21 or do you mean 22-30?

Including 21, but the higher the better


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[thegoatest]

If you really want to jump through a loop to get you into school, gain Nevada residency and apply at UNLV. 40 out of 80 of their seats are reserved for NV residents, mandated by the state. When I went to interview there were only 57 Nevada applicants total, so you are pretty much guaranteed an acceptance if you're from NV. They also told a story about a guy who didn't get accepted, so he showed up on the first day of class and the dean felt bad for him and offered an acceptance. That year they had 81 instead of 80 students... Vegas also has a lot of other good job opportunities if you don't make it. My close family member works as a Valet Parker at Caesar's Palace and makes well over 6 figures working nights. I agree with the above reply though, you should definitely contact admissions offices before making these kinds of decisions. (Side note: the best way to offset a bad GPA is a really good DAT score. Take DAT Bootcamp, score above a 22, then schools will feel more confident about accepting someone who won't fail national board/NBDE exams) They also have an acceptance formula posted somewhere here on SDN, with a lower score required for NV residents.