Smartest thing students finishing undergrad with a low GPA (below 3.0) can do.

[BarcelonaFan2]

Or basically, the smartest route they can take to make themselves competitive.

Say you have a student who finished undegrad with a GPA below a 3.0 but has figured out overtime what gave him the low grades and led to his poor performance in college. Problem is, that student is just too far along and almost done with college to where his undergrad GPA is going to be low (below a 3.0).

Now if that student has aspirations of being a dentist, what is the smartest thing he can do (other than give up) if he wants to continue down that path?

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[deleted390966]

Take classes at a community or public college (cheap tuition) to boost that GPA + work in a dentist office or volunteer.
You can apply to Dental school after 1 year.

 

[DocMon16]

I had a 3.15 sGPA and 3.44 oGPA. I wanted to make sure the next time I applied I was as competitive as possible, I took a cycle off and did a two year Masters of Science where I did my undergrad. I got in this year. It made me very competitive and I received several interviews and got in!

 

[sjv]

SMP.

 

[I want to go to there]

Maybe some people who have more experience with this can enlighten me, but why not just retake classes you got bad grades in?

 

[sjv]

Maybe some people who have more experience with this can enlighten me, but why not just retake classes you got bad grades in?

Since there is no grade replacement, your GPA might not move much with a significant amount of completed units/credits. The bad grades persist and will continue to contribute to a low GPA.

It varies by case and some people will just take upper division science classes to raise their GPA instead.

 

[graydds]

My two cents (or more):

(1 - quickest route) Retake DAT and score 22+.

(2) Get into a Master program and work your butt off. A Masters program differentiates itself from retaking undergrad classes because it is "more rigorous", it also puts these courses into a different category on your transcript. For instance, a 3.15 raised to a 3.3 by doing retake courses is much less appealing than a 3.15 gpa with a 3.9 gpa in a Masters program.

(3) Make your face known at the dental school(s) you want to be in. Don't just be a name on an email. Show up at the admission director's office. Say your passing by the area and wanted to say hi. Annoy the heck out the admissions office. During the admissions cycle, it is common for the admission director and the admission committee to meet weekly. Your name will be brought up along with your desire and commitment to the program.

(4) My opinion, emphasis on opinion, is schools could care less about your extracurriculars. They want to be able to report that the statistics of their accepted students is rising compared to other schools. So I would put your most effort into supporting your GPA and DAT score. Don't worry as much about working in a dental office, or getting dental experience. Yes, this helps, but 'most schools' just want students that will be able to raise one of their reported statistics.

Also - remember life is a marathon, not a sprint. Think of where you want to be in five years, and obtain those goals. Put in the hard work and if you really want it, you will get there.

 

[Walnuts3016]

My two cents (or more):

(1 - quickest route) Retake DAT and score 22+.

(2) Get into a Master program and work your butt off. A Masters program differentiates itself from retaking undergrad classes because it is "more rigorous", it also puts these courses into a different category on your transcript. For instance, a 3.15 raised to a 3.3 by doing retake courses is much less appealing than a 3.15 gpa with a 3.9 gpa in a Masters program.

(3) Make your face known at the dental school(s) you want to be in. Don't just be a name on an email. Show up at the admission director's office. Say your passing by the area and wanted to say hi. Annoy the heck out the admissions office. During the admissions cycle, it is common for the admission director and the admission committee to meet weekly. Your name will be brought up along with your desire and commitment to the program.

(4) My opinion, emphasis on opinion, is schools could care less about your extracurriculars. They want to be able to report that the statistics of their accepted students is rising compared to other schools. So I would put your most effort into supporting your GPA and DAT score. Don't worry as much about working in a dental office, or getting dental experience. Yes, this helps, but 'most schools' just want students that will be able to raise one of their reported statistics.

Also - remember life is a marathon, not a sprint. Think of where you want to be in five years, and obtain those goals. Put in the hard work and if you really want it, you will get there.

For (2), what's your opinion on Postbaccs? Just curious. I myself am stuck on which would be better for me.

 

[Kungfushun]

For (2), what's your opinion on Postbaccs? Just curious. I myself am stuck on which would be better for me.

I was in the same situation as OP and I have to agree with most of what graydds has suggested. This plan by far is the one suggested by most ADCOMs.

For (2), it depends on your circumstances. My undergraduate GPA was below 3.0 and I was not accepted to the Master's programs I applied to because they had minimum of 3.0 GPA requirements. So I applied to the Creighton Pre-Dental Post-baccalaureate program. The program had guaranteed admission to CUSOD if you maintain the minimum requirements (3.5 GPA and minimum of 17 in all sections of DAT), but you must come from a disadvantaged background.

Personally, I would only apply to post-baccalaureate programs that can guarantee your admission. You don't want to complete a post-baccalaureate program and be unsure of whether you can get into dental school or not.

 

[MasterDental]

I didnt get in 2 years in a row. Did a Masters and did well on both my Masters and my DAT (20 AA, 21TS), and I got 14 interviews, went to 7, and accepted to 4 so far. Just work hard and show that you want to get in.

Cheers

 

[deleted390966]

SMP.

NEVER try SMP. It is very risky. Take classes at a local college instead. More affordable and less risk. In SMP, if you earn less than 3.5 GPA, it's over. You can't drop a class in SMP, either. Adcoms judge SMP performance with very high expectations.

 

[Applesandteeth]

NEVER try SMP. It is very risky. Take classes at a local college instead. More affordable and less risk. In SMP, if you earn less than 3.5 GPA, it's over. You can't drop a class in SMP, either. Adcoms judge SMP performance with very high expectations.

I think it's a bad idea to tell someone to never try a SMP. More often than not, it gives students a second chance.

I don't know where you heard the non-drop rule, but you can drop classes in an SMP. I know for UMDNJ/rutgers, students drop classes all the time.

In general, SMPs are designed for you to succeed if you choose your course load wisely. I met a lot of students who weren't very book smart, but worked hard and managed a 3.5+ easily.

OP, if you have more questions, you can private message me. Honestly SMP is the only reason I received 6+ interviews, and I was very cautious to pick schools that weren't super expensive or with huge class sizes.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

My two cents (or more):

(1 - quickest route) Retake DAT and score 22+.

(2) Get into a Master program and work your butt off. A Masters program differentiates itself from retaking undergrad classes because it is "more rigorous", it also puts these courses into a different category on your transcript. For instance, a 3.15 raised to a 3.3 by doing retake courses is much less appealing than a 3.15 gpa with a 3.9 gpa in a Masters program.

(3) Make your face known at the dental school(s) you want to be in. Don't just be a name on an email. Show up at the admission director's office. Say your passing by the area and wanted to say hi. Annoy the heck out the admissions office. During the admissions cycle, it is common for the admission director and the admission committee to meet weekly. Your name will be brought up along with your desire and commitment to the program.

(4) My opinion, emphasis on opinion, is schools could care less about your extracurriculars. They want to be able to report that the statistics of their accepted students is rising compared to other schools. So I would put your most effort into supporting your GPA and DAT score. Don't worry as much about working in a dental office, or getting dental experience. Yes, this helps, but 'most schools' just want students that will be able to raise one of their reported statistics.

Also - remember life is a marathon, not a sprint. Think of where you want to be in five years, and obtain those goals. Put in the hard work and if you really want it, you will get there.

Terrific post.
I do have two questions.

1.Although you get a separate GPA column for your masters, if you are a post bac student, you will classify your classes as PB (This is what they do for TMDSAS and I'm sure AADSAS does the same thing). Wouldn't they also see that this person took, say 40 credits hrs and got a 3.8 GPA for these classes?
2. Why the quotations when you said that a masters program is "more rigorous"? Aren't they all more rigorous compared to your undergrad classes?
Thanks!

 

[sbdento]

Take upper division science courses at a state school. Do NOT take community college classes.

 

[cacajuate]

Skip the postbacc and go straight to a SMP.

 

[graydds]

Terrific post.
I do have two questions.

1.Although you get a separate GPA column for your masters, if you are a post bac student, you will classify your classes as PB (This is what they do for TMDSAS and I'm sure AADSAS does the same thing). Wouldn't they also see that this person took, say 40 credits hrs and got a 3.8 GPA for these classes?
2. Why the quotations when you said that a masters program is "more rigorous"? Aren't they all more rigorous compared to your undergrad classes?
Thanks!

To your first question. Yes, the Post-Bacc grades will be under a different category. However, from the admission directors that I have spoken to, much more weight is placed on courses completed in a Master's Program.

I placed quotes around "more rigorous" because I did not find it to be more rigorous, but I know that is not always the case. Full-time in a Masters Program is just nine hours. Additionally, Master's level courses are more conceptual and less regurgitation, again, from my experience. I would recommend taking a Master's Program in a non-thesis discipline. This would not require a lab rotation and allows you to dedicate a lot of time and focus on dental related activities.

Again, this is just my two cents.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

To your first question. Yes, the Post-Bacc grades will be under a different category. However, from the admission directors that I have spoken to, much more weight is placed on courses completed in a Master's Program.

I placed quotes around "more rigorous" because I did not find it to be more rigorous, but I know that is not always the case. Full-time in a Masters Program is just nine hours. Additionally, Master's level courses are more conceptual and less regurgitation, again, from my experience. I would recommend taking a Master's Program in a non-thesis discipline. This would not require a lab rotation and allows you to dedicate a lot of time and focus on dental related activities.

Again, this is just my two cents.

I see. Thank you. May I ask what schools gave you that advice?

 

[predent3591]

.

 

[Mouthhole]

The only thing my state offers for sub 3.0s is an online master's in public health (no GRE required, $30k) that takes 1.5 years to complete.

At my OOS undergrad uni
>dental SMP
>$30,000+
>rent + food = over $50,000 (unless I live with the girl I'm seeing and bum off of her)
>only med school applicants guaranteed an interview

Lol. Would make more sense to just do an ENTIRE undergrad degree over again while living at home. 20 credits/semester for around $5,000

 

[torontopharm]

.

 

[LaughingGas]

Master's in Biomedical.