The Under 3.0 Club part 01

[jojo88]

Originally posted by Dentaldream
You are forgetting that admin committees look at GPA as well. If you have a high GPA then you are afforded the luxury of slacking a little on the DAT. If your GPA is on the low end, your dat scores will have to compensate that by being above avg.

But who knows, maybe an applicant with a low dat and GPA will end up getting in (its not totally unheard of).

Yeah, it is not only unheard of, it happens all the time...getting into dental school is as much as who you know sometimes as what you know...can you somehow meet with or shadow a local dentist that has ties to your state school...or ties to ANY school for all that goes...send the ADCOMS a "pop-up" biography or yourself ..something creative...you can make up for your scored by forcing yourself in front of them and making yourself known...

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[Bickle]

Originally posted by jojo88
Yeah, it is not only unheard of, it happens all the time...

I dont know about that....to say that it happens all the time is a stretch. At the end of the day, the numbers play the biggest influence.

 

[jojo88]

Originally posted by Dentaldream
I dont know about that....to say that it happens all the time is a stretch. At the end of the day, the numbers play the biggest influence.

"all the time" meaning...it HAS to happen 2 or three times at most schools...I know of a few situations personally..and each one of them was accpeted based on the contacts they made shadowing.

I do not intend to falsely raise your hopes...just let you know it does happen and CAN happen to you if you go the extra mile and do things most others don't to get noticed...

 

[Dentaldreams]

Thank you both for all your comments...encouragement is always great..and I definetly wont keep and false hopes...

I unfortunatly have no amazing contacts at any of these places, but have been on consistent touch with the admissions officers for the last few months..and they are aware of my situations and seem encouraging..again..i try to keep no false hopes.

Well, we will see what happens.....I will be sure to repost with any updates.

 

[jojo88]

What schools are you applying to?...just to see if I might know someone...

 

[Dentaldreams]

Temple, Tufts, NYU, Detroit-Mercy, BU, UNC ( state resident)

Thanks!

 

[blankguy]

I talked to the BU admissions person who told me they like to see 19s across the board.
Also how many courses in addition to the prereqs do you guys suggest I should take? Reading the last few post going into the previous page seem to me that at least half a dozen will do beyond the prereqs.

 

[PERFECT3434]

guys,

we can not let this thread disappear.

dental dreams, i really think that maybe you should apply to afew more schools. like IU, UConn, and any other schools that ecourage out of staters.

 

[busupshot83]

Someone post a list of schools which "under 3.0 members" should apply to in the application process. This will give people a good chance of where to and not apply.

 

[Yah-E]

Without Post-bac and/or graduate work

YES:

NYU
Meharry
Howard

NO:

state schools
Ivy League schools

With Post-bac and/or graduate work

YES: (in addition to the above schools)

Nova
Temple
Case Western
BU
Your own state schools
Ivy League schools (except one, see below)

NO:

Harvard

 

[busupshot83]

Yah-E, you da man!

 

[savvysearch]

I have to disagree with Yah-E.

NOT Meharry or Howard unless you are African-American/come from underpriviledge community and\or plan to work in underpriviledged communities.

 

[comatose]

Dentaldreams, I really think you should consider doing post-bac work to bump that GPA up. I don't really think your DAT score is the problem (although it wouldn't hurt to retake). I would consider taking advanced science classes for the next year or two to show admissions committees that you mean business. It seems to me like you are rushing yourself to apply, and there is no need to rush. Work really hard and try to aim for straight A's. Best of luck to you my friend. I wish you the best!

 

[busupshot83]

Originally posted by savvysearch
I have to disagree with Yah-E.

NOT Meharry or Howard unless you are African-American/come from underpriviledge community and\or plan to work in underpriviledged communities.

Are these not acredited dental schools? So why does it matter?

 

[Yah-E]

Although Meharry and Howard stride to promote and accept African American candidates primarily, other applicants with low stats usually do apply to these schools for the heck of it.

Let's say if you're a Caucasian applicant and have plenty of community service in "Da Hood" or in an African American community in general, these two schools will look favorly upon you regardless of the color of your skin.

If I have your lower stats without any Post-Bac or graduate work under your belt, I would strongly consider to apply to these two schools. Heck, why not? The worse it can happen is I get denied, right?

[DISCLAIMER: I believe that these two dental schools are great! In no shape or form that I have stated that these two schools are any inferior than other US dental schools]

 

[busupshot83]

And... just because you come out of a school that tends to accept people of color from a lower class, doesn't necessarily mean you MUST open practice for this class of peoples. Am I not right?

Just wondering... anyone know the median acceptance stats for Meharry and Howard dental schools?

 

[RaiderNation]

The median acceptance for gpa and dat scores is by far the lowest in the country. I think 2 or 3 years ago Meharry had an avg gpa of 2.9! Right now they are aorund 3.0-3.1. They do cater to African-American applicants...but hey, if you have crappy stats, ya might as well try.

 

[Rezdawg]

Some stats:

Howard University College of Dentistry

76% of the class is comprised of minorities (59 students)
Total GPA: 3.1
Science GPA: 3.0
DAT academic: 16
DAT-PAT: 15

Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry

92% of the class is comprised of minorities (42 students)
Dont have GPA and DAT scores for this school.

 

[busupshot83]

What are some things that an "under 3.0 memeber" can do to make his/her application stand out?

 

[Yah-E]

1) A DAT score of at least 20/20 (new or 2nd DAT)
2) Graduate GPA (Post-bac or Master or PhD programs)
3) Strong research background (published articles)
4) A strong personal statment (not so effective, but quite effective along with the above listed items)
5) build a relationship with admissions coordinators/directors

 

[busupshot83]

Originally posted by Yah-E

5) build a relationship with admissions coordinators/directors

How?

 

[PERFECT3434]

hey guys,

well, i kinda have lost track of who has gotten interviews from the under 3.0 club. i know larryt and ecdoestit have. i interviewed at UCONN and IUSD.

anyone else from this club gotten interviews?

 

[ohcdn]

i've gotten a few perfect, even though I have just recently pulled myself out of this 3.0 hole.

 

[cdndentist]

Undergrad Ed: Chemistry
Cumulative Undergrad. GPA: 3.1
Science Undergrad. GPA: 2.94
Graduate Ed: (if applicable)
Cumulative Graduate GPA: (if applicable)
Science Graduate GPA: (if applicable)

1st DAT: Academic, Science, PAT: 20, 20, 17

Extracurricular/Research Activities:

Founded and prez of Pre-Dental Club, Prez of Chem Club, Volunteer work in dental office both in Canada and the third world, with letter of recommendation from a third world dental health clinic

Schools Applied:

UConn
BU
TUFTS
Arizona
Nova
Pitt
Penn
Temple
UNLV
Buffalo
NYU
Columbia
Case Western

AADSAS Submitted Date: Sept 8

Schools Received AADSAS Date: this week

Interview Invites: N/A

Denied: None Yet

Withdrew Application: N/A

Waitlisted: N/A

Accepted: N/A

My GPA is like this solely because of my first year marks. My 2-4 year marks are all A's and B's in upper level sciences. So, what are my chances? What schools are write-offs? Anybody have any advice? Thanks dudes!

 

[cdndentist]

can anyone help me on my situation? Im confused on my chances and what path I should take next.

I appreciate it!

 

[ohcdn]

cdn dentist,

I may be able to shed some light on your situation. I have almost the same exact stats as you. 3.1 gpa, 3.0 bcp, 20/21/17. But instead of 1 bad year, I had 4 years that were terrible. I stayed an extra year, pulled excellent grades in upper div. sciences, and just completed a year of post bacc work, and again, with terrific grades in those types of classes. But as to my application process, I submitted on July 10th and i've gotten 4 interview invites and no rejections (knock on wood) so far. You have applied to the same schools that I did, so I am sure you can expect those invitations soon too. Also, with your amazing volunteer and leadership experiences, I think you're in better shape than I am. So dont worry. PM me if you have any questions. i'll try to answer them

 

[busupshot83]

ohcdn? Oh canada....

 

[cdndentist]

ohcdn,

Thats awesome that we have the same stats! Hopefully we both make it! Where did you get interview invites for? And for those schools that havent invited you, what have they said to you? Ignored you, or still reviewing? Im kinda nervous of what to expect the next couple of months!

 

[ohcdn]

so far, nyu, case, nova and temple. AS for the other schools, I havent heard anything from them yet. They say that they are still reviewing my app, but its been in their hands for a while now, so i guess im not at the top of their list with my stats. But like i said, no schools have flat out rejected me immediately so, i am hopeful.
The worst part of this whole process is the waiting. Especially when you know other that submitted when you did are receiving updates, interviews etc. Like, USC, which sends out notices for every round you pass, but I havent received jack except that they cashed my check!!! Ok, i have to breathe.... but again, i am hopeful.

btw, busupshot, im not canadian, i just noticed what my name sounds like... only coincedence.

 

[PERFECT3434]

both of you guys will be ok. your stats aren't as bad as you think they are. in fact, my stats are lower than yours and i think we'll make it to a dental school next year.

 

[abina81]

Hi guys,

I was thinking. If you are about to graduate from your undergrad, would it be as good if you did a stayed longer and did a second degree as compared to doing a grad program to improve your stats?

abina81

 

[savvysearch]

I think taking a year of post-bac and getting a really good post-gpa will be much more favorable as an applicant than taking an extra year to raise the undergrad gpa. With post-bac, it's like starting over with a fresh gpa. People have had many successes when they took post-bac and reapplied.

WIth an extra year, you can only raise you gpa a tenth of a point if you are lucky.

 

[PERFECT3434]

abina,

if youthink you have the time to do post bach studies then you should by all means. it will always look good and i have heard from many that it is actually easier than your undergrad.

but again, if you do really well on your DAT's then you probably won't need to do post grad.

 

[busupshot83]

Originally posted by PERFECT3434
i have heard from many that it is actually easier than your undergrad.

but again, if you do really well on your DAT's then you probably won't need to do post grad.

easier? how so?

 

[noao]

Hey guys,
I'm in the same situation. It's hard to have confidence when I see the kind of GPA's other students have, but I hope you guys realize that it's not the ONLY thing they look at.

 

[PERFECT3434]

noao,

the stats and people that you see on SDN aren't the true representation of the applicant pool. sad to say that the majority of the stats here are all the top applicants. trust me there are many many applicants who have similar stats to yours and mine.

just keep your hopes up and as you mentioned the GPA and DAT are not the only citeria for acceptance.

good luck to all my under 3 friends.

 

[blankguy]

Why is this thread so dead? This thread has no business being on the 5th page of the forum.

This forum at times intimidates me because of ridiculously high stats that some people have. Do I have to be superman?? I bounce some of what people have posted like doing a grad degree to get a separate GPA for admin people to look at and the dean of premed/predental at my alma mater says that it is not necessary(I'm not saying that was wrong advice). Some of the advice seems to be a little bit off the wall(although I do understand that this was not intended but an honest attempt to give advice). People seem to forget to mention that I should talk to somebody who has the authority to advice on the coursework and how to go about doing the coursework. Admin people just tell what they want to see but not how to go about doing it in a way that they would see as rigorous.

The best thing I did is run all your suggestions by the dean that I was talking to.

 

[busupshot83]

keep Yah-E's "3.0 club" alive forever... it is my source of inspiration!

 

[Aerogirl7210]

Alright so I think I've finally found my niche here on SDN. Yeah for 2.9! Honestly I find this thread more inspiring then reading about all the 3.7 GPAs who apply. I'm in my 2nd year of undergraduate work and am struggling to keep my head above water in Anatomy and Physiology. Phew that is a tough one! Should help when I get to dental school though. Chemistry is going surprisingly much better than that. What have been the toughest classes for all you guys here. I was reeeeally excited to see PERFECT3434's most recent post that said that most of these guys are the top of the applicant pool. That alone makes me feel a lot better! So what are everybody's majors? I've been browsing these boards for months and I just love this thread because it roots for the underdog ya know?


Shannon
University of Colorado
Class of 2006

 

[Yah-E]

Aerogirl:

As the Club President, I would like to extend you a warm welcome! There are many successful stories that came out of this Club and I hope you can add yours to the list in the future.

Although many of us, Club members, had success gaining admission to U.S. dental schools, we all have worked hard and put in our time. The reality is that for those of us with subpar undergraduate cumulative GPAs, we have to do the extra work, walk that extra mile just to demonstrate we're just as capable as other competitive applicants.

With that said, please be advised that gaining admission to an U.S. dental school is not an easy task and at times, even for those fortunate ones. You must continue to work hard and increase your 2.9 GPA.

The positive news are that you are only a sophomore in Undergrad, you still have two full years to increase your GPA. With your motivation for the profession in dentistry, I have no doubt that you will no longer need the membership of this club because your cumulative GPAs will be above a 3.0 by the time you apply.

In the interim, please post questions and continue to use this thread as one of your references for successful dental admission stories.

Sincerely,

Andy
Club President, Founder, CEO

 

[busupshot83]

sup aero? i'm an english major. i've already started filling out the forms for mount holyoke's post back program. pce.

bus.

 

[Thaxil]

Hi Everyone,

I would like to join your club. Would a 2.7 overall GPA make the cut?
I just got the official calculated GPAs from ADDSAS. Overall 2.7, BCP 3.3, Sci 2.9 and nonsci 2.4. In previous posting I was estimating, but it turns out I would pretty accurate. I am attending Univ. Cal. Riverside majoring in Biochem.

I am glad this tread is here for us ?under achievers?. I think the majority of the poster here are by no means ?under achiever? which some people assume based on a single non-descriptive number like GPA. I personally had to come from a very difficult background. I am one of seven children, and I am a first generation college student. I have been under estimated all throughout my early life being placed into special classes for students with learning disorders and behavioral and socially problems. It was hard for me to change the false perception I had of my self when entering college. My entered into college was an attempt to test this perception and I slowly changed it around. Now I would never doubt my abilities to achieve anything. However, I find that my background is still trying to hinder me and my progress. I spent a whole year in my transition and have obtained 5 f in the process, and have only been able to raise it to a 2.7 GPA.

In my personal statement, I did not mention my placement into this class throughout my early education. I did not want the adcoms to think I am ******ed or have some non-compatible learning disorder. As far as I know or been told, I have never been diagnosis with any disorder, and it is a mystery why I was in those classes. My parents being non-college educated did not question the placement. I have viewed it positively in that it has only made me stronger. I now know that only I can hold my self back from achieve my goals. Yaaaaa! For the most part my personal stat. was strong and positive. It was the best combination of 978 words I have ever wrote.

I applied to 25 schools. My wonderful wife has been helping with the terrible expenses. I applied to on sept 19 and am currently filing out secondary and writing checks.

I did take the dat AA/Sci/PAT 21/24/19.

My personal view: If I was not the admission staff, I would not be impressed by an 3.3 GPA from a student coming from well educated background with a high emphasis in education as I would for a student with a similar situation as I had.

 

[busupshot83]

Originally posted by Thaxil

My personal view: If I was not the admission staff, I would not be impressed by an 3.3 GPA from a student coming from well educated background with a high emphasis in education as I would for a student with a similar situation as I had.

Hey Thaxil, nice to meet you. I guess welcome aboard.

 

[Yah-E]

Thaxil:

Welcome to the Club! Two things will stand out to the admissions committees about your application:

1) your BCP GPA
2) your DAT scores

The admission committee may or may not even get to your personal statement to get to know you more or learn about you before they render a decision for your application (interview invite or view this application later AFTER we view all the 3.0+ applications). I wish you the best and good luck in your application process.

 

[PERFECT3435]

thaxil and aerogirl,

like to welcome you both to our exciting club.
like many, i too was very discouraged by the many fine applicants here on SDN. the truth is, after reading many posts by the former members of this club, i am even more determined in my dental pursuit than ever b4. my advice to all you guys is to keep up your efforts and most importantly do not let any stats here intimidate you. good luck to all of us.

 

[busupshot83]

yes, from my experience on SDN, the dental community is the most supportive. your in good hands

 

[Aerogirl7210]

I think my attitude has been much like yours, PERFECT. I have actually gained a lot of my determination from the people on this thread who have come from 2.0 all the way up to 3.6 and get in the dental school of their dreams. Yah-E has the most inspiring story and it's so great to see that he's thriving at Nova, and from the pictures on the Dental board, having a little fun while he's at it I'm hopin to actually have a 3.1 at the end of this semester. I'm on an upward trend guys! One question guys...has anyone taken Organic Chemistry yet? I think that is the class that I'm most fearful of. Let me know what your thoughts are of it. What was harder than that? Easier? If you're good at this or that...you'll do fine. You know just whatever you can offer. Thanks guys!!!

Shannon
University of Colorado
Class of 2006

 

[Thaxil]

There is no reason to be fearful of organic chemistry.

There are some simple ways to tackle organic chem. I did well in organic and general. I would say that organic is easier.

My method of studying organic chemistry:
Most importantly read the chapters!! Do not do what a lot of other students did in my class; only focusing on the review at the need of the chapter. By only focusing on the review, one misses out on all the conceptual knowledge that is explained in the readings. By understanding subjects like nucleophilic strength, carbon cation stability, resonates stabilization of charges, and induction, one can see connections between reactions and view the list of twenty reaction at the back of the chapter as a list of different molecules using the same reaction.

I find the majority of the people who have problems with organic chem. rely on pure memorization. This is not the way to do it! I studied hard trying to understand the concepts during the first semesters, but did not even study during the second because the second semester only repeated the same concept but in a more enveloped way.

I can go on trying to convince you as I did with the students that I tutored. There are no short cuts; if you rely on memory you will have a tough time memorizing 35 reaction for each chapter and memorizing the previous chapters reactions for the synthesis problems.

 

[Aerogirl7210]

Awesome! Thanks for the reply thaxil! It's really a relief to hear that. I'm not one to rely on memory anyway (hence the struggle in my Anatomy class).

Shannon

 

[PERFECT3435]

completely agree with thaxil.

aerogirl, if you can get your gpa to be at 3.1, you will be very glad that you did so. having a gpa above 3.00 make s a big diff!

good luck to you.
btw, i didn't know that yah-e had pics on sdn.