The Under 3.0 Club part 02

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BCPM GPA ~ 3.03, overall ~ 3.3. I wanted to do an SMP so that my GPA would start fresh/new and even applied and got accepted to Barry, but a few of the dental schools I spoke to suggested not doing SMP and just continuing to do upper level undergrad courses because "a lot of Master's programs are generally very easy."


I would contact people who have graduated Barry's program to see what they say. I have no experience with the program so its just a thought to gauge whether it is "easy" or not. Generally, in my experience with SMP's and ADCOMS (which is not much, but I'll tell you what I know), is they generally can see "fluff" courses, and some programs may be primarily fluff. Better to do some finger-work on the computer and find out which programs are more "fluffy" than others.

Good luck
 
Did you specifically say Masters or SMP? Regular Masters maybe easier, but SMP I doubt it.
 
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SMP not necessarily easy. At Rutgers, requires a lot of time to get an "A" but not impossible. Out of 100 students taking a class for example, only 10 receive an A for a more difficult class (core prerequisite for the SMP here has a 10% ratio of students receiving an A.).
However, there are 'fluff' courses that Rutgers ADCOMs are able to recognize. I don't know about other schools.
 
Alright my fellow 3.0 brothers, I am taking some actions and want some help to improve my stats for dental school. I have a 3.03 ogpa and a 2.7 sci gpa, now I am looking to take post bac courses through another college extension program my local state college, since I have already graduated with a science degree this would not calculate into my undergraduate gpa. I am gonna take some science courses at another college, start volunteering more, and join the pre dental society club at the school there and participate in alot more activities. I have a long time to study for dat so I will study alot and make sure I will only do it when I am ready looking for high marks. I currently have dentist who I have shadowed and volunteered for, with about 2 years and I work at a hospital currently cause it pays well lol. Now I am not exactly sure how many classes I should take, but I am gonna study my ass off and get high marks. I was thinking about taking couple of classes at first and just do really well. I wanna apply for the 2015 cycle and planning to apply to 15+ schools probably. That is my current plan, what do you guys think? any suggestions I can do to improve my stats to get in? If I don't get in next cycle I might consider smp or choose another career path
 
hello all~~

just another prospective student trying to get some assurance. i recently applied to dental school and got an email verifying my GPA. my science gpa is 3.06 with my overall at 3.27 and BCP of 2.98. not that it was a shock but just made me get upset me today.

so i guess i applied early and i have most of my stuff in and done so hopefully i'll be an early batch. i have a DAT score of 21/20/19 and i'm just not really confident in my chances this cycle even though i applied super early.

i applied to...
temple
tufts
maryland
bu
nyu
rutgers
pitt
penn (just b/c my mom made me lol)

also, i have over 600+ hours of clinical experience and shadowing.

what do u think my chances are? sorry guys..to ask you this question. hope everyones summer is going well~
 
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Alright my fellow 3.0 brothers, I am taking some actions and want some help to improve my stats for dental school. I have a 3.03 ogpa and a 2.7 sci gpa, now I am looking to take post bac courses through another college extension program my local state college, since I have already graduated with a science degree this would not calculate into my undergraduate gpa. I am gonna take some science courses at another college, start volunteering more, and join the pre dental society club at the school there and participate in alot more activities. I have a long time to study for dat so I will study alot and make sure I will only do it when I am ready looking for high marks. I currently have dentist who I have shadowed and volunteered for, with about 2 years and I work at a hospital currently cause it pays well lol. Now I am not exactly sure how many classes I should take, but I am gonna study my ass off and get high marks. I was thinking about taking couple of classes at first and just do really well. I wanna apply for the 2015 cycle and planning to apply to 15+ schools probably. That is my current plan, what do you guys think? any suggestions I can do to improve my stats to get in? If I don't get in next cycle I might consider smp or choose another career path

@abc245 - Even though you have graduated, all undergraduate courses will still be added into total undergraduate coursework as well as overall work. With that said, if the courses are taken at a different institution from where you graduated, then they will be indicated by a separate institution GPA but will also be lumped in together with all other undergraduate courses completed. Good luck
 
Ok so what does everyone think about this?

I have been a medical laboratory scientist for 5 years now, and am currently taking a few grad-level classes for GPA boosting. Here are my stats as verified by AADSAS

oGPA: 3.02
sGPA: 3.15
BCP GPA: 3.05
Non-science GPA: 2.78 (My first semester of college I stopped going and received all F's then took a couple years off then came back and got it back up to a 3.21, however AADSAS doesn't do grade replacement :/ )
DAT: TS 21/ AA 21/ PAT 23
Shadowing: 100hrs GP, 20hrs Endo, 20hrs Orhto, 32hrs OMFS
Volunteering: 200+ hrs (still there) at a dental/medical clinic for underserved
Applied to 21 schools where my GPA falls within their enrolled range and chose schools based on that and OOS %
Since I work full-time and begin my shift at 230p (most of my university's grad classes begin after that) I only have time for two classes, which I'm taking this fall and plan on more next spring.
 
I felt confident when I e-submitted on Monday, but I've since made the mistake of spending entirely too much time on this website. And now I'm kind of freaking out. Anyway, here are my stats:

oGPA: 3.15
BCP GPA: 3.05
DAT: 24AA/25TS/17PAT/27RC
Shadowing: 103 hrs. split between a GD and 2 oral surgeons
Volunteer: 100 hrs. at a long-term care/hospice center
Special Circumstances: I've worked 20 hrs/wk part time all 4 years of undergrad (more or less because I had to), and I spent 2hrs (round trip) every day commuting to school. This, combined with the fact that I went to a university I think most ad coms would consider academically rigorous, helps to explain my sub-par GPA a bit.


Thoughts?
 
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@atrec11992 as long as you have an upward trend, you should be good.
For the 2 semesters of freshman year, my GPA was in the mid 2s. Every semester after that it was in the 3.2-3.5 range. Still a little low, but I'm hoping my DAT and "special circumstances" can help make up for that. Thanks for the response.
 
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hey guys quick question: after graduating from temple university this august, would any additional coursework I take be considered post-bacc or still be considered undergrad? I am not sure if you have to be accepted specifically into a post-bacc program or what. Thanks in advance!
 
hey guys quick question: after graduating from temple university this august, would any additional coursework I take be considered post-bacc or still be considered undergrad? I am not sure if you have to be accepted specifically into a post-bacc program or what. Thanks in advance!
AADSAS doesn't differentiate between the two anymore, they'll be calculated into you undergrad GPAs.
 
oh just great.. Im looking to boost my GPA. I have over 200 credit hours and just adding more to that makes it impossible to budge my GPA unless I attend school full time, getting all A's, for an additional 4 years.... what to do?!?!
 
I'm so happy I found this thread! My situation is that I am entering senior year as a bio major with a 2.96 oGPA and a 2.6 sGPA. My first semester was my worst, straight C student. I did pick it up after that so I never got below a B on my non science classes but my science grades suffered still and because of their weight my GPA has suffered significantly. Also due to poor advisement at my college I am being bombarded with 11 bio credits next semester with some easy and some hard classes. I have over 350 hours volunteering at a hospital, over 100 hours shadowing a general dentist, and played some instruments when I was younger and took pottery courses through out middle school and college. My question is what DAT score am I looking at to even stand a chance against those 6.89 GPA students (that's supposed to be a joke) with a 21 on all their DAT sections?
 
you started strong then fell off a cliff. you did the opposite of an upward trend. as a fresh graduate, you've had no time to 'grow' and reflect on your poor ugrad performance. have you recognized and addressed the issues that prevented you from earning As?

additionally, i think we (read: any poster on this forum) should refrain from dat speculation until one actually posts up scores. odds are against you to clock in an improved score compared to your first effort.

i say you're in no shape to retake the dat because scores expire, and you have lots of gpa repair ahead of you.
<--- check my join date. that's five years ago, and i was at a point slightly worse than you. shortly thereafter i enrolled in school, taking courses to get As and build a solid argument in support of my bid to enter dental school. i retook a handful of pre-reqs, but insisted on heavily weighing my semesters with upper levels to demonstrate that i can hack it. it wasn't until i had a rack of As in my back pocket that i shifted my attention to taking the dat. the added benefit of waiting until after my academic blitz to take the dat was that those courses were a somewhat built-in study session for it.

the entire reason i did it that way was to have as complete an application as possible when i hit "submit" on the aadsas portal last year. there was no "continuing classes" or "new dat scores pending" when i threw my hat in the ring. i was giving adcoms my best shot. you...aren't.

you ask if you can get in to your state school. the answer is of course you can, but it likely won't happen this cycle. why? because you haven't provided any evidence of your ability to do dental school. and this is why i really think you're throwing good money after bad if you apply this year for a consecutive cycle.

i'm not telling you it's impossible to get into dschool with a low gpa, i'll forever be below 3.0 and i got a couple of interviews last year, but i put in the work. you might want to do the same.


Hi ferneezy,

What would you say my chances are with your experience.


Me:
GPAs 3.12, GPAoverall 3.15, based on aadsas.

Lets say a DAT of 18 across the board.

And like 10years professional dental experience including dental assisting and as a dental lab technician.

One AAS and going to get a BS degree this coming semester.

Do I have a chance this cycle?

I am NY resident and already applied to all NY and NJ schools.
 
Hey guys.. I've been following SDN for quite sometime now, but never shared my story and looking for any advice.. I sincerely appreciate it !

I graduated in spring of 2013 with a bachelors in biology took the DAT and then applied to 16 dental schools around september..

Overall GPA 3.1
Science GPA 2.82
BCP 2.84

DAT: AA 18, TS 18, PAT 17,BIO 20, QR 17, RC 17, GC 19, Ochem 16

I agree.. not the most qualified student :( Before transferring to a 4 year university I completed 2 years at a community college which I believe ruined my GPA.. For example, I had one professor that was literally fired a week before the class ended which ruined most of the students grades in class.. After speaking with the dean we were told that there was nothing he could do? Either there was a lack of grades inputted for students or he purposely screwed everyone over...either way MY MIND WAS BLOWN... I can go on and on about my luck with community college but I will save you all the details..my gpa was way better at the 4 year university compared to community college.. On the other hand I did have amazing rec letters, EC , shadowing and volunteer work but knew that it would take more than that to get into dental school.

While waiting.. I realized that I wasn't the most qualified individual.. During the spring of 2014 I decided to take 2 post-bacc courses (anatomy 2 and Biochem) and received an A in both.. completed a significant amount of dental shadowing hours, and expanded on my volunteer hours.

I applied early this time ( around June 4th) to 20 schools and took the DAT July 8th..

Overall GPA: 3.16
Science GPA: 2.87
BCP: 2.94

I know 2 classes didn't do much, but at least its something.

DAT: AA 19, TS 20, PAT 19, BIO 22, QR 18, RC 19, GC 18, Ochem 19

So yeah all I can do is keep my fingers crossed atm... I am very determined so not getting in this year wont break me. If things dont work out I want to take the right steps to get there and hope you all can shed some light on the direction I should be headed.. Thank you all and I wish you the best in all of your future endeavors!
 
Dent2B, I think you're okay. Apply and don't worry.

Guys,
Please help me read my personal statement.
 
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Dent2b enroll in a masters of science immediately

I have thought about that hmmmm..how will that help me during this application cycle? Also, is it too late to get accepted into a masters program this fall?
 
I have thought about that hmmmm..how will that help me during this application cycle? Also, is it too late to get accepted into a masters program this fall?

It will help you when it comes time to do an academic update and it will enhance next years application if need be. As soon as you enroll in the MS, you can send an email to all the schools informing them...this may buy you some time before they pull the trigger...you will have to call schools on your own to find out available start dates! GL

Edit: did not see your updated GPA's...you may get lucky, but pursing an MS or post-bacc would be safer!
 
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Hey guys, just wanted to get your input as I'm currently stressing a little right now. I'm in the Honors College at a top-30 university with very competitive graduate programs. Here's a short overview of me:

Overall GPA: 3.3
Science GPA: 2.9
BCP: 2.7
Graduating May 2015 (going to be a senior this year)

DAT: 22 AA/21 TS (21 Bio, 22 GC, 20 Orgo)/20 PAT/23 QR/24 RC

Extra-Curriculars: Over 1000 hours of clinical internship at a pediatric practice for 3 summers and 3 winters, 40 hours shadowing a general dentist, lots of philanthropy work/dental volunteering, intraoral x-ray certified, etc

AADSAS was sent in June, completing supplements as we speak.

Do you think I have a shot at an interview at MUSC (OOS)/Boston University/NYU/AT Still/LECOM/Maryland (OOS)/VCU (OOS)?

Thanks!
 
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Chance me please :)

2.6 sGPA, 2.9 oGPA, 3.6 grad GPA at an SMP with 25 credits and am taking an additional 11 credits in the fall.

DAT:
PA-18, QR-18, RC-22, Bio-20, GC-17, OC-19, TS-19, AA-19

I worked as a dental assistant so I have over 1000 hours of dental experience, about 100 hours of community service, 500 hours of research experience. I'm also a URM if that matters (latina). I'm applying to about 18 schools, but do you think I have a shot at any school this cycle?
 
Chance me please :)

2.6 sGPA, 2.9 oGPA, 3.6 grad GPA at an SMP with 25 credits and am taking an additional 11 credits in the fall.

DAT:
PA-18, QR-18, RC-22, Bio-20, GC-17, OC-19, TS-19, AA-19

I worked as a dental assistant so I have over 1000 hours of dental experience, about 100 hours of community service, 500 hours of research experience. I'm also a URM if that matters (latina). I'm applying to about 18 schools, but do you think I have a shot at any school this cycle?


Abra-cada-bra and hocus-pocus

I see to chance you, abra ca-da bra,

Your chances are slim....


Please try again....









:)


Well obviously your stats are low.

There is always a chance.

If I were you i would apply.

I am also low with stats 3.15.

And I have to take my DAT in two weeks.
 
Chance me please :)

2.6 sGPA, 2.9 oGPA, 3.6 grad GPA at an SMP with 25 credits and am taking an additional 11 credits in the fall.

DAT:
PA-18, QR-18, RC-22, Bio-20, GC-17, OC-19, TS-19, AA-19

I worked as a dental assistant so I have over 1000 hours of dental experience, about 100 hours of community service, 500 hours of research experience. I'm also a URM if that matters (latina). I'm applying to about 18 schools, but do you think I have a shot at any school this cycle?

No and here's why. Your science GPA is much lower than your overall. Normally the sGPA is only .1 or .2 lower. To SHOW the adcom that you have learned the materials and prepared to pursue a dental education, I would retake with no less than 23 TS (even with 2.6 GPA 23 TS is borderline). The SMP will show that you are decently capable in handling higher level courses and willingness to change. But that DAT score's gotta come up.
 
Hi ferneezy,

What would you say my chances are with your experience.


Me:
GPAs 3.12, GPAoverall 3.15, based on aadsas.

Lets say a DAT of 18 across the board.

And like 10years professional dental experience including dental assisting and as a dental lab technician.

One AAS and going to get a BS degree this coming semester.

Do I have a chance this cycle?

I am NY resident and already applied to all NY and NJ schools.

you have a chance to apply to more schools.
 
you have a chance to apply to more schools.


Is that the only chance you see me having?

Only the ability to apply to more schools?

Anything else can you say?

You are ferneezy, the great and wonderful wise man of SDN.
 
Is that the only chance you see me having?

Only the ability to apply to more schools?

Anything else can you say?

You are ferneezy, the great and wonderful wise man of SDN.

yeah well right now i'm just a man trying to get through head and neck.

look, i don't have a crystal ball nor am i an adcom. all i can say is what i've always said: maximize your chances to secure an interview by providing the strongest possible evidence of the probability of your success in dental school: post up a strong DAT. flex a sky-high recent gpa trend. produce an LOR that would make them think you turn water into wine for giggles.

and apply to more schools.
 
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yeah well right now i'm just a man trying to get through head and neck.

look, i don't have a crystal ball nor am i an adcom. all i can say is what i've always said: maximize your chances to secure an interview by providing the strongest possible evidence of the probability of your success in dental school: post up a strong DAT. flex a sky-high recent gpa trend. produce an LOR that would make them think you turn water into wine for giggles.

and apply to more schools.

That I shall do.


I will no longer ask for others to chance.

Thank you ferneezy.

Head and neck.

I would be happy to be there.
 
Hi everyone, just looking for some advice on whether or not I should apply this year...

I graduated undergrad 4 years ago with a non-science major but still had a 2.75 cGPA and even lower sGPA, honestly mostly due to the fact that I just didn't show up to class and took the exams without studying so I do have some D's. Anyway, after that I decided to do a post-bacc and have 3.5GPA - there's a mix of biology and biotechnology courses so it's not entirely bio per se but related I guess? It's just been really hard working 2 jobs, going to school, and studying at the same time. I took my DATs today and scored below average but OKAY considering I only had about 1 month of studying on and off.
Breakdown: BIO 19/CHEM 18/ORGO 17/RC 17/QR 20/PAT 18/TS 17/AA 18
I have ~4 years of clinical experience working at a dental office/shadowing/assisting and amazing letters of recommendation including one from the doctor I worked for and decent extracurriculars. I've yet to submit my AADSAS because I don't want to waste $$ applying if it's not worth it. What do you guys think I should do at this point? Maybe retake the DAT in October? Thanks for your help!
 
at least apply to 3 schools, did you apply for financial assistance thing? i said 3, because for me, they paid for 3 schools so i applied there for free.

i am in a similar situation and applied few weeks ago.
 
Just looking for some advice:

Overall GPA: 3.18
Science GPA: 3.01
BCP: 2.97
Non-science: 3.6

DAT:
AA-22 TS-21 PA-22 Ochem-22 Gchem-20 Bio 23 RC 25 QR 21

I assume the details aren't that relevant but yes, I had a lot of extenuating circumstances.

Why I need some advice is this: I have been doing a SMP and unfortunately, a continuation of my extenuating circumstances has left me with a 3.11 graduate gpa. I have about 14 credits left so I could bump it up slightly, but probably not much. I have reason to believe that I have many strong LOE's and a strong PS as well as above average EC's, etc.

Has anyone had a similar situation or any advice in general? I'm ridiculously back and forth with my chances (to the point where I'm considering retaking my DAT despite everyone telling me not to). I'll appreciate any help, thanks!
 
TS of 21 means out of 100 science section, you missed less than 10 questions. So yes, everybody is right, don't retake DAT. How many credits you have so far in SMP @UDM7 ?
 
Just looking for some advice:

Overall GPA: 3.18
Science GPA: 3.01
BCP: 2.97
Non-science: 3.6

DAT:
AA-22 TS-21 PA-22 Ochem-22 Gchem-20 Bio 23 RC 25 QR 21

I assume the details aren't that relevant but yes, I had a lot of extenuating circumstances.

Why I need some advice is this: I have been doing a SMP and unfortunately, a continuation of my extenuating circumstances has left me with a 3.11 graduate gpa. I have about 14 credits left so I could bump it up slightly, but probably not much. I have reason to believe that I have many strong LOE's and a strong PS as well as above average EC's, etc.

Has anyone had a similar situation or any advice in general? I'm ridiculously back and forth with my chances (to the point where I'm considering retaking my DAT despite everyone telling me not to). I'll appreciate any help, thanks!
I know that with NOVA they would want your graduate GPA to be above a 3.5... Below that and they usually shut the door. Try retaking some of your graduate classes.
 
The only advice I'd give it don't retake the DAT. Your chances of scoring significantly higher are low and if you score lower that might raise some eyebrows on adcoms. Don't lose hope though. Plenty of schools admit those with sub 3.0 gpas. It may take a few cycles but if you want to be a dentist that won't matter too much
 
I have attempted 21 credits and gotten all B's and B+'s. I have 13 credits left to take.
 
@UDM7 Your best bet is probably to get 4.0 on the remaining 13 credits and apply after your grad GPA goes up to 3.45. Don't screw up graduate GPA, if not, call it bye bye.
 
@UDM7 Your best bet is probably to get 4.0 on the remaining 13 credits and apply after your grad GPA goes up to 3.45. Don't screw up graduate GPA, if not, call it bye bye.
There are people below the 3.0 GPA and get in. However, they did well on the DAT and did well in a graduate program.
 
Has anyone with under a 3.0 GPA gotten into dental school with excellent DAT scores and NOT taken graduate classes?
 
Has anyone with under a 3.0 GPA gotten into dental school with excellent DAT scores and NOT taken graduate classes?
I would greatly appreciate it if anyone can share knowledge regarding this. I am in this exact position post graduation 3.0bcp, 3.0overall. But besides a great upward trend and ~30 units of upper division biology courses before the academic update (I have earned 12 units of A so far). My DAT score is very competitive, and my extracurriculars, shadowing, dental experience, leadership, research experience, and 4 solid recommendations (3 bioprof, 1 dentist). I want to know if it's possible to get an interview at all. I know I can handle the interview and the tough questions, but I am not sure I can make it that far.

And I realize that it's a difficult question to answer, so any input is also appreciate.

Thanks and good luck to those applying or working towards applying to dental school. It's a remarkable profession if you ask me!
 
i have 28 ts 28 aa, 3.98..
do i belong here?

just kidding.

how's it going guys! any good news?
 
i have 28 ts 28 aa, 3.98..
do i belong here?

just kidding.

how's it going guys! any good news?


Good news is, we don't like you.


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Hello!

So I am doing an informal post bac right now at my local state college. I was able to get some upper division science classes, but they are not the hard sciences classes iI want. These are all upper division classes with biology in its prefix the description is plants medicine and drugs, the human body, and ecology and evolution. Should I go ahead and enroll in these classes mainly to boost up my science gpa to be more competitive for dental school or would it be a waste of time. I know ideally I should get hard science classes, but couldn't end up getting an add code. I am planning on doing a year or a year and a half of post bac classes to boost up my science gpa to where it needs to be, so don't want to waste my time. If need be I might have to enroll as a second bachelors so that I have more power when choosing my classes. WHats your guys thoughts? Would love to hear an opinion soon before I register.
 
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Hello!

So I am doing an informal post bac right now at my local state college. I was able to get some upper division science classes, but they are not the hard sciences classes iI want. These are all upper division classes with biology in its prefix the description is plants medicine and drugs, the human body, and ecology and evolution. Should I go ahead and enroll in these classes mainly to boost up my science gpa to be more competitive for dental school or would it be a waste of time. I know ideally I should get hard science classes, but couldn't end up getting an add code. I am planning on doing a year or a year and a half of post bac classes to boost up my science gpa to where it needs to be, so don't want to waste my time. If need be I might have to enroll as a second bachelors so that I have more power when choosing my classes. WHats your guys thoughts? Would love to hear an opinion soon before I register.

I wouldn't waste time taking those courses. I'd stick to things like Anatomy, Physiology, and their graduate-level equivalents.
 
Hi I'm new to this forum but heres my story, so I recently graduated from a 4 year university as a biology major and have a low gpa of 2.58 with a D in lower div biology (retook and got a B), D in anatomy and a D in music History (really underestimated this class and didnt take it seriously but i regret it now). After graduation i took some time to reflect and decided i need to get my **** together and I plan to do an informal postbac to boost my gpa to 3.0 which would take about 2 years if i get straight As( i know if i apply myself i can do this) and then maybe smp. Would doing all this give me a chance for dental school or should i just give up? Anyone in similar situation? any advice will help.
 
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