3rd Time's the charm. Some hope for the 3.0 and under.

[tlovaj]

Stats: GPA – 2.72 Undergrad, 3.63 – Grad GPA



Just want to encourage those thinking they don’t have a shot at getting in or feeling down this cycle. DON’T GIVE UP!!!

For those interested, I am a 30 year old applicant with an undergraduate degree in computer science and a Master’s in Biomedical sciences. After finishing my CS degree I worked for 2 years and decided it wasn’t for me. That was back in 2012.

After leaving I completed all the pre-reqs, took the DAT & applied in 2013 (AA18,TS19), got rejected. I then applied to the 1-year BMS Master’s program at ISU, completed it in 2015, retook the DAT and re-applied (AA19, TS20), and again got rejected again.

After some wavering, I decided I would give it one last shot and retook the DAT(AA23/TS26) and re-applied (Iowa, MN, both schools in NE, OK, Touro, and MI) late last September. Honestly, I figured my chances would be slim since I was such a late applicant. I got immediately rejected by OKU (they literally just took my money and rejected me seeing as they told me to apply to a master’s program to up my gpa – huh?), got deferred by Iowa, and in November got invited for an interview in Jan. at my instate and no.1 choice - UofMN. I am happy to say that I received my provisional acceptance letter last week and of course immediately sent in my deposit.

Word(s) of advice: Don’t give up! Ever! Regardless of what people say to you. If you know you can, do it! Also, surround yourself with those who will encourage you (I had my awesome wife/family/professors) and ofcourse pray!pray!pray!


Feel free to ask any questions.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." ~ Phillipians 4:13.

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[Likkriue]

Congrats you made it!! And that's the best and most affordable school choice.

 

[GoodOne456]

Stats: GPA – 2.72 Undergrad, 3.63 – Grad GPA



Just want to encourage those thinking they don’t have a shot at getting in or feeling down this cycle. DON’T GIVE UP!!!

For those interested, I am a 30 year old applicant with an undergraduate degree in computer science and a Master’s in Biomedical sciences. After finishing my CS degree I worked for 2 years and decided it wasn’t for me. That was back in 2012.

After leaving I completed all the pre-reqs, took the DAT & applied in 2013 (AA18,TS19), got rejected. I then applied to the 1-year BMS Master’s program at ISU, completed it in 2015, retook the DAT and re-applied (AA19, TS20), and again got rejected again.

After some wavering, I decided I would give it one last shot and retook the DAT(AA23/TS26) and re-applied (Iowa, MN, both schools in NE, OK, Touro, and MI) late last September. Honestly, I figured my chances would be slim since I was such a late applicant. I got immediately rejected by OKU (they literally just took my money and rejected me seeing as they told me to apply to a master’s program to up my gpa – huh?), got deferred by Iowa, and in November got invited for an interview in Jan. at my instate and no.1 choice - UofMN. I am happy to say that I received my provisional acceptance letter last week and of course immediately sent in my deposit.

Word(s) of advice: Don’t give up! Ever! Regardless of what people say to you. If you know you can, do it! Also, surround yourself with those who will encourage you (I had my awesome wife/family/professors) and ofcourse pray!pray!pray!


Feel free to ask any questions.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." ~ Phillipians 4:13.

Congratulations!!!
1.Did you work full/part time while doing your pre reqs?
2. What were some major obstacles while completing your pre reqs?

 

[ncide]

Slam dunk on your last DAT retake. Good job.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Wow. You and your family must be so thrilled, don't downplay the years of working hard. This is an insane accomplishment!

 

[mroerdh22]

Congrats! You are going to rock dental school!

 

[tlovaj]

Congratulations!!!
1.Did you work full/part time while doing your pre reqs?
2. What were some major obstacles while completing your pre reqs?

1) I was very fortunate to not have to work at all. I got married my last year and supported my wife through nursing school. Once she finished is when I headed back to school.
2) There weren't too many obstacles in terms of completing the pre-reqs save for the fact that the only pre-req I had taken in my undergrad was a semester of intro to bio. Once I accepted the fact that I was essentially starting over I wasn't too phased. I think the biggest obstacle for me was going to school in Iowa while my wife remained in MN. Luckily its a 3hr drive one way so I was home almost every weekend.

On another note I still find it funny how all my compSci courses counted towards the sGPA. Once I complete dental school I'm going to advocate that the sGPA be changed to natural-sGPA

 

[tlovaj]

Wow. You and your family must be so thrilled, don't downplay the years of working hard. This is an insane accomplishment!

Thanks. It truly was a crazy but well worth it journey and its not even close to being done.

 

[GoodOne456]

1) I was very fortunate to not have to work at all. I got married my last year and supported my wife through nursing school. Once she finished is when I headed back to school.
2) There weren't too many obstacles in terms of completing the pre-reqs save for the fact that the only pre-req I had taken in my undergrad was a semester of intro to bio. Once I accepted the fact that I was essentially starting over I wasn't too phased. I think the biggest obstacle for me was going to school in Iowa while my wife remained in MN. Luckily its a 3hr drive one way so I was home almost every weekend.

On another note I still find it funny how all my compSci courses counted towards the sGPA. Once I complete dental school I'm going to advocate that the sGPA be changed to natural-sGPA

Wow almost in the same boat. As I am a business major and I have only done 8 credits of bio lol
Well again Congratulations!!!
Thank you for taking time out of your day to share an amazing journey!

 

[deleted738762]

Stats: GPA – 2.72 Undergrad, 3.63 – Grad GPA



Just want to encourage those thinking they don’t have a shot at getting in or feeling down this cycle. DON’T GIVE UP!!!

For those interested, I am a 30 year old applicant with an undergraduate degree in computer science and a Master’s in Biomedical sciences. After finishing my CS degree I worked for 2 years and decided it wasn’t for me. That was back in 2012.

After leaving I completed all the pre-reqs, took the DAT & applied in 2013 (AA18,TS19), got rejected. I then applied to the 1-year BMS Master’s program at ISU, completed it in 2015, retook the DAT and re-applied (AA19, TS20), and again got rejected again.

After some wavering, I decided I would give it one last shot and retook the DAT(AA23/TS26) and re-applied (Iowa, MN, both schools in NE, OK, Touro, and MI) late last September. Honestly, I figured my chances would be slim since I was such a late applicant. I got immediately rejected by OKU (they literally just took my money and rejected me seeing as they told me to apply to a master’s program to up my gpa – huh?), got deferred by Iowa, and in November got invited for an interview in Jan. at my instate and no.1 choice - UofMN. I am happy to say that I received my provisional acceptance letter last week and of course immediately sent in my deposit.

Word(s) of advice: Don’t give up! Ever! Regardless of what people say to you. If you know you can, do it! Also, surround yourself with those who will encourage you (I had my awesome wife/family/professors) and ofcourse pray!pray!pray!


Feel free to ask any questions.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." ~ Phillipians 4:13.

Congrats. Question: Taking the DAT 3 times, what was the most reoccurring information, was it drastically different every time, and what did you change differently to go from a 20 to a 23.

 

[Universitygeek]

Congrats! I'm currently an undergrad at the U of MN and also hope to do dental school in-state due to the affordability. Do you know any tips specifically for the U of MN or any extracurriculars on your app that stood out?

 

[tlovaj]

Congrats! I'm currently an undergrad at the U of MN and also hope to do dental school in-state due to the affordability. Do you know any tips specifically for the U of MN or any extracurriculars on your app that stood out?

Thanks!

The good thing about the UofMN is that they will look at your application holistically (ie. they will consider your gpa, DAT score, personal statements, everything) before deciding to reject or interview (as evident of my acceptance). Their supplemental application can be a drag but it gives them extra material to gauge who you are as an applicant. With that said, in addition to doing well in school (can't believe it said that) and doing well on your DAT (this is important if you are a low gpa like myself) - I strongly suggest doing volunteer work that revolves around patients and diversity. The U is very big in to leadership, outreach, and serving the diverse and the underserved, so I definitely encourage you to take on volunteer opputunities that revolve around those. I myself have a very active role in my church and I also volunteered as a patient advocate at a nearby hospital. The U is also big in to research but I believe those that want to do dental research will go through their dual PhD&DDS program.

Lastly, write really strong essays that have substance and meaning. I met with Dr.Lopez (Asst. Dean @ the U) after my 1st rejection and she pretty much said that many people right these generic "I want to help people"/"During my shadowing I saw dental procedures x,y, and z" essays that really didn't show any perspective about the applicants true thoughts/intentions. So be sure to be insightful on your personal statements.

As you can see I didn't have anything crazy for my extracurriculars. What I volunteered in really supported my claim to wanting to help people and to make a difference in others as a dentists, and I believe my ability to relay that in my essays made me a desirable applicant. Plus rocking the DAT tipped everything in my favor.

Hope that helps. You can always pm me if you need additional info or help along your way.

 

[tlovaj]

Congrats. Question: Taking the DAT 3 times, what was the most reoccurring information, was it drastically different every time, and what did you change differently to go from a 20 to a 23.

This is going to sound like a no-brainer but this third time around I cleared everything from my schedule and devoted myself to studying for 2.25 months.

My first DAT attempt, I had just finished a summer's worth of OCHEM I and OCHEM II with lab and spent 3 weeks studying for the DAT. This was probably the worst decision I could have made because honestly my brain was fried, I was literally dead, but I wanted to stick to my aggressive schedule of getting accepted to dental school for 2014. Well we know how that went.

My 2nd attempt, I got swamped with work and was only able to devote 1 month to studying for the DAT. Honestly, with a Master's degree I felt getting the matriculating score would be enough to get me in. And ofcourse it wasn't.

For my last attempt (last summer) I set June - August aside for studying and planned to take the DAT early September. Well that didn't happen because of work and by July I realized I wasn't getting anywhere with my studying. SO I had my mummy come and watch my 8mo old. Dropped my 40hr work schedule to 10hrs/week, and spent 6 - 8hrs a day from Aug. - Sept. studying the materials and i mean REALLY studying the materials and learning all those special case scenarios that might getcha on the DAT.


In regards to recurring information on the DAT (and it might have just been by coincidence) they were pretty much very consistent:

For OCHEM: I always had spectroscopy questions - 2 in the first 2 and 3 in the last. With this last DAT, my first question was a Mass Spec question (identifying Cl) and then ofcourse the usual HNMR and CNMR questions. The rest was pretty standard. I honestly felt Destroyer was WAAYYY overkill for this section. just my thoughts. Other than that really nothing out of the ordinary from what you will see in Chad's, Bootcamp, qVault, etc.

For CHEM: There were very a few calculation questions. Mostly just concepts for me. PV=nRT, M1V1=M2V2, always saw a phase change question, mol conversions. Pretty standard. Chad does a good job of covering all of those things.

For BIO: Always saw a hardy-weinberg question, a determine the genotype question, punnett squares, something pretaining to Meiosis/Mitosis - usually a how many alleles if we start our with 23chromosomes, embryology, and lastly I always had a physiology/anatomy question. In my first test it was: which bone is part of the axial skeleton, in the 2nd it was muscles, and in the third I had a bunch of them. I actually felt my last test was harder because I was asked on a brain structure (hippocampus), where the eusticihian tube empties out to, had a kidney question, there was a couple more but I can't recall at this point. I just remember halfway through the BIO section I stopped and asked myself if I was taking a anatomy/physiology test.

For QR: I had more word problems than anything. Figure out the age of C given A, B. If steve can do X houses, and bob can do Y how many can they do together variants. The - a boat going up and down the river question. Logs. 1 or 2 simple conversions. Those type I would say were always present for me.

For RC: This time around i did the hybrid method (read question - read until you find answer, move to the next question). I did S&D the first two times and figured I tried something different which really helped.

Other than that I would have to say that Chad's, datQvault, Ferralis, Bootcamp, and destroyer were all I used all three times. hope that helps.

 

[BrightTeeth]

Congratulations tlovaj! I am glad to hear that your hard work paid off. Hope you have a blast in dental school!

 

[deleted738762]

This is going to sound like a no-brainer but this third time around I cleared everything from my schedule and devoted myself to studying for 2.25 months.

My first DAT attempt, I had just finished a summer's worth of OCHEM I and OCHEM II with lab and spent 3 weeks studying for the DAT. This was probably the worst decision I could have made because honestly my brain was fried, I was literally dead, but I wanted to stick to my aggressive schedule of getting accepted to dental school for 2014. Well we know how that went.

My 2nd attempt, I got swamped with work and was only able to devote 1 month to studying for the DAT. Honestly, with a Master's degree I felt getting the matriculating score would be enough to get me in. And ofcourse it wasn't.

For my last attempt (last summer) I set June - August aside for studying and planned to take the DAT early September. Well that didn't happen because of work and by July I realized I wasn't getting anywhere with my studying. SO I had my mummy come and watch my 8mo old. Dropped my 40hr work schedule to 10hrs/week, and spent 6 - 8hrs a day from Aug. - Sept. studying the materials and i mean REALLY studying the materials and learning all those special case scenarios that might getcha on the DAT.


In regards to recurring information on the DAT (and it might have just been by coincidence) they were pretty much very consistent:

For OCHEM: I always had spectroscopy questions - 2 in the first 2 and 3 in the last. With this last DAT, my first question was a Mass Spec question (identifying Cl) and then ofcourse the usual HNMR and CNMR questions. The rest was pretty standard. I honestly felt Destroyer was WAAYYY overkill for this section. just my thoughts. Other than that really nothing out of the ordinary from what you will see in Chad's, Bootcamp, qVault, etc.

For CHEM: There were very a few calculation questions. Mostly just concepts for me. PV=nRT, M1V1=M2V2, always saw a phase change question, mol conversions. Pretty standard. Chad does a good job of covering all of those things.

For BIO: Always saw a hardy-weinberg question, a determine the genotype question, punnett squares, something pretaining to Meiosis/Mitosis - usually a how many alleles if we start our with 23chromosomes, embryology, and lastly I always had a physiology/anatomy question. In my first test it was: which bone is part of the axial skeleton, in the 2nd it was muscles, and in the third I had a bunch of them. I actually felt my last test was harder because I was asked on a brain structure (hippocampus), where the eusticihian tube empties out to, had a kidney question, there was a couple more but I can't recall at this point. I just remember halfway through the BIO section I stopped and asked myself if I was taking a anatomy/physiology test.

For QR: I had more word problems than anything. Figure out the age of C given A, B. If steve can do X houses, and bob can do Y how many can they do together variants. The - a boat going up and down the river question. Logs. 1 or 2 simple conversions. Those type I would say were always present for me.

For RC: This time around i did the hybrid method (read question - read until you find answer, move to the next question). I did S&D the first two times and figured I tried something different which really helped.

Other than that I would have to say that Chad's, datQvault, Ferralis, Bootcamp, and destroyer were all I used all three times. hope that helps.

Appreciate the response.

 

[Universitygeek]

Thanks!

The good thing about the UofMN is that they will look at your application holistically (ie. they will consider your gpa, DAT score, personal statements, everything) before deciding to reject or interview (as evident of my acceptance). Their supplemental application can be a drag but it gives them extra material to gauge who you are as an applicant. With that said, in addition to doing well in school (can't believe it said that) and doing well on your DAT (this is important if you are a low gpa like myself) - I strongly suggest doing volunteer work that revolves around patients and diversity. The U is very big in to leadership, outreach, and serving the diverse and the underserved, so I definitely encourage you to take on volunteer opputunities that revolve around those. I myself have a very active role in my church and I also volunteered as a patient advocate at a nearby hospital. The U is also big in to research but I believe those that want to do dental research will go through their dual PhD&DDS program.

Lastly, write really strong essays that have substance and meaning. I met with Dr.Lopez (Asst. Dean @ the U) after my 1st rejection and she pretty much said that many people right these generic "I want to help people"/"During my shadowing I saw dental procedures x,y, and z" essays that really didn't show any perspective about the applicants true thoughts/intentions. So be sure to be insightful on your personal statements.

As you can see I didn't have anything crazy for my extracurriculars. What I volunteered in really supported my claim to wanting to help people and to make a difference in others as a dentists, and I believe my ability to relay that in my essays made me a desirable applicant. Plus rocking the DAT tipped everything in my favor.

Hope that helps. You can always pm me if you need additional info or help along your way.

Thanks for your insight. Wishing you the best in dental school!

 

[kvz]

I remember reading this thread back in 2011. I graduated with a 2.95. Did a Postbacc and got a 4.0. Took my DATs and scored 24 AA 26 TS (30 Bio lol I still remember). Graduated from dental school and started working within the last year.

Don't let a low gpa deter you. Just learn from your mistakes and really go get it.

 

[periopocket]

Congratulations! You deserve it!

 

[GoodAsGold]

CONGRATULATIONS!

Good luck.

 

[OrphanageCaretaker]

Jesus man what a monster DAT, congratulations and good luck.

 

[Banana_nut95]

Hi there! I am also taking a similar path, I am going to start my BMS in the fall. How did you compare undergrad to masters. Was it a lot more challenging, or harder to do well?

 

[tlovaj]

Hi there! I am also taking a similar path, I am going to start my BMS in the fall. How did you compare undergrad to masters. Was it a lot more challenging, or harder to do well?

A masters program is going to be a lot tougher than undergrad at least for BMS. On top of that with my situation I had to REALLY do well so it was a bit more challenging and stressful. The subjects for BMS are more in depth and once classes start rolling you will start seeing 2 exams a week sprinkled with quizzes in between. The course load will be a good taste of dental school. It definitely made the transition super easy for me.

 

[Banana_nut95]

A masters program is going to be a lot tougher than undergrad at least for BMS. On top of that with my situation I had to REALLY do well so it was a bit more challenging and stressful. The subjects for BMS are more in depth and once classes start rolling you will start seeing 2 exams a week sprinkled with quizzes in between. The course load will be a good taste of dental school. It definitely made the transition super easy for me.

Thanks so much for the insight