5th year undergrad. Low GPA. Geography major. Help?

[3see559]

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Hey, All!

First post 🙂

I'm currently in my fifth year at CSULB. I'm a Geography major and will be graduating this spring (May 2013).

My GPA is pretty bad... I have a 2.388 right now and I have two semesters left and I'm trying really hard to get 4.0s. I kind of slacked off my freshman and sophmore year and I didn't really know what I wanted to do, changed my major more than five times. I finally decided on dentistry this past summer (long story), but it was too late to change my major..

I'm planning on applying to the post-bac programs at Notre Dame de Namur and SFSU. I feel like I'll have a better chance at getting into Notre Dame de Namur than SFSU...maybe?

What should I do if I don't get in? Should I take some classes at Santa Monica College or UCLA Extension? I haven't taken any of the science or math requirements for dental school. So, I feel like I still have a chance? I mean, if I do well in those courses. and on the DAT. But will it look bad on my dental school applications if I take science and math courses at a community college (SMC) or at UCLA Extension? What would you recommend?

Also how would financial aid play out? I know grants and other "free money" will not be offered, but what about loans? I've received financial aid (both loans and grants) since my freshman year.

Any advice/questions/comments are welcome and would be great!



Thanks!

 

[dchoi]

I know I've posted this many times in other threads but after graduating with a humanities degree, I took all the pre req classes at Santa Monica college (classes are free if you are over 24 and don't make much money)... Then did the Cal State LA post bacc program. Good luck to you!

 

[UltimateHombre]

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but even if you manage to bring your GPA up to 2.5 by the time you graduate, it will still be very, very difficult for you to get into dental school. Most schools have cut offs at 2.75 and you really need to be above a 3.0 to even be considered.

If you graduate with a 2.5 you will need an additional 90 credits (3 years of FT coursework) of a 4.0 just to raise your GPA to a 3.0. And then you will need to kill the DAT and have some other good extra-curriculars to make you a competitive applicant. The average dental school accepted GPA is 3.5 overall and 3.4 science.

So before your invest another 3 years of your life and money into pursuing this, you need to dig deep down and see if you are not only willing to put in the time in takes, but if you are even capable of getting a 4.0 for 3 years straight, filled with lots of tough science classes.

Before doing this, you may want to consider if you could be happy in another health field: nursing, chiropractic, and podiatry are all much less competitive.

 

[LaughingGas]

What should I do if I don't get in? Should I take some classes at Santa Monica College or UCLA Extension? I haven't taken any of the science or math requirements for dental school. So, I feel like I still have a chance? I mean, if I do well in those courses. and on the DAT. But will it look bad on my dental school applications if I take science and math courses at a community college (SMC) or at UCLA Extension? What would you recommend?
Any advice/questions/comments are welcome and would be great!
Thanks!

You are looking at least 3+ years of As to make yourself competitive. The good news is that you haven't taken prereqs for dental school so you have a lot of room for improvement.
I would lean toward to take classes at UCLA extension, but the labs for chemistries are hard to get in b/c you are competing for that spot with other UCLA undergrads. The non-chemistry lab courses are fairly easy to get in as long as you can pay them.
I guess you could take classes at CC, but depending on schools, some will not care, some will. I would definitely call before I start the postbac route. I say this ,b/c I know dchoi took CC prereqs then postbac for upper division courses and he is fine, but in my case, I got bashed by an advisor from school X for my attempts to take prereqs at CC.
I don't know anything about financial aid.
Best luck.

 

[toothlesssmile]

Be realistic. You are looking at a HUGE investment in time, energy and money for a VERY slim chance of reward at the end of the tunnel. What makes you think that after five years and a 2.39 GPA you will be able to pull off all A's in science and math classes/labs that are infinitely more difficult than those encountered in your Geography major? On top of that, you will need a reasonable amount of shadowing, community involvement, etc. to be an attractive candidate. There are many people in this forum who have decent grades and DAT scores and will never see an interview. What is going to set you apart.....the fact that it took you eight or nine years to get to the point where you could apply to dental school? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you needed your head screwed on straight coming out of high school.

 

[deleted487471]

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but even if you manage to bring your GPA up to 2.5 by the time you graduate, it will still be very, very difficult for you to get into dental school. Most schools have cut offs at 2.75 and you really need to be above a 3.0 to even be considered.

If you graduate with a 2.5 you will need an additional 90 credits (3 years of FT coursework) of a 4.0 just to raise your GPA to a 3.0. And then you will need to kill the DAT and have some other good extra-curriculars to make you a competitive applicant. The average dental school accepted GPA is 3.5 overall and 3.4 science.

So before your invest another 3 years of your life and money into pursuing this, you need to dig deep down and see if you are not only willing to put in the time in takes, but if you are even capable of getting a 4.0 for 3 years straight, filled with lots of tough science classes.

Before doing this, you may want to consider if you could be happy in another health field: nursing, chiropractic, and podiatry are all much less competitive.

This. Plus, are you really sure about dentistry now? Or is it just the best of the limited options you see yourself as having? Think long and hard, because your path to d-school will likely be difficult, time consuming, and expensive (if not impossible).

 

[3see559]

Hey, y'all! Thanks for your advice/comments, but I'm determined and I'm going to be stubborn and I'm going to do this!

I've already got in about 70 hours of volunteer work and 40 hours of shadowing at a dental clinic this past summer. Still volunteering/shadowing once a week. I'm taking 19 units this semester.....some geography courses, some non-science and non-math pre-reqs for some dental schools.....working 20 hours a week with GIS for the city....and I currently have a 4.0! : ))))) I'm planning on taking a/some winter class/es and 18 units next semester.

I'm also planning on studying for the DATs like crazy and getting my hands on as many DAT prep books and materials as possible. I already started working on my personal statement as well. It's pretty kick-ass, in case any of you were wondering..ha.



Wish me luck! 🙂

 

[Volvoxy]

To be blunt: you have no chance.
A little mean, maybe. But I think it's a reality you honestly have to face.

I would look into doing something else.

 

[BIGMEECHY]

You could look into doing adult films....Its the fastest money youll ever make and all you to do is drill.

 

[pinpoint212]

To be blunt: you have no chance.
A little mean, maybe. But I think it's a reality you honestly have to face.

I would look into doing something else.

Technically he does have a chance. He just needs to redo his undergraduate.

But OP, you're looking at becoming a dentist when you are 30+ years of age...

 

[awaitsimpatient]

Hey, y'all! Thanks for your advice/comments, but I'm determined and I'm going to be stubborn and I'm going to do this!

I've already got in about 70 hours of volunteer work and 40 hours of shadowing at a dental clinic this past summer. Still volunteering/shadowing once a week. I'm taking 19 units this semester.....some geography courses, some non-science and non-math pre-reqs for some dental schools.....working 20 hours a week with GIS for the city....and I currently have a 4.0! : ))))) I'm planning on taking a/some winter class/es and 18 units next semester.

I'm also planning on studying for the DATs like crazy and getting my hands on as many DAT prep books and materials as possible. I already started working on my personal statement as well. It's pretty kick-ass, in case any of you were wondering..ha.



Wish me luck! 🙂

It's not going to be easy..so get ready..Dont listen to those negative people..when you apply your gpa is calculated as cumulative gpa, science gpa and bio/che/phy and nonscience..If you do REALLY in your pre-req then your only low gpa will be nonscience and Maybe? The cumulative..but dental schools like high science gpa, so you still have a good chance..and you know something? This whole acceptance process is like winning the lottery..good luck and stay away from negative people

 

[deleted487471]

It's not going to be easy..so get ready..Dont listen to those realistic people..when you apply your gpa is calculated as cumulative gpa, science gpa and bio/che/phy and nonscience..If you do REALLY in your pre-req then your only low gpa will be nonscience and Maybe? The cumulative..but dental schools like high science gpa, so you still have a good chance..and you know something? This whole acceptance process is like winning the lottery..good luck and stay away from realistic people

Fixed that for you. And it's nothing like winning the lottery. There are actual non-random factors in play, such as DAT, GPA, EC's. There is luck involved, but there are solid evaluation criteria. I don't think people should mislead OP about his/her chances, and at the very least, they should know the tough road to getting accepted.

 

[mtinamer]

Hey, y'all! Thanks for your advice/comments, but I'm determined and I'm going to be stubborn and I'm going to do this!

I've already got in about 70 hours of volunteer work and 40 hours of shadowing at a dental clinic this past summer. Still volunteering/shadowing once a week. I'm taking 19 units this semester.....some geography courses, some non-science and non-math pre-reqs for some dental schools.....working 20 hours a week with GIS for the city....and I currently have a 4.0! : ))))) I'm planning on taking a/some winter class/es and 18 units next semester.

I'm also planning on studying for the DATs like crazy and getting my hands on as many DAT prep books and materials as possible. I already started working on my personal statement as well. It's pretty kick-ass, in case any of you were wondering..ha.



Wish me luck! 🙂

👍👍😀

But in all seriousness, it is not impossible for you to acheive this dream for a dental career. All you have to do is commit yourself from this point forward, keep your head in the game, and be stubborn, or more like persistent. You're gonna have a tough road going for dental schools, lots of disappointments, but if you can handle them all and keep your eyes on the trophy to go forward, I think you can do it. Like you said, you still have a chance with the dental school pre-reqs to prove/improve yourself. So don't lose it. Also kill the DAT in every section. If you are meant to be a dentist, then you're meant to be.
There's my two cents 😀

 

[MBlue16]

As for me, my suggestion is for you to look into dental hygienist programs. The demand for the job is actually get higher and even higher! It's a much shorter program, easier to get into, and not as expensive. You can always pursue D.D.S. after you're done with the Hygienist program, I know someone who did it and she was a very strong applicant with plenty of interviews last year.

 

[PreDentalStudy]

Hey, All!

First post 🙂

I'm currently in my fifth year at CSULB. I'm a Geography major and will be graduating this spring (May 2013).

My GPA is pretty bad... I have a 2.388 right now and I have two semesters left and I'm trying really hard to get 4.0s. I kind of slacked off my freshman and sophmore year and I didn't really know what I wanted to do, changed my major more than five times. I finally decided on dentistry this past summer (long story), but it was too late to change my major..

I'm planning on applying to the post-bac programs at Notre Dame de Namur and SFSU. I feel like I'll have a better chance at getting into Notre Dame de Namur than SFSU...maybe?

What should I do if I don't get in? Should I take some classes at Santa Monica College or UCLA Extension? I haven't taken any of the science or math requirements for dental school. So, I feel like I still have a chance? I mean, if I do well in those courses. and on the DAT. But will it look bad on my dental school applications if I take science and math courses at a community college (SMC) or at UCLA Extension? What would you recommend?

Also how would financial aid play out? I know grants and other "free money" will not be offered, but what about loans? I've received financial aid (both loans and grants) since my freshman year.

Any advice/questions/comments are welcome and would be great!



Thanks!

You and me both!

I spent 5+ years in undergrad. I am pretty much looking to do over my undergraduate years in a science major ( biology). Since most of my credits will transfer, I am looking at doing it in 2.5 to 3 years.

I spent the last summer looking at programs, and decided to go to a local university (over a CC). I feel, since all dental schools accept univ credits, might as well go to a univ. I have started the process of having conversations with advisors and looking for dentists to shadow. Even going so far as finding a lawyer who works with dentists. No matter what, you cannot be over prepared!

I had a choice between a post bacc and 2nd degree, so decided the degree would work because I DO want that "do over". I just sent emails to the admissions/premed advisor, so far so good.

I always ask myself "What will I do differently now"? To be honest, I dont know yet. I know that I love what I have seen from my shadowing, I have the support of a dental student I admire and I want to try again. You need to know what you will do differently this time around.

As for age and time, my dad put it best " Even if you are 40 when you finish- still do it". He said it, that settles it!

There is no way around it, you are competing against the best students for a limited amount of space in a dental school. As long as you know what you are up against, you are golden! Keep yourself focused on what matters ( GPA, DAT, LOR, SHADOWING) and make yourself as attractive as possible.

My path, like yours, is a long story anyway....hope this helps!=D

 

[Svande8952]

smells like a troll