Advice in my situation

[spider367]

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So, I graduated from undergrad in the Spring of 2011 and immediately began an internship in a prosthodontic office from Summer of 2011 until the end of Summer of 2012. It was very patiented oriented and allowed me to really get a sense of the profession. I am now currently on my third cycle in applying to dental schools because my BCP gpa is just too low (~2.90). This past semester I spent taking a full course load of graduate level science courses as a post bac student and had a total gpa of 3.9. I have now been advised by my top school of interest to continue taking post bac courses this coming Spring semester as well.....and here is the problem. I have been living strictly on savings since quitting my paid internship and funds are running quite low. It is out of necessity that I get some type of employment or I will literally have no money yet I don't want to fall even further behind in getting accepted to a school.

Thus, I'm contemplating not pursuing dental school again if this cycle does not turn out with an acceptance. After having left my internship, which I did enjoy, I can honestly say I would not be sad if I never again worked on someones mouth. It's just at this point, I've poured at least 6 years of my adult life into reaching this goal and am quite nervous about what my future may be if I choose to actually follow what I think I want to be involved with, which is government and politics. However, a BS in Biology is not of much use in that field and although it may sound stupid, I will be turning 25 this year and I feel like I have not really accomplished much of anything given that I currently have friends from college who are in dental or medical school or working in banking in NYC. Thus, I feel like I've devoted too much time, effort, and money into pursuing a career in dentistry but am now wondering if it would be too rash of a decision to just all of a sudden go a complete other direction? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

 

[patricklin27]

drink some coffee or some ****.. idk

 

[predent12]

You're only 25. You have plenty of time. Don't go into dentistry if your heart isn't there. If it's in history and politics, then pursue that. With a Bio degree, you would be in a great situation if you were interested especially in politics surrounding health or the environment. But it's not too late for you! You don't have to resign yourself to anything!!

 

[Teeths]

You're only 25. You have plenty of time. Don't go into dentistry if your heart isn't there. If it's in history and politics, then pursue that. With a Bio degree, you would be in a great situation if you were interested especially in politics surrounding health or the environment. But it's not too late for you! You don't have to resign yourself to anything!!

👍

 

[spider367]

After having slept on it a little bit, I feel like the best option would be to wait on this admissions cycle and then try one more time if it doesn't work out in this cycle. Still, if I am unable to take any post bac courses this semester and work full time, how bad will that look to schools next cycle? I would probably begin taking classes again this summer and fall but my bank account is kind of forcing me to focus solely on work now. It's just that turning 25 this year, I don't want to fall any further behind in moving my academics and career forward. Thanks!

 

[Illfavor]

After having slept on it a little bit, I feel like the best option would be to wait on this admissions cycle and then try one more time if it doesn't work out in this cycle. Still, if I am unable to take any post bac courses this semester and work full time, how bad will that look to schools next cycle? I would probably begin taking classes again this summer and fall but my bank account is kind of forcing me to focus solely on work now. It's just that turning 25 this year, I don't want to fall any further behind in moving my academics and career forward. Thanks!

It's your life. You can't fall behind. You can only do what you can to be happy now and in the future.

 

[cwoodds]

Thus, I'm contemplating not pursuing dental school again if this cycle does not turn out with an acceptance. After having left my internship, which I did enjoy, I can honestly say I would not be sad if I never again worked on someones mouth. It's just at this point, I've poured at least 6 years of my adult life into reaching this goal and am quite nervous about what my future may be if I choose to actually follow what I think I want to be involved with, which is government and politics. However, a BS in Biology is not of much use in that field and although it may sound stupid, I will be turning 25 this year and I feel like I have not really accomplished much of anything given that I currently have friends from college who are in dental or medical school or working in banking in NYC. Thus, I feel like I've devoted too much time, effort, and money into pursuing a career in dentistry but am now wondering if it would be too rash of a decision to just all of a sudden go a complete other direction? Any advice would be appreciated.

Don't waste any more time trying to get into a field that you have no passion for. If you feel like you've devoted too much time, effort, and money now, how are you going to feel after 4 years and hundreds of thousands of dollars? Take some time now to figure out what you really want to do. You're still young. You don't want to be like some of us trying to change careers in our 40's!

 

[orals]

Not having money and applying to dental school can be really depressing and stressful.

I've been in the same boat as you.
My GPA was low and even with tons of EC, I was rejected the first time around.
Took a year off and did a post bacc prog and retook the dats... both of which turned out well.
Now I'm 25 and will be starting school this year, and everything I did was worth it.

If you cant see yourself doing anything other than dentistry, don't give up!

 

[spider367]

So I have basically decided to at least try one more time if this cycle is unsuccessful. Now, I took 4 science courses last semester as a post bac student and had a GPA of 3.9. My current BCP is about 2.8 with a total GPA of 3.1. Out of necessity, I am going to be working to as close as full time as I can to make some money since I lived off savings last semester. Because of this, I am currently not enrolled in any courses for this semester, but am on a waitlist for a graduate level science course.

My question: How bad will this look to schools next cycle taking only 1 course this semester given how low my BCP is? I don't want to fall even further behind in making up some ground on my academic record but at this point, my wallet kind of necessitates I turn my attention mostly to making income. Thanks!

And who knows.... I may pull off a miracle and get accepted somewhere this cycle!

 

[babowc]

After having slept on it a little bit, I feel like the best option would be to wait on this admissions cycle and then try one more time if it doesn't work out in this cycle. Still, if I am unable to take any post bac courses this semester and work full time, how bad will that look to schools next cycle? I would probably begin taking classes again this summer and fall but my bank account is kind of forcing me to focus solely on work now. It's just that turning 25 this year, I don't want to fall any further behind in moving my academics and career forward. Thanks!

I am also 25, turning 26... in July.. damn

Anyhow, I slacked off like crazy in my 3-4 years in college, took a year off, etc.
I picked up my slack, quit my job(s), live with my parents, and started overloading on courses to finish off with a *bang*.

I did great this past two semesters (summer/fall, 27cr) at a university (4.04 sGPA with upper bio classes), unlike the CC i was previously attending.

There are a lot of older people on these boards, but I felt that time was searing a hole in my butt, so I decided to put everything else behind and focused on academics. My bank account, very much so, is empty. 🙁

 

[cookiemonster44]

Spider 367, your dedication to the field of dentistry is admirable. It must be very difficult to apply to dental school cycle after cycle without obtaining admission. I want to offer you some advice. When you are alone and in a quiet place ask yourself if you really want to become a dentist. If your answer still remains yes, then you need to remain committed to this journey no matter how many cycles or time it takes. However, if you feel that you do not want to become a dentist anymore then you owe it to yourself to pursue other endeavors. Your dream job could be around the corner-you just haven't discovered it yet. From my experiences I firmly believe the journey to dentistry is not for the faint of heart. It is incredibly frustrating and filled with many sacrifices. Your reason for wanting to become a dentist must override and sustain you when you are going trough times of trial. I hope that you make decisions about your future that will bring you joy. I wish you the best.

Before I forget- if you do decide to apply again you should apply to a different set of schools. There are a lot of politics that come into play as dental admissions are concerned. In other words, the reasons for you not obtaining admission could be factors that have nothing to do with your BCP. Sometimes your "dream school" is not where you are destined to go and you may be chasing after a school where God knows you will not be happy or succeed. In other words sometimes you may have to accept that your "dream school" has no interest in wanting you to be apart of their school BUT this does not mean that you will not become a dentist or get in to another school.

 

[Ferneezy]

...if I choose to actually follow what I think I want to be involved with, which is government and politics. However, a BS in Biology is not of much use in that field

you couldn't be any more wrong about this if you tried.