ADVICE please!

[iphone1234]

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Hi, i read posts about this before but i want to "fuse" the questions into 1.

Basically....I have a 2.68 GPA, i got to a canadian university and i have a 20avg DAT (20AA, 20 PAT, and 20 RC). I have little lab volunteering, just washing dishes, and making buffers (does that count as research BTW?)
Furthermore, i have an excellent reference letter from a dentist, but i dont have good reference letters from science professors (which i need 2 of, because i dont have an adviser at my uni).... I have a lot of volunteering in a hosptial and im part of a fraternity. (500 hours maybe)
SO what are my chances of getting into dental school this year? Also if i get a 3.3 GPA if i take a extra year (if i dont get accepted) my GPA will only go up to 2.8....In both cases what are my chances (again, im canadian if that makes a difference)!!?!?! Thank you very much.

 

[bluesprite13]

I suggest taking a post-bacc program after you graduate.

 

[tomhrxbfg]

Hi I went to a Canadian university as well (UofT) and just graduated this year...I did horrible in 4th year and took an extra 5th year to make it up so basically graduated 1 year late. Now I am considering applying dental school here in the states and just did my DAT yesterday. Overall I think you should probably do graduate school or post-bac program to boost your gpa and maybe do DAT again to boost it really high and show schools you have improved so they won't focus on your previous undergrad gpa. And right now you should focus on getting some volunteer experience in the labs, and hopefully get the reference after several month.

 

[iphone1234]

Any other advice? Or opinions??

 

[iphone1234]

Any other advice? Or opinions??

 

[sacapuntas]

You have a seriously uphill battle to get into a dental school. You are going to need to raise your GPA quite a bit and still probably complete a masters of some type. You should contact dental schools and ask them what it would take to be competitive and then decide if you are capable of that and if it is worth it.

One thing that seems like a red flag is that you calculated getting up to a 2.8 if you get a 3.3 next semester...at this point you should be aiming for nothing less than a 4.0 to bring your GPA up.

 

[iphone1234]

Any more opinions?

 

[periopocket]

Long road ahead my friend...1 year postbac to get to 3.0 + 1 year masters...as many A's as possible...patience...faith in god...future success...good luck and good scores on DAT

 

[iphone1234]

So im guessing i have no chance this cycle?

 

[sbesbesbe]

So im guessing i have no chance this cycle?

I don't think you've done that much research on applying to dental schools...
as a Canadian, you need to have better stats than students from the states since you will be considered an international, although I've heard that private schools really don't care if you are an international or not.
with a GPA 2.68, there is NO WAY you will get accepted to ANY schools.
I am telling you this so that you don't waste money on applying to many schools cause that's really expensive.

I suggest you do what other have told you do to like post-bac or masters or something and you should really aim for nothing below 4.0 from this point on.
really going to be hard for you to get into a dental schools BUT if you work hard from this point on, maybe in a couple of years, you will get your reward 🙂

 

[iphone1234]

Any final words? And thanks for the responses thus far, it seems unanimous I have a very slim to none chance. Even negative comments are accepted and id like it, cuz id rather know now then in a month then it is too late to make any other choices...

 

[anthonys]

I recommend not to apply this cycle based on my past experience. I had slight below 3.0 from undergrad and 19 on DATs, and I got rejected from all schools a couple of cycles ago.

I now finished my masters biomedical sciences with 3.9 gpa which brought total science gpa to 3.1 ish. plus retook DAT and got 22 on TS and 21 on AA.

I hope I could get in this cycle but i believe i now have better chance

I greatly recommend not to waste money but take post bac or masters to bring ur gpa

 

[iphone1234]

I heard BU and NYU are easy to get into, do i have a chance there?

 

[bluesprite13]

In my opinion, I think you will have a hard time getting into dental school if you do not raise your GPA. Retake as many classes as you can in wh ich you got a C- or below. Enroll in a post-bacc program. This will very much help your application. As far as NYU and BU, no school is easy to get into, but with your stats, your GPA will be the biggest issue when dental schools review your application. In terms of research, if you just washed glassware and such and your course code describes it as a research if you got credit for it, then it is research. However, the school may ask you what was your research on and what was your role. Good luck w/ whichever decision you make. 🙂

 

[sacapuntas]

I heard BU and NYU are easy to get into, do i have a chance there?

Easy is a relative term. They both have a lot of applicants (some of the most in the country). If you had more like a 3.2 GPA with your DAT then you would have a realistic shot.

 

[iphone1234]

I see, what if i get it up to a 2.85, u think ill still be rejected? So i have to do a post bac for sure? Have you heard of any canadians getting in with a 2.90ish gpa and a 21 DAT across the boards? Amazing ref from dentist as well.

 

[Tudo Bem]

I see, what if i get it up to a 2.85, u think ill still be rejected? So i have to do a post bac for sure? Have you heard of any canadians getting in with a 2.90ish gpa and a 21 DAT across the boards? Amazing ref from dentist as well.

It also depends what your trend is like. How did you do your past 3 semesters or so?

 

[iphone1234]

Honestly, it was consistent; my marks are mostly (98%) Bs and Cs....

 

[tomhrxbfg]

Um, call the school to decide, but 2.85 is still too low...You probably need to retake those courses (below C-) while doing some post-bac degree. Look at the average accepted student's GPA and DAT and you will have an idea what GPA is competitive for which school. Sorry man not to be harsh here but you need to get on the right track instead of wasting time applying now.

 

[iphone1234]

So my reference letters wont help my low gpa, not even a 21dat? Thanks for the hard truth, id rather have it hit me now, when its not too late to apply to post bac

 

[tomhrxbfg]

References do matter but now the truth is when your GPA is too low, they will cut you off without even looking at your references...DAT scores does help to an extent, but tbh maybe a 25 DAT could justify your previous GPA...

 

[iphone1234]

So honestly, if i get a 3.3 in my post bac year and it only takes me up to a 2.85 do i have a chance? OR do i need to do another year or maybe even a masrters...?

 

[tomhrxbfg]

From now on you need to aim for 4.0 for all of your courses...Aim high and achieve more, and if you aim for 3.3 you may get lower scores. I would say probably another 2 years of study will help immensely. Meanwhile get some volunteer work in the professor's lab so you can ask for references later.

 

[periopocket]

1) You must start aiming for a 4.0 postbac If your serious 2) National avg 3.5 and 19AA for your reference, please compare this to your scores and imagine how many get in with those scores 3) Being Canadian puts you at a disadvantage at 50%+ of the schools, meaning most get in with higher than the avg stats....Not trying to be mean but the sooner you start accepting these facts and start aspiring for greater the sooner you will get your reward.

 

[iphone1234]

As i said i did a few hours just cleaning in such, but i dont know the proff at all tbh, i took a course with him but didnt do so well...If i may ask, as a canadian am i at a disadvantage. For instance most private schools say they dont "discrimante" with in state and out of state applicants but the percent of students in state they accpet was like 80%....

 

[tomhrxbfg]

As i said i did a few hours just cleaning in such, but i dont know the proff at all tbh, i took a course with him but didnt do so well...If i may ask, as a canadian am i at a disadvantage. For instance most private schools say they dont "discrimante" with in state and out of state applicants but the percent of students in state they accpet was like 80%....

You don't have to volunteer at a lab that the prof taught you before, just go through the departmental website and see if some labs need volunteer. Maybe later they will let you do some experiments instead of washing dishes if you show enough enthusiasm. As a Canadian you are at a disadvantage. Look at the international acceptance and you will have a rough idea. Most of the schools have very few international students accepted (with a few exceptions).

 

[iphone1234]

No i was implying i didnt do well in his course either to get a reference letter from as well.
Also, how much of a disadvatnage are candians in, like what gpa, in your opinion, is bare minimum to gain acceptance to ANY school, also what would you consider competitive...again i know the numbers for US students as the dental schools website have, but im asking for canadians...

 

[hchc]

So honestly, if i get a 3.3 in my post bac year and it only takes me up to a 2.85 do i have a chance? OR do i need to do another year or maybe even a masrters...?

I think you'll have to do a second degree honestly or post-bac for 2 years with straight 4.0 to bring it up to at least 3.2++ or maybe 3 years... Best bet is 2 years and dominate the DAT say a 22++ with a 3.2 looks decent but, still kinda iffy because you're international and a lot of Canadian applicants have stellar stats.

 

[tomhrxbfg]

No i was implying i didnt do well in his course either to get a reference letter from as well.
Also, how much of a disadvatnage are candians in, like what gpa, in your opinion, is bare minimum to gain acceptance to ANY school, also what would you consider competitive...again i know the numbers for US students as the dental schools website have, but im asking for canadians...

You need higher stat than those accepted US averages as an international. By how much, we don't know but you could call some schools to have a rough idea...

 

[iphone1234]

I see, OK, its good to know what to expect. Glad to have cleared the misconception that US schools are so easy to get into. I heard a 2.7gpa and 21 dat is enuf from my friends.

Any final words? Also can someone just spit out a number for GPA that they consider to be competitive for a canadian? ill defentily will be making a few phone calls now to dental schools are the state. rip phone bill haha...

 

[b0110]

I see, OK, its good to know what to expect. Glad to have cleared the misconception that US schools are so easy to get into. I heard a 2.7gpa and 21 dat is enuf from my friends.

Any final words? Also can someone just spit out a number for GPA that they consider to be competitive for a canadian? ill defentily will be making a few phone calls now to dental schools are the state. rip phone bill haha...

I would aim for a 3.2+

 

[iphone1234]

Any canadians on SDN that got into a dental school in the states? or anyone else who knows about international student gpa to be competitive (minimum gpa)?

 

[cluckyducky]

I see, OK, its good to know what to expect. Glad to have cleared the misconception that US schools are so easy to get into. I heard a 2.7gpa and 21 dat is enuf from my friends.

Any final words? Also can someone just spit out a number for GPA that they consider to be competitive for a canadian? ill defentily will be making a few phone calls now to dental schools are the state. rip phone bill haha...

Honestly, I rarely hear of even U.S. applicants getting accepted with less than a 3.0, even with a pretty good DAT. You'll definitely want to break 3.0 to be considered, but even higher than that to be competitive.

Many people are saying that you need 4.0's to compensate for you GPA, but that makes sense. Look into taking less classes per semester to focus on doing well in those, or pad your GPA with as many "easy A" classes as possible. That can make all the difference at this point. A post-bacc or Master's isn't a bad idea either. If you do well in that sort of program, then dental schools can sort of look over your undergraduate GPA.

If becoming a dentist is what you really want to do, it is definitely possible. It's just a matter of putting in the work it takes to get there, so keep your chin up and know that it is totally attainable. Nice job on the DAT and good luck with figuring all of this out!

 

[premolar9]

It's a really good idea to do a masters, i think, because some schools may only look at your masters GPA if you complete it or are close to being finished. Ohio State being one of them 🙂 So, contact schools you are interested in, ask them how if they would view the cumulative, undergrad and masters gpa or just the masters and apply wisely in a few years.

 

[shayanH]

Your GPA is too low, but you can fix that. My GPA was low too, so I did another 4 year undergrad and raised it from 0.223 to 3.5. Never give up!!