Advice please

[Qwest]

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Hi guys-

I'm looking for advice for my brother. He is finishing up his bachelor's and has a very low GPA (3.0) and will be taking the DAT this April. Not sure if he's filled out the application or not.

I'm very conerned since he is just starting to study for the DAT in addition to his classes (light load though) next quarter. He's no rocket scientist, but I know he is very determined.

Is there any advice you could give me to pass along?

Does he have to ace the DAT? Or will average suffice?

Any particular schools he should apply to?

Thanks-

 

[JesseBrad3]

If he can score well on the DAT (around a 21 and above), and maybe show that he's able to handle the strenuous course load dental school has (such as by doing research, showing improvement on his grades thoughtout his college career, or finsih off well) then he might have a shot at getting in somewhere (say his state school). Having shadowing experience is a plus too. Just tell him to keep his grades up, and to bust his butt on the DAT and he should have a good shot. You might want to check out the thread for people who have a 3.0 and under to get an idea of where he could go or other people's experiences. Good luck to him!

 

[speter33]

Tell your brother to start browsing this forum

 

[ecdoesit]

Just dont burn out.

1st priority should be GPA.
2nd priority is DAT.

I would suggest your bro to focus on sch till the summer.
Then study hard on DAT and take it in August.
Cos now your bro should be thinking about writing essays and asking for LOR and such...

Remember, your AADSAS wont get to the schools until 3 wks after you pay your fees. And you can fax your DAT scores to school and got there in a minute.

 

[zazzookode]

Tell your brother to study for the DAT and not worry so much about his grades. He isn't going to be able in increase that 3.0 that much anway

 

[discolphie]

Qwest,

I definitely agree with Speter that your brother should start browsing this forum..

If you/him look around, you'll find some threads where pple with Gpas of 3.0 or so getting interviews and acceptances so he shouldn't worry..

If he hasn't already I'd recommend looking into getting some experience shadowing a dentist around...

As for the DAT, he can definitely do well.. A lower GPA does NOT correlate to a good score and vice versa. I personally have a 3.0 but good ok scores! If your brother is worried about managing studying for the DAT and school at the same time, he should wait till the end of the semester and just buckle down for the exam... I think 2 months of intense studying will be more than enough to ace it

 

[discolphie]

sorry... meant to say that a low GPA does NOT correlate to a bad score!!

 

[Thaxil]

Tell your brother to study for the DAT and not worry so much about his grades. He isn't going to be able in increase that 3.0 that much anway

I kinda disagree with this comment. You need to keep high grades during the final year of your school with at least 12 units of upper level science courses. The purpose of doing this is not so much to bring up your GPA, but to show that you are capable and that your current GPA does not reflect your real academic abilities. The last thing you want to do is to just C and B your last year because it would be useless to try to bring up the GPA.

I think you need for winter and spring focus on studying for school. Then spend a few months during summer for the DAT.