Any chance of getting into Dental schools with my GPA?

[baboojoon]

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[americanpierg]

sorry i lost all respect for u when u blame ur laziness on depression and ADD, but trying to look at the situation in a subjective view, get all As ur junior year and u may bounce ur gpa up to around a 3.2/3.3ish, then get 23s on the DAT and u may be on the bottom/low middle rung of the competetive ladder

 

[pine88]

sorry i lost all respect for u when u blame ur laziness on depression and ADD, but trying to look at the situation in a subjective view, get all As ur junior year and u may bounce ur gpa up to around a 3.2/3.3ish, then get 23s on the DAT and u may be on the bottom/low middle rung of the competetive ladder

So easy to diss on problems you don't have - and your just better off not saying anything americanpierg. People are so ignorant about psychological disorders - would you tell someone with broken legs to quit whining and run that marathon already? Sounds dumb doesn't it, but it's the same thing. Both depression and ADD will screw you up, and I've only had to deal with one of them. I was ******ed for that period, and no, it wasn't laziness. In fact dealing with that sh*$ was the hardest thing I've had to do in my life so far. Good luck baboojoon - hope the meds help make things easier. They definitely helped me. And study your butt off.

 

[Nasem]

I can kind of relate to both baboojoon and americanpierg.

First of all, I have A.D.D and was disgnosed with being bi-polar also, I finished my under grad in computer science in 2004 with over all 3.1 GPA. My minors was mathematics however, My computer science + math GPA was about 3.33.

If you want to talk about depression and / or A.D.D I have them both, and let me tell you, i NEVER let either of them bother my schooling. with A.D.D you just have to FOCUS hard as hell to study (it works out becuase when you focus hard, you learn hard, and you do well). With being bi-polar, you just have to avoid the things that tick you off the most that way when you hit a "bi-polar swing" (when you get moody all of a sudden) try your hardest to focus on something you enjoy or just keep your mind busy so it doesn't effect your outcome (esspecially when your studying)

I know its VERY tempting to start playing with your pencil or thinking about the girl you slept with last night,, or the game of counter strike you played few nights back ESSPECIALLY while studying, but if you focus hard and tell your self "IM GONNA READ THE FOLLOWING 10 PAGES WITHOUT ANY INTERUPTIONS".... you'll pull it off, it woun't be easy but you'll pull it off.

BTW, I have never taken any medications for A.D.D or bi-polarism, I wanted to challenge my self.

 

[cdmOMR]

dont let other people get you down. Im in a similar situation stats wise although i wasnt depressed (that i know of) or had ADD (that I know of)...but ive turned some things around academically. Ive also been an assistant for 2.5 years and Im extreamly passionate about the field. We both just need to pull a good year together and study hard for the DAT. If you dont get in the first time theres always a second chance if your willing to work at it. Dont forget some of the smartest people on here might not be able to tie thier own shoelaces.

 

[drpduck]

Don't worry about what people on here say, I think the most important thing for you is to pursue your dream. My undergrad GPA is 3.05 cumulative and 2.76 science GPA (yes, ouch!).

However, I realized sometime ago that dental school is all I want. So I worked hard to improve myself. I went to grad school and now have a 3.8GPA and I'm half-way done a masters. I am in the middle of reapplying to schools and I will continue to apply until I get in. I understand the ADD and depression, I was very depressed when I did not get into dental school the first time, but instead of just sitting around having pity for myself, I worked hard to improve myself and feel I'm a much better person because of it.

Bottom line, if you really want to become a dentist with all your heart, don't ever give up. Speaking from someone with a low GPA, it will be an uphill battle, but I promise you that getting what you really want will make all the effort soo worth it!

 

[bionerd]

I can kind of relate to both baboojoon and americanpierg.

First of all, I have A.D.D and was disgnosed with being bi-polar also, I finished my under grad in computer science in 2004 with over all 3.1 GPA. My minors was mathematics however, My computer science + math GPA was about 3.33.

If you want to talk about depression and / or A.D.D I have them both, and let me tell you, i NEVER let either of them bother my schooling. with A.D.D you just have to FOCUS hard as hell to study (it works out becuase when you focus hard, you learn hard, and you do well). With being bi-polar, you just have to avoid the things that tick you off the most that way when you hit a "bi-polar swing" (when you get moody all of a sudden) try your hardest to focus on something you enjoy or just keep your mind busy so it doesn't effect your outcome (esspecially when your studying)

I know its VERY tempting to start playing with your pencil or thinking about the girl you slept with last night,, or the game of counter strike you played few nights back ESSPECIALLY while studying, but if you focus hard and tell your self "IM GONNA READ THE FOLLOWING 10 PAGES WITHOUT ANY INTERUPTIONS".... you'll pull it off, it woun't be easy but you'll pull it off.

BTW, I have never taken any medications for A.D.D or bi-polarism, I wanted to challenge my self.

You're not a Scientologist are you?? .....jk Great job

 

[bionerd]

Just out of curiousity, are there any pre-dents here that practice one of those "trendy" religions called SCIENTOLOGY or KABBALAH??? I've never known or heard of any regular schmoes practicing those religions except celebs...

 

[lilchinoboy03]

you may have gotten a slow start but youre not out of the run. If you're determined, you can do it. Keep in mind schools look at trends of grades too. if they see you messed up on ur lower div, but then stepped it up and aced all ur upper divs. i think that looks better than acing all ur lower divs, and getting B/C on ur upper div and having the same GPA.

 

[Envision]

OK, I admit it. I didn't try hard enough for last two years.

I'm a junior and after 2 years in undergrad, my overall GPA is 2.97
If i need to come up with any excuses for this, then I would say it was depression + ADD. I've recently started drug treatment and finally I feel more confident in doing school works.

For a dental experience, I've been working at a general dentist's office for 2.5 years so far (started during senior year in high school) and the in-state dental school in which my employer (a dentist, of course) had graduated would be my first choice of school. I'm pretty sure she would write me a good letter of recommendation.


With the treatment, I WILL try to study as hard as I can and get A's in most classes. This, I think, would be my last chance of getting into a dental school.

The reason why I've decided to pursue my career in dental is that I consider it my purpose in life to help and take care of others, especially those who haven't got much chance in receiving proper dental and medical care. Hopefully, I would get an interview later on and get a chance to express my reasons of applying for dental schools.

So, what do you guys think? Do I have even the slightest chance of getting into any dental schools? I will really appreiciate any bits of advice/information I get.

I don't think your in that bad of a situation. Your GPA is sub par, but not terrible and you do have a year to bring it up. In addition, your condition does offer some insight into why you didnt perform as well as you should have. It really all comes down to your DAT scores, how early you apply, your EC, LOR, Personal statement, Secondaries and interviews. im glad your taking medication and improving your study habits, i assume if you get all A's your senior year you should probably be able to pull that GPA to around a 3.2+. its gonna be a tough year but if dentistry is your dream, then you can do it. gl

 

[luckystar211]

i'm in the same position as you once was! What are you getting your Masters in and what school are attending? Any other words of advice?

 

[Brandon3106]

Ok so I have a 3.53 overall, 3.37 science, don't have DAT scores yet, have about 1000 hrs of volunteer work, no dental experience other than some shadowing, am a minority (black), and am applying to Meharry, Howard, LECOM, and UAB. I AM an AL resident. Thoughts of my chances getting in???