Any of you guys in dental school have terrible first years?

[SCDP]

Like my first semester of science classes is probably going to be really bad. Like a B in chem 1 and either a B or C in bio 1. I just feel like these classes are only going to get harder when I go onto chem 2 and upper level bios that even if I start studying hard I will be screwed, or even if I do bad in intro level classes will I be fine in the next classes?

Also me having an A in both calc 1 and 2, does that help my science gpa?

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[NMC2010]

Don't sell yourself short. I got C's in all my gen chem classes (nearly failed the last gen chem course), and B's in all of my intro bio classes freshman year. 2.94 GPA average freshman year. Sophomore year with harder classes I got a 3.71 GPA first semester and 4.0 2nd semester with more difficult classes (like o chem, micro, genetics, etc.). All I changed was my work ethic.

There isn't any reason to stress out. Nobody is denying that the transition from HS to undergrad can be difficult; you'll definitely be able to do better if you want to. It's all about the amount of work you put in.

Good luck, you can do it!

 

[PostDocCain]

NMC2010 put it right on the money.


Let me share with you my experience so far.

I got a C fall quarter, C+ winter quarter and a C spring quarter in Bio. (As and Bs in the lab portions). Sophomore year I switched to business and didnt take any science classes. Junior year I enrolled in Chem and Chem Lab for a total for 5 credit hours as well as 4 other business classes for 17 credit hours. I ended up WITHDRAWING from the chem lab and lecture cuz i just need to finish my business degree and then focus on prereqs or maybe take chem in the summer. My sGPA is a 2.607 but Ive only taken a year of bio with lab. So if I can get As and B+'s my sGPA will shoot up quickly so thats why ima just focus all my energy this summer into chem with hopes of gettin an A.

I plan to pick back up with the chem lab and lecture over the summer ( a years worth) and then o chem the next summer.

Also,anyone else hate how labs are 2 hours 50min 1 day a week and sometimes u have to stay longer but theyre only 1 credit hour but a regular class could be the same amount 1 day a week and its 3 credit hours.

 

[ATLien4evr]

Don't worry man you're not alone. I got a B in gen chem 1 and I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a B- or B in gen chem 2. I'm taking o-chem and bio 1 next semester. My GPA was a 3.81 after my first semester of college and at the end of my freshman year my GPA dropped to a 3.62. But looking back, I think I could have put more effort into my chem class. It really depends on your work ethic and how bad you want to succeed in a class. My gen chem sequence is pretty much screwed but I still have o-chem, bio, and physics sequence to go through. No doubt I'm going to step my game up when O-chem rolls around just because I heard how hard that class is.

 

[toothexplore]

don't sweat it, ive pulled some atrocious grades in core science in all 4 years and i'm surviving. schools cant have a full class of top GPAs... it would have no personality
but that goes without saying that you should learn and look to improve. upward trend helps you my friend

 

[akw921]

Like my first semester of science classes is probably going to be really bad. Like a B in chem 1 and either a B or C in bio 1. I just feel like these classes are only going to get harder when I go onto chem 2 and upper level bios that even if I start studying hard I will be screwed, or even if I do bad in intro level classes will I be fine in the next classes?

Also me having an A in both calc 1 and 2, does that help my science gpa?

check with aadsas and the schools you will be applying to to find out if it qualifies. I'm pretty sure aadsas it is not science. Some dental schools calculate their own gpas and may count it differently.

 

[Dent4GA]

Like my first semester of science classes is probably going to be really bad. Like a B in chem 1 and either a B or C in bio 1. I just feel like these classes are only going to get harder when I go onto chem 2 and upper level bios that even if I start studying hard I will be screwed, or even if I do bad in intro level classes will I be fine in the next classes?

Also me having an A in both calc 1 and 2, does that help my science gpa?

I was just replying to the original question in the thread. I'm not going to kid and say that the first year wasn't bad, but it wasn't horrible. The amount of material they throw at you in the basic sciences is really intense. I felt like the hardest part was just adjusting to the amount of material you have to absorb. I usually had to spend the majority of my weekends catching up on anatomy, biochem, and immunology class lectures. Everyone in dental school is smart, so the majority of what separates everyone is work ethic. I manage to pull out A's and B's in most of my classes, and I don't kill myself with studying all the time. While the studying and all that is really annoying, you are in a class of some of your future best friends. Dental school would be absolutely awful if you didn't have your classmates. I have made some really good friends in my class, and it makes the difference. I felt like a good key to success was figuring out exactly how you study best, (notecards, sheets, listening to lectures over, flowcharts, or whatever works....) I found some really good study partners, and we always do good quiz sessions before our tests.

I wouldn't fret too much now, just stay focused and hard work will prevail.