Are there any open doors left?

[lostconfused]

Hi everyone, I hope you all are doing well.

I have been reading posts from different people trying to see if someone is in the same boat as me, but everyone seems much better than I am at the moment.

This is why I am EXTREMELY LOST and confused with my life.
I really want to go into dental school but due to a lot of problems, I have an EXTREMELY LOW GPA.

I applied through AADSAS to a few schools, just to see where I am at, and I got rejected right away. Well I wasn’t surprised, because my GPA is REALLY LOW.

I thought my GPA was higher, but when AADSAS calculated it, my science GPA comes to be 2.12 and cumulative is 2.16.

On top of that, I just finished my bachelor’s degree in Biology.

I wrote my DAT a while back and got 16 on the sciences, 16 on the PAT and 17 on the Reading =I only got 2 months to study for this without much help. (btw, I am a Canadian student).

I don’t know what went wrong, but I did really bad in all my courses, and had no one to guide me.

Someone recently directed me to SDN so I started reading what people have to say.

But at this moment I am so lost and confused and don’t know what to do.

I see that people are giving a lot of good advice and was wondering if anyone has any for me?

I have considered other options and carriers, but my heart just does not want to do anything else besides Dental school.
I have shadowed my dentists for one and a half year and she has totally inspired me and I really want to become a Dentist.

Also, I got into the Carrabin’s for Medical school for this upcoming fall 2011 in St. James Medical School, but again I want to do Dentistry, so I really don’t want to go to Medical....

I have thought about post bach, and someone also mentioned masters. I don’t mind doing either, but I need the best option to help me get into dental school with such a low GPA. I am currently taking random courses to improve that low GPA and bring it up.

Thus, I ask if there are any open doors left that will help me get into dental school.

ANY advice would be EXTREMELY appreciated.

Thank you

lostconfused

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[321931]

I bet 10$ this is a troll thread.

If not, then do Master's/post-bac and retake the DAT. You need at least a 3.0 and 18 to even have a .000001% chance. If I were you, I would just go down the medical route. It's practically impossible to rebound with a 2.1.

 

[dentalWorks]

Hi everyone, I hope you all are doing well.

I have been reading posts from different people trying to see if someone is in the same boat as me, but everyone seems much better than I am at the moment.

This is why I am EXTREMELY LOST and confused with my life.
I really want to go into dental school but due to a lot of problems, I have an EXTREMELY LOW GPA.

I applied through AADSAS to a few schools, just to see where I am at, and I got rejected right away. Well I wasn’t surprised, because my GPA is REALLY LOW.

I thought my GPA was higher, but when AADSAS calculated it, my science GPA comes to be 2.12 and cumulative is 2.16.

On top of that, I just finished my bachelor’s degree in Biology.

I wrote my DAT a while back and got 16 on the sciences, 16 on the PAT and 17 on the Reading =I only got 2 months to study for this without much help. (btw, I am a Canadian student).

I don’t know what went wrong, but I did really bad in all my courses, and had no one to guide me.

Someone recently directed me to SDN so I started reading what people have to say.

But at this moment I am so lost and confused and don’t know what to do.

I see that people are giving a lot of good advice and was wondering if anyone has any for me?

I have considered other options and carriers, but my heart just does not want to do anything else besides Dental school.
I have shadowed my dentists for one and a half year and she has totally inspired me and I really want to become a Dentist.

Also, I got into the Carrabin’s for Medical school for this upcoming fall 2011 in St. James Medical School, but again I want to do Dentistry, so I really don’t want to go to Medical....

I have thought about post bach, and someone also mentioned masters. I don’t mind doing either, but I need the best option to help me get into dental school with such a low GPA. I am currently taking random courses to improve that low GPA and bring it up.

Thus, I ask if there are any open doors left that will help me get into dental school.

ANY advice would be EXTREMELY appreciated.

Thank you

lostconfused

I hope I don't upset you when I say this, but SGU is a GREAT medical school. Right know I know 2 people here in my area who are finishing up their residency and they got their MD from SGU some years back.

Dentistry with a 2.1 GPA is going to be...... VERY difficult to get into. I can recommend post-bacc, or maybe a 2nd bachelors degree all together, AND EVEN if you nearly 4.0 your 2nd bachelors degree, your overall GPA will probably bairly touch 3.0-3.1, science will be higher for sure (3.3-3.5), but the problem is, it will cost you 3-4 years and A LOT OF money.

So here are your 2 options:
1) join SGU and become an MD in 4 years....or....
2) spend the next 3-4 years fixing up your undergrad GPA, spend god knows how much money into the process and maybe have a shot at a USA dental school.

I know you want dentistry, but MD, especially from a respected school like SGU is not a bad 2nd choice. My understanding is, SGU has become as competitive as some osteopathic schools, I think their MCAT average is 25-26. By the way, what did you get on the MCAT?

 

[wizi]

lostconfused,

I gotta be honest with you, if you already got into Medical school, you should CAREFULLY think about that option. Don't waste it.

Your GPA is below the minimum for most Dental schools, your application might be automatically rejected before adcoms have a chance to look at it, so does your DAT.

If you really want to go to Dental school, you should get a Master and try to get a 4.0.
Retake your DAT, score as high as you can. Keep in mind that this is a long process and it will take a few years of your life.

Also, call Dental schools that you are interested in and ask them for advice.

 

[beeho]

having a low gpa/ dat score may very well mean your app might be placed in a pile never to be seen again. get a high dat score and have semesters of heavy science with good grades. then talk to some schools and explain to them of your situation, preferably in person. once they get to know you, hopefully they'll look for your application and not throw it away.

also, know this: dental school curriculum made my undergrad load a joke. if you truly believe in yourself that you can handle the load, then the best of luck to you. I agree to the other post that this will take time for your resume to build and attract the eyes of the admission committee.

 

[MechZZ]

I really dislike it when people say they REALLY want to be a dentist. There's more to it then just wanting to be a dentist. You have to recognize that you have to put in the hard work to maintain your good grades. You have to sacrifice time to study(and not just stare at a book for 3 hrs a day but make it your top priority) for the DATs. If you can't do those things then you don't really want to be a dentist. You just want the end product of being a dentist.

I run into so many people that say "oh I want to be a doctor/dentist/pharmacist/whatever", and then I see them turn around and go out drinking the night before their exam. I'm not saying it's bad to have a social life, but gotta get those priorities in check. Not saying that you did that in particular but if you want serious advice, I would recommend that you do a M.S. and destroy the crap out of them. It's going to suck for you since you're Canadian, cause Canadian schools are way more competitive as it is.

 

[lmaozedong1]

i really dislike it when people say they really want to be a dentist. There's more to it then just wanting to be a dentist. You have to recognize that you have to put in the hard work to maintain your good grades. You have to sacrifice time to study(and not just stare at a book for 3 hrs a day but make it your top priority) for the dats. If you can't do those things then you don't really want to be a dentist. You just want the end product of being a dentist.

I run into so many people that say "oh i want to be a doctor/dentist/pharmacist/whatever", and then i see them turn around and go out drinking the night before their exam. I'm not saying it's bad to have a social life, but gotta get those priorities in check. Not saying that you did that in particular but if you want serious advice, i would recommend that you do a m.s. And destroy the crap out of them. It's going to suck for you since you're canadian, cause canadian schools are way more competitive as it is.

+1

 

[hamptongirl]

Also, I got into the Carrabin’s for Medical school for this upcoming fall 2011 in St. James Medical School, but again I want to do Dentistry, so I really don’t want to go to Medical....

I hope I don't upset you when I say this, but SGU is a GREAT medical school. Right know I know 2 people here in my area who are finishing up their residency and they got their MD from SGU some years back.

Dentistry with a 2.1 GPA is going to be...... VERY difficult to get into. I can recommend post-bacc, or maybe a 2nd bachelors degree all together, AND EVEN if you nearly 4.0 your 2nd bachelors degree, your overall GPA will probably bairly touch 3.0-3.1, science will be higher for sure (3.3-3.5), but the problem is, it will cost you 3-4 years and A LOT OF money.

So here are your 2 options:
1) join SGU and become an MD in 4 years....or....
2) spend the next 3-4 years fixing up your undergrad GPA, spend god knows how much money into the process and maybe have a shot at a USA dental school.

I know you want dentistry, but MD, especially from a respected school like SGU is not a bad 2nd choice. My understanding is, SGU has become as competitive as some osteopathic schools, I think their MCAT average is 25-26. By the way, what did you get on the MCAT?

Unfortunately, the OP said St. James Medical School. SGU is a well respected Caribbean med-school and even they require avg stats (slightly below avg). I don't know anything about St. James Medical School but you should check out their step 1 scores/passing rate. You're investing a lot of money + 4 years of med school + residency. Try doing post-bac instead or another major(its doable in less 2 years if you take 20 credits +summer classes). You might also want to look into SMPs. I think you have your heart set on dentistry. I say you work hard and you will get in as long as you don;t give up.

 

[dentalWorks]

Unfortunately, the OP said St. James Medical School. SGU is a well respected Caribbean med-school and even they require avg stats (slightly below avg). I don't know anything about St. James Medical School but you should check out their step 1 scores/passing rate. You're investing a lot of money + 4 years of med school + residency. Try doing post-bac instead or another major(its doable in less 2 years if you take 20 credits +summer classes). You might also want to look into SMPs. I think you have your heart set on dentistry. I say you work hard and you will get in as long as you don;t give up.

oohhhhh st george vs st james STUPID ME
I always forget there are like 30+ carrib med schools, I get their names confused sometimes

 

[faroo7a]

Hi everyone, I hope you all are doing well.

I have been reading posts from different people trying to see if someone is in the same boat as me, but everyone seems much better than I am at the moment.

This is why I am EXTREMELY LOST and confused with my life.
I really want to go into dental school but due to a lot of problems, I have an EXTREMELY LOW GPA.

I applied through AADSAS to a few schools, just to see where I am at, and I got rejected right away. Well I wasn't surprised, because my GPA is REALLY LOW.

I thought my GPA was higher, but when AADSAS calculated it, my science GPA comes to be 2.12 and cumulative is 2.16.

On top of that, I just finished my bachelor's degree in Biology.

I wrote my DAT a while back and got 16 on the sciences, 16 on the PAT and 17 on the Reading =I only got 2 months to study for this without much help. (btw, I am a Canadian student).

I don't know what went wrong, but I did really bad in all my courses, and had no one to guide me.

Someone recently directed me to SDN so I started reading what people have to say.

But at this moment I am so lost and confused and don't know what to do.

I see that people are giving a lot of good advice and was wondering if anyone has any for me?

I have considered other options and carriers, but my heart just does not want to do anything else besides Dental school.
I have shadowed my dentists for one and a half year and she has totally inspired me and I really want to become a Dentist.

Also, I got into the Carrabin's for Medical school for this upcoming fall 2011 in St. James Medical School, but again I want to do Dentistry, so I really don't want to go to Medical....

I have thought about post bach, and someone also mentioned masters. I don't mind doing either, but I need the best option to help me get into dental school with such a low GPA. I am currently taking random courses to improve that low GPA and bring it up.

Thus, I ask if there are any open doors left that will help me get into dental school.

ANY advice would be EXTREMELY appreciated.

Thank you

lostconfused

Your cumulative GPA and science GPA are too low to be accepted and the DAT scores are not that helpful either. You definitely need to find a way to get at least a 3.0 before you apply anywhere. I think some of the suggestions could be helpful.

 

[AlexOdentchkin8]

I really dislike it when people say they REALLY want to be a dentist. There's more to it then just wanting to be a dentist. You have to recognize that you have to put in the hard work to maintain your good grades. You have to sacrifice time to study(and not just stare at a book for 3 hrs a day but make it your top priority) for the DATs. If you can't do those things then you don't really want to be a dentist. You just want the end product of being a dentist.

I run into so many people that say "oh I want to be a doctor/dentist/pharmacist/whatever", and then I see them turn around and go out drinking the night before their exam. I'm not saying it's bad to have a social life, but gotta get those priorities in check. Not saying that you did that in particular but if you want serious advice, I would recommend that you do a M.S. and destroy the crap out of them. It's going to suck for you since you're Canadian, cause Canadian schools are way more competitive as it is.

well said

@ OP, take it from someone who had a couple 2.0 semesters, you almost have to go out of your way to do this badly. Unless you have a learning disability, studying your butt off for hours at a time should result in good grades no matter who you are. Carefully assess you study habits and change them quickly if you really want to be a dentist. Use the advise others above have given and you might have a shot at dental school. If you don't have the stomach for it, go to the medical school in the caribbean because it will be a long and winding road. Trust me, I have traveled it

 

[alej1020]

The OP should seriously reconsider career paths before he goes and pusrues another bachelors, masters or MD. The only medical schools that are worth going is SGU, Ross or SABA and I would not honestly call their stats below avg. Saint James is probably looking for his money and then kick him out when he does not make the grade.

 

[KillaCam]

I do not think that dentistry is a choice for you at this point. Your GPA is wayyyyyy to low and the DAT is just as bad. You will not want to pursue getting a second bachelors or 2 Masters because it will take so much more time & you will need to take that many more credits with 4.0 to JUST average around 3.0. Then you have to hope that you know how to study for the DAT AND get a really good score.

I wouldnt go the carribean either because if you thought undergrad was tough and got only barely above a 2.0, med school will be a killer.

Sorry to be so harsh but I think this is just a realistic look at your situation. I would consider a different career path, science or not.....

 

[321931]

The OP should seriously reconsider career paths before he goes and pusrues another bachelors, masters or MD. The only medical schools that are worth going is SGU, Ross or SABA and I would not honestly call their stats below avg. Saint James is probably looking for his money and then kick him out when he does not make the grade.

Silly question, but here goes nothing: Are Caribbean Schools what they say they are? I found some brochures and it shows them next to the ocean, eating, chilling, swimming in their free time. I'm thinking it's to good to be true -_-.

 

[dentalWorks]

Silly question, but here goes nothing: Are Caribbean Schools what they say they are? I found some brochures and it shows them next to the ocean, eating, chilling, swimming in their free time. I'm thinking it's to good to be true -_-.

yes the pictures are real
but....can you imagine living in a 3rd world country for 2 years?

The 2 guys I know who did the Caribbean route LOVED it, but they also tell me that MANY American kids dropped out in the first month. They got depressed, couldn't handle the living in such a different place and went back home.

 

[alej1020]

Yep it's true you get to study medicine in paradise but you are their to do your basic sciences and then you do clinicals at a hospital, in the case of SGU, or mutliple teaching hospitals, in the case of Ross, which could be a pain in the ass. Remember this schools are for profit so they make money from people who flunk their programs but that doesn't mean they fail you on purpose. They just accept (or give the opportunity depends how you look at it) students (not all) with low to avg. gpa's and MCAT scores. They will also not allow you to take the step 1 if you don't pass their shelf exam but they do give a semester between basic sciences and clinicals were they prepare you for the step 1. Hope this helps.

 

[alej1020]

Yep it's true you get to study medicine in paradise but you are their to do your basic sciences and then you do clinicals at a hospital, in the case of SGU, or mutliple teaching hospitals, in the case of Ross, which could be a pain in the ass. Remember this schools are for profit so they make money from people who flunk their programs but that doesn't mean they fail you on purpose. They just accept (or give the opportunity depends how you look at it) students (not all) with low to avg. gpa's and MCAT scores. They will also not allow you to take the step 1 if you don't pass their shelf exam but they do give a semester between basic sciences and clinicals were they prepare you for the step 1. Hope this helps.

Sorry I'm learning how to use this. lol.

 

[lostconfused]

Hi everyone.

Thank you all for your advice. First of all, I am a girl, not a guy.

Secondly, I know how hard I have to work in Dental school, its going to be tough. The thing is, I did my degree in Bio, and the reason I did it was because everyone told me I needed a bio degree to get into dental school. I didnt take it because I liked bio. and plus, I found bio hard, so that is why i didnt do so well. And on top of that, I had a lot of personal problems that are now finally over which really effected my throughout my studies.

I was wondering if I should do a masters. Because I was reading other posts and i noticed somepeople say that a masters looks better than a post-bach?

I know the road ahead of me is going to be really tough and long, but I dont mind, as long as a get to were i want to be.

I was also wondering, if I go to St. James medical school, is there any way I can transfer from there to a dental school?
Because I here a lot of students go to pharmacy and then transfer to medical school.

Thank you for all of your help

 

[dentalWorks]

Hi everyone.

Thank you all for your advice. First of all, I am a girl, not a guy.

Secondly, I know how hard I have to work in Dental school, its going to be tough. The thing is, I did my degree in Bio, and the reason I did it was because everyone told me I needed a bio degree to get into dental school. I didnt take it because I liked bio. and plus, I found bio hard, so that is why i didnt do so well. And on top of that, I had a lot of personal problems that are now finally over which really effected my throughout my studies.

I was wondering if I should do a masters. Because I was reading other posts and i noticed somepeople say that a masters looks better than a post-bach?

I know the road ahead of me is going to be really tough and long, but I dont mind, as long as a get to were i want to be.

I was also wondering, if I go to St. James medical school, is there any way I can transfer from there to a dental school?
Because I here a lot of students go to pharmacy and then transfer to medical school.

Thank you for all of your help

Your situation is so unique, not many people have gotten in with a 2.0 undergrad GPA... Whatever advice you hear, it won't be from people with your situation, so I dunno how valid of an advice that would be. Seek out people with similar stats and see how they got in....

In my humble opinion, If you want to fix your situation, your one and ONLY option to fix that undergrad GPA.

 

[peanutb123]

Hi everyone.

Thank you all for your advice. First of all, I am a girl, not a guy.

Secondly, I know how hard I have to work in Dental school, its going to be tough. The thing is, I did my degree in Bio, and the reason I did it was because everyone told me I needed a bio degree to get into dental school. I didnt take it because I liked bio. and plus, I found bio hard, so that is why i didnt do so well. And on top of that, I had a lot of personal problems that are now finally over which really effected my throughout my studies.

I was wondering if I should do a masters. Because I was reading other posts and i noticed somepeople say that a masters looks better than a post-bach?

I know the road ahead of me is going to be really tough and long, but I dont mind, as long as a get to were i want to be.

I was also wondering, if I go to St. James medical school, is there any way I can transfer from there to a dental school?
Because I here a lot of students go to pharmacy and then transfer to medical school.

Thank you for all of your help

I was waiting to see if you were a troll are not. guess not.

Here is the experience of my friends who went to Caribbean/Poland. Most schools just want your money. They do not teach at all. I have even talked to a MS in nursing guy who could not pass the boards at all no matter how hard he tried... I also had a friend who had to drop out b/c they were not teaching. the success story was from poland but she told me that it was impossible and she got really really luck. And she said if she had to do it again she would NEVER EVER go to Poland again. Pass rates in them are kind of low...
-one more guy tried like 6 years (this i heard from a friend of a friend) to pass USMLE II now he is preparing for USMLE III.
-living conditions are horrible I heard. despite all the pictures of happy students sitting by the beach sipping their pina colatas.

You cannot transfer b/w dental schools.

I feel like first you need to take sometime off to figure out what you gotta do. Sometime's when you are fluid throughout your life and get stuck somewhere people tend to make rash decisions immediately and regret them down the road. so take your time figure out your plan.

IF i were stuck in your position & dentistry is the only thing that i want to pursue, i would start looking into Special masters programs geared towards dentistry. that would have some good success rates. I have also heard its very tough for international students. But think about the decision really hard before jumping in and committing.

Dont take this as an offensive thing but these can lead to a great jobs in the future:
Masters in nursing
Physician assistant
Pharmacist
optometrist
podiatrist
might not be very competitive.

good luck. And take the time to think before you commit to anything.

 

[StephenMaturin]

Hi everyone.

Thank you all for your advice. First of all, I am a girl, not a guy.

Secondly, I know how hard I have to work in Dental school, its going to be tough. The thing is, I did my degree in Bio, and the reason I did it was because everyone told me I needed a bio degree to get into dental school. I didnt take it because I liked bio. and plus, I found bio hard, so that is why i didnt do so well. And on top of that, I had a lot of personal problems that are now finally over which really effected my throughout my studies.

I was wondering if I should do a masters. Because I was reading other posts and i noticed somepeople say that a masters looks better than a post-bach?

I know the road ahead of me is going to be really tough and long, but I dont mind, as long as a get to were i want to be.

I was also wondering, if I go to St. James medical school, is there any way I can transfer from there to a dental school?
Because I here a lot of students go to pharmacy and then transfer to medical school.

Thank you for all of your help

For the love of god do not go to St. James. You are going to get yourself into tens if not hundreds of thousands dollars of debt for nothing.

The students who change from pharmacy to medical school still have to apply to medical school with the same scores and stats as people who don't go to pharmacy school. There is no backdoor loophole transfer program, and I assume there is not one into dental school either.

I honestly think you need to look into one of the midlevel professions if you want to stay in the healthcare field, as peanutb123 said. Then maybe after a few years and some experience, if you still have the desire, you can look in to going back to school and reapplying.

 

[alej1020]

For the love of god do not go to St. James. You are going to get yourself into tens if not hundreds of thousands dollars of debt for nothing.

The students who change from pharmacy to medical school still have to apply to medical school with the same scores and stats as people who don't go to pharmacy school. There is no backdoor loophole transfer program, and I assume there is not one into dental school either.

I honestly think you need to look into one of the midlevel professions if you want to stay in the healthcare field, as peanutb123 said. Then maybe after a few years and some experience, if you still have the desire, you can look in to going back to school and reapplying.

I agree do not go to Saint James, if you did not like bio and did bad then the same thing is going to happen when you attend medical school. If you really want to go to dental school you have to do your bachelors all over again and the thing is that since your scGPA is so low you are going to have to do it in something related to science to raise that scGPA.

You would also have to do a lot of volunteering in something related to dentistry so they see that you are truly interested in this field. Along with this try to get a leadership position in an organization that is sponsored by your school and when you are ready absolutely kill the DAT, get outstanding LOE and a great personal statement.

These things will strengthen other aspects of your application which I think is the key for you to have chance. The good part is that you are going to have a lot of time to do so because it's going to take you about 6 years to fix that GPA. This is enough time to do another bachelors and a masters. GL cause you are going to need it.

 

[allDAT]

Lostconfused,

dentalWorks is right, not very many of us have experience advising a student with the GPAs and DAT scores you posted, and few students with such scores have found themselves enrolled in dental school as of late.

To begin, many dental schools have minimum DAT scores and GPAs that they identify as acceptable. Typically, an applicant must score a 17 or better on each section of the DAT. In addition, all of the applicant’s GPAs (total, science, and BCP) must be 2.5 or above. If you fail to meet either of these requirements, the chance that your application will be taken seriously is very low, and there is a possibility that it will not even be read at all.

Of course, there are other variables that factor into acceptances such as your personal background. As you mentioned, you faced some personal issues that have since subsided, but did negatively affect your grade point average; however, with so many other qualified applicants your story will have to be one of great personal sacrifice that extended far beyond your control – a story that shows perseverance unlike any other applicant in the your cycle’s pool – because (quite honestly) there are many other applicants who were able to juggle personal troubles and academics while maintaining a 3.0 GPA.

While you may be able to persuade admin committees that the problems you faced outside of the classroom were the cause of your poor grades, allowing these problems to affect your DAT scores will not be acceptable – especially since you claim them to be over. From a committee member’s perspective, you will be seen as a liability. Ethically, the committees are right to deny you acceptance because you have not displayed the ability to handle the course load that will be required of you in dental school. Admin committees do not want to set students up to fail, especially when the financial commitments are as extreme as they are in dentistry.

With that said, with the statistics you have provided us, you should seriously question the motivations behind your acceptance to medical school. The financial commitments you are soon to make are very real. Ask yourself: If I were accepted and then asked to leave, how are my finances? Where will my earning power come from? What second career options will I have? What amount of debt will I acquire during a transition period or 1 month? 2 months? 6 months? In an economy as slippery as ours is right now, you may find job prospects with a B.S. and an incomplete MD very slim.

If – after reading everything on this forum – dental school is still your only hope for true happiness, you will need to pursue a Masters degree and retake the DAT. As previously posted, you could continue your undergraduate education, but your GPAs are beyond repair, and admin committees will look at the GPA you earn in a Master’s program separately, while taking more undergraduate courses would (in the best case scenario) only show an upward trend.
NOTE: You may not be accepted into a quality masters program.

After completing a Masters program with a GPA above 3.3, and a DAT score around 20, you may be able to push for an acceptance into dental school, but again, your undergraduate GPAs and DAT scores are not going to vanish and their presence will be considered a negative aspect of your application.

An Aside*
You mentioned in a previous post that you do not like biology and find it difficult. The study of dentistry is biology as a dentist is considered a “physician of the mouth”. In addition, all dentists are expected to be lifelong learners and an inability or lack of motivation to continue to research and learn about advancing techniques will result in a decrease in the quality of work you provide– this is bad for the patient and for you as your earning power will be greatly reduced. If you do not have a passion for science, you may find this career field much more difficult than expected for the duration of your working life.

A Second Route:
If you find that you were not accepted into a masters program, you may want to explore a career as a dental hygienist. You can take night school while you work, and eventually re-apply when your stats are closer to par.

 

[lnngu]

Even if the op weren't a troll, there is nothing in her posts that lead me to believe she is ds material (undergrad bio too difficult??) I also question her newfound passion for dentistry. Most people who KNOW they want to be in the field don't start off by applying to med school. To quote the GREAT Doctoothache: "there are enough red flags here to sail a battleship"
The op may eventually find her open door, but she will have to undergo significant personal growth before she does.

 

[WhichRoom]

Score a 30 on the DAT. Apply.

 

[dentalWorks]

Even if the op weren't a troll, there nothing in her posts that lead me to believe she is ds material (undergrad bio too difficult??) I also question her new found passion for dentistry. Most people who KNOW they want to be in the field don't start off by applying to med school. To quote the GREAT Doctoothache: "there are enough red flags here to sail a battleship"
The op may eventually find her open door, but she will have to undergo significant personal growth before she does.

I haven't heard that before... but it does sound like something he'd say lmao

 

[OU11BB]

4 or 5 years ago I had a 2.2 with 120 credits or so. i never went to class. someone mentioned that you have to try really hard to perform that bad in class and i completely agree. with minimal effort you should easily have a 3.00. I applied this year with a oGPA of 2.85. I have a BS in biology and a BA in Biochem. I finish my masters in Microbiology this semester. My last 120 hours is a 3.52 and my last 60 is 4.00, which is predominately my master coursework. I have been rejected to every school I have applied to. so it is not easy at all, and more discouraging than anything. if you are serious about this then you better be ready for the long haul. The one thing that I dont get about you is that you dont care for biology! WTF? Do you even know what you are getting yourself into?

 

[lostconfused]

Hi, first of all, let me correct myself. Its not that I dont like bio, I actually loved biology, thats why I went into it. But now finishing my degree in bio and ending up doing this bad has made me hate it. I still like bio, im just hating it because of the fact that I have done really bad in it.

OU11BB: as you said you got a 2.2 without going to class, well i actually tried in my classes, I just dont know what went wrong. Well, the first problem, if i think about it, is that here in Canada, well especially in my school, our marks are curved depending on the class average. Its not that I am dumb or anything, but I have noticed that I am always 0.05 % away from the class average, and most bio professors here make the cut of of class average as a C+ and B-.
This has really hurt me, but unfortunately the admissions committee cannot see that, they only see the letter grade.

But I am still extremely lost with what to do. I am planning on doing a masters, hopefully if I get in. I am applying for it right now, so lets see what happens.

Most of you are right, I probably don’t have any hope just because my GPA is really low, but I really want to go into the Dental field. Its become a passion for me.

Lnngu: I didn’t start off by appling to medical school. I have applied to Dental school for the past 2 years and have got rejected. Someone mentioned that I should just apply to the Caribbean medical school to see what they say, so I just went for it without giving it much thought and they accepted me. And now when I think of it, they accepted me with such a low GPA, so they are only after my money.

I was also thinking, what if I start all over again and go to a school in the US and do my undergrad all over again? Would that help?

 

[OU11BB]

I was also thinking, what if I start all over again and go to a school in the US and do my undergrad all over again? Would that help?[/QUOTE]

You are going to need the number of hours you have acquired so far at a 4.0 to bring it up to around a 3.0. It can be done, but dedication is a must. It will be a long road. If you are sure you want this than it will be worth it. I dont know really anything about you, but i would assume that 7 or so years from now you will probably be finishing health school somewhere. Do you want a family? It may be difficult to manage 4.0 while having a family and then moving on to health school. bottom line is there are some major sacrifices and you thoroughly need to weigh them out. Also you will be at the mercy of adcoms. I didnt get too many looks this year and it is discouraging. I can assure you that all my ducks have been in a row for the last 3 years. It is a long road, you just have to hang in there and be able to accept failure and move on. The reason I bolded your quote above is because this is what I did and added a masters and I am still struggling.

 

[dentalWorks]

Hi, first of all, let me correct myself. Its not that I dont like bio, I actually loved biology, thats why I went into it. But now finishing my degree in bio and ending up doing this bad has made me hate it. I still like bio, im just hating it because of the fact that I have done really bad in it.

OU11BB: as you said you got a 2.2 without going to class, well i actually tried in my classes, I just dont know what went wrong. Well, the first problem, if i think about it, is that here in Canada, well especially in my school, our marks are curved depending on the class average. Its not that I am dumb or anything, but I have noticed that I am always 0.05 % away from the class average, and most bio professors here make the cut of of class average as a C+ and B-.
This has really hurt me, but unfortunately the admissions committee cannot see that, they only see the letter grade.

But I am still extremely lost with what to do. I am planning on doing a masters, hopefully if I get in. I am applying for it right now, so lets see what happens.

Most of you are right, I probably don’t have any hope just because my GPA is really low, but I really want to go into the Dental field. Its become a passion for me.

Lnngu: I didn’t start off by appling to medical school. I have applied to Dental school for the past 2 years and have got rejected. Someone mentioned that I should just apply to the Caribbean medical school to see what they say, so I just went for it without giving it much thought and they accepted me. And now when I think of it, they accepted me with such a low GPA, so they are only after my money.

I was also thinking, what if I start all over again and go to a school in the US and do my undergrad all over again? Would that help?

whether you do another bachelors degree, a masters, or even SMP, who knows what would work out.... that 2.0 is such an admin-repellent.

If you want healthcare, like peanutb123 suggested, you might wanna start off with one of the "easier" fields. You are a guy who liked biology but ended up with a 2.0, maybe biology is just a difficult subject for you (ofc Im not trying to insult you).... Due to that fact, I don't even think you should go for the carrib med route, you might flunk out 1-2 years later and lose thousands upon thousands of dollars.

 

[atoothdoc]

OU11BB_ where did you go for post bac ? I am in a very similar situation as yours, please share your experiences. Thanks a ton ! Barry and Nova have linkage, someone even took masters from both of them and got in !

 

[lnngu]

I just dont know what went wrong. Well, the first problem, if i think about it, is that here in Canada, well especially in my school, our marks are curved depending on the class average. Its not that I am dumb or anything, but I have noticed that I am always 0.05 % away from the class average, and most bio professors here make the cut of of class average as a C+ and B-.

But I am still extremely lost with what to do. I am planning on doing a masters, hopefully if I get in. I am applying for it right now, so lets see what happens.

I was also thinking, what if I start all over again and go to a school in the US and do my undergrad all over again? Would that help?

OP, your most immediate problem is not your GPA (although that is a momentous challenge that you will have to tackle eventually), but the fact that you are not particularly self aware.

By now, how can you not know why you did badly academically (hint: I can almost guarantee you it has to do with work ethic)? Why would you think that aiming for the class average would be appropriate, especially if your goal is to get into a professional school? And are you aware that Canadian grades, by and large are inflated compared to their US counterpart?

Look, I'm not trying to beat up on you. I was in your shoes, 3 years ago, staring at an impossible climb up a mountain made of personal mistakes and self inflicted wounds, when circumstances dictated that I try to do this. I had to take a hard look at myself, told myself to cut the BS and the excuses, and attempted to be exceptional thereon out. It took a lot of work, but long story short, I was accepted to my top two choices this year.

Anyway, I didn't mean to pontificate. My point is that: given enough time and effort, anything can be fixed. You're in the wrong frame of mind at the moment, though (my previous point about personal growth).

 

[aphorth88]

how about looking into post bacs that are geared for predental students

http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~brothman/reapplicantindex.html

i know a guy who did this and he just got accepted into ucsf

 

[Derk]

By now, how can you not know why you did badly academically (hint: I can almost guarantee you it has to do with work ethic)? Why would you think that aiming for the class average would be appropriate, especially if your goal is to get into a professional school? And are you aware that Canadian grades, by and large are inflated compared to their US counterpart?

Can you elaborate on this point? I am a Canadian student and have not felt like grades have been inflated, but maybe I am misunderstanding grad inflation...

Generally my class averages are <3.0 and only in 4th year courses are the averages above 3.0. Also, only a certain percentage of students are allowed to achieve A-/A in each class.

Do US schools distribute grades differently and what not? Just wondering out of curiosity, thanks!

 

[lnngu]

Can you elaborate on this point? I am a Canadian student and have not felt like grades have been inflated, but maybe I am misunderstanding grad inflation...

Generally my class averages are <3.0 and only in 4th year courses are the averages above 3.0. Also, only a certain percentage of students are allowed to achieve A-/A in each class.

Do US schools distribute grades differently and what not? Just wondering out of curiosity, thanks!

Hmmm...this was information I gathered from threads like:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=568870

I, of course, never went to school in Canada, so it is entirely possible that I took a piece of hearsay and ran off with it.

 

[lostconfused]

OU11BB- u are right. I would like to start a family in the near future and it will be tough to start all over again. That will take way too long.

lnngu- ur probably right. I need to take a hard look at myself and see where I went wrong and stop making those mistakes. Especially if I want to do a masters.
So I have decided to do a masters now. I will be looking at different schools and applying there. Then after my masters. I will see where life will lead me next.