At what GPA should you consider going back to school?

[vondy60]

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With admission standards supposedly quickly rising, at what GPA should a person consider taking more classes or doing graduate work? I have a 3.53 GPA with a bachelors in biology. I have taken pretty much everything I could take in undergrad: biochem, histology, comparative anatomy, cell bio, developmental bio, immunology, parasitology, etc.

Should I be concerned or am I still in an OK GPA range? Within the next few application cycles, what GPA do you guys anticipate to be a competative GPA?

Sorry if I sound paranoid, but this is my first time applying and it is such a scary and stressful event. Also, everyone on this board seems to have really high stats, and it seems to make me feel like my lousy 3.5 GPA will not be good enough.

And where is everyone coming from with such high GPAs all of a sudden, the average GPA for first year dental students was like 3.2-3.3 only a couple of years age.

OK, that is enough stressing. Any input would be great. Thanks

 

[JRogoff]

Are you serious? Come on! 3.5 in biology will more than get it done. Take the DAT and then see. If you get a 12 on that then come on here and ask this type of question.

 

[SillyRabbit]

You should have no worries about your GPA. I'd say with 19 or higher on the DAT you're definitely in most places.

 

[Thaxil]

Dude, you are fine; just don't screw up on the DAT. I really do not think the stats of this year are going to improve much more then two years ago, maybe by one point on the DAT and .3 on overall GPA. Anyways I am just guessing.

 

[RaiderNation]

Yeah, you sound paranoid.

 

[Thaxil]

I think a lot of us were paranoid before beginning this processes. I remember that I never told anyone one of my friends my true stats for fear of them telling me I have no chance.

 

[Woodsy]

In Canada you would have no chance whatsoever. In the USA however, just make sure you do well on your DATs and you're so in!

Do well on your dats and apply early to maximize your chances!!!

 

[Zurich5]

I would go back to school, if I were you, but I would definitely take a few xanax?s first?.

You?ll get in bud?a 3.5 and a solid DAT should make you more than competitive as an applicant, especially if you aren?t the delusional ax murderer type.

 

[aphistis]

Originally posted by Thaxil
Dude, you are fine; just don't screw up on the DAT. I really do not think the stats of this year are going to improve much more then two years ago, maybe by one point on the DAT and .3 on overall GPA. Anyways I am just guessing.

A .3 increase in average GPA would be a pretty steep jump.

 

[RaiderNation]

Originally posted by aphistis
A .3 increase in average GPA would be a pretty steep jump.

Yeah, that's what I thought too. Maybe .05???

 

[blankguy]

Originally posted by Thaxil
I think a lot of us were paranoid before beginning this processes. I remember that I never told anyone one of my friends my true stats for fear of them telling me I have no chance.

So I am not the only one not disclosing everything upfront....

....now I feel so much better. But I kinda feel guilty about it since the more I divulge about my situation the better the advice I am going to get.

 

[Thaxil]

0.3 increase is a steep jump, It was a pure guess. The original poster seems to think that GPA?s are increase by full points. My points is as I mentioned before, the stats average are basically the same as they were two or three years ago. Not much of a change, but a small increase.

 

[PERFECT3435]

Originally posted by JRogoff
Are you serious? Come on! 3.5 in biology will more than get it done. Take the DAT and then see. If you get a 12 on that then come on here and ask this type of question.

i know of someone with the GPA of over 3.5 and DAT of almost all 20's. the worst score is 18 in ochem and he/she submitted his/her app in june and interviewed at 4 schools in Nove and dec.


still not accepted and been waitlisted only.
i have no idea what the hell is going on but it really sucks.
i just don't see what the problem could be for him/her. all i know is that there is no research or dental work exp in that profile.

 

[JRogoff]

No dental expierence is huge. I must point the finger there for the reason why your friend has not been accepted.

 

[PERFECT3435]

are you serious?


i really didn't know the dental exp matters that much. i mean i knew that it will help you a lot if you have some exp but i didn't know that it was that important.

in a way, i don't think dental exp should be that crucial to your acceptance. what about people (like myself) who had to work to make a living? i quit my old job to get some dental exp and took a major paycut. heck, i actually volunteered and just happened that he hired me. there are many who can't afford to volunteer and have to make money to live and to suggest that you won't get accepted unless you have some exp is realy not fair.


after all, we will get all that exp in dental school wouldn't we?

 

[The Musketeer]

It is essential to have some dental experience now because the applicant pool is so competitive now days (and majority of them also have dental experience). I will use figure skating as an analogy to explain this:

Several years ago when the quad-combo jump was first introduced (by Canada's own Elvis Strojko ), only the top several skaters had perform this jump for extra marks due to its higher difficulty of execution (although a successful execution would not have meant a guarantee podium), however, to keep up with its competition, skaters now routinely incorporate at least one quad jump into their program, and if the skater do not have at least one quad jump or quad combo in the program, they are essentially fighting for 4th place or lower positions.

Dental school is similar in a way because many of the applicants do have dental experience with similar grades, so they will and DO prefer to take people who have this extra experience (As I think dental schools now think of this as a standard, although unwritten, component for acceptance).

 

[Thaxil]

It is not too difficult to get dental experience. 30h minium is not too much to ask. Many Dentist work on weekends so it is possible to work in a few hours a week. I did 150 hour all during the summer while studying for the DAT and working.