At what point do I call it quits on the Dental Dream?

[Sags2riches]

Hello Folks,

So, my previous threads will give you the ample background to understand that my undergrad experience has been quite interesting.

For the longest period of time I have wanted to be a Dentist. My father is a Dentist. My uncle is a Dentist. I have grown up around this industry, and I have grown to enjoy it myself. Since the 4th grade, I have pretty much known that I have wanted to be a Dentist. There has been no practical Plan B for me. And, while some may say this is just a byproduct of pressure by my parents, I would just like to note that my parents have encouraged me to follow whatever path I feel is best for me. My parents tell me I have a creative mind, and that I should go into Business or Law, but neither of those seem appealing to me at this point. I have always wanted to be a Dentist first and foremost.

I will always have a certain respect for those of you who have made it to Dental school with 3.6 or above sGPA's. I read these forums, and sometimes I have no idea how you guys do it. I feel like these professors make it so damn hard for anyone to succeed in the first place. It's like they want you to fail. I am dumbfounded by how anyone is able to get in that GPA range while taking those Science courses.

I am no Albert Einstein. I am not a robot. You can say that I have not been bestowed with the coveted gift of Genetics when it comes to my ability to retain, spew out and grasp these concepts by just looking at the material a couple times. I really have to scrutinize every detail before I start learning even a little bit. I am just a slightly above average student who has a knack for creativity and finds clinical Science, specifically Dentistry, interesting. And, who wants to make a life out of it.

But, Science has always been a struggle for me. I have a hard time finding motivation in these unnecessary Science courses that I know I will never use as a Dentist. But, that doesn't mean I am not studying. I put in the work. I meet with the tutors. I just cannot seem to comprehend some of this material, or even if I do feel I comprehend the material, I cannot seem to make the grades.

So, the reason I am posting today is at what point do I call it quits on this dream I have had for most of my life, that I have told everyone I know about and that I know will be one of the bigger regrets of my life if I don't follow through? And, I could use some thoughtful insight on this. My tutor and I were studying for an exam the other day, and she pointed at this picture in the powerpoint of a person drowning and jokingly said "that's you." I laughed in the moment, but sometimes I really feel this way.

Here's why:
Freshman year-
Bio 1: C
Bio 1 Lab: A
Bio 2: C
Bio 2 Lab: A
Sophomore year-
Chem 1: B
Chem 1 Lab:B
Microbiology: B+
Anatomy: A-
Genetics: B
Sophomore year Summer-
Calc 1: C
Chem 2: W
Chem 2 Lab: W
Junior Year:
Comparative Physiology- 1st test- do not know results, 2nd test (taken today)- 68%.

Couple that with some transferring a couple times and being a non-Science major, I really don't know what to think of myself. I don't know how to calculate sGPA, but you can decipher from my grades that it is not the most outstanding GPA, and I don't think Dental Schools will stomach another C from me, and I have not even taken Orgo yet. It's like almost every Science course I take, they set up for you to lose. I already feel overwhelmed. I don't know what else I can do. Maybe some people just are not cut out for it. What do I do?

Thanks as always for the guidance, SDN.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[LittleKay]

That's something you have to decide for yourself.

I graduated from Undergrad with a oGPA of around a 2.56, and a sGPA of probably around 2.4.

However I KNEW Dentistry was the ONLY profession I could see myself doing and enjoying for the rest of my life.

I did a post-bacc (3.5) & SMP (3.75) and now have multiple Pre-Dec interviews.

You really need to ask yourself, do you NEED dentistry? Or do you WANT dentistry?

I NEEDED to become a dentist. It fueled me throughout the years and allowed me to get where I am.

However, if you are struggling with Undergrad basic science courses, you might not be cut out for this science intensive field. The DAT is jam packed with a lot of Basic sciences.

 

[FeralisExtremum]

If you're concerned that your GPA is impossible to fix for admissions, don't be. There's plenty of room to do well in upper level courses, and upward trends over GPA can go a long way towards strengthening your application. Don't let your performance so far discourage you from pursuing dentistry, if it's really what you want.

The difficulty you seem to be having with your undergrad sciences is problematic though. You mention having difficulty finding motivation in "unnecessary Science courses" - I hate to tell you this, but those unnecessary science courses are something you'll have to deal with in dental school too, and at a much more difficult level. If you can't overcome your lack of motivation in pushing through material that is mostly boring and irrelevant to dentistry, then you will be facing a major barrier to becoming to a dentist.

Ultimately your motivation is a mostly internal thing, and there's not much anyone here can do to influence or improve that. As far as grades go, I do believe that undergrad courses can be mastered by just about anyone with the right work ethic, and that there are probably major issues with the way you study that if fixed would make things a lot easier - but it's difficult to tell what those issues are online. Maybe it's a problem of focus?

Good luck with whatever you decide to do but I would urge you not to give up on dentistry (again, if it is really what you want) just because you haven't done as well as you've wanted so far. Dental school is still a very achievable goal for you.

 

[2TH MVR]

Too early to give up. You still have time. Keep working at it. I actually needed to attend an extra semester to retake Org Chem and a few other courses that I had C's in. No biggie. Keep working. You'll find a way to get into dental school. You may need to pay more for the privates.