At what point (GPA) does dental school become unrealistic even if you do post bacc and SMP?

[BarcelonaFan2]

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I am interested in getting into dental school and this is something I want to know.

Say you have a student that was a science major in college but during those 4-5 years, his GPA was not at all competitive. Now I read stories of students with 3.0s and 3.1s undergrad that managed to use post bacc and SMPs to get into professional schools such as med schools and dental schools.

Assuming that undergrad lasts 120 credit hours (4 years), what GPA is too low of a GPA for a student who wants to go to dental school? Like at what GPA would even post bacc and SMP not be able to help him achieve his goals?

What I am asking is, at what GPA (which the student graduated college with) would you look at a student and tell them to give up the idea of trying to get into dental school?

 

[buffdentist]

I'd say it doesn't matter. Just kick ass in your post bac so you can get into a SMP. Do tons of volunteering and show the schools that you committed. Kick ass in the SMP that you get into, and I think you'll be good. You're also going to need a kick ass DAT score. I graduated in 2013 with an overall GPA of 2.6 and maybe a science GPA of like 2.5. I majored in chemistry too. I did a post bac (2nd bachelors in biology) and am going to graduate this quarter with a 3.8 GPA in all upper division bio classes. I've applied to SMP's and should be hearing back soon. It can't get much worse than me. I also had pretty decent DAT scores. 19 - 21. 85th percentile overall and 95th percentile in quantitative. I have faith in myself that I can do it. Don't fish for excuses. If you freaken want it then make your freaken dream come true!! Just put in the work.

 

[TeeKay310]

Most pursue post bacc around 2-3.0 gpas.

It also depends on how much time & resources you want to or can dedicate to repairing your GPA. The goal isn't to hit a magic number it's to prove your abilities to excel in a professional graduate curriculum. So if you got a 1.0 in undergrad but you know you can pull 4.0s in a post bacc or SMP then don't give up since you can prove the competence /dedication for a professional career. But if you know you will excel better in another profession don't be afraid to open new doors.