Considering my future...is it too late?

[IanM]

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I am currently a senior is college with an expected degree in chemistry. After lots of experience in the chem field (undergrad research, research overseas, working for 3M) I've finally decided that I would not be happy living life as a chemist.

It dawned upon me one day that perhaps a career in the medical field would be interesting. I didn't know which but long story short, I chose dentistry. However, I realize this is not the most timely decision as there are people who had dental school in mind since day 1 of college.

1) Is it too late for me to build my resume for dental school?

2) My overall GPA is 3.1, in order to fulfill requirements for dental school I will need to be in school for 1 additional year after the 4yr mark. I estimate I can get my GPA to a max of 3.2 - 3.3. Will I have a chance at dental school with this GPA?

3) My science GPA is 2.7.....after this semester and the additional year I can raise it to maybe 2.9. Is this okay....?

4) After finishing all the course reqs, (still need more bio and english) I will be graduating Spring of 2013, in May. When should I apply to school and when do I take the DATs?

I guess this is all I'm worried about ...I understand its an "all in" decision so if i decide yes, this summer i'm going to try and volunteer/shadow/etc etc the whole summer...basically I don't want to spend the next year and a half (counting this summer) building a dental school resume....and then just completely failing...should I go for it?

Yes I want it. Yes I am motivated to get my GPA up..I'm willing to go 120%. However, I don't want my feelings to cloud logical thinking if you know what I mean.

Thanks in advance~

 

[TwentyTwelve]

First and foremost you need to shadow/volunteer in the dental field. Do not begin taking all those additional classes before you actually know for sure this is the profession for you. No offense, but you spent 4 years attempting to obtain a chemistry degree which, all of a sudden, you no longer want to use. In the course of a few days/weeks/months you now want to pursue dentistry? Why? If you think you know the WHY, shadow/volunteer/talk to dental professionals and then see if it still is the direction you want to go. Sorry, but having a "aha" moment doesn't seems like a good enough reason to devote to another 5+ years of schooling and 250K+ debt.

Your GPA after the year will still be relatively low. The science GPA under a 3.0 will be under the cutoffs for some schools. Also, remember you got a 2.7 sGPA before as a science major, are you sure you can get a 4.0 now? They are not "no chance" land, but will not be very competitive unless paired with a killer DAT score 22+ which is near a 98 percentile and a strong upward trend.

After all this, if you still want dentistry, take the DAT following your pre-reqs and then apply summer 2013.

Its been done before...it won't be easy and you are facing an uphill battle but many have done it before you....

Good luck!!

 

[IanM]

ok so for the sake of "too long didn't read" I didn't fully explain myself...

as a freshman in college I didn't really know what I wanted...through highschool I never really had a passion for any of my subjects...its was always "get that good grade so parents will let you do whatever"...so in college I didn't really care. I know I wanted something in sciences...and I wanted something where I use my hands so I chose chemistry. I didn't specifically like it a whole bunch...it was time to decide and I just chose it.

After choosing it I figured well if this is it I may as well do it right...so thats why I did all the research opportunities and applied to work part time at 3M in their chem department. It was at this time (i currently work there) that I realized this was not what I wanted to be doing for the next 40+ years.....so I had to make a move, especially since I'm still young.

I have done some research of what being a dentist is like...it seems way more appealing and I would actually be happy going to work...knowing everyday I actually accomplish something...healing someone etc....whereas there are days in chem where you do absolutely nothing or you spend the whole day waiting for a single rxn to be done. (happens quite often actually)

I've really narrowed it down to this...its either chemistry in the industry or dentist...I don't care about money....I just want to be happy...that alone is enough motivation for me..

As for my below competitive grades...I guess its cuz I never really liked chem so I didn't try so hard....I don't blame anyone but myself. I am determined to get it up, was just wondering if shadowing/ volunteering/ good DAT is enough to supplement the low GPAs?

Thanks for your response though, I appreciate it~

 

[white fang]

You could still get into dental school but I am afraid it will be a long road for you. You really will want to get a very high score on the DAT, but don't do that until you get your GPA more competitive (so that your DAT score doesn't expire before you can get your GPA up). Just how much you need to raise your GPA, I don't know. A handful of semesters of 3.85+ GPA maybe that will be enough of a trend, especially coupled with a strong DAT.

A masters degree might be more in order for your case, but I would try and meet with some schools and try to find out what they think would help you most.

 

[AzStamp]

Heck no your future's not over, it may just be starting!

I'm still young in the process, but this is my mind-set maybe it will help you out.

First and foremost, the worst case scenario is that you work as something other than a dentist and eventually decide to go to dental school. (this does happen) Not the most efficient route, but as you say you are willing to go for it and thats really all that matters right? Do you feel you are skilled enough to bump the gpa?

After that, my biggest thing I think about is how can I do the whole process as well as possible. This means gathering information on the field, shadowing, volunteering, everything under the sun just think about what you can do to learn. Once you have gathered the information, think also about how you can decide properly. Thats my whole deal, doing every step as well as possible.

good luck to you!

 

[Bereno]

I switched to predent in my senior year of my undergrad. Unfortunately for me, I majored in finance, so I had none of the prereqs to get in. It took me 3 years to get all the prereqs, so I am finishing my undergrad after 7 years. Is your future over? Nope.

If you work your ass off and pull out a huge upward trend in your last year, along with rocking the DAT, you would have a great shot at it. Best of luck! 👍

 

[TwentyTwelve]

ok so for the sake of "too long didn't read" I didn't fully explain myself...

as a freshman in college I didn't really know what I wanted...through highschool I never really had a passion for any of my subjects...its was always "get that good grade so parents will let you do whatever"...so in college I didn't really care. I know I wanted something in sciences...and I wanted something where I use my hands so I chose chemistry. I didn't specifically like it a whole bunch...it was time to decide and I just chose it.

After choosing it I figured well if this is it I may as well do it right...so thats why I did all the research opportunities and applied to work part time at 3M in their chem department. It was at this time (i currently work there) that I realized this was not what I wanted to be doing for the next 40+ years.....so I had to make a move, especially since I'm still young.

I have done some research of what being a dentist is like...it seems way more appealing and I would actually be happy going to work...knowing everyday I actually accomplish something...healing someone etc....whereas there are days in chem where you do absolutely nothing or you spend the whole day waiting for a single rxn to be done. (happens quite often actually)

I've really narrowed it down to this...its either chemistry in the industry or dentist...I don't care about money....I just want to be happy...that alone is enough motivation for me..

As for my below competitive grades...I guess its cuz I never really liked chem so I didn't try so hard....I don't blame anyone but myself. I am determined to get it up, was just wondering if shadowing/ volunteering/ good DAT is enough to supplement the low GPAs?

Thanks for your response though, I appreciate it~

I understand where you are coming from. My undergrad degree was in architecture and I worked in that field for two years before I decided to go back to school and pursue dentistry. I too had no idea what I wanted and then after working knew what I liked and didn't want to do for my entire life.

However, before I left my job, I shadowed and volunteering across all health fields and felt and knew dentistry was the best for me due to my actual hands on experience, not just research.

This is where I fear your disconnect MAY be found. From your comment above, you seem to have decided on dentistry while possibly making the same mistake as when choosing chemistry. You say that only upon working in the chemical field for an internship did you learn that path was wrong. My question then becomes have you worked in the dental field? Have you assisted a dentist in a free health clinic treat an abscessed tooth with the foulest smelling pus dribbling out of the wound? Have you held the hand of sobbing woman as the dentist administers septocaine to extract all her remaining teeth? Until that point, with all due respect, it is hard to tell if dentistry will make you happy, or is the right profession for you.

Dentistry is not all helping people, working with people/your hands, 36 hour weeks, playing golf, driving a BMW etc.. By shadowing one knows what lies behind the curtain...the stress, the practice management, the wide variety of personalities, the lawsuits, the debt...

I am definitely NOT saying it isn't for you, but shadow/volunteer before going through what is to be a very hectic, stressful and expensive experience.

To your other questions, volunteering/shadowing will never bring up a very low GPA. It can enhance a lower GPA and make a 3.3 look better than a 3.4 if you have great experiences but ultimately one needs to show they can handle the rigors of dental school. Tons of volunteering shows passion and commitment, but not mental aptitude that the DAT and GPA express. Also, like I mentioned before a good DAT score, a 21/22 is a 96 percentile. Out of approx. 14,000 that take the test only 500 get those scores.

As others have said a masters may be helpful to offset a lower GPA that may not rise past a 2.9-3.1 no matter how many classes you take.

Trust me when I say this IS doable...I am just not a sugar coating type of guy. I am not trying to criticize your decision to pursue school, just bringing to light contradictions in your comments. It is best lay out all the facts to know how far you must climb before you take on the beast that is dental school.

As I mentioned before...best of luck!! 👍👍

 

[IanM]

thanks everyone for the responses

Yea I will for sure shadow/volunteer and stuff to see what its like...I'm thinking of doing that MWU Glendale Dental Simulation Course as well to get more of a detailed experience. I understand completely about what you said about trying it out first before making any decisions and I appreciate you not sugar coating anything TwentyTwelve, thanks a lot.

Sometimes though I get really motivated and I'm like "I can do it I can climb out" and other days, especially looking at school profiles of accepted students...I get super discouraged and maybe even sad I'm not gonna lie lolol like I get all hopeless and stuff...anyone else feel this way?

Anyways...its the only road I have left...hope it works. Thanks again for the responses~

 

[Bereno]

Follow TwentyTwelve's advice. Its great advice.