Do I have any shot at getting into a dental school?

[Ollivander]

I will begin this post by saying I'm very grateful for anyone who actually takes the time out of their day to read my post and my situation and giving advice from what you take from this post. Thank you very much.

I am a junior by year, sophomore by current credit hours at my university. I just recently switched majors from business (accounting) to pre-dental this past semester. My GPA before switching was a 2.67. I know some of you are thinking after I said that why did I switch to a harder major. I switched from countless of hours of researching careers over the span of 2 years at college. That's what I have done with my free time. You may think it's boring, but I don't have many friends at school and I am concerned with what I'm going to be doing with the rest of my life. I've put in an enormous amount of collective searching to pick a career I want. I am very passionate about going to dental school and have been since last spring ended.

This summer I took Physics 1 at a community college and received a B+.

This fall semester I am taking Healthcare Statistics, Calculus, General Chemistry 1, Chem 1 Lab, and an upper level Sociology class. I'm doing well in most, except Chemistry. I made poorly on the first test. I was going to make sure that didn't happen again. In the past 5 days, I've slept a total of 14 hours or so. If anything it's less than that. I've studied to no end. I just got out of my 2nd Chemistry test and knew every concept on the test, but I didn't have enough time to finish. I feel as though that will affect my grade where I had the knowledge and retained it to make an A, I'll be making a much lower grade because I failed to finish the test. It's not a concept of knowing the material, but test taking speed that killed me. I made a 68 on the first test and now I'm worrying about my grade on this second one. I've already dropped Chem 1 one time while at college because of a terrible professor I have, and now I have a good professor and understand the subject being taught and I retain the information, I just can't seem to finish her exams. With a 2.67 GPA at my current school (3.1 with current school GPA + community college GPA), I am at the point where I am considering dropping Chemistry because if I make bad on this exam I may not have a shot at an A or B. At the same time, it will hurt myself because I'll have a second W (withdrawal) in Chem 1. If I don't have a shot at an A or B to improve my GPA, I feel like since I'm just entering the major with a 2.67 current school GPA alongside myself, my shot at dental school is drifting away. (Note: It's NOT because I didn't know the information on that last test or that I didn't study enough. I put in SERIOUS hours and days of studying at least a week prior.) I don't want to give up hope because I WANT this career. I don't want another career and I don't want to change majors. I want to be a dentist.

Are my chances shot? I am currently considering transferring from this large university I've been at for 2 years (this is my 3rd year) to a D-II university where the classes may be a bit less involved to where I can finish on time. That reason along with having very little friendships and basically not knowing a soul at my current university (which caused severe depression and the poor GPA to start out my academic career) are reasons for transferring. If I succeed in the science classes there, but still have this piss poor GPA following me, will I have a shot at a dental school? Like I said, I'm not going to give up hope because there's not another career I want to do. This is what I want.

But please, if you have time I'd appreciate any advice on what is best for me to do in my situation. My goal is to get into dental school, and I want to follow whatever path is best for me in my situation to achieve that goal.

EDIT: I wanted to add that I have an A in both Biology 1020 and 1030 that I took in high school as CC credit. As I said before I have a B+ in the Physics class I took at a CC as well. I have a 3.83 GPA at the CC with 24 credit hours. All of those CC credits came from high school with the exception of the Physics class I took over this past summer. My GPA at my current university is a 2.67 like I said, with 42 credit hours taken. No science classes taken aside from the withdrawal I had the first time I was in Chem 1.

Also another note. I plan on being a 5th year senior when I graduate. Just in case anyone was wondering about that.

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[tadolsen]

Im a senior and just applied to Dental school, maybe Im not the best reference, since thats all i have done is apply, I havent been accepted yet but I SUCKED at gen chem, it didnt start clicking for me until I had to put in coutless hours studying it for the DAT. I got C's in both classes I and II. O chem was a lot better I got A's. Dont stress, make sure your overall GPA stays up and do as best you can. There are other science courses that will help get your grades back up. I would recommend Chads videos online. He helped me tons for the DAT, but Im pretty sure he has stuff for undergrand chem classes as well. Great Resource! Good luck, just keep at it!

 

[RSalha17]

Have you spend time shadowing? Or doing any kind of research or volunteering in offices or community clinics? I'm just wondering because you say you want the career but have you taken the time to find out whether you like it?

Also, I think if you drastically improve your grades then you might have a shot. Admissions committees like to see an upward trend in grades, so if somehow you can pull it together these last couple years, kill the DAT, and apply early, then you may have a shot. Good luck!

 

[Tunaman]

You're only halfway through college, you can definitely bring your GPA up in the next 2 years. Additionally, it'll be hard to chance you w/o a DAT score. Stay focused if this is what you really want, best of luck

 

[awaitsimpatient]

How many people keep taking all pre-requisites at community college? like I said before, Dental Schools DO NOT ACCEPT any of the prerequisites from community college.. So If thats the case and you want to be consider, DO your RESEARCh and transfer rights away to a 4 year college to do all your science classes. Keep your GPA above 3.0 for both Science and non-sciences otherwise NOONE will take you,.. Sorry, lol, I sound so harsh but its the true.. I was NOT ACCEPted anywhere with a science gap 2.95 and total gap 3.6.. Well, I learned this the hard way and don't wish it to anyone.. There is many people that got accepted with C's in prerequisites but Don't risk it if you can.. that will not help your gpa at all. sorry, I sound like a hater now
best luck on your journey
** perhaps my English is not good enough to understand definition of " community college"? its a 2 years college, I think..lol

 

[Ollivander]

Have you spend time shadowing? Or doing any kind of research or volunteering in offices or community clinics? I'm just wondering because you say you want the career but have you taken the time to find out whether you like it?

Also, I think if you drastically improve your grades then you might have a shot. Admissions committees like to see an upward trend in grades, so if somehow you can pull it together these last couple years, kill the DAT, and apply early, then you may have a shot. Good luck!

Great question I forgot to cover. If I transfer I already have a dentist lined up to shadow all of next semester and on. Granted he's a relative but still a dentist nonetheless. I truly believe the current GPA I have reflects that of a major that has nothing to do with dentistry or science for that matter. It was just a time of severe depression coupled with not knowing the direction I wanted to go in life. Thanks for your comment along with everyone else that keeps commenting as well.

 

[Tunaman]

How many people keep taking all pre-requisites at community college? like I said before, Dental Schools DO NOT ACCEPT any of the prerequisites from community college.. So If thats the case and you want to be consider, DO your RESEARCh and transfer rights away to a 4 year college to do all your science classes. Keep your GPA above 3.0 for both Science and non-sciences otherwise NOONE will take you,.. Sorry, lol, I sound so harsh but its the true.. I was NOT ACCEPted anywhere with a science gap 2.95 and total gap 3.6.. Well, I learned this the hard way and don't wish it to anyone.. There is many people that got accepted with C's in prerequisites but Don't risk it if you can.. that will not help your gpa at all. sorry, I sound like a hater now
best luck on your journey
** perhaps my English is not good enough to understand definition of " community college"? its a 2 years college, I think..lol

Not 100% true, there are schools that will take cc credits, someone actually posted a thread the other day about this- look it up

 

[Ollivander]

How many people keep taking all pre-requisites at community college? like I said before, Dental Schools DO NOT ACCEPT any of the prerequisites from community college.. So If thats the case and you want to be consider, DO your RESEARCh and transfer rights away to a 4 year college to do all your science classes. Keep your GPA above 3.0 for both Science and non-sciences otherwise NOONE will take you,.. Sorry, lol, I sound so harsh but its the true.. I was NOT ACCEPted anywhere with a science gap 2.95 and total gap 3.6.. Well, I learned this the hard way and don't wish it to anyone.. There is many people that got accepted with C's in prerequisites but Don't risk it if you can.. that will not help your gpa at all. sorry, I sound like a hater now
best luck on your journey
** perhaps my English is not good enough to understand definition of " community college"? its a 2 years college, I think..lol

The biology classes were both taken as college credits while I was still in high school. I don't know why a dental school board would look down on someone taking college courses while still in high school. The Physics class I understand. That was mainly because I couldn't grasp the subject and wanted to get a head-start so I could finish as a 5th year senior and no later. Also you said prevent C's at all costs. Should I drop General Chem 1 a second time at the university I'm at, transfer, take it a third time and attempt to make an A?

 

[UltimateHombre]

How many people keep taking all pre-requisites at community college? like I said before, Dental Schools DO NOT ACCEPT any of the prerequisites from community college.. So If thats the case and you want to be consider, DO your RESEARCh and transfer rights away to a 4 year college to do all your science classes. Keep your GPA above 3.0 for both Science and non-sciences otherwise NOONE will take you,.. Sorry, lol, I sound so harsh but its the true.. I was NOT ACCEPted anywhere with a science gap 2.95 and total gap 3.6.. Well, I learned this the hard way and don't wish it to anyone.. There is many people that got accepted with C's in prerequisites but Don't risk it if you can.. that will not help your gpa at all. sorry, I sound like a hater now
best luck on your journey
** perhaps my English is not good enough to understand definition of " community college"? its a 2 years college, I think..lol

You are very misinformed...

As for the the schools that don't accept CC credits here they are....

No CC for Prereqs... Electives from CC are ok:
Boston
Creighton
Ohio State
Temple

No CC period:
Tufts
Nebraska
Howard (However, some posters on this board have gotten in with CC credits)

This is according to DocToothaches chart: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527335 which is based on the ADEA guide.

So there are 50+ schools that accept credits from community colleges. I have had a lot of friends get accepted to schools across the country that went to community college.

The reason you didn't get accepted was your sub 3.0 GPA and your 16-17 AA DAT. No offense, but the community college classes are the least of your problems.

 

[awaitsimpatient]

You are very misinformed...

As for the the schools that don't accept CC credits here they are....

No CC for Prereqs... Electives from CC are ok:
Boston
Creighton
Ohio State
Temple

No CC period:
Tufts
Nebraska
Howard (However, some posters on this board have gotten in with CC credits)

This is according to DocToothaches chart: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527335 which is based on the ADEA guide.

So there are 50+ schools that accept credits from community colleges. I have had a lot of friends get accepted to schools across the country that went to community college.

The reason you didn't get accepted was your sub 3.0 GPA and your 16-17 AA DAT. No offense, but the community college classes are the least of your problems.

Haha..ok, i was forced by my advisor to take them over so i am mad i had to waste time and money!! And to correct you i did not get accepted bcus i had 14 and 15 before..i am hoping that my AA 17 will get me somewhere next year with my 3.1 sgpa 3.65 gpa..It was just my opinion(advice to research) and i didnt ask why i didnt get in? Lol, i never knew there was a 17 cut off, now i know

 

[awaitsimpatient]

The biology classes were both taken as college credits while I was still in high school. I don't know why a dental school board would look down on someone taking college courses while still in high school. The Physics class I understand. That was mainly because I couldn't grasp the subject and wanted to get a head-start so I could finish as a 5th year senior and no later. Also you said prevent C's at all costs. Should I drop General Chem 1 a second time at the university I'm at, transfer, take it a third time and attempt to make an A?

its ok if you get C but try to do better in other classes to increase gpa..i didnt mean to offend anybody, just do research to make sure the school you want to go will accept them..good luck

 

[UGA2013]

Most of the schools I applied too, most being in the south, definitely accepted CC credit. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

Second of all, if you honestly think transferring will help you jumpstart your college career and start rolling out the A's, then I say do it. Yes, Auburn is a big school with plenty of stuff to do...but if you want to be a dentist that badly and you think transferring will help you raise your GPA, then definitely transfer.

Schools don't care where you go to college. Get the A's, do well on the DAT. That's the formula for success.

 

[Ollivander]

I think a lot of the comments you are going to receive on this thread will be condescending and sometimes misinformed. So here is the scoop. Number one, if you're unhappy at your current school I would consider transferring. The key to school is balance. You can not go through school without balancing your school work and social life. Some people may be different, so for those of you who are, don't jump down my throat. That being said, your college years are important in the sense that you will always remember them. It sounds like you have had a rough start, and a change of scenery could help. I went through similar trials during the beginning of my college career so I completely understand.

Next, you still have a lot of time. I suggest you don't rush it. There is nothing wrong with taking a year or two off to get your things in order. You need to be the best applicant you can be when you apply. So, see how that Gen Chem exam went and then we will take it from there. I think that having another W in Gen Chem would not look good. I would go talk to your professor and if it is very possible for you to get a B to B-, then stick with it. I understand, Gen Chem sucks. If it makes you feel better I got a W in P Chem last fall, then studied my balls off for the DAT and scored a 23 on the GC section. Retook P Chem this summer and got an A-. Anything is possible, its just a matter of how badly you want this.

Regarding your high school/community college credits, I would retake those courses at the university you (might) transfer to. You need to show adcoms you can hang with the "big boys" so to speak. Don't cram all of your courses in at one time. Taking 16-17 science will be a large enough plate. Score well in those courses, volunteer, and shadow.

Depending on how these next two years go, your DAT will play a huge role in getting you accepted. You're going to need to crush this exam. Fortunately, here at SDN we have a ton of resources and study guides. Use them, and tweak them to your preference.

Good Luck.

Thanks for all of the advice you put into this post. I have a few questions for you and details I need to fill in some blanks with. I can't take a year or two off because my college is paid for no matter what for the next 3 semesters. I'll be paying out of pocket in Year 5. So I have to stay in school. I also don't think I'm going to take 17 hours of science credits. Since that's basically all I have left, I feel as though it'd be foolish on my own part to take 5 science classes during one semester. I was thinking 15 hours per semester since what I will be taking is all stricly science. (Is that fine?) Also a reason for taking 15 hours is so that I can log some serious hours into volunteering and getting some valuable experience by shadowing in a dentist's office (most likely multiple). One last question I have for you. You're advising me to re-take biology and Physics. Is that a smart move? Will that make or break me? If so, I'm more than willing to re-take biology, but I feel safer keeping the B+ I got in Physics this last summer than taking it at a university. Physics isn't my strong suit. You may be wondering what my strong suit is since I did poorly on this past Chemistry test. That was solely because I didn't have enough time to finish the test. There was far too much material covered on the exam and it just seemed like 50 minutes (it's an hour and 15 minute class but my professor said 50 minutes was the required time to administer an exam) wasn't enough. I needed 15 more to finish. If I had 15-20 more minutes, I would have aced it and there's no doubt in my mind about that.

 

[Ollivander]

Most of the schools I applied too, most being in the south, definitely accepted CC credit. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

Second of all, if you honestly think transferring will help you jumpstart your college career and start rolling out the A's, then I say do it. Yes, Auburn is a big school with plenty of stuff to do...but if you want to be a dentist that badly and you think transferring will help you raise your GPA, then definitely transfer.

Schools don't care where you go to college. Get the A's, do well on the DAT. That's the formula for success.

This is definitely a quality post. I'm definitely planning on applying to the majority of southern schools (UAB would be my #1 since I'm from AL, but not sure if I have a chance at getting in there). I have no idea where I'll apply since I'm not that far yet, but it'll consist of a lot of southern schools along with Western University and Loma Linda in California.

 

[Ollivander]

As predicted I had to drop Chemistry again and I have two withdrawals from General Chemistry at my current university. I also just applied and sent my transcripts to the university I plan on transferring to. How bad does this hurt me? If I knock Gen Chem out of the park next semester with an A at the university I'm transferring to, will that be enough to make up for dropping it twice at my old university? I have my reasoning for the drops. One was during a time where I was not sure what I wanted to major in and what direction I wanted to go in life, and fell behind quickly, and the other was this semester when I studied my tail off and knew the subject to the fullest extent on the tests, but couldn't finish the exams in time. It wasn't due to my lack of knowledge. Will those be sufficient reasons to explain my two W's in Gen Chem if I get an interview with a dental school?

 

[UGA2013]

Your "reasoning for the drops" is only helping you cope with the fact that you didn't know the material. You need to figure out a better system for studying and/or a new way to attack your classes. General Chemistry doesn't really matter in the long scheme of things (classes like Genetics, Cell Bio, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Immunology, etc. are way more important), but I am starting to worry about your possible success in these upper level Biology courses if you cannot figure out a way to even make a B in General Chemistry.

General and Organic Chemistry are not very important (except for the fact that they are on the DAT), but the skills required to make good grades in these two classes will help you do well in the classes that actually matter. I would advise you to find these skills. Perhaps try Chad's Videos next time you take the course. I highly recommend him.

 

[Ollivander]

Your "reasoning for the drops" is only helping you cope with the fact that you didn't know the material. You need to figure out a better system for studying and/or a new way to attack your classes. General Chemistry doesn't really matter in the long scheme of things (classes like Genetics, Cell Bio, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Immunology, etc. are way more important), but I am starting to worry about your possible success in these upper level Biology courses if you cannot figure out a way to even make a B in General Chemistry.

General and Organic Chemistry are not very important (except for the fact that they are on the DAT), but the skills required to make good grades in these two classes will help you do well in the classes that actually matter. I would advise you to find these skills. Perhaps try Chad's Videos next time you take the course. I highly recommend him.

I did know the material though. I got every question right up until the last two questions (with multiple parts) because time ran out, so I was forced to blindly guess. Also where can I find Chad's videos?

 

[KillaCam]

How many people keep taking all pre-requisites at community college? like I said before, Dental Schools DO NOT ACCEPT any of the prerequisites from community college.. So If thats the case and you want to be consider, DO your RESEARCh and transfer rights away to a 4 year college to do all your science classes. Keep your GPA above 3.0 for both Science and non-sciences otherwise NOONE will take you,.. Sorry, lol, I sound so harsh but its the true.. I was NOT ACCEPted anywhere with a science gap 2.95 and total gap 3.6.. Well, I learned this the hard way and don't wish it to anyone.. There is many people that got accepted with C's in prerequisites but Don't risk it if you can.. that will not help your gpa at all. sorry, I sound like a hater now
best luck on your journey
** perhaps my English is not good enough to understand definition of " community college"? its a 2 years college, I think..lol

Perhaps you should be the one actually doing the research. I went to a junior college/CC for 2 years, took some biology and Gen Chem there and got in to plenty of top schools. You should learn to research things on your own regardless of what one single person tells you.

 

[PreDentalStudy]

Hi!


I decided to finally join SDN when I saw your question!



The ideal dental student:

1.Has a major in math, science, engineering or a healthrelated field* ( with Pre-Dent requisites and research- either a course, asummer program, or a part-time job as a research assistant in hard science).

*finished within 4 years

2.Has Atleast a 3.0 GPA ( Ideally a 3.5 GPA)

3.Has significant shadowing/volunteering experience.

4.Is part ofpre-health club ( or some significant/legit undergraduate association like studentgovernment)

5.Has outside hobbies (not related to medicine)

6.Has the upper percentage DAT score.

7.Reference letters from 1 dentist and 3 pure science professors( this is really Ideal- generally it will be a mix of pure/soft science).



Again, this is the Ideal (but rare) student ( the one we allenvy)! Most of us only have one-threethings on this list. The average applicant is starting to look like a person intheir mid 20's ( or even middle aged career changer) who is going back toschool. Your goal is to get as close tothis idea as possible within areasonable time frame.

I know this sounds scary, but it is not that hard in yourposition.

Since you have an excellent science GPA in HS ( I don't sayCC, because you did them as part of a high school program) choose a sciencemajor or health major.

(Btw-Dental schoolsdo not accept CC credit from students who do them as a way to avoid Univcredits. Like people who graduate with a Bachelors degree and then try to dothe pre-dent portion at a CC.)

Changing schools allows you to start over. They will look at all the classes you have taken,give you credit for the ones they accept, and then you continue on from there .This is an excellent opportunity to get that 3.5 you really need to becompetitive. There is no point in takingover the science classes if the new school says you do not need to. Continue onto harder upper lever courses and prove yourself.

No matter how much research you do online, you never knowwhat it's like until you see it. I thought I was going to be a pharmacist untilI got a job as a pharm tech ( the person who helps the pharmacist ).

I will NEVER be apharmacist. I know this because I workedalongside and SAW what it was like. I was able to see through all theadvertising into what a career in pharmacy would entail for me. You never knowwhat it is like until you speak with dentists about their careers and workalongside them. Everything else is advertising. I am sure you consideredMedicine as well as other health opportunities?

Once you shadow, you need to stay organized about yourapplication process. Figure out what year you would like to start dental schooland take the DAT a year before youintend to enroll. Buy a DAT study book early on and match up what you learn inclass with the book. Take practice tests early ( free ones are usuallyoffered online). Go to the career center and practice your interview skills. Like a war, plan to the end .


The advantage I see is that you are transferring schools, have2 years until graduation (which means more time to study, research andshadow). You just need to have a veryorganized 2 years.



Sorry for the long rant, email me if you want.

 

[timmytim]

I would say close to none. Unless you get straight 4.0s until you graduate 2.67 gpa is going to be extremely hard to bring it up. Also you need to get exceptional score on the DAT. Wish you the best but don't get disappointed if you fail to get an admission.