DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO anymore?

[hill8ter]

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hello everyone,
i need some direction becuase im completely lost...
my stats: graduating in june 09
UCSD: physiology and neuroscience major
GPA. cum/sci 2.5
rest of my application is okay, but i am really worried about my GPA and its low because i have had tremendous personnal and familial issues beyond my control. i would like to get into a postbac/smp but i dont think i can even get in however im willing to do whatever it takes. i have taken pretty much all the upper div sci course offered. i dont have any F's or D's just a lot of C's. i know my first priority is to raise the GPA but i dont know how to go about this? should i retake all sci prereqs at a community college or through extension class at ucsd? what are my options here? can i even get into a postbac? please let me know if some of u are/was in similar situations and what u have done/doing? any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[daiz613]

hey-
ok so 1st thing i'd do is definitely try to raise your GPA. DS wants to make sure you can handle graduate level coursework. they just see grades first to see if you are even qualified. if i were you, i'd enroll into a masters program starting in the fall. admissions will see that:
1. continuing ed is important to you
2. you can handle grad level courses
3. you are dedicated to doing what it takes to get into DS

there are tons of programs out there where you can get your MS in public health, biomedical sciences, etc. you can do it if you're extremely dedicated within a year. some people do it in 1 1/2 or 2 years too. i've got my MS from UMDNJ & i'll be starting DS in the fall.

also, b/c your GPA is so low. you need to do ABOVE AVERAGE on your DAT. use MULTIPLE sources, but the best source i used was DAT Destroyer. Just check it out on orgoman.com. if you're lucky enough, get yourself in the class so you can learn the material in lecture format & use the book for questions.

hope this helps =)

 

[dent2009]

Don't take classes at community college, esp not after you've been taking classes at a university. you don't wanna "downgrade". With a 2.5 GPA, it'llprobably take you another couple of years to even raise that up to a 3.0 so forget taking more undergrad courses; rather ace a SMP program and along with your DAT. I don't know much about your chances to get into SMP, but that's definitely the first thing you'll need to do to even have any shot at dent school. You definitely have to climb over lots of obstacles, but take it one thing at a time. If you're motivated enough and with a bit of luck you'll get there.

 

[SugarNaCl]

Yeah, I def wouldn't go the CC route either. CC classes unfortunately = about half as difficult as most university counterparts. Dental schools know that. Try a post bacc. You should be able to get into a program somewhere. Maybe try to get one at a school affiliated with a dental school. You can bring up (and will likely NEED to bring up) that GPA but it will take a WHILE, maybe even another 2 years to do it.

You can go the MS route too, but if you do, I'd do a thesis. This won't increase your cGPA for undergrad but may show your determination and ability bc research can be very demanding. Unfortunately, a 2.5 undergrad GPA is a tough sale and that is too bad if it was just unfortunate circumstances.

Why not talk to a few schools before next cycle (so they aren't as busy) and ask what you can do to improve your shot. Many will be willing to tell you what needs to be done. Good luck. 😉

 

[chober]

Hey there

I caught the UCSD bug too and SCREWED my GPA hard too, actually worse than you 2.3/2.1. I took a really long route about it. I tried to apply for 2nd Bacc @ Calstate but was rejected because my GPA was too low. So I went and took 2 years at CC and then applied for 2nd Bacc and I've been there for 3 years ever since.

You should probably not graduate and instead swap majors. Once you graduate it becomes difficult to get into a post-bacc program at a public school, unless you want to go private.

Whatever steps you choose to take, its gonna be more than just a couple years. Good luck.