Gap year or not?

[MAR89]

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Hey all,

Like many new members, I've been reading SDN for quite a while now, and in fact it's become a horrible means for me to put off studying for the DAT (which I have yet to even start). Those "Chances?" threads are just too tempting not to read 😛 That's not to say that it's been counterproductive, however, as the resources and feedback available on here are absolutely fantastic...so thanks to all those who contribute!

In any case, I was just looking for some advice as to whether or not a gap year would be a good idea. Here's my situation:

I'm currently a junior majoring in French at a private 4-year university and have completed just over half of the general prereqs (Bio1, Bio2, Gen Chem1, Gen Chem2, Orgo1). I plan on taking Orgo2 this summer (along with Intro Psych) and Physics1, Physics2, Biochem, Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbio throughout senior year. Additionally, I've taken CalcII and have completed an English Comp course to fulfill the other prereqs.

Overall GPA: 3.85
Science GPA: 3.84

I didn't start completing my prereqs until Sophomore year (Gen Chem1 in the Fall, Gen Chem2 and Bio1 in the Spring, etc), which is why I'm essentially a year behind in the "traditional" prehealth curriculum. So in terms of prereqs, I should have no problem getting them all done by graduation, despite the fact that I don't have too many to show for at this point in time, or at least fewer than a student who had started to fulfill them Freshman year. A quick question regarding this point: would the fact that I don't have the majority of the prereqs completed influence the adcoms' consideration of my sGPA?

I feel that my main problems lie in taking the DAT and moreso in obtaining my LOR's. Taking into consideration that I haven't begun to study for it, I hope to give myself a good two months during the summer, perhaps starting in May, to prepare myself for the DAT, although I would really need to apply myself as I feel as if I have retained almost none of the information from my science courses...in dire need of a good refresher. Anyways, from what I understand from reading some of the threads on here, a late July to early August DAT can still be considered timely (I would like to get some confirmation on this). Assuming that taking the DAT during that time frame would not be considered too late or detrimental to my application, I would hope that it shouldn't be too much of a worry.

Which brings me to the point that's giving me the biggest headache, that being my LOR's. Given the fact that I have not been able to take any upper level science courses due to my starting my prereqs a year later, I don't have the slightest resemblance to a relationship with any science professors. Compounded with the fact that I'm currently abroad for the semester, meeting with and getting to know any has been rendered nearly impossible. As of now, I have secured an LOR from a French professor who knows me well, from a dentist that I shadowed back home, from the dentist that I'm currently shadowing here in France, and from a public health professional for whom I volunteered. It's really just those science LOR's that I'm lacking and that I really don't see as being obtainable by June 3rd.

So what do you guys think? Should I opt to ask my Bio, GenChem, or Orgo professors for LOR's , regardless of how impersonal they may be? I know this is an issue that a lot of students encounter, but given my situation, it's essentially impossible for me to build any relationship with a science professor this late in time. Or would a gap year do me some good in order to get the opportunity to build these relationships for stronger LOR's, and to have some completed upper level bio courses to show for?

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions!

 

[MAR89]

bump

 

[acs]

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[dynococus]

I'd say having one impersonal LOR is better than not having one at all

 

[dentalWorks]

Hey all,

Like many new members, I've been reading SDN for quite a while now, and in fact it's become a horrible means for me to put off studying for the DAT (which I have yet to even start). Those "Chances?" threads are just too tempting not to read 😛 That's not to say that it's been counterproductive, however, as the resources and feedback available on here are absolutely fantastic...so thanks to all those who contribute!

In any case, I was just looking for some advice as to whether or not a gap year would be a good idea. Here's my situation:

I'm currently a junior majoring in French at a private 4-year university and have completed just over half of the general prereqs (Bio1, Bio2, Gen Chem1, Gen Chem2, Orgo1). I plan on taking Orgo2 this summer (along with Intro Psych) and Physics1, Physics2, Biochem, Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbio throughout senior year. Additionally, I've taken CalcII and have completed an English Comp course to fulfill the other prereqs.

Overall GPA: 3.85
Science GPA: 3.84

I didn't start completing my prereqs until Sophomore year (Gen Chem1 in the Fall, Gen Chem2 and Bio1 in the Spring, etc), which is why I'm essentially a year behind in the "traditional" prehealth curriculum. So in terms of prereqs, I should have no problem getting them all done by graduation, despite the fact that I don't have too many to show for at this point in time, or at least fewer than a student who had started to fulfill them Freshman year. A quick question regarding this point: would the fact that I don't have the majority of the prereqs completed influence the adcoms' consideration of my sGPA?

Well, most answers you'll get about this will be just opinions, not facts. My opinion is that most dental applicants have MOST of their pre-dent requirements complete by time they apply, this is important because it gives adcoms a way to compare applicants against each other (curriculum wise). You on the other hand, only have about 1/2 of your pre-reqs done, and you still need to take a few upper level sciences here and there (biochemistry I and microbiology are becoming a pretty big favorite amongst dental schools these days).

I feel that my main problems lie in taking the DAT and moreso in obtaining my LOR's. Taking into consideration that I haven't begun to study for it, I hope to give myself a good two months during the summer, perhaps starting in May, to prepare myself for the DAT, although I would really need to apply myself as I feel as if I have retained almost none of the information from my science courses...in dire need of a good refresher. Anyways, from what I understand from reading some of the threads on here, a late July to early August DAT can still be considered timely (I would like to get some confirmation on this). Assuming that taking the DAT during that time frame would not be considered too late or detrimental to my application, I would hope that it shouldn't be too much of a worry.

I don't agree with the bolded statement at all. Pretty much every dental school I've spoken with told me that applying early increases chances for early interviews. Early to most schools = applying June or early July and having EVERYTHING ready (GPA, DAT, LORs, etc).

Which brings me to the point that's giving me the biggest headache, that being my LOR's. Given the fact that I have not been able to take any upper level science courses due to my starting my prereqs a year later, I don't have the slightest resemblance to a relationship with any science professors. Compounded with the fact that I'm currently abroad for the semester, meeting with and getting to know any has been rendered nearly impossible. As of now, I have secured an LOR from a French professor who knows me well, from a dentist that I shadowed back home, from the dentist that I'm currently shadowing here in France, and from a public health professional for whom I volunteered. It's really just those science LOR's that I'm lacking and that I really don't see as being obtainable by June 3rd.

So what do you guys think? Should I opt to ask my Bio, GenChem, or Orgo professors for LOR's , regardless of how impersonal they may be? I know this is an issue that a lot of students encounter, but given my situation, it's essentially impossible for me to build any relationship with a science professor this late in time. Or would a gap year do me some good in order to get the opportunity to build these relationships for stronger LOR's, and to have some completed upper level bio courses to show for?

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions!

Well if you want to apply this year, you have no choice BUT to ask those professors for a LOR, end of story. even if you don't have a relationship with them, a LOR is a must, it might not be a "good" LOR, but its still a LOR from a science professor.

Honestly MAR89, its very hard for anyone to tell you anything without your DAT score. I mean you have a great GPA, but you haven't taken enough science courses yet. Many people start to lower thier GPA once they get into the pre-dental sciences (I am NOT saying this is going to be you, but Im sure adcoms see it that way).

Right now, you should focus 99% of your attention toward the DAT, this is the MOST important aspect of your application. In my opinion, a strong DAT score will out-weight ALL THE LORs in the world. So just focus all your energy into this test and worry about your LORs later.

Good luck to ya

 

[MAR89]

Hey guys thanks a lot for the replies, it's much appreciated. The more I think about it, the more I find myself leaning towards the idea of taking a gap year.

Right now, you should focus 99% of your attention toward the DAT, this is the MOST important aspect of your application. In my opinion, a strong DAT score will out-weight ALL THE LORs in the world. So just focus all your energy into this test and worry about your LORs later.

Yea, the DAT's definitely at the top of my priority list, but in order for me to apply early this cycle, I would have to contact those science profs by email, making it doubly more awkward ><

I guess the importance of that could vary by school, but either way I don't think it's a big enough deal to take a year off just because of that.

Agreed, but although the letters of recommendation are posing the biggest problem for me, there are plenty of other advantages to taking a gap year in my situation:

-Give me more time to build some resemblance of a relationship with a science professor for those LOR's
-Allow me to prove myself in upper level science courses (biochem, micro, physio, etc.)
-Allow me to complete Orgo2 prior to taking the DAT
-Grant me more time to study for the DAT, for which I am in no way prepared at this point in time
-Allow me to submit everything at the same time as early as possible next cycle, without having to worry about updating DAT scores, sending in missing LOR's, etc. making the process go a lot more smoothly

And perhaps one of the most important advantages I would gain would be to be able to have the peace of mind to attend any interviews I may get without having to worry about missing class. I know typically this isn't a problem, but again, taking into account that I essentially started a year later than other predents, I'm kinda cramming a lot of bio courses into my senior year, as well as taking physics. Worrying about interviews and flying around the country all while pulling acceptable grades in those upper-divs seems like a daunting task.

Despite of all that though, I keep flipflopping between the two mindsets. On the one hand, having all those advantages would be great, but on the other, a year is one hell of a long time, which begs another question (of opinion of course): do dental schools reflect differently upon those who do take a gap year? I would imagine that most like to have their students fresh out of college.

Although I'm leaning towards taking a gap year, I would appreciate more input if anyone has any in order to sway me one way or the other.