GPA failure

[pscott]

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Hey SDN forum!

I've browsed this site for years but I haven't registered until recently. This place is a GREAT source of info!

I am in a dilemma and I thought that mabye you guys could help me. I will be here to return the favor when I make it through this whole process-karma-....🙂

I am a junior and go to a private college in NY. My dream is to become a dentist.
The problem is that I kinda screwed myself over in terms of the GPA requirement. I had an okay gpa first year but
I had a very bad second year at college (for health reasons and for social reasons----i do have medical evidence to support this). So overall my GPA is is a 2.87 with a 2.7 in my major. This semester i expect it to go up (I anticipate 1 A and the rest of my classes Bs) .

I spoke to my health careers advisor and he suggested that I don't apply to dental school this year with my stats cause it would just result in me being discouraged and disappointed and i would be wasting a lot of $$.

As much as I didn't want to hear him say that, I think he's right. I haven't taken the DAT yet. I have started studying for it so far this winter break and plan to take it next summer ( I REALLY want to make sure I do well on it the first time).

My question for you guys is what should I do in terms of my GPA? I still have 3 more semesters of undergrad. My advisor said I still have time to get my average up to a B+ (3.3) and then i'll be competitive. He suggested I also take upper level sciences my senior year (like biochem).

I still have not taken physics yet. I was going to take it in my senior year before I heard I needed to take biochem.

Would it be okay if i took Physics at a different undergrad college during the the summer to get it over with? (this would be at a state school known for its sciences). then could I just take bio chem at my undergrad institution during the year. I don't know if I could handle two difficult sciences at the same time, which is why I want to take one over the summer first. Would this be okay? or do i need to take all my prerequisites at my alma mater?

I dont want to take physics at my alma mater because its too expensive.

could I also take physics at a community college?

Or would It be better if i took biochem at a community college over the summer (its the only place near where I live that offers biochem over the summer) and took physics at my undergrad institution?

my backup plan if i dont get into dental school is to take the mcat and apply to a foreign medical school. In the end, I know I would be equally happy practicing family medicine as I would be a dentist (I have shadowed both and come from a family of MDs). However, I still want to go to dental school more and so far I havent heard of anyone on this site going to dental school in the Caribbean lol.

I have decent extracurriculars (nothing outstanding, but decent like clubs etc). and I have shadowing experience.

also if it helps i am biracial (not an URM however).

Please give me your input guys and thank you very much in advance!

-Me

 

[Columbia07]

I would take your advisor's advice and avoid applying this year. A 2.8 gpa is only going to bring you heartache during the application process.

Bust your arse during the last three semesters of your college career. Take the physics course wherever you want, just avoid taking ANY coursework at a community college. A 3.3 gpa is competitive for some schools. With a strong DAT score (20+AA,TS) you should find yourself with 1-3 interviews (possibly more if you have a well-rounded application).

Also, I would try to figure out a career path and stick to it. Applying to dental school and then opting for something else after only one attempt is not going to show much dedication to the field. Even though you have experience with both fields, it would benefit you more if you solely focus on one goal and only after multiple attempts do you then opt for something else. Also, while they share some fundamental principles, being a physician is very different from being a dentist. If you're not a URM, then don't worry about it.

Also, if you opt for a dental school outside the U.S. you will not be allowed to practice in the U.S. until you complete a 2 year Advanced Standing program with other foreign trained dentists (And sadly, these are very competitive). Sorry, no back door into dentistry.😎

 

[xplayer2885]

Hey theres always post bac. Im keeping that option open. I got a 1.66 first semester. I now have a 3.0 an im a junior. Work at it an you will improve. Youll get in eventually if you work hard enough at it. Im in the same boat as you. I am also studying the DAT this winter break, an taking it this summer.

 

[SuperDuper]

I would take the advisor’s advice and not postpone applying until at least next year. In the mean time, work really hard to do well in all your classes to raise your GPA. If you can get the GPA up to 3.3ish, I think your application will be competitive as long as you do well on your DAT (hopefully 20+).

Do take upper-level science courses. Not only they will help you to show adcoms that you are capable of doing well in science courses, but they will help you once you are in dental school.

You can take Physics at a community college. However, some dental schools limit # of community college credit hours, so you should look at different dental schools that you are interested in.

Not very many community colleges offer biochemistry courses. If you find one that does offer, you can certainly take this at the community college. Again, check each school that you are interested in to see what their restriction is, in terms of # of credit hours from community colleges.

Being biracial (but not an URM) doesn’t help you in the admission process, unless you have cultural extracurricular activities that show your leadership skills and more. For instance, if you were involved with a student minority group and organized events, this experience will help your application but just the fact that you are biracial doesn’t matter.

Good luck! 😀😉🙂

 

[blankguy]

I agree with the postings on this thread. Don't apply this year. Try to get all As and if possible take an extra year of courses after graduating from school as a non degree student, upper level biology courses that you haven't taken. Try to take Physics at a 4 yrs college though. It looks better taking it at a 4 yrs college than at a community college. I think you still has a chance to make a major improvement on his GPA. Make sure you kick butt on the DAT.

 

[TheShamanLife]

Your GPA really does need work, but I think that sometimes we should be careful when taking advice from an advisor. I shadowed an oral surgeon last year that was in a very similar situation that you now find yourself in. His GPA was ~2.8 and his advisor told him that he should consider working in a lab and drop his dental dreams altogether. He decided that he wasn't going to give up, so he took the DAT and was in the top percentile (I forget what it was). Because he did so well on the DAT, he got interviews and was eventually accepted to VCU. At VCU he did excellent in all of his classes and got an oral maxillofacial surgery residency. IMO, I don't see anything wrong with taking the DAT just to see how you do. If you study hard enough for it you might just surprise yourself. GPA is important, but a very high DAT score can make some schools take a second look at you regardless of the GPA- and they might just take a chance on you. It all depends upon you and how you feel about it. This oral suregon I shadowed was definitely a rare case. If you feel like even though your grades weren't very good, but that you basically understood the material and that with some very hard studying you might be able to pull off the DAT- it might be worth a try. Like I said- it depends on you.

 

[blankguy]

It's quite possible that can happen but it is a long shot. It might be 1 in 1000 chance as opposed to 1 in 10 or 5 if he boosted his GPA. The lower the GPA the more it is going to feel like he is trying to win the lottery. It has become so competitive now.

 

[SuperDuper]

TheShamanLife also has a good point. Maybe you should try to take a practice DAT test to see how you do. After seeing your score, if you think you have enough time to study for the DAT to do very well on it, then it is possible that you don't have to postpone the admission process for a year. Good luck 😀😎😉

 

[dentstd]

You should take these ppl's advice and aim for a 3.3ish GPA. Work really hard to get that 6.0 GPA your last few semesters to bring up that 2.8.

 

[pscott]

Hi guys,


Thank you guys very much for the advice!

TheShamanLife, someone actually told me something similar to what you told me, about acing the DAT and getting interviews. I was considering trying to do this...but I am not particularly great at standardized tests (which is why I am preparing for the DAT 6 months in advance). and i dont to want go through the process of applying and then then just getting disappointed and wasting 1000 $ in application fees and the stress...

another question, if i took classes at another college as a non-matriculated student....should i concentrate on retaking the prerequisites i did poorly in? (namely, biology), or should i just take upper level sciences?

also, in my "lag year", do i have to do something dental related? I am an economics major so i was going to try to get some kinda office job...would that hurt me? i mean, i have to make a living (i dont wanna mooch off mom and dad)

thanks again guys

 

[Columbia07]

Do NOT stop taking courses during your year off. This should be the time when you take some upper level biology courses (anatomy, physiology, microbiology, etc) to improve your application and your gpa. If you're going to just sit around for a year, I would try to do stuff dental related while holding a regular day job.

A 3.3 gpa is decent, but it will be no means guarantee you an interview let alone an acceptance. Again, I would keep taking courses (especially upper level biology courses--proving to adcoms you can handle the harder stuff). If possible, you might want to also consider a master's program.