gpa

[mmoosavi41]

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hey everyone..
i'm entering my last semester of undergrad and i am expecting to be graduating with an overall gpa of about a 3.33 and a sgpa of something a little lower (3.2ish). i have research experience and shadowing and i'm going to be retaking the dat in may. i'm starting a prep class in a couple weeks. my main concern is that my gpa is way to low for me to have a realistic shot of getting into dental schools. i had a 3.36 entering this school year but had a terrible fall semester than dropped it down. i live in the new jersey so i'll be mostly applying to the schools in the area such as temple, umdnj, nyu, bu, etc

can anyone give me some help? i'm seriously freaking out right now.

 

[cbess123]

Your gpa is on the lower end but you can definately still get into dental school. I've known many people who have gotten in with lower gpa's then you. You'll need a solid DAT score atleast 20+ on all sections, maybe even higher. My advice apply to many schools and you should land some interviews. All it really takes is getting an interview, once you get that show them who you are and you'll be fine. Good luck.

 

[coolbeans123]

i'm starting a prep class in a couple weeks. my main concern is that my gpa is way to low for me to have a realistic shot of getting into dental schools.

Please save your money and don't do the prep class. All the materials and practice tests you need to do well on the test can be had for $250ish depending on what you already have. The prep class teaches you for a few hours and then have to study on your own anyways. All the tips and study guides you need are in the DAT forum of SDN. People who have used them and worked hard have made 22+ on their tests. Save your money for the app and interviews/traveling. You're going to need it.

You have a shot with your GPA. But you need to do well on your DAT.

All it really takes is getting an interview, once you get that show them who you are and you'll be fine.

Disagree. Even if you get an interview and do well on it, it's far from a sure thing. They still review your file after your interview unless you interview at somewhere like UOP. I've known plenty of people in real life and SDN who say their interview went great and still end up not getting accepted.

 

[dentalprodigy]

I second above poster, I took Kaplan and the classes were no help; they are not supposed to be.

Oh and definitely beast your Dat's

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

 

[mmoosavi41]

i tried studying with all those materials the first time and didn't do well. the prep class i'm taking is the orgoman class taught my jim romano. i've heard a lot of good things about it.

 

[mmoosavi41]

I second above poster, I took Kaplan and the classes were no help; they are not supposed to be.

Oh and definitely beast your Dat's

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

what do you mean by "beast"?

20+?

 

[mmoosavi41]

my biggest EC activity is that i'm the president of the pre-health society at school (was vice president last year). how much, if at all, will that help my overall chances? thank you all for the help and advice. it's very much appreciated

 

[coolbeans123]

what do you mean by "beast"?

20+?

Probably 21+ if you want to be on the safe side. Or a strong 20 across the boards. Easier said then done, but it's possible with alot of hard work.

my biggest EC activity is that i'm the president of the pre-health society at school (was vice president last year). how much, if at all, will that help my overall chances? thank you all for the help and advice. it's very much appreciated

That's nice but bottom line is that its a numbers game. cGPA, sGA, and DAT scores will be your ticket in. Volunteering, EC, letters, research, working are just icing on the cake. It's good that you already have shadowing out of the way.

i tried studying with all those materials the first time and didn't do well. the prep class i'm taking is the orgoman class taught my jim romano. i've heard a lot of good things about it.

That's a good prep class from what I've heard. Probably the only one I would take if I had to pick one. Good choice 👍

 

[BoxerRumble]

my biggest EC activity is that i'm the president of the pre-health society at school (was vice president last year). how much, if at all, will that help my overall chances? thank you all for the help and advice. it's very much appreciated

It won't help you overcome your GPA and future DAT score. If someone has a higher GPA and DAT score, and everything else similar but the other person doesn't have that experience...they may still pick the person with higher stats. And usually most applicants are on the same playing field in regards to extracurricular activities anyways. Your GPA will get you interviews for sure, just need to apply early and hope for the best. Your GPA isn't that bad, and if you do really well, 20+, but you really should try to get 22+, you will have no problem landing interviews and spots.

 

[dentalprodigy]

Gonna be honesty with you...as i'm sure you already know there is no magic number. By"beast" I basically mean to do stellar on you're Dat. if I were in your shoes, and got 21+ in all sections I would feel like i'm in the green zone for at least an interview.

I was president of predental society and I think it definitely helped me. I would be in contact with the nearby schools at least once every semester (open house, school visits etc) and I got my name across and in the admissions coordinator/dean is admissions head. This coupled with the school visits really put my name and face out there. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

 

[dentalWorks]

hey everyone..
i'm entering my last semester of undergrad and i am expecting to be graduating with an overall gpa of about a 3.33 and a sgpa of something a little lower (3.2ish). i have research experience and shadowing and i'm going to be retaking the dat in may. i'm starting a prep class in a couple weeks. my main concern is that my gpa is way to low for me to have a realistic shot of getting into dental schools. i had a 3.36 entering this school year but had a terrible fall semester than dropped it down. i live in the new jersey so i'll be mostly applying to the schools in the area such as temple, umdnj, nyu, bu, etc

can anyone give me some help? i'm seriously freaking out right now.

3.3 overall with 3.2 science won't prevent you from entering into DS (so long as you have a 20+ on DAT) HOWEVER, you will need to apply to 15-20 schools.

The schools you've listed simply aren't enough

 

[hardline]

3.3 overall with 3.2 science won't prevent you from entering into DS (so long as you have a 20+ on DAT) HOWEVER, you will need to apply to 15-20 schools.

The schools you've listed simply aren't enough

I agree with dentalworks, personally had a 3.33 overall and a slightly lower sgpa and was able to get 3 interviews (1 acceptance) still waiting on others since I applied slightly late. All respectable schools however I did apply to 20 yowzaaa. My extracurricular were above average, excellent LOR's, and my DAT was about average (maybe slightly above). You can do it, no need to freak out fellow pre-dent.

As for the 21+ on all sections that seems a bit extreme but you can totally do it!

 

[nevers]

I applied this year with 3.5+ oGPA, 3.2 sGPA, and 22 DAT, and I received two interviews with no acceptances.

I don't mean to freak you out -- because I don't know the exact reason for my own failure. There might be deficiencies in my application (aside from the low sGPA) that I don't realize. You can definitely do it. But it IS difficult with a low GPA. Aim for a 20+ DAT, and apply to 20+ schools. I regret applying to only 13 this year.

Good luck!

 

[coolbeans123]

I applied this year with 3.5+ oGPA, 3.2 sGPA, and 22 DAT, and I received two interviews with no acceptances.

I don't mean to freak you out -- because I don't know the exact reason for my own failure. There might be deficiencies in my application (aside from the low sGPA) that I don't realize. You can definitely do it. But it IS difficult with a low GPA. Aim for a 20+ DAT, and apply to 20+ schools. I regret applying to only 13 this year.

Good luck!

I think 13 is fine if you choose the right realistic schools and don't shoot for Harvard, Columbia, etc. Everyone's application is different as well. Its not all about the numbers and takes luck sometimes.