Gradual upward trend, but not sure if it's enough. Please advise.

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scarsdale92

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Hello everyone. I never thought I'd actually post anything on SDN but with my current situation, I'm really losing my morale here on this dental school dream and would appreciate your help. I'm currently enrolled part-time in my local state university as a second bachelor's student to finish up my prerequisites for dental school and also raise my abysmally low gpa of 2.9 to a 3.0. I also work two part-time jobs (dental assistant and night shift at a warehouse) while taking these courses

My post-bacc journey upon graduating as as followed:
Summer 2017
Organic Chemistry I: B+
Fall 2017
Physics I w/ Lab: A
Organic Chemistry I Lab: B-
Spring 2018 (Current semester - expected grades)
Physics II: A
Organic Chemistry II Lab: A
Organic Chemistry II: B

The reason for an expected grade of B in Orgo II is because I scored a grade of 55 on the first exam last week. I spoke with my professor and he told me I no longer can get an A in his class, but should hope for at least a B or B+. This is a big deal for me because I was trying to get a 4.0 this semester.

Given the high expectations for post-bacc students, how will this negatively affect my chances of acceptance for the class of 2019?
 
Thanks for your reply! You really think so?!

This is why you have to take sdn comments with a grain of salt, including mine. That person is doing you a disservice by saying you will be fine. 3.0 GPA is much much below average and you will probably need to do extremely well on your DAT. Keep trying your best!
 
This is why you have to take sdn comments with a grain of salt, including mine. That person is doing you a disservice by saying you will be fine. 3.0 GPA is much much below average and you will probably need to do extremely well on your DAT. Keep trying your best!
True. Thanks for the reply. What DAT score would you say offset my GPA?
 
unless youre DAT is stellar (22+) i would consider a post bacc or masters
 
I’d recommend a masters to increase your chances. You would need a very high DAT to offset that gpa and it’s going to be an uphill battle.
 
Yeah at least a 23 probably. It will be tough but definitely doable with all the study material out there
 
Yeah at least a 23 probably. It will be tough but definitely doable with all the study material out there
Ok time to hit the books non-stop. I plan on writing the exam in April. Given that I achieve a 22+ in April, do you think I'd be a good candidate to apply by this summer?

Also, which schools are low GPA/high DAT friendly?

Thanks again for your help!
 
I’d recommend a masters to increase your chances. You would need a very high DAT to offset that gpa and it’s going to be an uphill battle.
Hm I'm just not sure I can afford a Master's at this moment. If anything, I could continue to take upper level science courses at the college I'm currently attending. Would you advise me to still apply this summer anyway?
 
In conjunction with your sub 3.0 GPA, pre-reqs taken on a part-time basis is going to do you a disservice when your application gets reviewed. Adcoms would probably just chuck your file in the reject pile. You need to take a full course load (prereqs + upper level sciences) and possibly look into doing a Master's program.
 
With all due respect, you'll need to kill the DAT (>23) to make up for the lower GPA. Also, a master program with a full course load might be your best option before applying because that will show that you can handle a rigorous course load, which is what ADCOMS want to see. PM me if you have any questions.
 
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