Here's a question...

[KHANSAHAAB]

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Is a high score in the sciences (ie. TS and AA) on the DAT enough to overcome a low science gpa in the admissions process?

 

[ISU_Steve]

Depends on how low the GPA is, but I'm leaning towards a "no" answer.

 

[Fermata]

How low are we talking about?

 

[Dental08?09]

Nobody here knows the answer because your answer is "it depends". Is the Admin person having a good day, is the rest of your app. gleaming? Then sure it will out weigh it. Are they having a bad day or did you fluff the interview, or maybe the only good thing about your app is the DAT and everything else sucks...then the answer is better luck next year!

In the admission game, no one factor out weighs another.

When you get to dental school, ask to sit in on some admissions...very scary process on how they make some decesions. Sometimes all the admins will say "deny this punk" and one will stand up and say "but I have a good feeling about them". Then a seat will go to a maybe less qualified person and a very qualified person gets denied just because of space limitiations.

 

[KHANSAHAAB]

How low are we talking about?

3.0ish

 

[ISU_Steve]

3.0ish

This applies more to an overall GPA, but I think it could be applied to a science GPA as well:
>3.0- probably
2.8-3.0- maybe
<2.75- start pursuing a different field.

 

[KHANSAHAAB]

This applies more to an overall GPA, but I think it could be applied to a science GPA as well:
>3.0- probably
2.8-3.0- maybe
<2.75- start pursuing a different field.

So are u implying that the overall gpa is more important than the science gpa?

 

[aphistis]

This applies more to an overall GPA, but I think it could be applied to a science GPA as well:
>3.0- probably
2.8-3.0- maybe
<2.75- start pursuing a different field.

I'd bump that scale up a little, myself. Getting in with a 3.0 has never been easy, and with the ever-increasing competition for dental school admissions; and while I don't wish to discourage someone from chasing their dreams if dentistry is how s/he really want to spend his/her career, getting in with a 2.X GPA anymore means probably doing something truly remarkable in order to offset such a glaring weakness in the application.

 

[KHANSAHAAB]

I'd bump that scale up a little, myself. Getting in with a 3.0 has never been easy, and with the ever-increasing competition for dental school admissions; and while I don't wish to discourage someone from chasing their dreams if dentistry is how s/he really want to spend his/her career, getting in with a 2.X GPA anymore means probably doing something truly remarkable in order to offset such a glaring weakness in the application.

Please be specific. Do you mean science or overall gpa?

 

[ISU_Steve]

Sorry for the confusion Bill. I meant that the DAT score would probably offset SOMEWHAT the low GPA if it was >3.0. Anything lower than that is a crapshoot and I wouldn't bet the farm on getting in.

 

[jay228]

Please be specific. Do you mean science or overall gpa?

either or.... though if you say have a 3.0 overall but a 3.6 science it's not as bad.... but if you're looking at 3.0 science and 3.x overall, you're still in the "questionable" realm

 

[aphistis]

Please be specific. Do you mean science or overall gpa?

I mean both. The two are interdependent and don't exist in a vacuum, so the cases where dramatic discrepancies exist will be relatively few and far between--you're not going to find many folks who graduate summa cum laude but have a 2.1 in the sciences.

 

[DIRTIE]

Is a high score in the sciences (ie. TS and AA) on the DAT enough to overcome a low science gpa in the admissions process?

The answer is yes! But not at every school, and we are talking about a 22 or better on the AA

 

[KHANSAHAAB]

Thanks for all the responses. 🙂