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planetvenus87

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Hello, Im new to this very very nice website so please bare with me.
I just became a junior and am a predental student at wright state university. My current G.P.A is a 2.868. My grades started rising about halfway through sophmore year starting with 3.333, 3.333,3.000. The thing that I am most upset is about is that:
-I failed a college algebra class my freshman year (prof. was incoherrent, and I was cocky:oops:) but retook the class and made a B, replacing the previous grade...this was because of the freshman forgiveness.
-I recieved a D in the second inorganic chem my freshman year
-I have a W on my record for a calc class,I got afraid that i would have the same experience as I did in my other math class due to incoherency, but I just finished it last quarter with a B in the class
-I also recieved a C in Ochem 1 but got a B in the lab.
I feel like there is no way out of this dilemma, though Im sure I can get LORs and have done some ECs and shadowed a pediatric dentist. If post high scores on the DAT, you think I would have a chance at schools such as: Case western, OSU, Michigan and Columbia? I will be graduating in the year 2010, despite being a junior, so i suppose that gives me time to raise my G.P.A to atleast a 3.33-3.4ish which I WILL! But what do you think? I dont want let go of dream, I really really want to get into Dental school
btw, Im taking clinical bio, physic I and OchemII with labs, and Im sure that Im going to do very very well in them.

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dunno about columbia homie. maybe case
 
Lets say you do raise your GPA to a 3.3 or 3.4, schools will really like the improvement you have shown in your grades. However, those are pretty low grades and getting a D in inorganic II is not a good sign. You can get into any school I think if you get a 26-30 on the DAT. If you personally get a 23-25 you should get in somewhere (on the safe side). But anywhere in the twenties and a 3.4 is not too bad, you have a shot somewhere.
 
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But how am I going to make between a 26-30?? I think the highest i could make is around a 22-23...
Would not the adcom, look passed those grades since they occured during my freshman year? I have been working really really hard and based on what you say, it means that I wont be able to get into any of the schools that are close to me. Columbia was just a thought, case western and OSU however are the two main school i would be applying in the year 2009...what do you think i should do?
I feel like crying now:(:(
 
But how am I going to make between a 26-30?? I think the highest i could make is around a 22-23...
Would not the adcom, look passed those grades since they occured during my freshman year? I have been working really really hard and based on what you say, it means that I wont be able to get into any of the schools that are close to me. Columbia was just a thought, case western and OSU however are the two main school i would be applying in the year 2009...what do you think i should do?
I feel like crying now:(:(

26-30 would be close to impossible, imo. I think the highest score ever achieved on DAT was a 27 AA. This is because although all sections are out of 30, getting all questions correct on certain sections will only get you a 28 or 29. I mean, even on SDN the highest I've ever seen is a 26.
 
I know!!! Of course it is impossible! but you havent answered my question...what should i do? I would hate to give up on this dream...if i could get in by the year 2010 it would awesome! can you give me advice please? I would dearly appreciated it:)
 
planetvenus,
looks like you are on the right track. Don't let the past hold you back. Just own up to it and make sure you continue to improve. If you maintain the improving trend you may still end up with a solid GPA. Retake any prereqs courses that you did poorly. The worst case scenario at this point would be spending an extra year of undergrad just to give your GPA a boost. If you rock and do well on the DAT you will be on a level playing field in terms of admissions.:thumbup: Remember consistency in the trend is important. If you got a crappy grade now with the good grades it may raise a red flag as to whether your improvement is genuine more so than a collection of bad grades earlier in undergrad.
 
Don't stop believin'. Show them an upward trend toward Aces. Nail the DATs. Get 20+ across. Apply to at least 15 schools. You WILL get an acceptance I'm sure. And if you're good at networking, talk up some adcom people from your local dental school. Seriously.
 
Am i doomed???:(

No. I think I had the a similar GPA just like yours when finished my sophomore year. Focus on bringing up your grades the next 2 years or so and I am sure you can pull your overall to around what I have right now, or maybe even higher.

Then, just make sure you nail that DAT with 21+ and you will be good to go!
 
Venus...I am a wright state graduate!!!! I graduated with a 3.2 and an 18 avg DAT. I enrolled in a masters program...earning a 4.0...and got accepted to 3 schools this cycle. It can be done, but will take a lot of work. Also, do lots of volunteering at a dental clinic...maybe get trained as an assistant and aim for 20+ on your DATs and I think you should be good.

So, where did you go to HS? I graduated from Tecumseh.
 
Thank you soooooooo much for your replies! I will be working extra hard!
You all def. gave me more confidence:)
wow, Leine4, what a small world! I graduated from Centerville High school in 05. Ive done some volunteer work in a hospital but never a dental clinic.
How can I get trained as an assitant though? Do you think I should just go and ask around different dentists?? Thank you so much btw:)
 
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Thank you soooooooo much for your replies! I will be working extra hard!
You all def. gave me more confidence:)
wow, Leine4, what a small world! I graduated from Centerville High school in 05. Ive done some volunteer work in a hospital but never a dental clinic.
How can I get trained as an assitant though? Do you think I should just go and ask around different dentists?? Thank you so much btw:)
Yeah, ask as many dentists as you can. Suck up. If you can get a part time job with one, even. Get one on one time with a dentist and get to know the field. Why did they become dentists? How do they like their jobs? Technology, etc etc. Learn learn learn. The earlier the better. You don't want to just shadow a dentist like once or twice. To make up for your lack of high GPA, you need to do everything else you can to nail an acceptance. Get your DATs down, get lots of experience and interview with confidence. It's up to how much you want it.
 
Venus,

well, I am living in FL now and down here there is a large population of migrant farm workers that do not have health insurance. There is a dental clinic that will treat the patients for liitle cost (usually no cost). I volunteered there and they trained me as an assistant which was great because I got to see the procedures up close, learned the instruments, got familiar with the processes used and got lots of patient interaction. By far the best thing I have ever done...really rewarding. Anywho, I can't think of a place like that nearby your area, but you might be able to talk a doc into training you in exchange for working free...who knows.

By far the best thing I did to improve my application was to get a masters degree.....if you do well, it will show that you are able to perform in graduate level courses. Trust me, take the year to get the MS and then apply...it will save you LOTS of money in the longrun.

chao:)
 
Venus,

well, I am living in FL now and down here there is a large population of migrant farm workers that do not have health insurance. There is a dental clinic that will treat the patients for liitle cost (usually no cost). I volunteered there and they trained me as an assistant which was great because I got to see the procedures up close, learned the instruments, got familiar with the processes used and got lots of patient interaction. By far the best thing I have ever done...really rewarding. Anywho, I can't think of a place like that nearby your area, but you might be able to talk a doc into training you in exchange for working free...who knows.

By far the best thing I did to improve my application was to get a masters degree.....if you do well, it will show that you are able to perform in graduate level courses. Trust me, take the year to get the MS and then apply...it will save you LOTS of money in the longrun.

chao:)


Leine, I haven't taken the DATS yet but my undergrad gpa (in biology) is similar to yours so i also decided to enroll in a 2 yr master's program ....i wasn't sure whether to go with a biology master's or not so in the end i chose a master's of public health and am getting good grades....im new to this dental school thing.....will the schools care about my good grades in this program even though im not taking hard core bio classes?
 
Hello, Im new to this very very nice website so please bare with me.
I just became a junior and am a predental student at wright state university. My current G.P.A is a 2.868. My grades started rising about halfway through sophmore year starting with 3.333, 3.333,3.000. The thing that I am most upset is about is that:
-I failed a college algebra class my freshman year (prof. was incoherrent, and I was cocky:oops:) but retook the class and made a B, replacing the previous grade...this was because of the freshman forgiveness.
-I recieved a D in the second inorganic chem my freshman year
-I have a W on my record for a calc class,I got afraid that i would have the same experience as I did in my other math class due to incoherency, but I just finished it last quarter with a B in the class
-I also recieved a C in Ochem 1 but got a B in the lab.
I feel like there is no way out of this dilemma, though Im sure I can get LORs and have done some ECs and shadowed a pediatric dentist. If post high scores on the DAT, you think I would have a chance at schools such as: Case western, OSU, Michigan and Columbia? I will be graduating in the year 2010, despite being a junior, so i suppose that gives me time to raise my G.P.A to atleast a 3.33-3.4ish which I WILL! But what do you think? I dont want let go of dream, I really really want to get into Dental school
btw, Im taking clinical bio, physic I and OchemII with labs, and Im sure that Im going to do very very well in them.

Your first mistake is blaming a poor grade on the professor. You're the one who earned a D in college algebra.

I speak from experience, as I received D's in 2 pre-reqs (Bio and Organic). You know what I did? Sucked it up and aced both classes the 2nd time around. One of the classes, I actually had the highest grade out of 300 students.

If you want to get into dental school, like I did, you will need to bring your GPA up and mature a bit. There are too many "Ifs" in your story, with no real results. Until you prove yourself, the chance of you getting into dental school is pretty slim. Sad but true.

jb!:)
 
I am a similar situation.
My GPA for first year is like a 2.45 :( But this year is around a 3.85 so I definitely pulled it up knowing what I want to do now. I am hoping to apply next year and I really hope they don't look at my cGPA and look at my yearly GPA's. Does anyone know how they do this? Will they look at my entire GPA which cant be higher then 3.5 or each year separately?

Thanks guys!
 
Well, I can't say for sure....I was a biomed major and took grad classes like Adv Immuno, Virology, Medicinal chem....etc. I would call up the schools and see what they think. Do the best you can...I finished with a 4.0 and eveyone seemed to be impressed with that.
 
26-30 would be close to impossible, imo. I think the highest score ever achieved on DAT was a 27 AA. This is because although all sections are out of 30, getting all questions correct on certain sections will only get you a 28 or 29. I mean, even on SDN the highest I've ever seen is a 26.

Actually just to let you know last year someone did get a 30 on the AA section , he was from California, so 27 is not the highest grade ever achieved. I thought I should mention that.
 
Actually just to let you know last year someone did get a 30 on the AA section , he was from California, so 27 is not the highest grade ever achieved. I thought I should mention that.

Hmmm, I was looking at the stats published in 2005 so he probably wasn't on there.

But a 30 AA? Geez...
 
Get your DAT up, I would retake any D's and possibly some C's. You may have to stay in school past 2010, that will depend on what you can do with your GPA and the DAT.
 
Actually just to let you know last year someone did get a 30 on the AA section , he was from California, so 27 is not the highest grade ever achieved. I thought I should mention that.

How do you know?
 
Hello, Im new to this very very nice website so please bare with me.
I just became a junior and am a predental student at wright state university. My current G.P.A is a 2.868. My grades started rising about halfway through sophmore year starting with 3.333, 3.333,3.000. The thing that I am most upset is about is that:
-I failed a college algebra class my freshman year (prof. was incoherrent, and I was cocky:oops:) but retook the class and made a B, replacing the previous grade...this was because of the freshman forgiveness.
-I recieved a D in the second inorganic chem my freshman year
-I have a W on my record for a calc class,I got afraid that i would have the same experience as I did in my other math class due to incoherency, but I just finished it last quarter with a B in the class
-I also recieved a C in Ochem 1 but got a B in the lab.
I feel like there is no way out of this dilemma, though Im sure I can get LORs and have done some ECs and shadowed a pediatric dentist. If post high scores on the DAT, you think I would have a chance at schools such as: Case western, OSU, Michigan and Columbia? I will be graduating in the year 2010, despite being a junior, so i suppose that gives me time to raise my G.P.A to atleast a 3.33-3.4ish which I WILL! But what do you think? I dont want let go of dream, I really really want to get into Dental school
btw, Im taking clinical bio, physic I and OchemII with labs, and Im sure that Im going to do very very well in them.


sorry to invade the dental forums again since i am pre opt.. just got a lot of friends with 3.0-3.7 aasdas, 20+ DAT that are waitllisted like mad. just keep your head up okey. trust me i have heard the horror stories left and right with you guys..
 
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