How high/low are my chances of getting in Dental school?

[SpectacularSpectacular]

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Hi,

I'm currently going on my second year and I did bad my first year in college because I lost motivation due to my depression. My GPA is a 2.75 but I took majority of electives. I have two W's, one in a science course and one elective course. I did not take too many science classes yet but I'm enrolled in summer courses at the moment. I made an A in my first summer session for BIO and I think I will be making a B in this course. I know I'm capable of making mostly A's for the next 3 years. I'm just wondering, would it affect my chances of getting into dental school because I did bad my first year? Also, what would be a good DAT score?

I'm considering Pharmacy too because I hear about how easy it is to get in. The reason why I don't want to go for pharmacy is because I would rather go for dentistry, but I'm afraid of not getting into dental school. If I get rejected then it would discourage me badly.

If someone can, can you please share your experience? Preferably somebody that is kind of in the same shoes as me.

Thank you

 

[beachbum627]

I believe that if you dedicate yourself, you can absolutely enter a career in dentistry!! The most important think is to pursue a career that you are passionate about and the rest will follow. Focus on raising your GPA and doing well in your science course. It won't be easy, but if dentistry is what you want, you can absolutely do it!!

 

[toothshine]

Adcoms like to see an upward trend, so if you do well your next three years, I think you'll be good to go!

 

[dentalWorks]

Hi,

I'm currently going on my second year and I did bad my first year in college because I lost motivation due to my depression. My GPA is a 2.75 but I took majority of electives. I have two W's, one in a science course and one elective course. I did not take too many science classes yet but I'm enrolled in summer courses at the moment. I made an A in my first summer session for BIO and I think I will be making a B in this course. I know I'm capable of making mostly A's for the next 3 years. I'm just wondering, would it affect my chances of getting into dental school because I did bad my first year? Also, what would be a good DAT score?

I'm considering Pharmacy too because I hear about how easy it is to get in. The reason why I don't want to go for pharmacy is because I would rather go for dentistry, but I'm afraid of not getting into dental school. If I get rejected then it would discourage me badly.

If someone can, can you please share your experience? Preferably somebody that is kind of in the same shoes as me.

Thank you

Pharmacy isn't easy... if anything, its just as competative as the other big healtcare fields (medicine, dentistry).

Regarding your bad first year, its a non factor. What matters the most is the overall GPA, not individual grades or individual semesters.
Most competitive applicants have an overall GPA (and science GPAs) of 3.5+ and 19+ on DAT (each section being 19+).

 

[CraigHack]

I don't intend to rile you up, and I know it's not what you're asking for, but I think you need to sit down and think about the "Why Dentistry/Pharm/etc." question.

It's my hope that you didn't just google salaries for pharmacists, dentists, doctors, etc. and let that drive your decision. I was Pre-Pharm my freshman year, and when I was researching the field, I found a lot of doom and gloom coming from the community, so I nixed that plan. Based on your short post, I wonder if you've done your homework on that career field - not that it's the wrong choice by any means. I know you weren't trying to explain your reasons in this post, but you'll save yourself a lot of heartache if you start with a strong foundation before diving into a career.

 

[kimothy_777]

Do your homework and SHADOW SHADOW SHADOW. My original dream was dentistry , but after not getting in on first attempt, I went into pharmacy. Here I am 7 years later applying to dental school, shaking my head at myself for not pursuing my dream from the get go.

 

[dentalWorks]

I don't intend to rile you up, and I know it's not what you're asking for, but I think you need to sit down and think about the "Why Dentistry/Pharm/etc." question.

It's my hope that you didn't just google salaries for pharmacists, dentists, doctors, etc. and let that drive your decision. I was Pre-Pharm my freshman year, and when I was researching the field, I found a lot of doom and gloom coming from the community, so I nixed that plan. Based on your short post, I wonder if you've done your homework on that career field - not that it's the wrong choice by any means. I know you weren't trying to explain your reasons in this post, but you'll save yourself a lot of heartache if you start with a strong foundation before diving into a career.

this is the kind of talk that has no place here.... there is nothing wrong with going into healthcare for the $$$... as long as you are competent, thats all that matters

 

[tooth knockn]

this is the kind of talk that has no place here.... there is nothing wrong with going into healthcare for the $$$... as long as you are competent, thats all that matters

No like



Competent for what ?

Get money out of pockets from patients looking for help.

 

[CraigHack]

this is the kind of talk that has no place here.... there is nothing wrong with going into healthcare for the $$$... as long as you are competent, thats all that matters

Well, to each their own, I suppose. I would argue that choosing any career for the money above anything else isn't a great strategy for job longevity. For example, you could acknowledge the monetary benefits of dentistry in an admissions interview, but to say that it was a driving force in your decision would raise some eyebrows, wouldn't it? I'm not a dentist/dental student, but I do have a career currently in the military, and I can safely say the people who joined for the money/benefits are oftentimes the most disgruntled/unhappy. I would not expect health care careers to be much different in this regard.

Saying that competency is the only factor that matters in a person's career decision seems like an oversimplification of the issue. I wanted to gently point out to the OP that if his chief motivation is money, as you are defending @dentalWorks, then he could end up expending a great deal of energy trying to get into a career that may or may not meet his expectations 5-10 years from now. Government policy change, dentist saturation, corporate dentistry, and dental hygienists are only a few topics that could threaten the future incomes of dentists. Coupled with the debt that many students get themselves into, it quickly becomes apparent that the monetary motivation could possibly be better served in other fields, if an individual so desires. The actual and forecasted impact of these factors is being discussed right now on SDN and DT. Which side of the debate you fall on is up to you.

I am trying to keep this discourse courteous, and I don't presume to know nearly as much about the dental field as many of the senior individuals on this forum, but I do understand being in a career and being responsible for other people's careers. Let me state it plainly: if you go into dentistry (or most any profession) solely for the money, you're gonna have a bad time. Maybe you'll make it work for a short period, but eventually you'll realize that the extra money in your pocket isn't worth the dissatisfaction you face every day. There's a study that posits that a person's happiness is only marginally improved by increased wealth once they reach a certain level of financial freedom, and the bar is not "dentist" high.

At any rate, I'm usually a big fan of your advice @dentalWorks, so we can respectfully disagree on this one.

 

[dentalWorks]

People have different motivations when it comes to choosing careers.... Im sure we are all in agreement here.

Now, if someone picks a career (say healthcare) because it is often associated with 6-figure incomes, then so be it. Thats THEIR motivation, who are we to judge? As long as they are COMPETENT at their job, then thats all that matters. Proper patient management is the measure here (not "how much does he care"), if a good dentist wants to get paid well, then I say its fair game..... like the saying goes "you get what you pay for". Not all dentists are gifted equally. Point I am trying to make is, if you want to get paid well, its okay as long as you provide good services with sound judgements.

Remember folks, if you are in it to "help" others, I can assure you, there are hundreds of opportunities out there where you can do your part and not even be in 350k+ debt.