Dentalnoob
Full Member
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2019
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Hi everyone! since the cycle was just opened, i want to share my experience when i was applying to dental schools. When i was applying last year, I was on SDN NON STOP. I was nervous, scared, and full of questions. I'm here to share my experience on how i got into dental school with LOW GPA. If you have a GPA 3.5+, i don't think my advice will help you.
GPA:
first of all, i have a very low gpa. Below 3.0. When i graduated from undergrad, I had a 2.73 overall, my science gpa was even lower. My only option was post bacc or masters and i decided to attend a post bacc program. After taking classes for 2 quarters, I submitted my application with a 2.87 overall gpa. after i submitted my application, I still kept taking classes and did two academic updates. My gpa went from 2.9 to 2.97 (first academic update). and then my gpa went up to 3.01 after second academic update.
I actually failed couple classes at my undergrad. I failed Ochem 1 and 2, Chem 3, Bio 1 twice. On top of that I received some C's along the way.
Post bacc:
some of you are deciding between masters or post bacc programs. To be honest, everyone is different. I chose post bacc program because it was cheaper and it had all the classes i needed. I also think i should raise my undergrad gpa which masters don't do that. I took all the prereq courses at my undergrad and I took upper division classes in my post bacc program. I had a 3.98 overall and science gpa in my post bacc program.
DAT:
I took DAT for three times. First time was a fail. I had 17 AA and 17 TS (had couple 15s)
Second time i had 21 AA and 24 TS (but i had a 15 in reading)
Third time I had 24 AA and 27 TS
When your GPA is as low as mine, i recommend you study your DAT like you have no tomorrow. It should be your ONLY thing in your life. Forget shadowing, volunteering, and other activities. School and DAT should be your priority. If it weren't for my DAT, I would not have gotten accepted to any schools. (a lot of interviewers actually were impressed by my dat and non of them asked my failed classes)
Experiences:
In my experiences section, I put 14 experiences which include volunteering, enrichment program, and shadowing.
I didn't have any research experience and I did not work at any dental clinics. However, I did have over 500+ volunteer hours and 500+ dental shadowing hours. Most of my experiences were involved in helping the underserved community (schools love that).
Interviews:
For interviews, i would say at least prepare the basic questions. Like why dentistry? tell me about yourself, strength & weakness. What i did was that i watched couple youtube videos and wrote all the answers on my computer. I did memorize them and practice them out loud every day. Some people say don't memorize your answer but that worked the best for me. Again, everyone is different. everyone has different method so you should choose your own. During my interviews, a lot of them were pretty laid back but don't let that let your guard down. The most laid back ones were the ones that rejected me or put me on waitlist. and the hardest one actually accepted me. Luck plays a big part of your interviews. I would say interview is very much like Tinder. Once you got an invite, that means you and the schools have "matched". the actual interview is basically going on a date. If they like you, they will accept you. If they don't like you or not feeling it, they will reject you. DOESN"T MATTER if you have great experience or high DAT. If the interviewer doesn't like your answer, its game over.
I applied to 19-20 schools and I submitted my application in late July. i received 5 interviews and was accepted to 3 (2 in cali, 1 in NY). One of them was my first choice.
I know having a low gpa can be devastating. Trust me, i know. I was very disappointed in myself after college and it seemed like getting accepted to dental school was impossible. I calculated my gpa over and over. Every single day, i would come to SDN and look for those who got into dental schools with lower than a 3.0 GPA. But let me tell you, don't lose hope. Keep working on your GPA and DAT. you have a low GPA? keep taking classes. Show the schools that you can handle upper division courses and use upper trend as your advantage. Low DAT? keep studying and take practice tests. If you have a low gpa like mine, I would recommend study your DAT. Your GPA won't be overlooked but a high DAT will really help you.
For personal statement, i would suggest to have a THEME. Most of the people will prob have same reasons of choosing dentistry. Like parents were dentists, had horrible teeth in their childhood, or shadowed a dentist which inspired them. When you write your personal statement, try to think WHY you want to be a health care provider. Why do you want to HELP people? and then connect helping people to dentistry. We are going to be dentist and dentists are there to help the community. Dentists are doctors for a reason.
When you look at your application, think about what kind of red flags you have. If you have one, work on that. I also recommend you to attend enrichment programs or predental day to connect with the director of admissions. A lot of people said its important to let people at the dental school remember your name. For me, I'm not sure if that really helped me but i did go to A LOT of events hosted by my first choice of dental school. In the end, I got into my first choice. Its better to do more than to do less.
I know this journey can be scary and full of doubts. But trust me, once you give your all in this process, you will make it. Sometimes it does seem like going into a tunnel with no light at the horizon. You feel lost and don't know what to do if you don't get into dental schools. You sacrificed so much. You kept saying NO to your friends and family. Let me tell you, you are not alone. If you work hard, all your sacrifice would pay off.
I would suggest to not stop working on your application. Your application is not really complete if you have not receive that acceptance letter. ALWAYS ALWAYS work on your application and improve what you are lacking. I applied to 2 masters programs when i was applying to dental schools because i feared that I would not get into any schools. Its always better to prepare a back up plan than have nothing. If you don't get into dental school this year, make sure you have something new on your application for next cycle. I was lucky that I got into my first choice on my first try.
Hang in there yall. If i can do it, so can you!
message me if you have any questions.
GPA:
first of all, i have a very low gpa. Below 3.0. When i graduated from undergrad, I had a 2.73 overall, my science gpa was even lower. My only option was post bacc or masters and i decided to attend a post bacc program. After taking classes for 2 quarters, I submitted my application with a 2.87 overall gpa. after i submitted my application, I still kept taking classes and did two academic updates. My gpa went from 2.9 to 2.97 (first academic update). and then my gpa went up to 3.01 after second academic update.
I actually failed couple classes at my undergrad. I failed Ochem 1 and 2, Chem 3, Bio 1 twice. On top of that I received some C's along the way.
Post bacc:
some of you are deciding between masters or post bacc programs. To be honest, everyone is different. I chose post bacc program because it was cheaper and it had all the classes i needed. I also think i should raise my undergrad gpa which masters don't do that. I took all the prereq courses at my undergrad and I took upper division classes in my post bacc program. I had a 3.98 overall and science gpa in my post bacc program.
DAT:
I took DAT for three times. First time was a fail. I had 17 AA and 17 TS (had couple 15s)
Second time i had 21 AA and 24 TS (but i had a 15 in reading)
Third time I had 24 AA and 27 TS
When your GPA is as low as mine, i recommend you study your DAT like you have no tomorrow. It should be your ONLY thing in your life. Forget shadowing, volunteering, and other activities. School and DAT should be your priority. If it weren't for my DAT, I would not have gotten accepted to any schools. (a lot of interviewers actually were impressed by my dat and non of them asked my failed classes)
Experiences:
In my experiences section, I put 14 experiences which include volunteering, enrichment program, and shadowing.
I didn't have any research experience and I did not work at any dental clinics. However, I did have over 500+ volunteer hours and 500+ dental shadowing hours. Most of my experiences were involved in helping the underserved community (schools love that).
Interviews:
For interviews, i would say at least prepare the basic questions. Like why dentistry? tell me about yourself, strength & weakness. What i did was that i watched couple youtube videos and wrote all the answers on my computer. I did memorize them and practice them out loud every day. Some people say don't memorize your answer but that worked the best for me. Again, everyone is different. everyone has different method so you should choose your own. During my interviews, a lot of them were pretty laid back but don't let that let your guard down. The most laid back ones were the ones that rejected me or put me on waitlist. and the hardest one actually accepted me. Luck plays a big part of your interviews. I would say interview is very much like Tinder. Once you got an invite, that means you and the schools have "matched". the actual interview is basically going on a date. If they like you, they will accept you. If they don't like you or not feeling it, they will reject you. DOESN"T MATTER if you have great experience or high DAT. If the interviewer doesn't like your answer, its game over.
I applied to 19-20 schools and I submitted my application in late July. i received 5 interviews and was accepted to 3 (2 in cali, 1 in NY). One of them was my first choice.
I know having a low gpa can be devastating. Trust me, i know. I was very disappointed in myself after college and it seemed like getting accepted to dental school was impossible. I calculated my gpa over and over. Every single day, i would come to SDN and look for those who got into dental schools with lower than a 3.0 GPA. But let me tell you, don't lose hope. Keep working on your GPA and DAT. you have a low GPA? keep taking classes. Show the schools that you can handle upper division courses and use upper trend as your advantage. Low DAT? keep studying and take practice tests. If you have a low gpa like mine, I would recommend study your DAT. Your GPA won't be overlooked but a high DAT will really help you.
For personal statement, i would suggest to have a THEME. Most of the people will prob have same reasons of choosing dentistry. Like parents were dentists, had horrible teeth in their childhood, or shadowed a dentist which inspired them. When you write your personal statement, try to think WHY you want to be a health care provider. Why do you want to HELP people? and then connect helping people to dentistry. We are going to be dentist and dentists are there to help the community. Dentists are doctors for a reason.
When you look at your application, think about what kind of red flags you have. If you have one, work on that. I also recommend you to attend enrichment programs or predental day to connect with the director of admissions. A lot of people said its important to let people at the dental school remember your name. For me, I'm not sure if that really helped me but i did go to A LOT of events hosted by my first choice of dental school. In the end, I got into my first choice. Its better to do more than to do less.
I know this journey can be scary and full of doubts. But trust me, once you give your all in this process, you will make it. Sometimes it does seem like going into a tunnel with no light at the horizon. You feel lost and don't know what to do if you don't get into dental schools. You sacrificed so much. You kept saying NO to your friends and family. Let me tell you, you are not alone. If you work hard, all your sacrifice would pay off.
I would suggest to not stop working on your application. Your application is not really complete if you have not receive that acceptance letter. ALWAYS ALWAYS work on your application and improve what you are lacking. I applied to 2 masters programs when i was applying to dental schools because i feared that I would not get into any schools. Its always better to prepare a back up plan than have nothing. If you don't get into dental school this year, make sure you have something new on your application for next cycle. I was lucky that I got into my first choice on my first try.
Hang in there yall. If i can do it, so can you!message me if you have any questions.
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