- Joined
- Apr 17, 2015
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Hey guys,
I wanted to share my story with all of you, and show you guys that no matter how bad you think you've screwed up, there's always hope!! Long story short I fudged up in college. I essentially took a 4 year vacation after high school and graduated with a chemistry degree from a public school (Sept. 2009-Dec. 2013). It was bad from the beginning. My first quarter I got a 2.56, and ended up screwing around every quarter since then. As you could expect, I partied a lot. Every time final grades would come around at the end of each quarter I'd be bummed. I knew I wanted to go to dental school, but I never worked for it. When the new quarter would start with new classes, I'd buckle down and study for like a week, and then start screwing around again, and this cycle repeated for 4 freaken years. It wasn't until I graduated that I realized I had royally effed up. That's when I decided to get serious about life, and I'll explain further down what I exactly did.
I first applied to dental school in 2012 (my junior year which was a very bad decision). I knew my gpa was low af, but I held on to this sliver of hope that I would magically kill the DAT (Dental Admission Test), and schools would forgive me for my lackluster GPA. Well it turned out you need to have study skills if you wanna do well on these exams, and I ended up doing horrible. Got a 17 AA and 17 TS the first time around (average score for test takers nationwide, not average for those matriculating, not even close). I had already submitted an application to like 20 schools before I took the DAT, so that was my first application cycle. As you can expect, 0 interviews. I took the DAT again next summer (Jun. 2013, my senior year in college), and actually did well. I got a 19 AA and 19 TS. That put me at the 85th percentile, and I scored in the 95th percentile in mathematics as well. I didn't do so hot in reading or the PAT section, but this was a start for me. When I got my scores I realized that I was actually a pretty smart guy. I studied my ass off for the DAT, and it paid off. That was the first time I had ever worked for something, and I realized that hard work pays off. After I took the DAT that summer, I went back to school for my last quarter before I graduated. I ended up getting a 3.3 that quarter, and was ecstatic. It was the best I'd done in years, and I took some hard classes. I still didn't apply myself, but it was definitely a start (Dec. 2013).
Now that I had graduated I realized I had a chem degree with a horrible GPA, and my life was going nowhere. I decided to buckle down, and get serious about life. I moved back home with my parents after graduating, and started taking classes as a non-matriculating student at a big local university near my house. I spent 2 quarters taking 3 classes (Anatomy and Physiology, and an endocrinology class). I ended up getting around a 3.6 overall in those classes combined. I then decided to pursue my second bachelors in biology at this university and I applied to the school. I wrote a damn good personal statement, and showcased my strong DAT scores, along with my recent improvements in classes, and I was accepted as a post-baccalaureate student in the biology program. I took the DAT for the third time this summer as well (Aug. 2014) and ended up getting the exact same score as the second time (19 AA and 19TS), but I did really well on the PAT and Reading section. I was happy with those scores because I knew it was competitive enough for some schools, although I had wished I did slightly better back then. Anyways, I ended up taking full course loads of biology classes, and ended up graduating from this university in June of 2015 (1.5 years after graduating with my first bachelors). I graduated with a 3.8 GPA, and I only took 10 upper level biology courses (No GPA fillers, no retakes or anything). I also did research with a professor at this school. At this point I knew that I was smart, if I put in the work.
A few months before I graduated with my second bachelors, I started digging around here on SDN for advice. I still felt that despite my impressive work in my second bachelors, it still wasn't enough to land me an interview. So after doing a lot of research here, and I mean A LOT (I literally spent hundreds of hours reading through peoples posts on here regarding Masters), I decided to apply to Masters programs. I applied to about eleven or twelve programs, and was accepted to every single school I applied to except LECOM (I applied way too late because I didn't know they had a linkage for the dental school until later, and they were full) (Accepted to Tufts, Rutgers, Barry, MC, VCU, Tulane, EVMS, Montana State U, USF, and U. of South Carolina). I ended up deciding to attend the Rutgers GSBS program in Newark because I felt that it was going to give me the best chance to succeed. I ended up actually getting in contact with a student who did the program a year before me, and she essentially convinced me to do the program. I did my research on every program. I knew what each school had to offer, and what the drawbacks were to each program. I knew this was going to be a huge decision in my life, and I wanted to make sure I made the right choice. If you're looking at Masters programs, make sure you do your research! A lot of these SMP's are money making programs for the schools, so choose wisely.
Anyways, going into this program I knew it was do or die. I knew this was my last chance to ever make up for my mistakes in undergrad. So after graduating with my second bachelors I packed my bags and flew to NJ. I didn't know a single soul in NJ, and had never visited before. I landed in NJ, and started a new chapter in my life. I took this program seriously. If you wanna know how seriously I took it, NYC was about a 20 minute train ride from where I was studying. I had never visited NYC in my life, and didn't visit until I finished my first semester in the program. I was dedicated af. For the first semester in this program, the only thing I ever did was study, and do research with a professor. I even stopped lifting and working out (I really shouldn't have), but getting in dental school was my top priority. I was going to make whatever sacrifices I needed to make to ensure I got in dental school, and be able to live my dream. I ended up getting a 4.0 that semester after taking a full course load of classes. A lot of students in this masters program take 3-4 semesters to complete it. I did it in 2 semesters, and made sure I took a lot of classes my first semester. I was in my 4th application cycle to dental school at this point (September of 2015). When I applied to schools I told them that I was doing a Masters, and I kept in contact with every school while I was in my Masters. I gave them updates on all my test scores, and in the end (Dec. 2015, exactly 2 years after my first bachelors), when final grades came out I sent every school an email notifying them that I got a 4.0 my first semester in my Masters. This is when I got invites to multiple schools for interviews. I still remember sitting in my room studying for classes second semester (Jan. 2016), and getting my first interview invite to dental school. It was the greatest feeling I had ever felt. Everything that I had worked for had almost paid off. I ended up getting accepted to that school (It's one of the top dental schools too), and I just finished my first year, and finished taking my national boards a few days ago.
The reason I wrote you guys my life story is because I want those of you that have effed up in undergrad to know that there is hope! If this is what you want, whether it's medical school or dental school or whatever, AND YOU ARE WILLING TO PUT IN THE WORK, YOU WILL BE REWARDED!! It's going to take time, so make sure you're in it for the long haul, but your hard work will be rewarded. It took me 2.5 years after graduating to get an acceptance to dental school. It was my persistence, and upwards trend, and dedication that got me in to dental school. I am by no means a genius. If I can do it, then anyone of you can too!
My advice:
(1) Get serious. If you effed up, acknowledge it, and make a plan. Do a Masters only if you're willing to put in the work. If you start a masters without study skills or without motivation, you can kiss your chances of ever making it goodbye. There were a lot of students in my Masters program who wanted to go to medical or dental school, but didn't take the program seriously. These kids are still applying, and to be frank, I highly doubt they'll ever get in. In my opinion anything below a 3.5 in a Masters is game over. Aim for a 4.0, and you'll get a 4.0. Also, I never retook any classes. In my opinion if you're going for an MD or dental school, retaking classes isn't worth it. For DO it might be worth it, but any idiot can retake a class and get an A. Taking a class you haven't taken before and getting an A in that is much more impressive.
(2) Be dedicated. Volunteer, shadow, and show that this is what you want. I volunteered a lot, and also did research. Everything I did had purpose. I tied all of my experiences together in my personal statement. Your personal statement is definitely key. I spent hundreds and hundreds of hours writing and revising it. It's by far the greatest thing I've ever written in my life. I acknowledged my mistakes early on, and showcased the steps I took, and the maturity I attained after my first undergraduate degree in that personal statement.
(3) Be patient. You have to build a track record, and show schools that you're a changed individual. Admissions committees know that people make mistakes in life, and are willing to give people second chances, but you have to show them that you've made significant changes in your life, and the only way to do that is by being patient, and making improvements to your application.
------
I apologize for any typos, but it's late, and I just felt like sharing my story with you guys. If you guys have any questions please feel free to shoot me a PM. I'm more than happy to help. I hope this story inspires someone because I remember having read something similar to this when I first began my journey, and it gave me hope, and I hope that this will have the same effect on someone else.
TLDR:
First bachelors (Sept. 2009 - Dec. 2013): 2.6 oGPA/2.45 sGPA (Bachelors in chemistry)
Second bachelors (Jan. 2014 - June. 2015): 3.8 oGPA/3.8 sGPA (10 upper level bio courses, bachelors in biology)
Masters in Biomedical Science (Sept. 2015 - June. 2016): 4.0 GPA first semester (Got accepted to multiple schools after the grade update first semester)
DAT scores (took 3 times): 19 AA/ 19TS/ 21 Read/ 19 PAT/ 19 QR (Scores from my 3rd attempt)
I wanted to share my story with all of you, and show you guys that no matter how bad you think you've screwed up, there's always hope!! Long story short I fudged up in college. I essentially took a 4 year vacation after high school and graduated with a chemistry degree from a public school (Sept. 2009-Dec. 2013). It was bad from the beginning. My first quarter I got a 2.56, and ended up screwing around every quarter since then. As you could expect, I partied a lot. Every time final grades would come around at the end of each quarter I'd be bummed. I knew I wanted to go to dental school, but I never worked for it. When the new quarter would start with new classes, I'd buckle down and study for like a week, and then start screwing around again, and this cycle repeated for 4 freaken years. It wasn't until I graduated that I realized I had royally effed up. That's when I decided to get serious about life, and I'll explain further down what I exactly did.
I first applied to dental school in 2012 (my junior year which was a very bad decision). I knew my gpa was low af, but I held on to this sliver of hope that I would magically kill the DAT (Dental Admission Test), and schools would forgive me for my lackluster GPA. Well it turned out you need to have study skills if you wanna do well on these exams, and I ended up doing horrible. Got a 17 AA and 17 TS the first time around (average score for test takers nationwide, not average for those matriculating, not even close). I had already submitted an application to like 20 schools before I took the DAT, so that was my first application cycle. As you can expect, 0 interviews. I took the DAT again next summer (Jun. 2013, my senior year in college), and actually did well. I got a 19 AA and 19 TS. That put me at the 85th percentile, and I scored in the 95th percentile in mathematics as well. I didn't do so hot in reading or the PAT section, but this was a start for me. When I got my scores I realized that I was actually a pretty smart guy. I studied my ass off for the DAT, and it paid off. That was the first time I had ever worked for something, and I realized that hard work pays off. After I took the DAT that summer, I went back to school for my last quarter before I graduated. I ended up getting a 3.3 that quarter, and was ecstatic. It was the best I'd done in years, and I took some hard classes. I still didn't apply myself, but it was definitely a start (Dec. 2013).
Now that I had graduated I realized I had a chem degree with a horrible GPA, and my life was going nowhere. I decided to buckle down, and get serious about life. I moved back home with my parents after graduating, and started taking classes as a non-matriculating student at a big local university near my house. I spent 2 quarters taking 3 classes (Anatomy and Physiology, and an endocrinology class). I ended up getting around a 3.6 overall in those classes combined. I then decided to pursue my second bachelors in biology at this university and I applied to the school. I wrote a damn good personal statement, and showcased my strong DAT scores, along with my recent improvements in classes, and I was accepted as a post-baccalaureate student in the biology program. I took the DAT for the third time this summer as well (Aug. 2014) and ended up getting the exact same score as the second time (19 AA and 19TS), but I did really well on the PAT and Reading section. I was happy with those scores because I knew it was competitive enough for some schools, although I had wished I did slightly better back then. Anyways, I ended up taking full course loads of biology classes, and ended up graduating from this university in June of 2015 (1.5 years after graduating with my first bachelors). I graduated with a 3.8 GPA, and I only took 10 upper level biology courses (No GPA fillers, no retakes or anything). I also did research with a professor at this school. At this point I knew that I was smart, if I put in the work.
A few months before I graduated with my second bachelors, I started digging around here on SDN for advice. I still felt that despite my impressive work in my second bachelors, it still wasn't enough to land me an interview. So after doing a lot of research here, and I mean A LOT (I literally spent hundreds of hours reading through peoples posts on here regarding Masters), I decided to apply to Masters programs. I applied to about eleven or twelve programs, and was accepted to every single school I applied to except LECOM (I applied way too late because I didn't know they had a linkage for the dental school until later, and they were full) (Accepted to Tufts, Rutgers, Barry, MC, VCU, Tulane, EVMS, Montana State U, USF, and U. of South Carolina). I ended up deciding to attend the Rutgers GSBS program in Newark because I felt that it was going to give me the best chance to succeed. I ended up actually getting in contact with a student who did the program a year before me, and she essentially convinced me to do the program. I did my research on every program. I knew what each school had to offer, and what the drawbacks were to each program. I knew this was going to be a huge decision in my life, and I wanted to make sure I made the right choice. If you're looking at Masters programs, make sure you do your research! A lot of these SMP's are money making programs for the schools, so choose wisely.
Anyways, going into this program I knew it was do or die. I knew this was my last chance to ever make up for my mistakes in undergrad. So after graduating with my second bachelors I packed my bags and flew to NJ. I didn't know a single soul in NJ, and had never visited before. I landed in NJ, and started a new chapter in my life. I took this program seriously. If you wanna know how seriously I took it, NYC was about a 20 minute train ride from where I was studying. I had never visited NYC in my life, and didn't visit until I finished my first semester in the program. I was dedicated af. For the first semester in this program, the only thing I ever did was study, and do research with a professor. I even stopped lifting and working out (I really shouldn't have), but getting in dental school was my top priority. I was going to make whatever sacrifices I needed to make to ensure I got in dental school, and be able to live my dream. I ended up getting a 4.0 that semester after taking a full course load of classes. A lot of students in this masters program take 3-4 semesters to complete it. I did it in 2 semesters, and made sure I took a lot of classes my first semester. I was in my 4th application cycle to dental school at this point (September of 2015). When I applied to schools I told them that I was doing a Masters, and I kept in contact with every school while I was in my Masters. I gave them updates on all my test scores, and in the end (Dec. 2015, exactly 2 years after my first bachelors), when final grades came out I sent every school an email notifying them that I got a 4.0 my first semester in my Masters. This is when I got invites to multiple schools for interviews. I still remember sitting in my room studying for classes second semester (Jan. 2016), and getting my first interview invite to dental school. It was the greatest feeling I had ever felt. Everything that I had worked for had almost paid off. I ended up getting accepted to that school (It's one of the top dental schools too), and I just finished my first year, and finished taking my national boards a few days ago.
The reason I wrote you guys my life story is because I want those of you that have effed up in undergrad to know that there is hope! If this is what you want, whether it's medical school or dental school or whatever, AND YOU ARE WILLING TO PUT IN THE WORK, YOU WILL BE REWARDED!! It's going to take time, so make sure you're in it for the long haul, but your hard work will be rewarded. It took me 2.5 years after graduating to get an acceptance to dental school. It was my persistence, and upwards trend, and dedication that got me in to dental school. I am by no means a genius. If I can do it, then anyone of you can too!
My advice:
(1) Get serious. If you effed up, acknowledge it, and make a plan. Do a Masters only if you're willing to put in the work. If you start a masters without study skills or without motivation, you can kiss your chances of ever making it goodbye. There were a lot of students in my Masters program who wanted to go to medical or dental school, but didn't take the program seriously. These kids are still applying, and to be frank, I highly doubt they'll ever get in. In my opinion anything below a 3.5 in a Masters is game over. Aim for a 4.0, and you'll get a 4.0. Also, I never retook any classes. In my opinion if you're going for an MD or dental school, retaking classes isn't worth it. For DO it might be worth it, but any idiot can retake a class and get an A. Taking a class you haven't taken before and getting an A in that is much more impressive.
(2) Be dedicated. Volunteer, shadow, and show that this is what you want. I volunteered a lot, and also did research. Everything I did had purpose. I tied all of my experiences together in my personal statement. Your personal statement is definitely key. I spent hundreds and hundreds of hours writing and revising it. It's by far the greatest thing I've ever written in my life. I acknowledged my mistakes early on, and showcased the steps I took, and the maturity I attained after my first undergraduate degree in that personal statement.
(3) Be patient. You have to build a track record, and show schools that you're a changed individual. Admissions committees know that people make mistakes in life, and are willing to give people second chances, but you have to show them that you've made significant changes in your life, and the only way to do that is by being patient, and making improvements to your application.
------
I apologize for any typos, but it's late, and I just felt like sharing my story with you guys. If you guys have any questions please feel free to shoot me a PM. I'm more than happy to help. I hope this story inspires someone because I remember having read something similar to this when I first began my journey, and it gave me hope, and I hope that this will have the same effect on someone else.
TLDR:
First bachelors (Sept. 2009 - Dec. 2013): 2.6 oGPA/2.45 sGPA (Bachelors in chemistry)
Second bachelors (Jan. 2014 - June. 2015): 3.8 oGPA/3.8 sGPA (10 upper level bio courses, bachelors in biology)
Masters in Biomedical Science (Sept. 2015 - June. 2016): 4.0 GPA first semester (Got accepted to multiple schools after the grade update first semester)
DAT scores (took 3 times): 19 AA/ 19TS/ 21 Read/ 19 PAT/ 19 QR (Scores from my 3rd attempt)
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