I am f*****

[OU11BB]

well just got my aadsas gpa's today and worse than I thought. Seems all the hard work I have put in for the last 3.5 years has done nothing to compensate for what i did prior to that. I have 200 hours of coursework at overall GPA 2.85, science is 2.72, and bcp 2.53. WTF My last 104 hours is 3.49, which I have attained at my current school. I have been here for 3.5 years. anyway hopefully my dat will pull some weight. anybody have some positive stories? I could use some hope right now. I have worked my butt off for last few years.

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[Dent001]

you might not want to hear this but taking an additional year to do a masters in some bio-related science is prob the best thing for you. if you pull off like a 3.7+ then colleges will def take note of that. most ppl in your situation take these masters programs and usually get after completing it.

 

[DonutEater]

-

 

[Munchy]

yea sry to break it to you, but that GPA is just too low to hope for any acceptance.
I would also advice a Masters.

Generally, it is VERY hard to bring up your GPA, especially with 200 semester hours worth of stuff that is buffering.

 

[dentalbuzz]

If you wanted your last 200 hours to make a difference it should have been closer to a 4.0. A 3.4 is still on the lower end of average. Your GPA won't cut it unfortunately, you need to look into a masters.

 

[Avery07]

well just got my aadsas gpa's today and worse than I thought. Seems all the hard work I have put in for the last 3.5 years has done nothing to compensate for what i did prior to that. I have 200 hours of coursework at overall GPA 2.85, science is 2.72, and bcp 2.53. WTF My last 104 hours is 3.49, which I have attained at my current school. I have been here for 3.5 years. anyway hopefully my dat will pull some weight. anybody have some positive stories? I could use some hope right now. I have worked my butt off for last few years.

Your last 104 hours are at a 3.49. This is a competitive GPA for dental school admissions. Many of those applying don't even have 104 hours and I think they fail to realize that this is basically an entire undergraduate degree on its own.

Honestly, you have great DAT scores and if the admissions officials do their job and look into your academic history rather than just the initial number on the screen, you'll be in good shape.

I would recommend that you find some way to bring this up in your supplemental applications so that you can be sure they are aware of the situation.

Don't listen to the others here and good luck with the process.

 

[yappy]

Sorry to hear about your gpa's. I would go for it and apply but I would alsoo call the schools and let them know the situation. Or if it's possible visit and take a meeting with them.

Your situation presents a flaw in the process - to me. The goal is to get the most qualified students...yet You have a great dat, the past 3.5 yrs you've put down a competitive gpa... and yet the guy with a 3.3 19 DAT and 3yrs of school is going to look alot better than you.

Too bad you couldnt eliminate those past years huh?

 

[jj007]

Sorry to hear about your gpa's. I would go for it and apply but I would alsoo call the schools and let them know the situation. Or if it's possible visit and take a meeting with them.

Your situation presents a flaw in the process - to me. The goal is to get the most qualified students...yet You have a great dat, the past 3.5 yrs you've put down a competitive gpa... and yet the guy with a 3.3 19 DAT and 3yrs of school is going to look alot better than you.

Too bad you couldnt eliminate those past years huh?

I think that there is no such thing as a perfect process; however, I think that this one is fair. First of all, I commend you for getting your act together to achieve a good GPA for the last 3.5 years and a good DAT score. However, it doesn't make sense that you still have such a low GPA. You must have really scr*wed up your first few years of undergrad.

If I was an adcom (which I am not) and I was going to base it mainly on GPA and DAT, I would put someone with a 3.3 and a DAT of 19 ahead of you.

Hopefully, you have a great PS and ECs and will be given the opportunity to explain your situation during the interview. I wish you good luck.

 

[OU11BB]

Sorry to hear about your gpa's. I would go for it and apply but I would alsoo call the schools and let them know the situation. Or if it's possible visit and take a meeting with them.

Your situation presents a flaw in the process - to me. The goal is to get the most qualified students...yet You have a great dat, the past 3.5 yrs you've put down a competitive gpa... and yet the guy with a 3.3 19 DAT and 3yrs of school is going to look alot better than you.

Too bad you couldnt eliminate those past years huh?

Ya...your right about that. I would give my right arm to wipe a year off the ol' transcript, but I wouldnt be much of a dentist then. I am going to have to do some serious convincing if I get any interviews. Surely I will get something. I do have a BA in biochem, BS in biology and 17 hours away from completing a masters in microbiology to go with the 200 hours,so I hope that helps.

 

[OU11BB]

I think that there is no such thing as a perfect process; however, I think that this one is fair. First of all, I commend you for getting your act together to achieve a good GPA for the last 3.5 years and a good DAT score. However, it doesn't make sense that you still have such a low GPA. You must have really scr*wed up your first few years of undergrad.

If I was an adcom (which I am not) and I was going to base it mainly on GPA and DAT, I would put someone with a 3.3 and a DAT of 19 ahead of you.

Hopefully, you have a great PS and ECs and will be given the opportunity to explain your situation during the interview. I wish you good luck.

I was a baseball player, played pro, then blew out arm, back to school=fail, worked fast food job and realized importance of an education. That is the story in a nutshell

 

[pinhi]

well just got my aadsas gpa's today and worse than I thought. Seems all the hard work I have put in for the last 3.5 years has done nothing to compensate for what i did prior to that. I have 200 hours of coursework at overall GPA 2.85, science is 2.72, and bcp 2.53. WTF My last 104 hours is 3.49, which I have attained at my current school. I have been here for 3.5 years. anyway hopefully my dat will pull some weight. anybody have some positive stories? I could use some hope right now. I have worked my butt off for last few years.

Well my friend...i feel your pain.....i graduated in 2001 with a less than great gpa and figured out that I wanted to be a dentist in 2005. Since then I have been trying my hardest to get into dental school without any luck. I returned to school in 2005 and completed all of my prereqs and retook some math classes...obtained a 3.9 in all of those classes...still not good enough....then in 2009 I got into a masters program in biomed science.....graduated with a 3.77 in that challenging program....ACED all the med school physio, anatomy, pharm, biochem, etc......feel good ......did absolutely nothing for my ogpa either!!......(2.94 no matter what i do).....sgpa is a 3.09....bcp is a 3.35.....retook my DAT and scored well......4th application cycle.....(dentistry is seriously my passion and i'm really dedicated)......been rejected at CASE so far but still hoping for some interviews......

Im not sure if this helps you any.......not trying to discourage in any way....just letting you know that this is becoming quite common and really frustrating.........the things people say on here about a masters.......they're correct....you may need to do it......you can bust your butt for 9 months and show the adcoms u r serious.......plus....the information you learn is essential and helps immensely!!
Good luck!!
Let me know if there's anything I can help with

 

[yappy]

I understand what you're saying, and the process isnt perfect, however; it is still my understanding that they're trying to get the best students possible. By blindly looking at averages you would be accepting a less qualified student (in the situation you described).

If I was an adcom (which I am not) and I was going to base it mainly on GPA and DAT, I would put someone with a 3.3 and a DAT of 19 ahead of you.

 

[Maygyver]

Hey, I think your best bet would be to call up some of your top schools and ask them what they think. A masters program would definitely be helpful and also show your dedication, but it's worth a shot to call up a school and tell them that your GPA over the past X years has been this and you have shown that you know what you are doing by your DAT scores. Good luck.

 

[txlonghorn]

Considering that your low gpa is attributed to before you got your act together, coupled with your above average DAT and pretty cool personal statement, I think you have a shot getting in. Some schools might not consider you, but some of them will. Good luck! I hope you get in.

 

[flyingforever]

OU11BB- I wish you all the best. I believe everything is going to be in your favor.

Pinhi- Couldn't believe that this is your fourth time applying. Keep up with the good work and positive approach.

If I was in admissions' committee, I probably accept all of you.

 

[AmpedUp]

I believe grad school has its own column and gpa calculation on your AADSAS app? Don't they?

If that's there, I'm pretty sure admissions will greatly take that into consideration, despite your earlier bumps in the road. However, like everyone has suggested, casually call a few schools and notify them about your upward trend. Some schools are so swamped with applications, and I wouldn't be surprised if they don't thoroughly look over your application during the review process. Your goal is to make sure they take note of your recent performance! Address it on every secondary application as well, especially in the "other comments/issues" area of of the app. Take every chance to address any weaknesses.

Good luck! I have high hopes for you. In my mind, I think you're capable of pulling it off. Just stay dedicated and focused. Don't give up.

 

[hoylematt]

Too bad to hear about the gpa. We all wish that we could go back in time to our idiotic freshman self and slap him in the face and tell him to work then for the things you want now.

Keep your head up man. Hopefully things will work out and you will find a place somewhere in the country to learn your craft.

 

[sahiwal86]

despite all the legit piece of advice from everyone, i wud say ..KEEP UR HOPES UP n B positive... u never know wat thing on ur appli catches someone's attention...u cant go back n withdraw ur app so might as well b positive, prepare a good back up n take one day at a time... u never know when u get lucky !

 

[srb711]

first of all, haven't spent much time on here since DS1 got rolling in June... congrats on those DAT scores!

you can definitely get in to dental school, so don't listen to any schmuck that says you can't. I had a similarly bad experience early on and recovered (got accepted to 3 schools).

if you're applying to OU, PM me and I can provide some insight.

Good Luck

 

[DunStopBelievin]

Pinhi, I probably said it before, but you're my hero.

Anyway, DOOON'T STOP BELIIIIIEEEEVING, hold onto that feeliiiiiin'.

I applied this cycle and doing a masters so I can reapply next cycle so I can say this:

Master's is SO much easier than undergrad....and the fact that it's looked more highly upon makes me feel like I'm cheating the system, but I'll take it! Only problem is that the classes are at night, so I am planning to tutor at underprivileged communities during the day and weekends. That's what I'm doing and that's my advice.

Anyway, best way is to call admissions advisors for the Dschool you're interested in...

good luck!

 

[timwatley]

Hey, solid DAT. I would call some of the schools and talk with them. If you have an in state school, schedule a meeting with the dean. Your DAT scores are very good and your gpa over the last couple of years looks awesome. I bet a private school that weighs the DAT heavily would take a shot on you. You're on the right path, just hang in there. Good luck

 

[flyingforever]

We all have destination somewhere, just believe in yourself and keep flying.

 

[Oral]

That DAT looks great. Plenty of people got into my class with less than perfect GPAs. You just have to make it up in another area.