In dire need of some advice...pleaseee!

[PreDent1201]

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So I'm in a bit of a rut. Well, maybe a big one. I am a senior doing my undergrad studies in Psychology, but obviously, I want to go to Dental school and be a Dentist more than ever. Now here is my dilemma. Freshman year, I didn't do so hot. At that stage of my life, I really had no idea what I wanted to do, nor did I have the motivation to get good grades since I had no plans for my future. I did end up taking Chem 1 and 2 but did horrible. So I tried taking it again Sophomore year, but still ended up getting a C- and I knew taking them a third time would just be pushing it. Same thing happened with Bio. Thing is, I know what my problem was now...I never really took the time to study hard and put my all into the classes that would help me get into Dental school b/c, back then, I had no drive or motivation whatsoever. Seemed like I was doing it for nothing. However, Dentistry had always been in the back of my mind and was a goal, nevertheless. I just didn't know how I was going to get there with such horrible stats. Over the past two Summers, I have been shadowing at a wonderful practice that has really helped me confirm the fact that I do want to be a Dentist. It would be a truly rewarding experience for me and I know it's something I'd be exceptional at (I've always loved people, and am great at Arts and sculpture, and to me, Dentistry is almost like an Art, just with teeth 😉).

Thing is, I'm stuck because I know for a fact I have no chances of getting into Dental schools with my current overall and science GPA. Heck I'll put it out here; I'm barely at a 3.0, and still haven't taken Organic chem or Biochem, etc. Right now, I've been focusing on just graduating and completing my BA in Psych b/c I know it will at least help my GPA and save me some time (Psych is a whole lot less vigorous than any Bio class lol). What I was thinking of doing is maybe applying for a Post-Bacc Program and in hopes of enhancing my academic record that way, and then study for the DATs and apply to Dental schools. It'll probably take another year or two, but could be worth it. I shouldn't even be considering applying to any Dental school right now until I improve that awful transcript of mine.
But my question is, even though I have already taken most of the Pre-req's, will they still take me in? I did not do well at all in any of them. In a nutshell, I'll basically have to start from scratch all over again, get rid of that hideous freshman/sophomore episode, and move on from there. And I plan to. I just don't know how to go about it, and was wondering if anyone on here knows or has experienced how to get through the Post-bacc program in a school. I know all schools have different criteria, so I am open to that. Just hope I'm not the only one with this issue :-/

Oh, and please don't tell me to choose a different career option. I am well aware that I screwed up and didn't put any effort in, but that was only because I had no incentive back then. A lot of things in the following years changed that, and I have many reasons why I would love to attend Dental school. I know what my problem was now and am willing to tackle it. I just need the guidance on how to do it, despite my mishap during the first two years of college. A new environment with new people and a new atmosphere around me would definitely help me for the better. Thank you so much to anyone who can help! And sorry for the essay, just hadda get it all out lol.

 

[molar3]

u need to relax my friend. your a psych major, that kind of saved your a $ $. meaning.....youre a great candidate for a postbacc, as i doubt youve taken many bio courses besides the prereqs. its okay if u didnt do ideal in your pre reqs, i mean what can u do about it now? nothing. so get over that.....
anyway, i suggest you just do one years worth of postbacc (of upper level bio's to prove you can handle bio courses--and this will hopefully outshine your not so hot younger days in bio101) and call it a day and apply. take like 15 credits worth of upper level bio's for 2 semesters, and that should raise your science/bcp gpa a hell of alot, especially since im assuming u only have like below 20 science credits as of now? then study for your dat and apply.
your chances are great. calm down. youll do fine. goodluck

 

[Psejo355]

Hello PreDent1201

First of all, no matter what anyone says, if Dentistry is what you truly want to do, DO NOT let anyone tell you you can not pursue it. With that said, you have to be realistic about where you stand and how hard you have to work to get to where you want to be. From personal experience, a positive upward trend + strong DAT scores with a mixture of nice extracurriculars (volunteering, shadowing, school clubs) and great letters of recommendations can greatly increase your chances of getting in.
You need to understand that whatever has happened cannot be changed and you need to focus in the future. That means: if you have to, give up everything you enjoy doing and spend your time improving your GPA and your application for dental school. It is definitely what I did and it has payed off! I cannot tell you how great it feels to know that once you are serious about something and put in your hart and soul into it, the possibilities are endless (we live in a country where people have a great opportunity to thrive with the right set of mind). Ok, other then the pep talk...I would advise you to take the rest of your prereqs now, work as hard as you can and allow yourself nothing but As in those classes. Then, I would say you would be better off entering a masters program. Just an informal postback may not be enough and is certainly not taken with the same seriousness as a masters program. Excell in that too, while studying for the DAT and volunteering/working/whatever else you can do to show that you can juggle and succeed, and you should not have a problem getting in when you apply.

Most importantly: DO NOTTTT GIVE UP!

 

[hardline]

Post bac sounds like a good idea, just try to get A's in your science classes. Upward trends are always positive. Also study hard for the DAT! Get a 20+ AA, I would personally avoid the Kaplan class (their blue book is helpful however), look at guides people have made on how to rock the DAT and study hard.

My sci gpa was just under 3.0 and I have already been accepted to one school and got an interview to another yesterday.

Bottom line is you can do it 👍

 

[katwoman1688]

Don't give up, definitely keep going and take the next year or so to improve your record! I know exactly where your coming from as I graduated undergrad with a couple of C's in pre-reqs and was just so unfocused in college, spent too much time trying to live college and not enough hitting the books. I also just didn't realize how much I wanted it till I got in the real world and realized theres nothing i'd rather be doing. I graduated with a lower GPA comparable to what your saying and a low sgpa 2.8...That was May 2010 - I took the next year took a full year of biochem, sem of microbio, immunology, human anatomy n physio 1....got A's in all of them, worked hard and was the #1 student in my biochem class - literally a 100% with an class average of 72% (l amazed myself lol). I worked in a dental office over the summer, than took my DATs twice first time 19/19/19 (aa,ts,pat) and than refocused the second time with a 22aa/21ts/24pat. I didn't choose a post-bac program bc I was a bio major and had most of the classes...BUT i DEF recommend doing one - it helps a lot to see that you have a 3.7 3.5 and high gpa from a postbac with upper level courses and full load with good grades...
Than I showed up at schools that I really wanted to go to, met admissions told them my story (called as well) asked what I could do to improve my candidacy....wrote a personal statement that marketed my maturity to explain my change in grades and performance...
Its 2011, I applied in June (second DAT retake Sept) - if i could do it over I would have retaken it earlier...anyways I got my first acceptance Dec 1 (1 interview pre-dec only); but also I had to put apps on hold and apply late cuz of my DAT. And post-Dec, I got an interview for an alternate spot at UoP...PM me if you want - I def wouldn't say find a new career b/c I went against all odds...and wanted it bad enough, and worked to show up and get my name out there.

If I could do it again, I'd do post-bac (gives you a better shot than just classes - I took advice from people (admissions) to take classes instead of post-bac but postbac would definitely be a change I'd make to my resume. Also - apply June 1st. Be on all your professors to get in your recs, finish your personal statement the month before...and take that DAT early! GOod luck! Sorry soooo long of a message

 

[PreDent1201]

Wow, thanks so much everyone! I know I must sound a little crazy, but this is something I need and want to do, nothing else. Looking at my past grades just doesn't help lol (I flinch when I look at all those C's and D's..eek!!), and that's why I need some reassurance that I can still do it. So thank you all for the encouragement! At Psejo355, interesting you say that, because I have had quite a few people bring me down in the past (myself included), and that only made my situation worse. Seriously thought I had no chance. But you're right, I shouldn't let anyone tell me that and then believe it...it's probably the worse thing I can do to myself. At Katwoman1688, what a wonderful story you have there! You must feel amazing after building yourself up like that. Definitely encourages me even more, thank you 🙂

Only thing is, I want to tell people my situation, but I'm the type who gets so conscious of what others think and to be honest, I'm a little embarrassed as well. For instance, the Dentists I shadow probably think I have a 3.5 GPA or something, and always ask when I'm going to apply and take the DATs. I haven't told them about my dilemma yet, because I'm just so scared of what they'll think. So idk, I guess I just need a little nudge and confidence to tell them, because if I don't, I probably won't get the information I need. I don't want them to think less of me, that's all. They should know I'm just as serious as a top student would be...only my actions/decisions two years ago didn't reflect that. So that might be a toughy :-/

With that said, does anyone know of some good programs? I live in the New England area, so anything around there would be perfect. Heard Boston U has a good program, as well as NYU. But everytime I do a search for Pre-Dent Post-Bacc programs, all I find are Pre-Med ones! How can I find the proper program for myself? It's a little confusing. Again, thank you guys!

 

[katwoman1688]

Wow, thanks so much everyone! I know I must sound a little crazy, but this is something I need and want to do, nothing else. And looking at my grades just doesn't help lol, and that's why I need some reassurance that I can still do it. So thank you all for the encouragement! At Psejo355, interesting you say that, because I have had quite a few people bring me down in the past (myself included), and that only made my situation worse. Seriously thought I had no chance. But you're right, I shouldn't let anyone tell me that and then believe it...it's probably the worse thing I can do to myself. At Katwoman1688, what a wonderful story you have there! You must feel amazing after building yourself up like that. Definitely encourages me even more, thank you 🙂

With that said, does anyone know of some good programs? I live in the New England area, so anything around there would be perfect. Heard Boston U has a good program, as well as NYU. But everytime I do a search for Pre-Dent Post-Bacc programs, all I find are Pre-Med ones! How can I find the proper program for myself? It's a little confusing. Again, thank you guys!

I heard the BU oral health sciences is good - Its nice b/c its for people looking to go to dental school...Tufts has an MBS program though I've heard its very hard like you take a first year of medical school. You want to go to a reputable one, but also one where you stand a chance to do well! I'm in the Boston area and looked at all those programs for a while b/n Tufts, harvard extension "loose post-bac program", and BU i'd go with the BU oral health program. Take a look at the curriculum, see if it matches what your looking for...I also heard from my friend who went there she had gross anatomy lab with real cadavers which is great prep for dental school...Oh sorry, you've taken the pre-reqs right? Or no? If you have what I just mentioned are masters programs for anyone whose taken the basic pre-reqs...🙂 And I hope I didn't sound overly arrogant - cuz trust me I'm not, I just felt so fortunate to put in the work and finally get my life together 🙂.

If your looking at post-bac (where you take the pre-reqs) - not post - 1 year masters - I heard Northeastern (night classes though I think) has a doable program (one where you can score well)... I would definitely choose a post-bac program where I was with all post-bac kids.. I went to Tufts undergrad and postbac was mixed in...less individualized program. Also post-whatever is a great way to get a recommendation - do well in the class, form a relationship and than have them write about your success in their class.

Also ** the comment about being embarrassed - don't worry I was too just but you know once you start getting to doing work and changing your record - its like no longer embarrassing b/c now I can be like ya, you know I wish I had done better in undergrad but I don't have regrets for the reason that it got me to where I am today - more motivated than ever and it was a maturing process for me... It gets less embarrassing and you become kind of proud of yourself haha I sound sooo cheesy! Sorry. 🙂 And I would talk about this new found change in your life, once you start getting new grades etc, not so you can brag about your grades haha just so you can back your improvement and feel confident that you can do it...

 

[PreDent1201]

No, you are totally right! You don't sound arrogant at all haha, I know what you mean. I guess I should start accepting it and try to just start over now without the regrets. It's all a learning process, so I hear ya. And ok, I will definitely look into those programs...I know there are some where if you pass all your classes, you automatically get accepted into their dental school, so that would be awesome lol. But I will have to do some research. Don't know where to start! Thanks so much for your help!

Oh, and the only pre-reqs I've taken are the basic sciences, like Physics, Chem, Calc, and Bio. Haven't taken the complicated stuff yet (Biochem, Orgo, Anatomy, etc)...so I still feel I'll have a lot of catching up to do, especially since I didn't do very well in the basic sciences.

 

[katwoman1688]

No, you are totally right! You don't sound arrogant at all haha, I know what you mean. I guess I should start accepting it and try to just start over now without the regrets. It's all a learning process, so I hear ya. And ok, I will definitely look into those programs...I know there are some where if you pass all your classes, you automatically get accepted into their dental school, so that would be awesome lol. But I will have to do some research. Don't know where to start! Thanks so much for your help!

Oh, and the only pre-reqs I've taken are the basic sciences, like Physics, Chem, Calc, and Bio. Haven't taken the complicated stuff yet (Biochem, Orgo, Anatomy, etc)...so I still feel I'll have a lot of catching up to do, especially since I didn't do very well in the basic sciences.

Ooo okay so you have taken the pre-reqs ...in that case don't search post-bacc programs (those are specifically for people who have not taken pre-reqs, in case you were looking for those), you'll need masters 1 year in medical (or biomedical) sciences 🙂 and in that case the ones i named from BU oral health **, Tufts MBS will apply to what you are looking for.
I did a lot of research at one point even though I applied and decided not to go...
heres BU's http://www.bumc.bu.edu/gms/academics/masters-in-medical-sciences/oral-health/
http://www.tufts.edu/med/education/mbs/ Thats tufts - its expensive and really very hard not sure if I'd recommend that one

 

[PreDent1201]

Yepp, that's the one I was talking about! But my only concern is that they require DAT scores-- I am in no way ready to take the DAT at least for another year and a half....sooo I don't think I'd even qualify for their program 🙁 Plus, I haven't taken Organic yet, and I was hoping to do that AFTER I graduate so I don't have to keep delaying finishing my undergrad, know what I'm sayin? I know, it's complicated lol. Sigh.