In need of serious advice!

[Adam Rivera]

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Hello! And thanks for reading this post. My name is Adam and ill be graduating with a 3.5 GPA in the premed predental program. Though this GPA isn't the greatest in the world i feel confident in doing well on the DATS with months of preparing ahead of me. I am currently shadowing 2 Dentist one being a general practice the other being an oral surgeon. I also have worked for two years in the local hospitals emergency room ( trauma 2) as an EMT. I have many letters of recommendation ranging from the various Docotors at the hospital, the Dentists, and my Profs. The biggest fear i have is that my past will come back to haunt me. You see as a freshman i lacked the maturity needed to do well during my first year. As a matter of fact i did just horrible as i was undeclared and really had no idea what i wanted to become. The specifcs are a 1.25 gps for a semester at a school i hated. I retook all the courses that i did poorly on and received As and Bs at my new university. As i grew up my grades matured but they did so at a different University. Now i know when i submit my transcripts they are going to see my improvements throughout time but im afraid that my terrible grades are going to hold me back. If that is what happens does that mean ill never be able to gain entrance to a school? Is there something i can do to strengthen my chances? Aside from the DATS i dont know what else i can do and i really dont have any passion for any other type of career in the sciences i truly want Dentistry to be my life. Thank you very much for reading this post and please if you have any advice, comments, questions, let me know! 😕

 

[CountinCavities]

Is that 3.5 including those grades that you got your first semester? Although your school may give forgiveness grades, AADSAS does not. Re-calculate the GPA, if it is different than 3.5. If it is near a 3.0 or lower when re-calculated, then you may want to consider a master's program to improve your chances. If the 3.5 is including those first year grades, then I would not be too worried. Schools like to see upward trends and a 3.5 is a pretty decent overall GPA.

OH, you probably don't want to post with your real name. You are giving away a lot of information that can be traced via google.

 

[DannMann99]

Maybe you should just kill yourself
👎meanie:👎meanie:👎meanie:👎meanie:👎meanie:

 

[bjhath]

Thank you very much for reading this post and please if you have any advice, comments, questions, let me know! 😕

Don't worry about a semester of 1.25. I have four semesters with a whopping 2.2 and a semester of W's. And I will be starting d-school in July. Just make sure you rock the DAT with 20s+ across the board.

You could explain the situation surrounding your crappy semester/school in your PS, but I wouldn't spend more than 2 sentences doing so.

Strengthen your app in other areas: shadowing, volunteering, leadership, pre-dental clinics/conferences, etc.

I wouldn't lose any sleep over one bad semester, from the rest of your academic record it looks like you are a great student.

Good Luck!

 

[bjhath]

maybe you should just kill yourself
👎meanie:👎meanie:👎meanie:👎meanie:👎meanie:

gafl

 

[Stephie3]

hi adam!! i think you sound like you are in good shape actually. My advice: Talk openly about your improvement in your personal statement and at your interviews. You can say something about "when i started college, i didn't have the focus that i do now. i learned that life is about working towards goals in spite of difficulties, etc. etc, so i really began to see the importance in education...etc etc"

Schools really like seeing upward trends such as yours. at one of my interviews, there was a girl attending the school that had done the same thing as you. she blew off her first semester of college and told us "i learned that partying wasn't what college was about." it was convincing and she got accepted.

just be sure to talk about it and how you are a totally different person and i think you will be perfectly fine.

do good on the DAT and 3.5 gpa should get you in.

 

[doc toothache]

Hello! And thanks for reading this post. My name is Adam and ill be graduating with a 3.5 GPA in the premed predental program. Though this GPA isn't the greatest in the world i feel confident in doing well on the DATS with months of preparing ahead of me. I have many letters of recommendation ranging from the various Docotors at the hospital, the Dentists, and my Profs. . 😕

It would help to shed the ambivalence. Why not take the DAT then bring out the marbles for comparison.

Don't worry about a semester of 1.25. I have four semesters with a whopping 2.2 and a semester of W's. And I will be starting d-school in July. Just make sure you rock the DAT with 20s+ across the board.

Strengthen your app in other areas: shadowing, volunteering, leadership, pre-dental clinics/conferences, etc.

In your case the 22, the major, degree and age probably didn't hurt.

 

[playa2652]

If your gpa is a 3.5 with the 1.25 gpa calculated into it, you are in great shape. My first two years of undergrad hurt my chances a lot, but after studying really hard and earning nothing less than a 3.7 gpa for every semester afterwards, I was able to get into my first choice school. All I have to worry about now is passing biochem with a B hopefully. =(