Is it worth it to even try?

[facepie]

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Hey everyone. I'm new to this so I'm sorry if it's another what are my chances threads. Im a bit non-trad I am 24 and have been out of undergrad for about 2 years now. I work in chemistry. My GPA is a 3.57 but I expect it would be a little lower due to the application value drop. My science GPA is a 3.4 but I expect that would be lower too. I havent taken the DAT yet but I plan on taking it by january. I've shadowed an orthodontist and oral surgeon for about 15 hours total. Is it even worth it for me to apply next year? I do have a C- in organic I but I'm retaking it this spring. I've been tossing around the idea of going back to get a graduate degree to boost my GPA but Its a lot of money to spend. I am also a SC resident so I'm looking primarily at MUSC but I dont know if I'm competitive enough. Also, does anyone know of ways to volunteer in dentistry? I dont want to just shadow all the time. Thanks guys

 

[djeffreyt]

You're pretty average in your non-traditionality. I wouldn't be concerned about that being a factor. I'm 27. There are people in our school from 18 years old to mid-40's. Everything from Music Majors to Biochemistry Master's Majors, single christians to aetheist mom's with 3 kids. You'll be surprised how a wide a variety of people you will find in Dental school.

As for your chances otherwise. You don't need a super GPA to get into dental school. A 3.0 or above will generally suffice and a passing grade is usually enough in any of the prerequisite courses, so a C- is passing, so it is fine.

Just shine on that particular section of the DAT. Use the DAT to make up for other GPA glitches and do well on it overall. As for shadowing, you should try to do more than 15 hours. Try shadowing at least 30 hours total. Volunteering is easy but it requires flexing the work schedule. I worked out my full time work schedule to get Monday Mornings off. Then, I started by shadowing a dentist in my neighborhood on Monday Mornings. I then asked if I could volunteer by just helping out with whatever he felt was within My ability to do. It was a good experience. The receptionist would have me call patients, file charts, the dental assistants taught me to develop and mount x-rays (it was an old-school office) and so on. I did plenty of other dental related things, but I think a little volunteering is all you need to do since you also work full time and it was a pain in my ass to get off from work for other dental things.

You'll find volunteering is almost like shadowing with a few menial jobs tossed in, but you'll also find it can be very helpful to see little ins and outs of running an office.

 

[Elipar]

Hey everyone. I'm new to this so I'm sorry if it's another what are my chances threads. Im a bit non-trad I am 24 and have been out of undergrad for about 2 years now. I work in chemistry. My GPA is a 3.57 but I expect it would be a little lower due to the application value drop. My science GPA is a 3.4 but I expect that would be lower too. I havent taken the DAT yet but I plan on taking it by january. I've shadowed an orthodontist and oral surgeon for about 15 hours total. Is it even worth it for me to apply next year? I do have a C- in organic I but I'm retaking it this spring. I've been tossing around the idea of going back to get a graduate degree to boost my GPA but Its a lot of money to spend. I am also a SC resident so I'm looking primarily at MUSC but I dont know if I'm competitive enough. Also, does anyone know of ways to volunteer in dentistry? I dont want to just shadow all the time. Thanks guys

My GPA was 3.4, adjusted to 3.3. And I got C+ to B- during the o-chem series. No dental experience whatsoever. I did very well on the DAT to compensate. I got into UCLA. So, your stats are not bad at all. The other poster gave you some great info. It mirrored what I saw in dental school. The oldest was 40+, an engineering major who decided dentistry was more stable. Good luck.