Just another pre-dent looking for advice

[beeepbooop]

Hi sdn!

I'm looking to get some suggestions here. I am a non-traditional student and graduated with a bachelors in a foreign language in 2016. I took most of my pre-reqs during undergrad except for physics and biochem, which I'm taking this semester (well, physics I this semester and physics II next semester). I'm applying in June to matriculate hopefully in 2019.

In terms of stats...

DAT breakdown:

PAT: 21
QR: 19
RC: 23
Bio: 21
GC: 19
OC: 21
TS: 20
AA: 21​

GPA:

cGPA: 3.673, graduated with distinction in three years (Jan 2014-Dec 2016)
sGPA: 3.1-something (calculated myself)​

ECs:
- work currently as an assistant for a general dentist who adores me and I adore her (~450 hrs and counting)
- shadowed oral surgeon, hospital low-income clinic general dentist, periodontist, and general dentists (total ~120 hrs)
- research in a biochem engineering lab with publication (~500 hrs)
- tutored foreign students in conversational English (~75 hrs)
- held leadership position for my college sorority's recruitment
​

I worked for a year out of college in the corporate world and realized that yes, I still want to be a dentist. I wanted to be sure that that's my true calling before devoting my life to it, and having now worked at a general dentist office for half a year, I'm absolutely certain that dental school is the only path I can take.

Obviously, I want to kill my 8 credits of classes that I'm taking this semester in order to bring up my sGPA, but I need some more advice...should I apply for a masters program for the year between now and (hopefully) starting school in 2019? Or should I just continue taking upper-level post-bacc classes? I'm worried about my sGPA and also my major, since it wasn't a science. My final worry is that I've taken classes at a number of institutions; in high school, I took college courses, so I have a transcript from there, from my undergraduate institution, and now from the university where I'm taking my post-bacc classes.

Any advice/reassurance/wake-up call is WELCOME! Thanks, sdn!!

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[Stanelz]

I'd say your app is pretty balanced and you have a good chance of acceptance, maybe not to an ivy league school but definitely a good chance somewhere. Good DAT, Decent, GPA, excellent EC's. Just make sure to finish strong my friend and try to bring that sGPA up a bit if possible.

Make sure your personal statement is starting to get written and have people on SDN proofread it, I am available if you need me. Good luck.

 

[beeepbooop]

I'd say your app is pretty balanced and you have a good chance of acceptance, maybe not to an ivy league school but definitely a good chance somewhere. Good DAT, Decent, GPA, excellent EC's. Just make sure to finish strong my friend and try to bring that sGPA up a bit if possible.

Make sure your personal statement is starting to get written and have people on SDN proofread it, I am available if you need me. Good luck.

Thank you for your input. I think reading sdn all the time makes me think everyone who’s applying has absolute perfect stats, so I was stressing out a bit—thanks for the reassurance.

I’m planning on starting my personal statement ASAP and thought I’d reach out to LOR writers and start collecting their letters on interfolio. And hanks for offering to take a look at my PS draft...I may take you up on that!