low gpa individual in need of advice

[NeuroscEYEnce]

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I have graduated with a business degree and neuroscience degree. Here are my stats

cGPA- 2.75
sciGPA- 2.5


I haven't taken the DAT yet. But I have been provisionally accepted to Barry University biomedical masters to which if I get an above average on the DAT I can attend. I have already applied to all the major programs and have been denied. I don't know what or where to go from here. I can take classes at my local university and increase GPA but I would still need to go to a post-bac or SMP to prove myself. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[pinpoint212]

How bad do you want to go to dental school?

Really bad.
- Take Post-Bac and take upper level biology courses and get straight A's. Shadow all kinds of dentists and get at least 100-200 hours in. Take the DAT and score 19+ all across.

Bad.
- Keep the 2.75 and the 2.5 and take the DAT and get 21+ across the boards. However, this does not guarantee you to be a competitive candidate. Many schools have a GPA cut off. You're competing against students with 3.4+ GPA's. There is an under 3.0 thread somewhere in these forums, so there is a chance. If you do get <20 on the DAT, you're running into a brick wall. You're GPA just doesn't compensate for an average DAT score.

I have graduated with a business degree and neuroscience degree. Here are my stats

cGPA- 2.75
sciGPA- 2.5


I haven't taken the DAT yet. But I have been provisionally accepted to Barry University biomedical masters to which if I get an above average on the DAT I can attend. I have already applied to all the major programs and have been denied. I don't know what or where to go from here. I can take classes at my local university and increase GPA but I would still need to go to a post-bac or SMP to prove myself. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[little Buddy]

get that gpa to at least a 3.0 anyway you possibly can. Only then will a great DAT score help.

 

[NeuroscEYEnce]

How bad do you want to go to dental school?

Really bad.
- Take Post-Bac and take upper level biology courses and get straight A's. Shadow all kinds of dentists and get at least 100-200 hours in. Take the DAT and score 19+ all across.

Bad.
- Keep the 2.75 and the 2.5 and take the DAT and get 21+ across the boards. However, this does not guarantee you to be a competitive candidate. Many schools have a GPA cut off. You're competing against students with 3.4+ GPA's. There is an under 3.0 thread somewhere in these forums, so there is a chance. If you do get <20 on the DAT, you're running into a brick wall. You're GPA just doesn't compensate for an average DAT score.

get that gpa to at least a 3.0 anyway you possibly can. Only then will a great DAT score help.

Thanks so much for the advice. I was wondering if i take classes at my university and raise my gpa or is it better to just do a serious post-bac/SMP and prove myself that way?

 

[gumdrop16]

Thanks so much for the advice. I was wondering if i take classes at my university and raise my gpa or is it better to just do a serious post-bac/SMP and prove myself that way?

take as many credits as you need to get yourself to a 3.0. often, "formal" postbacc programs have an uppper limit of 30 credits. 30 credits will not be enough for you to raise your science gpa to a 3.0. you should also calculate your bcp.
when youre doing your postbacc, you should take full course loads if possible.
SMPs i hear are good options, but maybe u should look into that after your postbacc.

 

[Alekshura2]

I have graduated with a business degree and neuroscience degree. Here are my stats

cGPA- 2.75
sciGPA- 2.5


I haven't taken the DAT yet. But I have been provisionally accepted to Barry University biomedical masters to which if I get an above average on the DAT I can attend. I have already applied to all the major programs and have been denied. I don't know what or where to go from here. I can take classes at my local university and increase GPA but I would still need to go to a post-bac or SMP to prove myself. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You could also try applying to Mississippi College Masters in Medical Sciences. It's fairly easy to get into, and the program is very intense. Also, it's a lot cheaper than Barry.

Here is the link: http://www.mc.edu/academics/departments/biology/degrees/graduate/medical-sciences

 

[CMistry]

You should do a post-bacc before your masters to raise your GPA to a 3.0 like others have said. It's a long road but if you want to be a dentist it's your best (only) shot.

 

[toastybread]

Don't forget to shadow like crazy - learn to dental assist if you can. Pick up a serious manual dexterity skill too. Stats will get you nowhere unless you show that you understand the other sides of the profession. You can try to raise your gpa all you want but this isn't the same as applying to med school

 

[NeuroscEYEnce]

You should do a post-bacc before your masters to raise your GPA to a 3.0 like others have said. It's a long road but if you want to be a dentist it's your best (only) shot.

Thanks for the advice! How many practice tests should I take before the DAT? Are the 3 topscore test enough?

 

[hungrydentist]

Thanks for the advice! How many practice tests should I take before the DAT? Are the 3 topscore test enough?

I would say as many as you can. The more tests you take, the more you get yourself familiar with what you know and with what you need to know.

 

[LaughingGas]

1~2 years doing postbac (upper div biology level, full time), then enroll into a non-thesis masters (1year).
you are looking at a minimum of 2 year plan. By the end, you will be having 60 units done at high gpa (4.0).
Check out DAT discussion.
For gen chem/ochem chad is all you need. Just google him.
For bio, personally i thought knowing just the Barron's AP biology was good enough to get high bio scores.
CDP for PAT.

 

[NeuroscEYEnce]

1~2 years doing postbac (upper div biology level, full time), then enroll into a non-thesis masters (1year).
you are looking at a minimum of 2 year plan. By the end, you will be having 60 units done at high gpa (4.0).
Check out DAT discussion.
For gen chem/ochem chad is all you need. Just google him.
For bio, personally i thought knowing just the Barron's AP biology was good enough to get high bio scores.
CDP for PAT.

Thanks! I just found out that Barry University wants my DAT scores by November 1st I've been studying and working the past month. If I quit my job and study extremely hard for the next few weeks is it possible I can get a decent score?

 

[LaughingGas]

Definitely. If you are ok with quitting the job, this is how I would plan things.
week1 = Watch Chad's videos, make detail notes, review daily.
week2=review biology (adding couple hours per day to review chemistries0
week3=Practice tests, find areas that you are not familiar with (for me , was electrochemistry,etc) and review those notes.
week4=Passive review and try to be exposed as much material possible. Watch certain topics again if needed.
QR=practice throughout the month.
PAT=use CDP and practice through the month.
RC=can't recommend you b/c I didn't do exceptionally good in this section.
More than anything, if you can't study anymore for a day X, I would either rest or just do practice problems. Remember, this is all about time management and studying efficiently.

 

[NeuroscEYEnce]

Definitely. If you are ok with quitting the job, this is how I would plan things.
week1 = Watch Chad's videos, make detail notes, review daily.
week2=review biology (adding couple hours per day to review chemistries0
week3=Practice tests, find areas that you are not familiar with (for me , was electrochemistry,etc) and review those notes.
week4=Passive review and try to be exposed as much material possible. Watch certain topics again if needed.
QR=practice throughout the month.
PAT=use CDP and practice through the month.
RC=can't recommend you b/c I didn't do exceptionally god in this section.
More than anything, if you can't study anymore for a day X, I would either rest or just do practice problems. Remember, this is all about time management and studying efficiently.

Thank you so much!! This is great advice 👍