Low GPA, need advice.

[JayMcDent]

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[#kalel]

Hi I'm new to this forum but heres my story, so I recently graduated from a 4 year university as a biology major and have a low gpa of 2.58 with a D in lower div biology (retook and got a B), D in anatomy and a D in music History (really underestimated this class and didnt take it seriously but i regret it now). After graduation i took some time to reflect and decided i need to get my **** together and I plan to do a postbac but most require a gpa of 2.8-3.0, so im stuck in a rut and have no idea what to do? Should i take community college classes? is dental school even possible anymore? Anyone in a similar situation who got into dental school after years of postbac? any advice will help. I have no idea what to do anymore.

I dont know if this helps but
I also have extracurriculars such as 200 hrs of shadowing 3 dentists, officer for a dental club, and member of another pre dent club, and i volunteered at 2 dental clinics for about a year. I also did a dental mission trip to a 3rd world country to help the undeserved.

Any advice will help.

Nothing much you can do about the GPA. Kill the DAT. Hope for the best.
It's gonna be an uphill battle, regardless.

 

[JayMcDent]

Nothing much you can do about the GPA. Kill the DAT. Hope for the best.
It's gonna be an uphill battle, regardless.

Would a post bac help me become competitive even with the D's?

 

[FancyFloss]

Would a post bac help me become competitive even with the D's?

A post bac with almost all A's or at least close to a 4.0 GPA would certainly make you more competitive. Call up the schools and make appointments with the counselors there and see if they can get you into the program even with that GPA. @#kalel does bring up a valid point, do very well on the DAT and it might make someone look at your application a little more. And if you miraculously get an interview you are now competing against students with a 3.6+ GPA so it will be a struggle to convince admissions that you are as or more capable of handling dental school than them. I'm in a very similar situation as you and the only hope I have of someone taking my application seriously is to do incredibly well on the DAT and look for that silver lining. The only back up I have is to do a post bac should I wish to reapply or go for a masters program. There are many ways to enter dental school with a terrible undergrad GPA, but if you are serious about becoming a dentist then it will take time and lots of effort on your part.

 

[tennis689]

It's possible. My oGPA is over a 3.2 but science was a 2.7 at one point. Probably you need to start by taking some classes somewhere. Honestly, even a community college science course would be a start to get that number up a bit. Because you might get screened out with a number that low. Start there and get it up then maybe do a masters. But yes, its possible and if you believe in yourself you might be there in less time than you think.

 

[shyfox9p]

Hi I'm new to this forum but heres my story, so I recently graduated from a 4 year university as a biology major and have a low gpa of 2.58 with a D in lower div biology (retook and got a B), D in anatomy and a D in music History (really underestimated this class and didnt take it seriously but i regret it now). After graduation i took some time to reflect and decided i need to get my **** together and I plan to do a postbac but most require a gpa of 2.8-3.0, so im stuck in a rut and have no idea what to do? Should i take community college classes? is dental school even possible anymore? Anyone in a similar situation who got into dental school after years of postbac? any advice will help. I have no idea what to do anymore.

I dont know if this helps but
I also have extracurriculars such as 200 hrs of shadowing 3 dentists, officer for a dental club, and member of another pre dent club, and i volunteered at 2 dental clinics for about a year. I also did a dental mission trip to a 3rd world country to help the undeserved.

Any advice will help.

Have you taken the GRE or DAT? You may be able to get in if you talk to the school. A strong score on the DAT or GRE can open the door for you.

 

[DentalDoge]

Have you taken the GRE or DAT? You may be able to get in if you talk to the school. A strong score on the DAT or GRE can open the door for you.

Why GRE?

 

[tennis689]

Probably to enroll in a Masters program. With that GPA he's going to need to

 

[JayMcDent]

So community college classes wouldn't be a good idea? What about informal post bacs?

 

[SerendipityTMH]

The D in anatomy will definitely hurt you. Can you repeat anatomy or something? Anatomy is a D1 class, which I am taking right now, even if you do well on the DAT it will still hurt. Schools will worry that you might not pass anatomy, or your D1 year, then what's the point of accepting you?

I don't want to lower your spirit, because I was accepted with a low GPA, but my major biology course grades were fine, it was my pre-req that killed my GPA. I think you should think about repeating anatomy, and take some upper-level biology courses for this year (informal is fine). Then, you can try to apply both to dental school and a one-year master program, if DS didn't accept you then go with the master program, and try again next year.

Good luck!

 

[JayMcDent]

The D in anatomy will definitely hurt you. Can you repeat anatomy or something? Anatomy is a D1 class, which I am taking right now, even if you do well on the DAT it will still hurt. Schools will worry that you might not pass anatomy, or your D1 year, then what's the point of accepting you?

I don't want to lower your spirit, because I was accepted with a low GPA, but my major biology course grades were fine, it was my pre-req that killed my GPA. I think you should think about repeating anatomy, and take some upper-level biology courses for this year (informal is fine). Then, you can try to apply both to dental school and a one-year master program, if DS didn't accept you then go with the master program, and try again next year.

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice. I plan to retake all my failed classes and do an informal post bac at a state college for about 2 years as I calculated that's what it takes to get me to 3.0 atleast if I get A's. Just need to make some sacrifices to study harder as my old study habits were not cutting it. Not sure if this is a good plan to become competitive again.

 

[SerendipityTMH]

Thanks for the advice. I plan to retake all my failed classes and do an informal post bac at a state college for about 2 years as I calculated that's what it takes to get me to 3.0 atleast if I get A's. Just need to make some sacrifices to study harder as my old study habits were not cutting it. Not sure if this is a good plan to become competitive again.

Don't quote me on this, but I think you should go seek some formal advice.
If I were you, I wouldn't waste those two years just to bring you undergrads GPA up, because even if you do, there is still no guarantee that you have a chance for acceptance, because the application pool is indeed competitive.
I believe, even though, your GPA do not meet requirements to any master program, but if you have an amazing DAT, you can go talk with the chair of the master's program, and they DO take exceptions, because master programs aren't as competitive as dental school or medical school. Plus, many master programs are designed for people seeking professional health careers but needed to bring up their undergrads GPA, so based on your level of passion toward dental school, they might consider you even though your GPA is a little bit lower than required. Notice, I said a little bit, so I do encourage you to take post bac classes to bring it up the first year, and for the second year, give the master program a try. It won't hurt you.