Low GPA, where do I apply? (Canadian applicant)

[kayden28]

Hey everyone,

I'm applying this upcoming cycle with the following stats:

cGPA: 3.7
sGPA: 3.3
DAT: 21 AA/24 RC/21 PAT
160+ hours shadowing with two general dentists + one orthodontist
4 different jobs (in professional settings through co-operative education)
1+ major extracurricular almost every semester + sports/design hobbies

I know my GPA is a little low. My first year really brought me down and I've worked insanely hard to bring it up ever since. I'm proud of how far I've come but I'm worried it's still not good enough. I've been told I write and communicate well, so I'm not too worried about putting together a personal statement. I'm also confident that I can do well in an interview but it's the getting-noticed-on-paper part that I'm worried about. I'm graduating this semester and will be starting a full-time job in technology consulting. I needed the job to pull myself out of debt from undergrad and to have something to do for a year since I didn't get into any Canadian schools I applied to. While it's not dentistry related, I will continue shadowing and volunteering my time while I work. What do you think my chances are? How early should I apply with these scores?

I've also been looking at which schools I should apply to as a Canadian applicant and here's what I've come up with so far based on previous posts:

Midwestern -Arizona
Pacific
Howard
Nova
Indiana
Louisville
Boston
Detroit-Mercy
Michigan
Minnesota
Creighton
Columbia
NYU
Buffalo
Case Western
Temple
UPenn
Pittsburgh
Meharry

I want to maximize my chances... but I also have to watch my wallet, so I'm looking to trim down the list. Are there any schools on that list that aren't Canadian friendly and shouldn't be included?

Any information would be really helpful!! Thank you & I wish you the best wherever you are in your dental path!

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[futuredoc2019dds]

Don't do Meharry unless you're an URM or African American

 

[sjv]

Don't do Meharry unless you're an URM or African American

Same with Howard.

 

[kayden28]

Don't do Meharry unless you're an URM or African American

Same with Howard.

Who specifically falls under URM? I've heard mixed things and I'm not sure whether I would be or not. I'm a minority, just not sure if I'm underrepresented.

Also, any advice on what else I should do over the next year (in addition to working full-time) to continue demonstrating interest and furthering my knowledge? As much as I've enjoyed shadowing, I feel that I'm starting to reach a plateau, and I'm wondering what else other pre-dents are doing/have done. I considered entering a masters program but because I'll be applying to dental school over the summer and the masters would start in September, my marks wouldn't be included in my applications anyways.

Thanks so much for all your help!!

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

URM = native, Hispanics, African Americans

 

[ICUrunning]

Who specifically falls under URM? I've heard mixed things and I'm not sure whether I would be or not. I'm a minority, just not sure if I'm underrepresented.

Also, any advice on what else I should do over the next year (in addition to working full-time) to continue demonstrating interest and furthering my knowledge? As much as I've enjoyed shadowing, I feel that I'm starting to reach a plateau, and I'm wondering what else other pre-dents are doing/have done. I considered entering a masters program but because I'll be applying to dental school over the summer and the masters would start in September, my marks wouldn't be included in my applications anyways.

Thanks so much for all your help!!

Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American are considered URM. You have to part of a tribe to be considered Native American, I believe.

Asians and Whites are not.

 

[Hannah Banana]

Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American are considered URM. You have to part of a tribe to be considered Native American, I believe.

Asians and Whites are not.

Ooops, I'm Asian but I put URM on the app since I didn't know but they didn't say anything.

 

[ICUrunning]

Ooops, I'm Asian but I put URM on the app since I didn't know but they didn't say anything.

Well, you're probably not the first Asian to do so due to lack of knowledge and the technicality of the term. Asians are obviously a minority in the US (5-6% pop.) but in the healthcare world, they run the table. Therefore, they are considered ORM or over-represented to adcoms.

AADSAS really doesn't have the time to check who is URM, the schools do that. The schools themselves will see who is URM based on what race(s) you've selected and at the interview when they take a look at you.