Low GPA

Started by DentalStudent2018
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DentalStudent2018

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Hello,

I am going into my senior year in college and have a 2.7 gpa but I still want to go to dental school in the future. I am going to at least take 1 to 2 gap years any advice? Is it still possible? I will go to whatever school takes me.

Anything helps! I am super nervous that I should be thinking about another path now
 
We need more stats... I'm assuming that is your ogpa, we also need your science gpa. Did you take the DAT? How are your extra curriculars? Have you taken any higher level science courses like biochemistry, anatomy, histology, immunology and etc? Since you are heading into your senior year, it is still unlikely possible to get a 3.0-3.2 ogpa. However, the best way is to destroy the DAT and do well in your masters degree if you can financially afford another 40-60k.

Best of Luck,
DOC YANKEM

Edit: I just typed unlikely possible... I meant highly improbable. LOL
 
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DOC YANKEM said:
We need more stats... I'm assuming that is your ogpa, we also need your science gpa. Did you take the DAT? How are your extra curriculars? Have you taken any higher level science courses like biochemistry, anatomy, histology, immunology and etc? Since you are heading into your senior year, it is still unlikely possible to get a 3.0-3.2 ogpa. However, the best way is to destroy the DAT and do well in your masters degree if you can financially afford another 40-60k.

Best of Luck,
DOC YANKEM

Edit: I just typed unlikely possible... I meant highly improbable. LOL
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I am in the leadership team for global medical trips and I have over a 100 hours shadowing and working with dentists. I also am part of the dental club on campus and have done research on obesity over the past summer along with other volunteering along the way. I have not taken any of my higher level science classes yet. I am not looking to spend an extra 40-60k though so if there are other wasy that would be awesome.
 
8_man said:
Please explain your motivation for pursuing dentistry. If you are not comfortable with sharing that information here, feel free to PM me.
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Illumident said:
You will need to look into a post-bacc or master's degree, or independently enroll in upper division science courses post-grad, to raise your GPA above a 3.0. Taking a few upper division science courses like anatomy/physiology, biochem, genetics, etc. before you graduate from college will help with the cost of having to take those classes later on.
Unfortunately with a 2.7 and your current ECs, you won't land any interviews or acceptances, but if you raise that GPA and study hard for the DAT, dental school is possible.
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"independently enroll in upper division science courses post-grad" Does this mean enrolling in community college upper division classes? Also any advice on other extracurricular activities I should be involved in? I am going to start working in a dental lab this summer
 
DentalStudent2018 said:
"independently enroll in upper division science courses post-grad" Does this mean enrolling in community college upper division classes? Also any advice on other extracurricular activities I should be involved in? I am going to start working in a dental lab this summer
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I wouldn't recommend taking those upper division courses at a community college as there are some schools who do not allow those credits for prerequisite courses (I believe Tufts doesn't accept them). I would contact the dental schools though to see if it's acceptable just to be sure because it has been done before. Like echoed above, try looking at a 4-year school to take those. That's what I did. I took a gap year after I graduated from college and during that year I've enrolled in A&P I & II with labs, biochemistry, and a couple others as my "post-bacc" to raise my GPA while working in a dental office. You have to make sure you get all A's though from here on out. I wasn't able to take many courses due to my job and the inconvenience of having to coordinate with what's offered at the school, but for me, 14 credits of straight A's only raised my overall GPA by 0.06 and my science GPA by 0.2. As you can see, it's not by much at all, but it was enough to make me in better standing at a now 3.3 oGPA and 3.1 sGPA. Since finances are a concern for you, I'm not sure whether cherry-picking courses a la carte is going to be a cheaper alternative vs. an established Masters program considering a 2.7 GPA is going to require a good amount of courses and A's to raise it. If I was in your position, I'd shoot for a Masters and work your butt off.

I also wouldn't worry about gaining more extracurriculars. That dental lab work sounds good! Just focus on your grades from here on out and be well prepared for the DAT. Good luck!

P.S. I, too, also was involved with obesity research 😀
 
okiedokeartichoke said:
I wouldn't recommend taking those upper division courses at a community college as there are some schools who do not allow those credits for prerequisite courses (I believe Tufts doesn't accept them). I would contact the dental schools though to see if it's acceptable just to be sure because it has been done before. Like echoed above, try looking at a 4-year school to take those. That's what I did. I took a gap year after I graduated from college and during that year I've enrolled in A&P I & II with labs, biochemistry, and a couple others as my "post-bacc" to raise my GPA while working in a dental office. You have to make sure you get all A's though from here on out. I wasn't able to take many courses due to my job and the inconvenience of having to coordinate with what's offered at the school, but for me, 14 credits of straight A's only raised my overall GPA by 0.06 and my science GPA by 0.2. As you can see, it's not by much at all, but it was enough to make me in better standing at a now 3.3 oGPA and 3.1 sGPA. Since finances are a concern for you, I'm not sure whether cherry-picking courses a la carte is going to be a cheaper alternative vs. an established Masters program considering a 2.7 GPA is going to require a good amount of courses and A's to raise it. If I was in your position, I'd shoot for a Masters and work your butt off.

I also wouldn't worry about gaining more extracurriculars. That dental lab work sounds good! Just focus on your grades from here on out and be well prepared for the DAT. Good luck!

P.S. I, too, also was involved with obesity research 😀
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Thanks so much for the help! I am a public health major any suggestions on what master program would be best for me?
 
Illumident said:
I doubt community colleges offer upper division science courses. Community colleges were designed for 2 years' worth of lower division courses prior to transferring to a 4-year university for upper division courses. To answer your question, you may need to look into classes at a 4-year university (most likely the one you graduated from, or at a university close to home). The university I graduated from allowed post-grads to enroll in extension courses without being in a formal post-bacc or master's program, but paying a couple hundred dollars for each unit taken. Know that what you need to do to raise your GPA won't come cheap.

As far as ECs, I always tell students to do what they enjoy, be it lab work, volunteering, teaching, working, etc. There are thousands of students applying with the standard shadowing and research hours, but you'll have more to talk about in your essays and interviews with some life experience if you do things you enjoy.

What's most important for you to focus on right now are really your GPA and DAT.
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Thanks for the help! I think I might try to take classes at a local university or a masters program
 
DentalStudent2018 said:
Thanks so much for the help! I am a public health major any suggestions on what master program would be best for me?
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I'm not sure to be honest. There are Masters programs more geared towards dental school. I know Temple offers one and Rutgers and BU both have programs for an Oral Biology/Health Sciences MS. Some schools also offer real post-bacc programs to prepare them for dental schools and that's more geared towards career changers and/or people with low GPA's and need upper division courses. I'm not an expert on this, so please do some research yourself to get the right information and see what's offered out there to help you 🙂 Search through the past SDN threads and Google. That's how I got the idea of doing my abbreviated version of an "unofficial post-bacc". And just so you know, whatever grades you get from a Masters will not add to your undergraduate GPA. They will be separate, which may be a plus so you can start from a clean slate, so to speak.
 
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Hi all,

So I have a bit of a unique situation. I am in a similar situation as OP; however, my GPA is far lower. 2.401 science gpa and 2.562 cumulative gpa. I graduated in May of 2017, and I am enrolled in a MA program that was reccommended to me by a dental school.

My college career was very different from my performance in HS. I was a pretty good student in Highschool, but after not getting into my dream college and slightly giving up on myself from that, my college career sucked. I also had a spinal injury my junior year, which caused my gpa to plumet as well. I ended up making 3 Fs in one semester due to it.

So my question for you all is, if I do a science heavy masters, and honestly try my best to turn this show around with a 3.8+ masters gpa and DAT score of 23+, will I have a chance? I am asian american, so I know that statistics will be working against me, but I am trying to understand if I should purse this, since it is my dream. Will a masters be better than retaking classes? Or should I do both??

My E.C.s: I have 3 years of undergraduate reserach experience, with one award winning poster presentation, and one publication which I am a co-author on. I also have my CNA certification with 200+ clinical work hours and 150 volunteer hours at a non-profit clinic during my 4 years. I was an executive member for 3 yrs. of a reserach honors society in my university, where I did a lot (ALOT) of volunteer and service work

Tell me the bleak honest truth. I can handle it. I know I am a hardworker and very smart. I just lost hope and confidence in myself for a while.
 
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FeralisExtremum said:
How did you do in your core pre-reqs and any upper level sciences you've taken so far, in terms of specific grades? If you got anything below a C (including a C-) retaking may not even be an option, it's more of a necessity.
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Here are my grades in my core pre-reqs:

***Please note, I retook ALL of these classes during undergrad with my whole spinal injury stuff, so even the retaken class grades aren't as good as they should be.

English I: B-
English II (Retaken 3x): F, F, B-

Biology I: B
Biology II: C+

General Chem I: C+
Genderal Chem II (Retaken 2x): C-,C+

Organic Chemistry I (Retaken 3x): D-, F, C
Organic Chemistry II: C

Physics I (Retaken 2x): D, B-
Physics II: C-

Genetics (Retaken 3x): D, F, B-

Calculus I: B+
Calculus II (Retaken 3x): D-, F, A

Microbiology: B
 
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harrypotterfanatic said:
Here are my grades in my core pre-reqs:

English I: B-
English II (Retaken 3x): F, F, B-

Biology I: B
Biology II: C+

General Chem I: C+
Genderal Chem II (Retaken 2x): C-,C+

Organic Chemistry I (Retaken 3x): D-, F, C
Organic Chemistry II: C

Physics I (Retaken 2x): D, B-
Physics II: C-

Genetics (Retaken 3x): D, F, B-

Calculus I: B+
Calculus II (Retaken 3x): D-, F, A

Microbiology: B
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You should not apply to dental school. Based on your previous attempts it is evident that you will not be able to handle it, it would be a waste of money. Sorry, consider coding or an apprenticeship.
 
harrypotterfanatic said:
But, I am only 21. Can I not turn this around?
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I just dont see how you can achieve a 23 DAT when it took you three times to get a C in Orgo. I got a 22 and had A's in Orgo 1 and Orgo 2. There is a block somewhere and you need some help figuring it out. Were you parting too much? Were you REALLY studying in the library? Were you seeking help? It seems these actions would be representative of your future performance. MAYBE you could turn it around but you retook so many classes, I feel as if there was some lesson you did not learn. In dentistry you wont get those redos. Competition is fierce. It would take alot of money and EXTREME effort to turn this around I just think you would have a better chance doing something else.
 
harrypotterfanatic said:
Here are my grades in my core pre-reqs:

***Please note, I retook ALL of these classes during undergrad with my whole spinal injury stuff, so even the retaken class grades aren't as good as they should be.

English I: B-
English II (Retaken 3x): F, F, B-

Biology I: B
Biology II: C+

General Chem I: C+
Genderal Chem II (Retaken 2x): C-,C+

Organic Chemistry I (Retaken 3x): D-, F, C
Organic Chemistry II: C

Physics I (Retaken 2x): D, B-
Physics II: C-

Genetics (Retaken 3x): D, F, B-

Calculus I: B+
Calculus II (Retaken 3x): D-, F, A

Microbiology: B
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Just to be clear, is 2.7 your calculated GPA including the retakes as separate classes? Or is it 2.7 using grade replacement?
 
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harrypotterfanatic said:
Here are my grades in my core pre-reqs:

***Please note, I retook ALL of these classes during undergrad with my whole spinal injury stuff, so even the retaken class grades aren't as good as they should be.

English I: B-
English II (Retaken 3x): F, F, B-

Biology I: B
Biology II: C+

General Chem I: C+
Genderal Chem II (Retaken 2x): C-,C+

Organic Chemistry I (Retaken 3x): D-, F, C
Organic Chemistry II: C

Physics I (Retaken 2x): D, B-
Physics II: C-

Genetics (Retaken 3x): D, F, B-

Calculus I: B+
Calculus II (Retaken 3x): D-, F, A

Microbiology: B
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The science gpa (and cgpa) that aadsas will calculate from that transcript will be dismal compared to your initial numbers. A Masters will not be enough to compensate for that...
 
Garett24 said:
I just dont see how you can achieve a 23 DAT when it took you three times to get a C in Orgo. I got a 22 and had A's in Orgo 1 and Orgo 2. There is a block somewhere and you need some help figuring it out. Were you parting too much? Were you REALLY studying in the library? Were you seeking help? It seems these actions would be representative of your future performance. MAYBE you could turn it around but you retook so many classes, I feel as if there was some lesson you did not learn. In dentistry you wont get those redos. Competition is fierce. It would take alot of money and EXTREME effort to turn this around I just think you would have a better chance doing something else.
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I'm going to have to agree here.
 
eldmd_32 said:
The science gpa (and cgpa) that aadsas will calculate from that transcript will be dismal compared to your initial numbers. A Masters will not be enough to compensate for that...
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What would you suggest? Retaking the courses a final time, which would be 24 credit hours to retake, and then apply to an SMP or masters program (thesis-based) and ensure I do good? Because thats the only route I can think of.

Money is not an issue for me because I already know I will be needing to take out loans. I do not have an debt from undergrad, but I know a post-bacc will cost $15000 for an instate school, and a masters would cost $21000 for an instate school as well, but I believe I can get financial aid for that.


And I do understand if I don't retake those classes and make an A, I will do poorly on the DAT regardless. But, do you guys feel this is a good course of action?
 
harrypotterfanatic said:
What would you suggest? Retaking the courses a final time, which would be 24 credit hours to retake, and then apply to an SMP or masters program (thesis-based) and ensure I do good? Because thats the only route I can think of.

Money is not an issue for me because I already know I will be needing to take out loans. I do not have an debt from undergrad, but I know a post-bacc will cost $15000 for an instate school, and a masters would cost $21000 for an instate school as well, but I believe I can get financial aid for that.


And I do understand if I don't retake those classes and make an A, I will do poorly on the DAT regardless. But, do you guys feel this is a good course of action?
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It doesn't seem to be in the cards for you. You've already exhausted the "retake the courses" path. Anyone who retakes a class 3 or 4 times should make an A. Your best bet would be finding a different career, giving it some time, and then later on in life you could give it another shot.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
I'm back on to this thread because I have more questions. I just completed my first semester of graduate school with a 4.0 GPA. I am very happy with myself because those courses were extremely difficult. I want to ask now, again, if I maintain a 3.7-4.0 graduate gpa, will I not have a chance then to get into Dental School? I hardly see the answer being no now, since I am doing well in courses that are much harder than those that I took in undergrad. As for the DAT, I am starting to study for it now, so by 2019, I will be ready to take it. Just wanted to hear everyones thoughts, since last time it seemed like I had no hope.
 
harrypotterfanatic said:
I'm back on to this thread because I have more questions. I just completed my first semester of graduate school with a 4.0 GPA. I am very happy with myself because those courses were extremely difficult. I want to ask now, again, if I maintain a 3.7-4.0 graduate gpa, will I not have a chance then to get into Dental School? I hardly see the answer being no now, since I am doing well in courses that are much harder than those that I took in undergrad. As for the DAT, I am starting to study for it now, so by 2019, I will be ready to take it. Just wanted to hear everyones thoughts, since last time it seemed like I had no hope.
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I think you should be good, just do well on DAT and don't apply to schools that have strict 3.0 cutoffs
 
Dio Ether said:
I think you should be good, just do well on DAT and don't apply to schools that have strict 3.0 cutoffs
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Is there any tips you can give me based on what you see on this thread that will make me a more competitive applicant? Such as, what are best ways to study organic chemistry and general chemistry? And how many hours of shadowing/volunteering should I have based on my grades to be more competitive? Any feedback would be great. Thank you Dio Ether!
 
harrypotterfanatic said:
Is there any tips you can give me based on what you see on this thread that will make me a more competitive applicant? Such as, what are best ways to study organic chemistry and general chemistry? And how many hours of shadowing/volunteering should I have based on my grades to be more competitive? Any feedback would be great. Thank you Dio Ether!
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Do practice problems for organic and general chemistry. All your science letter of recommendations should be from your Masters program. Also if your school has a committee letter, you should use it to fit all your letter of recommendation from science, and extracurricular activities.

I don't see any dental shadowing experience from the post you wrote above, try to get as much shadowing hour as possible because you will need a letter of recommendation from a dentist.

On your personal statement, you need to mention your academic downfall and how you manage to overcome that through your Masters program (hopefully)

Keep up your good work on your Masters program and do well on your DAT.
 
Here are my grades in my core pre-reqs:
My cGPA is 2.96 and sGPA is 2.86


English I: B
English II: A

Biology I: B
Biology II: C+

General Chem I: C+
General Chem II :C+

Organic Chemistry I (Retaken 2x): C, B-
Organic Chemistry II(Retaken 3x): F,F,A

Physics I: B+
Physics II: A-

Genetics: D

Calculus I: B+
Calculus II (Retaken 3x): D-, F, A

Microbiology: C
Cell Biology (Retaken 2x): D,C

Statistics : B-

What do you guys suggest? Should I do post-bacc or apply for master program?
 
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This is not a correct calculation. You didn’t give lab grades so it may be off but from what you posted the aadsas calculated BCP would be 2.06. Aadsas doesn’t calculated with +/-.
 
mathabhare said:
Sorry I made mistake with the Calc grade and this is the updated with all the lab grades.



English I: B
English II: A

Biology I/Lab: B / B
Biology II/Lab: C+ / B

General Chem I/ Lab: C+ /C
General Chem II/ Lab :C+/ B

Organic Chemistry I (Retaken 2x)/ Lab: C, B- / B
Organic Chemistry II(Retaken 3x)/ Lab: F,F,A / A

Physics I/ Lab: B+/ A
Physics II/ Lab: A-/ A

Genetics/ Lab: D/B

Calculus I: C

Microbiology/ Lab: C/ C
Cell Biology (Retaken 2x)/ Lab: D,C/ B

Statistics : B-
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