Low GPA

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karntrev

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I know that I have a low GPA and I know that there will be some of you who will be rude and tell me that I have no chance to be a dentist so give up. But I am looking for some honest advice. I have a 3.0 GPA, and scored a 19 overall on the DAT, I applied this year and go figure I did not get in. I graduate in May and will reapply next year. I have been accepted to a couple of masters programs. I am curious if I improve my GPA in graduate school will it help? If anyone out there has done the same thing, I would like to hear your advice and if it helped you get into dental school. I realize that I have a tough road ahead of me to get into dental school, but I am not just going to give up.
 
karntrev said:
I know that I have a low GPA and I know that there will be some of you who will be rude and tell me that I have no chance to be a dentist so give up. But I am looking for some honest advice. I have a 3.0 GPA, and scored a 19 overall on the DAT, I applied this year and go figure I did not get in. I graduate in May and will reapply next year. I have been accepted to a couple of masters programs. I am curious if I improve my GPA in graduate school will it help? If anyone out there has done the same thing, I would like to hear your advice and if it helped you get into dental school. I realize that I have a tough road ahead of me to get into dental school, but I am not just going to give up.

Hello applicant,

I think that enrolling in a graduate program will help you since a C is considered FAILING so most people get As and Bs in a Master program. Even if you do average work, you will get a B. Now, make sure that the classes you take is the graduate class because if it is an undergraduate level, you WILL get C for your average work. That means you will be kicked out of grad school and pretty much kiss your dental dream good bye. DP
 
it's do or die time for you. i'm sure that with such motivation you'll do much better in grad school.

also, pad up your resume with some dental related activity. look if your undergrad has any predent club, etc etc. or maybe you can go online and search for dental clinics in your area for volunteering. opportunities are out there; you just gotta put some work into it. good luck and keeo your head up 😳
 
I've noticed many people on SDN that have been accepted to D-School with sub 3.0 undergrad grades have gone onto grad school and pulled off 3.8 plus grades in their post grad. It worked for them, I see no reason why it can't work for you.
 
hmm...
i'm around a 3.0 GPA also and i know it's below average..but couldn't you take the DATs over again and score higher?..i'm sure if you can work a little more and score above 20's (which i am aiming for)..i'm sure you can give it a try. But grad school doesn't sound like a bad idea either. I am a junior and will be applying myself this May/June. If i dont get in..i'm going to reapply (so don't give your hopes up) but i'm just thinking about doing a 5th year and minoring at something while boosting up GPA. Honestly i think i'm going to go psycho at this stage becuase of all the pressure and doubts...but! NEVER giving up is key 🙂

btw. were your GPA's low for all semesters?..or was it becuase 1 or 2 semesters messed you up?
 
Do people get more for their money/time by taking additional undergrad science classes as a postbac and raising their undergrad gpa or by taking grad courses?

I know the consensus among the premeds at my University is that upping the undergrad gpa via postbac courses has a larger impact than a strong graduate gpa.

Just something to think about.
 
Yellow Snow said:
Do people get more for their money/time by taking additional undergrad science classes as a postbac and raising their undergrad gpa or by taking grad courses?

I know the consensus among the premeds at my University is that upping the undergrad gpa via postbac courses has a larger impact than a strong graduate gpa.

Just something to think about.
Somebody needs to respond to this.....I have the same concern.
 
Yellow Snow said:
Do people get more for their money/time by taking additional undergrad science classes as a postbac and raising their undergrad gpa or by taking grad courses?

I know the consensus among the premeds at my University is that upping the undergrad gpa via postbac courses has a larger impact than a strong graduate gpa.

it depends how many courses u are taking. if u want to improve your undergrad gpa, u can take courses, but realize that a few classes will barely improve your gpa after 4 years of undergrad work. for instance, i have taken 4 classes since graduating, and my gpa has only gone up maybe 0.02 points (and i got A's in all these classes). but for me, i knew i wouldnt be able to really change my very low gpa but i wanted to show that i can handle upper-level science courses, and also to show that all of my grades now show a positive trend (emphasizing that all of my low grades were from my freshman and sophomore years). so if u want to improve your gpa, be prepared to take a lot of classes... i would say a full year commitment, with almost a full credit load each semester.

now if u do a graduate program, your undergrad gpa wont change, but u have a chance to "start from scratch" and show that u can get really great grades while taking advanced level classes.

either way, u are looking at at least a year (maybe 2) to either take lots of classes to boost your undergrad gpa, or to complete a grad program. if u just want to show that u can handle upper-level courses, i would just take a few more courses. if your gpa is horrible, then i would go with the grad level program.
 
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