Low science GPA...advice please

[Cofo]

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My cumGPA is 3.51
My sciGPA is 2.95 🙁

I'm hoping to get 20's on the DAT in every section.
I am thinking my sciGPA will screw me up though, so...I was thinking after I take the DAT and apply to dental schools this May, should I take 2 science courses during the summer in order to improve my sciGPA?
If I make A's or B's in them, then I will improve my sciGPA and get it over the 3.0 mark...then when I get the grades in, I could send my new sciGPA to the dental schools to which I applied to. Does this sound like a good plan?

 

[Major Groove]

You may not be as bad off as you think. In my case, I was a young rock 'n roller (in a band and playing shows all the time) so school was my second (or third or eighth... ) priority. During those years my grades were...uh... bad.

Now the advantage was that I never took Physics, Chemistry, Bio or OChem.

When I finally gave up on the rock star dream and committed myself to the Dentistry dream (way better deal, btw), I got rock star grades in sciences.

Problem was I had taken Photography, Electronics, Audio Engineering and so on.

Is that science?!

No.

PHEW!!

What I did do in my later years was HIRE A TUTOR!! Tutors are a great resource and without one I could not have made an A in OChem 1. A B, maybe, but not an A. Great investment!

Pre-Dents tend to be very strong students and the idea of seeking help may seem foreign or "not for me," but trust me it could make the difference. Actually I work at a lab and despite the fact that I will be entering dental school, I still ask for help.

I stop what I'm doing, bring it to one of the veterans and say, "hey, is this any good?"

Consequently my work is generally A+. Why? I use the community around me for support and guidance. The patient doesn't care why the denture is awesome, it just is.

And in your case the dental school doesn't care how you got the awesome grades (as long as you did it ethically!!)

 

[MacPreDent]

So is sGPA based on first year science courses or any Bio,chem and physics courses?

 

[dentalWorks]

The best way to improve your science GPA, is by taking science courses and getting 3.5-4.0 (A- to A) grade. Don't just allow your grade to drop down to B's cause, its just hard to bring up your sGPA without Solid A's

You see, my situation is opposite to yours. My overall GPA is about 3.2-3.3 but my science is about 3.6-3.7-ish. And pretty much every dental school I've called regarding my concern about how my sGPA is higher than my oGPA told me that they favor sGPA over oGPA so I should be in okay shape.

The good news for you is, your sGPA is not that bad off, I mean you can easily bring that 2.95 to something like a 3.4-3.5 within a matter of 1 year of post-bacc courses. Obviously Im only suggesting that incase you apply this year and don't get in.

Good luck on your DAT and applying this year

 

[Cofo]

bump

 

[aries12r40]

I think it depends on how many science classes you have already taken. If you took a lot of classes already, then it will be difficult to make the sGPA to go beyond 3.2. Sure it will be quick to boost the GPA from 2.9 to 3.0, but you will begin to see how slow your GPA climb upward after it reaches 3.0. You also need to be aware that AADSAS have a specific way of calculating your sGPA, so not necessary all the science classes would qualify to be count into the AADSAS sGPA.

Although you may hear a lot of stories about people with extremely low sGPA or overall GPA (like barely 3.0) getting into dental schools, you need to understand that these are just a small group of people and you may not be that lucky one (I am not trying to be mean or harsh, I am just being conservative when come to scenario like this one). So if I were you, I would play it safe and bring up my sGPA to at least a 3.3. This may take a long time and a lot of effort, but if you are really determined, you can do it. I would recommend you to take as many upper division Bio or Chem courses as you can while you are at your undergrad university to show a strong upward trend and your ability to handle courses at the upper division level. Then if your GPA is still not good enough, then pursue a postbac or master's program to further boost your GPA. For the postbac and Master's, try to aim for those that are in the Biology or Chemistry departments so the courses you take will be count toward your science GPA. The key is to demonstrate to dental schools that you can handle the rigorous courses at dental school. And there are two ways to do so, 1. high DAT score (i.e. 20 and above), and 2. strong upward trend (GPA of at least 3.5) for about 2-3 years. Both GPA and DAT are equally important. These suggestions are base on my personal experience, and hope it will help. Good luck!

 

[aries12r40]

So is sGPA based on first year science courses or any Bio,chem and physics courses?

If I remember correctly, GChem, OChem, General Bio, Physics, Calculus, and most of the upper division Bio and Chem classes will count into AADSAS sGPA. Be careful that psychology and nutrition courses don't count as part of your AADSAS sGPA. You can always go to AADSAS to find out, they have a specific guideline about how you calculate your GPA and what counts into the science and non-science category.

 

[joonkimdds]

If I were you, I will spend either couple of years taking science classes and get all A or take post bac and get all A.