Low under grad gpa and average DAT score

[osman.muhammd.shareef]

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[macsak]

how many semesters are you in for your masters and what is your graduate GPA?

 

[osman.muhammd.shareef]

how many semesters are you in for your masters and what is your graduate GPA?

I just started my first semester.

 

[macsak]

I just started my first semester.

are you URM?

 

[osman.muhammd.shareef]

are you URM?

Does Asian count as a URM?

 

[osman.muhammd.shareef]

Hi so I'm reapplying but applied last year in basically the exact same position. Super similar stats and an upward trend, my AA was a 22 but that's basically the only difference. Last year I had two interviews and got one rejection and one waitlist after them. I finished my masters with a 4.0 and already have 3 interviews this cycle and only applied to a handful of schools I really want to attend. I think you have a chance but it depends on the school, some schools will want to see how you perform in your masters and wait until the January.

The Master's will definitely help but it honestly might be more effective for applications if you have to reapply. I would make sure you are staying involved and taking advantage of grad school opportunities. For example, I was a TA for full body gross anatomy and that professor wrote me a LOR which strengthened my experiences, dexterity and application as a whole.

So, don't lose hope, you may have to wait until spring but make sure you aim for a 4.0 in the Master's and keep updating your application with experiences and opportunities.

Congratulations on your interviews! Thank you for the advice, I will keep updating my application. I don't want to mess up this semester so I am mostly focusing on volunteering at a free dental clinic and getting good grades. Do you think it's necessary to do other things like research or work?

 

[macsak]

Does Asian count as a URM?

no, sorry

 

[macsak]

Congratulations on your interviews! Thank you for the advice, I will keep updating my application. I don't want to mess up this semester so I am mostly focusing on volunteering at a free dental clinic and getting good grades. Do you think it's necessary to do other things like research or work?

do not research or work, concentrate on getting a 4.0
it's the only way you can show dental schools you can handle an advanced curriculum

 

[osman.muhammd.shareef]

Research and work are definitely optional. I know people in my master's did research because that was always something they were involved in but I choose to do mostly community service (I volunteered at a children's hospital and lead health focused discussions at community cooking classes) and I was a TA. It's definitely about balance. You have to prioritize grades and doing well but also keep active. Especially since you can't update any grad class grades until December and it usually takes a while. Last year I got a rejection a day before my new grades were verified to schools and I was so frustrated. But you can keep activities updated and stay in communication.

That being said, I would definitely be ready to wait til post-december for interviews and be ready for questions on GPA and proving that you can handle classes for dental school.

Yeah I’m going to continue doing stuff while I’m waiting, perhaps I could look for a dental assisting job. I talked about my low gpa in my personal statement. Should I also retake the DAT?

 

[deleted945327]

Yeah I’m going to continue doing stuff while I’m waiting, perhaps I could look for a dental assisting job. I talked about my low gpa in my personal statement. Should I also retake the DAT?

No offense but it was definitely not a good idea to include your GPA in your personal statement. They don’t want to see anything in your personal statement that can be found somewhere else in your application. Grades speak for themselves and anyone can give an excuse on why they did poorly. Also, I would advise not to retake the DAT and if you don’t get in this cycle, get a masters and you’ll be good. Not going to lie either, I think you have a good shot depending on when you sent in all your secondaries. They will see you’re in a masters program and will most likely hold off giving you an acceptance (for some schools) until they see that new semester. Other than that, I wouldn’t sweat it and just be patient. I had people on here telling me I didn’t have a chance and should apply next cycle with my stats to better my chances, still ended up so far with 2 interviews out of the 12 schools I applied to. There’s too many overachievers on SDN, you got this.

 

[osman.muhammd.shareef]

No offense but it was definitely not a good idea to include your GPA in your personal statement. They don’t want to see anything in your personal statement that can be found somewhere else in your application. Grades speak for themselves and anyone can give an excuse on why they did poorly. Also, I would advise not to retake the DAT and if you don’t get in this cycle, get a masters and you’ll be good. Not going to lie either, I think you have a good shot depending on when you sent in all your secondaries. They will see you’re in a masters program and will most likely hold off giving you an acceptance (for some schools) until they see that new semester. Other than that, I wouldn’t sweat it and just be patient. I had people on here telling me I didn’t have a chance and should apply next cycle with my stats to better my chances, still ended up so far with 2 interviews out of the 12 schools I applied to. There’s too many overachievers on SDN, you got this.

Ohh I was told that I should address the issue in my personal statement. I submitted most of my secondaries in the second week of August. Yeah, I figured they would probably wait for my first semester grades. Lol I hope it all works out!