Need Help! Very Confused and Lost.

[Coolman]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi, I know this is very late writing this and for that I feel very lost and confused. Hopefully you guys can help me out because i feel very helpless right now. Here's the situation.

I'm from texas and I went to UT-Austin. I graduated this past may. I haven't finished my TMDSAS app yet (just have the personal statement to do) but the application deadline is Nov. 1. I've been studying for the past couple of months for the DAT which I was planning on taking next thursday. My gpa is 2.8-2.9. So my question to you guys is....should i just wait and apply for 2006 because its way to late now 🙁 Or should I still apply to the AADSAS schools (an app i'm almost done as well). I don't know what to do and I wish i was more prepared than I was now. I need some guidance. Thanks

If i wait until 2006, I was going to for the next year plan on shadowing and maybe take school again to raise that gpa. Advice is much needed. Thanks again 😳


EDIT: Please be honest and truthful. I know my grades are terrible and all, I just need the straight honest truth.

 

[msf41]

The good news is that if you want to be a dentist, all hope is not lost. You can still live your dream, but it might take you a little longer than you thought. I think you should wait and apply next year. (Take my advice with a grain of salt because I'm not accepted anywhere yet so I don't count myself as an expert).

First of all your gpa just isn't competitive. Perhaps if you were applying to texas schools only, you might have a better chance, but outside of texas you have little chance. Cut off for gpa at most schools is 3.0, so schools won't even give your application a second look (sorry, but that is the truth).

Unless you are really scoring well (18-20) on practice dat's (like Topscore, and Kaplan) than I would not take the DAT now. Keep studying until you are scoring well on the practice tests to take it. So if you dont take the DAT till next May-june, don't worry about it.

In the mean time between now and May of next year (when you fill out aadsas), get serious about school and pull up that gpa into the 3.0 range. If you are working, maybe consider taking loans to focus totally on school. If there are other things distracting you from school, consider if those things are important enough to throw away your future for.

If you haven't shadowed many dentists (3-4) for 40 hours or more, than I would consider doing that between now and June.

I know that you probobly don't like the idea of waiting another year to go to dental school, but in times like this you need to look at the BIG picture. In 10 years when you are a dentist with your own practice, you won't care that you spent an extra year getting into dental school. Don't get discouraged and start thinking about doing something else at this point.

good luck. 👍 👍

 

[Coolman]

thanks for the advice. I've been studying at kaplan the past couple of months and I feel that I can, if taken now or soon, can score in the 17-19 range all the way around but probably with my gpa, to overlook such a low statistic, i probably have to score in the 21-22's right?

I wish i wouldve looked on this forum a lot more, but everytime I look at it, I feel very overwhelmed and looking at other people's gpa's and dat scores really intimidate me. Its still possible for a 2.9 gpa to get into dental school right?

 

[vasco]

Its still possible for a 2.9 gpa to get into dental school right?

Oh ya. Happens all of the time. Two of my good friends last year got into dental school with a below a 3.0. One of my friends had a 2.8 and a 20 DAT and he got accepted to Tufts, UNLV, Pittsburgh, NYU.

My other friend had a 2.9 and a 19 and he got into temple and UNLV and waitlisted at VCU.

So there is definitely hope.

Regarding your situation you need to look at it this way....do you want to wait a year to go to dental school? If you don't then why not apply now? Finish your applications, rock the dat and you'll have a shot for this cycle. If you do want to wait a year, then your plan to raise your gpa and app. credentials is awesome and applying early next year will almost guarantee you a spot.

Anyway if you don't want to wait a year...apply now and see what happens. Make sure you apply to the right schools though.

Good luck on the DAT.

 

[Coolman]

thanks for the encouragement. I was thinking about applying to some schools right now in the AADSAS but I don't know where to start. I've looked up a couple of schools (Columbia, NYU, etc. ) but i don't know where they are concerning my stats; if i would be competitive there and if i really have a chance.

I guess if i apply for the 2006 cycle, I would have plenty of time to research the schools that are best fit for me and to make the best decisions possible. I just don't want to waste a not one year but essentially 2 years of my life. Im ready to get on with my life and make some money. I can't stand this transition (post-undergrad to hoping for dental school)

So here's my 2 plans as of right now:

Plan A: Apply to TMDSAS and AADSAS, write a rushed personal statement, take the DAT's next week and hopefully do well, shadow my dentist starting in a couple of weeks and apply to the University of Houston to take 1-2 classes in the spring.

Plan B: Put off applying until May of next year (for the 2006 cycle). Shadow my dentist starting now (or look for a dental job), Apply for University of Houston in the spring and take my DAT's in March (obviously more prepared).

So Which one do you guys think is the best plan? Plan A is possible but will be rushed while Plan B gives me all the time in the world to get things right from the beginning so that i'll apply early and with the extra time ace the DATs. Thanks for the help guys. 🙂

 

[wimmcs]

thanks for the encouragement. I was thinking about applying to some schools right now in the AADSAS but I don't know where to start. I've looked up a couple of schools (Columbia, NYU, etc. ) but i don't know where they are concerning my stats; if i would be competitive there and if i really have a chance.

I guess if i apply for the 2006 cycle, I would have plenty of time to research the schools that are best fit for me and to make the best decisions possible. I just don't want to waste a not one year but essentially 2 years of my life. Im ready to get on with my life and make some money. I can't stand this transition (post-undergrad to hoping for dental school)

So here's my 2 plans as of right now:

Plan A: Apply to TMDSAS and AADSAS, write a rushed personal statement, take the DAT's next week and hopefully do well, shadow my dentist starting in a couple of weeks and apply to the University of Houston to take 1-2 classes in the spring.

Plan B: Put off applying until May of next year (for the 2006 cycle). Shadow my dentist starting now (or look for a dental job), Apply for University of Houston in the spring and take my DAT's in March (obviously more prepared).

So Which one do you guys think is the best plan? Plan A is possible but will be rushed while Plan B gives me all the time in the world to get things right from the beginning so that i'll apply early and with the extra time ace the DATs. Thanks for the help guys. 🙂

From personal experience... take plan B. Let me tell you a little about my situation, so you may be able to relate. Last year I applied right around December! (very few schools though) I just didn't want to wait another year. I rushed to apply and was just about ready to take the DAT in late January... long story short I never felt comfortable rushing the DAT since I knew I didn't want to take it a second time and I didn't feel ready for it at that time. So, I decided to wait; I studied during the summer and took it at the end of summer/beg of fall. In the meantime I was able to take a number of upper division science classes that will accomplish 2 things: 1. help me understand the concept so that I don't struggle so much during d-school 2. show adcoms that I can take a full load science classes and do well. I have a non-science degree, so that's why the second reason was important to me. I definitely feel more confident now than last year... I wonder if I would have been as "prepared" last year to attend d-school... maybe, maybe not. Good luck and I would highly recommend against a rushed personal statement and a rushed DAT, since it will be obvious to adcoms, since they see thousands of them. Also, I felt kind of bad applying this year and having to say I had applied once before... I wondered if they wondered why I never got in to begin with... just a small fear I had this time when I applied. Good luck!!

 

[DMD_hopeful]

I've looked up a couple of schools (Columbia, NYU, etc. ) but i don't know where they are concerning my stats; if i would be competitive there and if i really have a chance.

This site has some stats that might help you out. just remember they are averages.

http://lifesci.rutgers.edu/~hpo/dstats.htm

 

[mochafreak]

I think Plan B is the way to go for us under 3.0. It seems that the majority of people believe that getting the GPA up to the magical 3.0 gives you a much better shot than a 2.8/2.9. I only hope that's still true, because the highest I can realistically raise mine is 3.08 and the admissions cycle this year seems pretty harsh...I'm guessing next year will be worse yet.

 

[BeachLuvr]

Things that are rushed usually aren't right. Take your time...a year...is just a year, it'll fly by. If you applied now and things went awry, that's a lot of money...a lot of disappointment. If you wait now, you can save more ... financially, emotionally, and just overall be in a better state to apply. You can do it ~

Just my $0.2

🙂

Beachluvr

 

[Coolman]

thanks guys

question: i've graduated from undergrad already. Do you think its a good idea to keep on taking a few classes in the spring or do you think its best to just shadow a dentist and work part-time? And if the suggestion is to take further schooling, how many classes should i take? Keep in mind its only for the spring semester.

thanks