New to the Predent World w/ alot of flaws

[vpannu]

hello everyone, I have been reading through the forums and everyone here is very encouragins, helpful and informative. Tonight i decided that I wanted to switch from Pre-med to pre-dent because it involves medical aspect still, you work with your hands, and the business aspect as well. Here is my problem, I have pretty low gpa, haven't taken the DAT yet, should I take some post bac courses? if so which ones? Should I apply and try my luck? Any kind of input would be greatly appreciated thanks everyone! Oh I don't know if it helps at this point but I am getting published twice in parasitology journals as I have been doing research for a year now. Thanks again!

BIOL 051 UG Principles of Biology D
MATH 005 UG Intrmd.College Algebra, No Lab C+
MENT 001 UG Mentor Seminar I B+
WRIT 021 UG Writing for College B
BIOL 061 UG Principles of Biology C
MATH 041 UG Pre-calculus C-
MENT 002 UG Mentor Seminar II B+
BIOL 051 UG Principles of Biology C-
CHEM 023 UG Elements of Chemistry C+
MATH 037 UG Intro. to Stats. & Probability B
BUSI 031 UG Prin. of Financial Accounting C
CHEM 025 UG General Chemistry I C
ECON 053 UG Introductory Microeconomics B-
BUSI 109 UG Management & Organiz. Behavior A 4
BUSI 033 UG Prin. of Managerial Accounting B+
COMP 025 UG Computers and Info. Processing A
ECON 055 UG Intro.Macroecon.:Theory,Policy B
PHYS 023 UG General Physics I A

GPA 2.81





COURSES IN PROGRESS
BUSI 100 UG Management Information Systems 4.000
Currently holding A
BUSI 107 UG Marketing Management 4.000
Currently holding B
CHEM 027 UG General Chemistry II 5.000
Currently holding C
PHYS 025 UG General Physics II 5.000
Currently holding C

OCHEM in summer

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[issa]

most of your science grades are low. graduate courses are harder than undergraduate courses. if you want a post-bach in science then you will have to take histology,biochemistry, and all other higher level science courses. if you think that you can get higher gpa then go for it, but if you don't imporve now then it will be hard for you to get into a dental school.

 

[rambo2006]

hello everyone, I have been reading through the forums and everyone here is very encouragins, helpful and informative. Tonight i decided that I wanted to switch from Pre-med to pre-dent because it involves medical aspect still, you work with your hands, and the business aspect as well. Here is my problem, I have pretty low gpa, haven't taken the DAT yet, should I take some post bac courses? if so which ones? Should I apply and try my luck? Any kind of input would be greatly appreciated thanks everyone! Oh I don't know if it helps at this point but I am getting published twice in parasitology journals as I have been doing research for a year now. Thanks again!

BIOL 051 UG Principles of Biology D
MATH 005 UG Intrmd.College Algebra, No Lab C+
MENT 001 UG Mentor Seminar I B+
WRIT 021 UG Writing for College B
BIOL 061 UG Principles of Biology C
MATH 041 UG Pre-calculus C-
MENT 002 UG Mentor Seminar II B+
BIOL 051 UG Principles of Biology C-
CHEM 023 UG Elements of Chemistry C+
MATH 037 UG Intro. to Stats. & Probability B
BUSI 031 UG Prin. of Financial Accounting C
CHEM 025 UG General Chemistry I C
ECON 053 UG Introductory Microeconomics B-
BUSI 109 UG Management & Organiz. Behavior A 4
BUSI 033 UG Prin. of Managerial Accounting B+
COMP 025 UG Computers and Info. Processing A
ECON 055 UG Intro.Macroecon.:Theory,Policy B
PHYS 023 UG General Physics I A

GPA 2.81

I would start shadowing a dentist so that you get your feet wet. Believe me, it makes a lot of difference. If you think you already know that this is what you want to do, then dont shy away from shadowing. If you arent sure, then shadow a dentist so that you waste no further time getting in the application process. Other then that, you would have to do pretty well on the DAT to show you have your science down well and finish off strong the current classes you are taking right now.

good luck!

 

[syn_apse]

BIOL 051 UG Principles of Biology D
BIOL 061 UG Principles of Biology C
BIOL 051 UG Principles of Biology C-
CHEM 023 UG Elements of Chemistry C+
CHEM 025 UG General Chemistry I C

COURSES IN PROGRESS
CHEM 027 UG General Chemistry II
Currently holding C
PHYS 025 UG General Physics II 5.000
Currently holding C

did you goof off during college or are you just not a strong science student? if it's the former, you still have an outside shot of getting into dental school if you can finish with overall/science GPAs > 3.0 and DAT scores around 20. i'm not going to lie though, adcoms are going to cringe at those basic science grades.

 

[INFNITE]

if you are struggling at those basic science courses, how are you going to handle advanced science courses dental schools throw at you? Do you work your tails off to get those grades? If you are, you may want to reconsider your career options. I'm not trying to discourage you or anything, I'm just telling you the truth. You have to be able to handle science courses to go through dental school. From looking at your grades, have you considered business and management a career option? You are doing much better in that type of courses in comparison to sciences.

you have to understand...not everyone can become dentists. Dental schools expect students with credentials that shows these students will be able to achieve academically especially in sciences. It will be very difficult for you to even get into dental school if your grades continue to show the same trend.

 

[vpannu]

yeah i goofed off alot freshman and sophmore year, i had no motivation to do well, family members were becoming terminally ill (i lost one already), depression and not caring about college results in those grades thanks for the advice everyone keep em coming!

 

[albodent]

yeah i goofed off alot freshman and sophmore year, i had no motivation to do well, family members were becoming terminally ill (i lost one already), depression and not caring about college results in those grades thanks for the advice everyone keep em coming!

Sorry to hear that......if you do well on your dat and have great extra-curriculars (shadowing, other volunteering, etc), you should get in somewhere.

 

[teefRcool]

From the looks of it your definitely not a dumb person. As i look at your grades one thing that stood out was the A in physics. Getting an A in physics i can definitely say is noooooo Jooke. There is no way of getting around that class without studying. And if you can handle that class as you just did, then you can most definitely handle the rest. Just get that focus back and you will be alright, seems like you have that going for you already. Keep at it and get 20+ on DAT and you should be fine. Wow i used the word definitely a lot.

 

[fightingspirit]

hello everyone, I have been reading through the forums and everyone here is very encouragins, helpful and informative. Tonight i decided that I wanted to switch from Pre-med to pre-dent because it involves medical aspect still, you work with your hands, and the business aspect as well. Here is my problem, I have pretty low gpa, haven't taken the DAT yet, should I take some post bac courses? if so which ones? Should I apply and try my luck? Any kind of input would be greatly appreciated thanks everyone! Oh I don't know if it helps at this point but I am getting published twice in parasitology journals as I have been doing research for a year now. Thanks again!

BIOL 051 UG Principles of Biology D
MATH 005 UG Intrmd.College Algebra, No Lab C+
MENT 001 UG Mentor Seminar I B+
WRIT 021 UG Writing for College B
BIOL 061 UG Principles of Biology C
MATH 041 UG Pre-calculus C-
MENT 002 UG Mentor Seminar II B+
BIOL 051 UG Principles of Biology C-
CHEM 023 UG Elements of Chemistry C+
MATH 037 UG Intro. to Stats. & Probability B
BUSI 031 UG Prin. of Financial Accounting C
CHEM 025 UG General Chemistry I C
ECON 053 UG Introductory Microeconomics B-
BUSI 109 UG Management & Organiz. Behavior A 4
BUSI 033 UG Prin. of Managerial Accounting B+
COMP 025 UG Computers and Info. Processing A
ECON 055 UG Intro.Macroecon.:Theory,Policy B
PHYS 023 UG General Physics I A

GPA 2.81





COURSES IN PROGRESS
BUSI 100 UG Management Information Systems 4.000
Currently holding A
BUSI 107 UG Marketing Management 4.000
Currently holding B
CHEM 027 UG General Chemistry II 5.000
Currently holding C
PHYS 025 UG General Physics II 5.000
Currently holding C

OCHEM in summer

i try not to judge people i dont know. i dont know you so what i will say is based on the information you've put above regarding your academic account. your performance on natural science courses is at best mediocre. on non-science courses, you seem to do average. your grades in principles of biol and pre-calc are a cause of great concern because they are indicative of poor reasoning and memorization skills. most professions involve some form of reasoning but the health professions, be it physician, dentist, or nurse, involve both reasoning and a whole lot of memorizarion. the fact that you are on SDN and now wish to switch to pre-dent shows that you do not lack the intellectual capacity to do well at school. the mediocrity is, thus, perhaps due to lack of diligence. health professions entail diligence due to the responsibility involved; the health professional's error is the patient's problem. all of the above plus the fact that you seem to perform better at accounting courses, leads me to think that the health professions are perhaps not the best fit for you. please do not consider this a perosnal attack on you.

if your GPA was 3.5 or above, then i would think that your switch to pre-dent is most likely genuine. but with your GPA and the type of non-science courses you take (money and finance stuff), you may be switching to pre-dent cus you might have thought of dent as the next best fortune-building profession after med. once again, i am not attacking; there is nothing wrong with desiring financial success.

my advice to you: consider becoming an accountant for health professionals. that way, you will combine your interest in accounting with your interest in healthcare. accountants who handle health care professionals tend to lead rewarding careers.

good luck.

 

[fightingspirit]

Sorry to hear that......if you do well on your dat and have great extra-curriculars (shadowing, other volunteering, etc), you should get in somewhere.

WTF does your signature mean?

 

[vpannu]

i try not to judge people i dont know. i dont know you so what i will say is based on the information you've put above regarding your academic account. your performance on natural science courses is at best mediocre. on non-science courses, you seem to do average. your grades in principles of biol and pre-calc are a cause of great concern because they are indicative of poor reasoning and memorization skills. most professions involve some form of reasoning but the health professions, be it physician, dentist, or nurse, involve both reasoning and a whole lot of memorizarion. the fact that you are on SDN and now wish to switch to pre-dent shows that you do not lack the intellectual capacity to do well at school. the mediocrity is, thus, perhaps due to lack of diligence. health professions entail diligence due to the responsibility involved; the health professional's error is the patient's problem. all of the above plus the fact that you seem to perform better at accounting courses, leads me to think that the health professions are perhaps not the best fit for you. please do not consider this a perosnal attack on you.

if your GPA was 3.5 or above, then i would think that your switch to pre-dent is most likely genuine. but with your GPA and the type of non-science courses you take (money and finance stuff), you may be switching to pre-dent cus you might have thought of dent as the next best fortune-building profession after med. once again, i am not attacking; there is nothing wrong with desiring financial success.

my advice to you: consider becoming an accountant for health professionals. that way, you will combine your interest in accounting with your interest in healthcare. accountants who handle health care professionals tend to lead rewarding careers.

good luck.

thanks for the input, i do see your reasoning behind your advice, but the fact of the matter is, business classes are easier. There isn't alot of in depth reading and test preparation is a breeze as the majority of these classes give you an outline of what to study and that same outline appears on the test. I love the medical field i know that for a fact I want to help people regarding their health but I want to use my hands as well, thats why I would like to pursue the dental field. thanks again for your input! I really do appreciate the discussion on my topic from you and everyone else on the forum. Keep your views and advices coming! thanks everyone!

 

[colt]

A 2.81 GPA isn't terrible at this point. If you can study your butt off and get some B's and A's---you could get in somewhere.

More importantly, I think you should shadow some dentist and MD's to find out which field you like best...if either. Don't go into dentistry just because it's the next "easiest" profession! The Caribbean has some very good med-schools that except people with your stats.

 

[colt]

Not trying to be critical of you, but you took bio twice and only raised the grade from D to C-? I'd take 1 or 2 more bio classes and make B or A.

 

[INFNITE]

agreed. the fact that you took a class TWICE and you still ended with a poor grade is a great cause for concern. If you got a B+ or above when you take it the 2nd time, that may be acceptable. But you got a D and then a C-....in probably the most important prereq course in dentistry....it will take a miracle for you to get in if you don't start earning A's.

 

[PDizzle]

I'm gonna be a bit more blunt then my fellow SDN'ers.

You're grades are horrible. You did poorly in the base science courses which will get your app tossed in the trash at many schools before they look at anything else. Regardless of your DAT score, you will need to improve them. You need to ACE the rest of your courses and even take other sci courses not required by most schools: Anatomy, Physio, Histo, BioChem, Genetics, etc....and ACE them!

You will then need to get a great DAT score. I'd say 21+ would be good. Then make sure other parts of your app are in tip top shape. Get plenty of community service and shadowing and you will make it in somewhere. Apply to a buttload of schools and have good explaination why you did poorly on those basic sci classes.

Good luck!

 

[tug1625]

I agree with most of what has been said... seeing that I had some of the grades you have I know your position all to well... from here you need to basically ace any science course you take in college and from there the advice about post bach in the biochem, histo, physio, is also correct, it's what I did to get in and I aced them all. I would just say that you are not doomed yet.... but you are going to have to pull some miracle grades in order to impress. If you finish strong in college and get nothing less than a 3.4 or so in post bach with a solid DAT you have a shot!

 

[Audio]

hello everyone, I have been reading through the forums and everyone here is very encouragins, helpful and informative. Tonight i decided that I wanted to switch from Pre-med to pre-dent because it involves medical aspect still, you work with your hands, and the business aspect as well. Here is my problem, I have pretty low gpa, haven't taken the DAT yet, should I take some post bac courses? if so which ones? Should I apply and try my luck? Any kind of input would be greatly appreciated thanks everyone! Oh I don't know if it helps at this point but I am getting published twice in parasitology journals as I have been doing research for a year now. Thanks again!

BIOL 051 UG Principles of Biology D
MATH 005 UG Intrmd.College Algebra, No Lab C+
MENT 001 UG Mentor Seminar I B+
WRIT 021 UG Writing for College B
BIOL 061 UG Principles of Biology C
MATH 041 UG Pre-calculus C-
MENT 002 UG Mentor Seminar II B+
BIOL 051 UG Principles of Biology C-
CHEM 023 UG Elements of Chemistry C+
MATH 037 UG Intro. to Stats. & Probability B
BUSI 031 UG Prin. of Financial Accounting C
CHEM 025 UG General Chemistry I C
ECON 053 UG Introductory Microeconomics B-
BUSI 109 UG Management & Organiz. Behavior A 4
BUSI 033 UG Prin. of Managerial Accounting B+
COMP 025 UG Computers and Info. Processing A
ECON 055 UG Intro.Macroecon.:Theory,Policy B
PHYS 023 UG General Physics I A

GPA 2.81





COURSES IN PROGRESS
BUSI 100 UG Management Information Systems 4.000
Currently holding A
BUSI 107 UG Marketing Management 4.000
Currently holding B
CHEM 027 UG General Chemistry II 5.000
Currently holding C
PHYS 025 UG General Physics II 5.000
Currently holding C

OCHEM in summer

LOL you had a change of heart and want to switch from med to dent??? hhahahah more like you think you can get into dental school but not medical school.

 

[fightingspirit]

yeah i goofed off alot freshman and sophmore year, i had no motivation to do well, family members were becoming terminally ill (i lost one already), depression and not caring about college results in those grades thanks for the advice everyone keep em coming!

i think every SDNer have had to deal with crises or extreme disappointment at a certain time in their lives. but many thanks to a wonderfull human trait called "resilience"!!! (it is the abiltiy to stand on your feet after falling down), we seem to survive and porgress. in fact, i dont think health professions like med and dent attract people who had it easy. i dont know. it seems that those who always had plenty on their plate tend to go for other professions. besides, in my life, the life of most SDNers and my friends,crises seem to bring out our best. the death of a loved one should give you the impetus to excell, not to go retrograde. consider turning -ve experiences into +ve ones. how are you planning to become professional when you let personal matters interfer with your performance?

depression....goofed off.....no motivation....terminal illness...blah blah blah... are these the excuses you're planning to give to the admissions committees? are these what you're gonna use when you fail your didactic courses in dental school?

here's a tip: professionals do not give excuses for their deficiencies or failures. a deficiency is what it is: a deficiency. you either rid yourself of it or you compensate ifor it in some other area. no excuses!

you said you "love medicine"....i dont think you ever loved it enough. otherwise, you would have done the required work!

you said you did better at the other classes cus they did not involve a lot of work. i am surprised cus where i went to school, kids studied a lot for these classes. anyways, this excuse (the ease of the class) is kinda worse than the other excuses you are mentioning in your posts. the more you post, the more you reveal a lack of a match between your backgound and medicine (be it dental, osteopathic, podiatric, or allopathic medicine.

if you wish to help people, make money and use your hands, you can always do so as a dental hygienest or assistant.

 

[fightingspirit]

LOL you had a change of heart and want to switch from med to dent??? hhahahah more like you think you can get into dental school but not medical school.

yeah...it's one of these facts that someone like vpannu cannot hide and yet cannot reveal.

 

[beezies]

I know that you are looking for help on this site, and generally it's a great place to go, but seriously, think about what you reveal to ADCOMS. Lots of people in admissions browse this stuff. If you are at all serious about getting into dental school, realize that right now you probably won't, and you're worsening your chances by trying to explain yourself on a public forum. Study hard, and if you manage to do a complete 180 like most of these people are suggesting, you will have a fighting chance. Good luck.

 

[vpannu]

Truth hurts but it drives my motivation. Thank you everyone for your advice and guidance. I really do mean it when I say I appreciate everyone taking time to respond to this thread.Thanks again!



Vinny Pannu

 

[PreDentalGuy29]

yeah...it's one of these facts that someone like vpannu cannot hide and yet cannot reveal.

Why did you apply so late?

 

[Gl4di4tor]

You could probably get into University of Puerto Rico, but you need 8 semester of Spanish or proficiency. But they're classes are in english and your degree will be accepted in the US. look into it, then report back.