No more chance at Dental school??

[s2davey]

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So...I just got into a really deep life talk about my future career plans etc. after I got my grades back. Here's my grade break down. If anyone in Dental school/pre-dental could help me out, that'd be nice:
I'm a Sophomore at a top 20 college in the US. I just finished the first semester of my second year:

Freshman:

Semester 1-

bio lab: C+
Intro to bio: B
Gen chem: B+
gen chem lab: B+
Single Variable Calc: A

Semester 2 -

Gen chem 2: B+
Gen chem 2 lab: B+
Intro bio 2: A
The Planets: A
Elementary French: B
Single Variable Calc 2: A
Intro violin: A-

Sophomore:

Semester 1 -

Organic Chemistry: C
Physics: B
Intro to Korean: A
Intro to Religion: A+
Intro English (Writing intensive): A

Semester 2 I will be taking: Physics 2, Intro Korean 2, Differential Equations, and Animal Behavior.

so far, my overall GPA is 3.50 and my sGPA is at around 3.42.
As for the C in orgo, I'm not planning on retaking it, but I'm gonna take Orgo II first semester of my Junior year and I'm hoping to improve (better than a C).

I've been doing research at a Eco lab at school, I volunteer at a local hospital, and I'm involved in intramural sports.

As much as I'm afraid to hear about what you all have to say, I would like to receive your input on this. Thank you.

 

[hellopeople]

You're fine. I get the feeling you see dental school admissions as being more difficult than they actually are. Maybe pick your GPA up a bit so that you have better (read: less expensive) options. Remember to apply early when the time comes, and do well on the DAT. It's mostly the basics, so it will require review. The key for your grades, I think, will be to keep the C's in check and get better bio grades. Some schools seem to be big on biology.

Maybe you could use some of this time making sure you really know what you want to do. There's plenty of time to change direction now, but it will be harder later.

Good luck.

 

[coolbeans123]

Uou're doing okay. Just do well in the the rest of your classes + DAT.

And dont ever give up! =)

 

[AwesomeTeeth]

You're fine. I get the feeling you see dental school admissions as being more difficult than they actually are. Maybe pick your GPA up a bit so that you have better (read: less expensive) options. .

Actually OP is not fine. He has all B's in the majority of his science classes and almost no A's other then random classes like The Planets. His BCP GPA isn't going to be pretty because his science GPA is boosted by his A's in Calculus. He has one A in Bio 2 and that's it.

Freshman:

Semester 1-

bio lab: C+
Intro to bio: B
Gen chem: B+
gen chem lab: B+
Single Variable Calc: A

Semester 2 -

Gen chem 2: B+
Gen chem 2 lab: B+
Intro bio 2: A
The Planets: A
Elementary French: B
Single Variable Calc 2: A
Intro violin: A-

Sophomore:

Semester 1 -

Organic Chemistry: C
Physics: B
Intro to Korean: A
Intro to Religion: A+
Intro English (Writing intensive): A

Semester 2 I will be taking: Physics 2, Intro Korean 2, Differential Equations, and Animal Behavior.

Do you know what I see? A lot of B's in important prereq science classes. You need to be making A's in those. They're the easier classes to make A's in and you're going to kick yourself later when you take harder classes like biochem. And stop taking fluff classes. Elementary French, Korean, Violin, religion? You don't need all that. I understand you probably need to fill hours but take something science related or do a double major in business or something. Don't waste your time taking random electives.

I'm a Sophomore at a top 20 college in the US.

That's nice. But Johnny Nobody down the street at the state school is going to look better then you since he made A's in gen chem, ochem, and bio. School reputation doesn't make much of a difference as long as you didn't go to some technical college or CC for four years.

As for the C in orgo, I'm not planning on retaking it, but I'm gonna take Orgo II first semester of my Junior year and I'm hoping to improve (better than a C).

Make an A. Don't just improve. Ace the course. And I would retake Orgo I if I was you.

I've been doing research at a Eco lab at school, I volunteer at a local hospital, and I'm involved in intramural sports.

Research good. Volunteering and intramurals are fine. But if they're getting in the way of school and making A's, throw them out.

As much as I'm afraid to hear about what you all have to say, I would like to receive your input on this. Thank you.

The good news is that you've been passing all your classes and haven't bombed with a 2.5 GPA. But you still need to do better.

My advice is to make sure this is really what you want to do. Find your motivation. Go shadow a dentist. Take more challenging classes. Do well in the classes. Do well in the DAT after your junior year. Then apply and you'll be set.

 

[youknowthedrill]

You should be fine. You might want to consider taking Organic over the summer.

 

[s2davey]

I kinda of have to take these "fluff" courses to get my diploma from the college I attend.

 

[Demps]

To OP:

AwesomeTeeth might have sounded a little harsh but he did pinpoint what you needed to hear exactly.

I wouldn't recommend retaking OCHEM-I. Instead, what you need to do is get an A in OCHEM-II and Biochemistry. Take upper-division biology courses and ace those to show that you're a real deal. By 4th year when you graduate, your sGPA should be around 3.55 ~ 3.6. You just need to ace the DAT.

You don't have that many credits yet, so you should see drastic improvements on your cumulative GPA as well as science GPA upon getting A's.

 

[s2davey]

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[AwesomeTeeth]

I kinda of have to take these "fluff" courses to get my diploma from the college I attend.

Save the fluff for your senior year then. If you get accepted, it makes senior spring semester easy breezy. 👍

 

[hellopeople]

Actually OP is not fine. He has all B's in the majority of his science classes and almost no A's other then random classes like The Planets. His BCP GPA isn't going to be pretty because his science GPA is boosted by his A's in Calculus. He has one A in Bio 2 and that's it.




Do you know what I see? A lot of B's in important prereq science classes. You need to be making A's in those. They're the easier classes to make A's in and you're going to kick yourself later when you take harder classes like biochem. And stop taking fluff classes. Elementary French, Korean, Violin, religion? You don't need all that. I understand you probably need to fill hours but take something science related or do a double major in business or something. Don't waste your time taking random electives.



That's nice. But Johnny Nobody down the street at the state school is going to look better then you since he made A's in gen chem, ochem, and bio. School reputation doesn't make much of a difference as long as you didn't go to some technical college or CC for four years.



Make an A. Don't just improve. Ace the course. And I would retake Orgo I if I was you.



Research good. Volunteering and intramurals are fine. But if they're getting in the way of school and making A's, throw them out.



The good news is that you've been passing all your classes and haven't bombed with a 2.5 GPA. But you still need to do better.

My advice is to make sure this is really what you want to do. Find your motivation. Go shadow a dentist. Take more challenging classes. Do well in the classes. Do well in the DAT after your junior year. Then apply and you'll be set.

lol geez...
This is good advice though. However, I wouldn't recommend retaking orgo I. Call the schools you are interested in about it. Like I was saying, it would be easier on you if you raise your sGPA from a 3.33.

But to give you an idea, I was in a worse position my sophomore year, and I'll be starting dental school in the fall. So far I have had four interviews, and I have a few more coming (at more competitive schools) despite doing everything wrong. I had no EC's, I didn't do any research, and my GPAs were ~3.0 across the board. You seem more or less on the right track. So bottom line, you should feel confident, but don't slack.

One more thing: I would recommend staying away from the Kaplan class for the DAT next year. Unless they changed things, the class is completely useless. The book was legit though.

 

[s2davey]

Bumpppppp

 

[s2davey]

So I made a mistake in my GPA calculuation:

My current GPAs up til end of first semester of Sophomore year:

cGPA=3.50
sGPA=3.42

I'm aiming for all A's next semester and I'll have:

cGPA=3.63
sGPA=3.61

what do you think??😍

 

[Demps]

So I made a mistake in my GPA calculuation:

My current GPAs up til end of first semester of Sophomore year:

cGPA=3.50
sGPA=3.42

I'm aiming for all A's next semester and I'll have:

cGPA=3.63
sGPA=3.61

what do you think??😍

I told you. Because you have not that much credits, your GPA will rise up fast upon getting 4.0s. You look solid.

 

[s2davey]

I told you. Because you have not that much credits, your GPA will rise up fast upon getting 4.0s. You look solid.

SO HARSH!😡

 

[jackalo34]

SO HARSH!😡

um…he wasn’t being harsh at all. He was actually telling you that you’re ok, because you’re early in the game and have not taken a lot of classes to drag down your GPA.

 

[Chloco]

Hey now, who's saying language, music, and theology courses are fluff? Sure the sciences are obviously the top priority, but you don't want to come off as just another science drone bio major. Get out and take classes you enjoy! They work well as more relaxing supplements to the more stressful hard sciences.

 

[s2davey]

Hey now, who's saying language, music, and theology courses are fluff? Sure the sciences are obviously the top priority, but you don't want to come off as just another science drone bio major. Get out and take classes you enjoy! They work well as more relaxing supplements to the more stressful hard sciences.

FINALLY someone who understands😴😕😎😱👍😍

 

[DentLeF]

To OP:

AwesomeTeeth might have sounded a little harsh but he did pinpoint what you needed to hear exactly.

I wouldn't recommend retaking OCHEM-I. Instead, what you need to do is get an A in OCHEM-II and Biochemistry. Take upper-division biology courses and ace those to show that you're a real deal. By 4th year when you graduate, your sGPA should be around 3.55 ~ 3.6. You just need to ace the DAT.

You don't have that many credits yet, so you should see drastic improvements on your cumulative GPA as well as science GPA upon getting A's.

I agree. Take upper division science classes and get straight A's from now on. You still have time.

 

[AwesomeTeeth]

Sure the sciences are obviously the top priority, but you don't want to come off as just another science drone bio major. Get out and take classes you enjoy!

I'm sure the 80% of your future classmates that were science majors would really appreciate that.

I'm all for taking enriching your college experience. But taking all the fluff electives the first 2 years is a bad idea. Dental school's are only going to have your grades up to your junior year so you need to be filling this up with the most impressive classes that you can. You can do all the fluff stuff your senior year when it doesn't matter anymore.

And really? Intro to French, korean, violin, PLANETS?? My bet is OP is korean and already knows how to play violin. These are hobbies. Don't waste your time and money taking useless classes. At least take something useful like Intro to Business or Statistics or something you can actually apply to your future. Unless you want to become a dentist catering to French citizens while playing the violin at the subway on weekends.

OP, you said you wanted opinions. Here they are. I'm sorry I didn't sugar coat everything like some people.

 

[dentalWorks]

So...I just got into a really deep life talk about my future career plans etc. after I got my grades back. Here's my grade break down. If anyone in Dental school/pre-dental could help me out, that'd be nice:
I'm a Sophomore at a top 20 college in the US. I just finished the first semester of my second year:

Freshman:

Semester 1-

bio lab: C+
Intro to bio: B
Gen chem: B+
gen chem lab: B+
Single Variable Calc: A

Semester 2 -

Gen chem 2: B+
Gen chem 2 lab: B+
Intro bio 2: A
The Planets: A
Elementary French: B
Single Variable Calc 2: A
Intro violin: A-

Sophomore:

Semester 1 -

Organic Chemistry: C
Physics: B
Intro to Korean: A
Intro to Religion: A+
Intro English (Writing intensive): A

Semester 2 I will be taking: Physics 2, Intro Korean 2, Differential Equations, and Animal Behavior.

so far, my overall GPA is 3.50 and my sGPA is at around 3.42.
As for the C in orgo, I'm not planning on retaking it, but I'm gonna take Orgo II first semester of my Junior year and I'm hoping to improve (better than a C).

I've been doing research at a Eco lab at school, I volunteer at a local hospital, and I'm involved in intramural sports.

As much as I'm afraid to hear about what you all have to say, I would like to receive your input on this. Thank you.

with a 3.5 GPA? and only 3.4 science? dentistry is out of the question 🙁

 

[s2davey]

I'm sure the 80% of your future classmates that were science majors would really appreciate that.

I'm all for taking enriching your college experience. But taking all the fluff electives the first 2 years is a bad idea. Dental school's are only going to have your grades up to your junior year so you need to be filling this up with the most impressive classes that you can. You can do all the fluff stuff your senior year when it doesn't matter anymore.

And really? Intro to French, korean, violin, PLANETS?? My bet is OP is korean and already knows how to play violin. These are hobbies. Don't waste your time and money taking useless classes. At least take something useful like Intro to Business or Statistics or something you can actually apply to your future. Unless you want to become a dentist catering to French citizens while playing the violin at the subway on weekends.

OP, you said you wanted opinions. Here they are. I'm sorry I didn't sugar coat everything like some people.

actually I'm chinese and yes I did play the violin in orchestra, but for one semester. And I actually do plan on becoming a dentist catering to French citizens while playing the violin at the subway on weekends. Is there something wrong with that?

 

[hahahigh]

OP, I see nothing wrong with "fluff" courses as long as they fulfill your distribution requirements and contribute towards a well-rounded schedule (science courses are important, but they shouldn't be the only thing you can show prowess in). With that said, if you feel like those courses are taking valuable time away from your core science classes, it may be worth reevaluating the situation.

 

[s2davey]

hahhahahhahahaha


k thanks!

 

[Chloco]

I'm sure the 80% of your future classmates that were science majors would really appreciate that.

I didn't mean to offend. It's just that the number of applicants has been rising by quite a bit over the past few years, and like you said, 80+ % of these applicants are bio majors. Standing out among the crowd (for the right reasons) can be a huge advantage for an applicant, and diversifying one's curriculum is a great way to do that.

But taking all the fluff electives the first 2 years is a bad idea. Dental school's are only going to have your grades up to your junior year so you need to be filling this up with the most impressive classes that you can. You can do all the fluff stuff your senior year when it doesn't matter anymore.

I don't see what the rush is here. It looks to me like the OP has already taken a sizeable portion of the prereqs. Granted his grades aren't the greatest, but are the "fluff' courses really to blame? If they are "fluff" as you say, he should have no problems balancing them with the science courses. They're supposed to be easy aren't they? It's not as if there is any hurry to take upper levels. He's well on track to do that. Genetics, Micro, Physio, Patho, Cell Bio all require intro to bio prereqs. He will probably even be able to take some next semester...add to that however many he chooses to take throughout his junior year, and he still has plenty of opportunities to prove himself to adcoms, and to show that he can handle a heavy science courseload. And who's to say he won't opt for a gap year? That'll allow him another entire year to take the upper divs. So I guess my point is that there's no real pressure to pile on the sciences courses as quickly as possible as you seem to propose.

And really? Intro to French, korean, violin, PLANETS?? My bet is OP is korean and already knows how to play violin. These are hobbies. Don't waste your time and money taking useless classes. At least take something useful like Intro to Business or Statistics or something you can actually apply to your future. Unless you want to become a dentist catering to French citizens while playing the violin at the subway on weekends.

Yeah because business and statistics courses are so enlightening Some people may find those subjects interesting, and all the better for them...I really respect that. But I'm assuming the OP isn't particularly drawn to those types of courses, and while they would be more pragmatic choices to say French or violin, students ought to enjoy college, regardless of whether or not you're planning on going onto professional or graduate school.

OP, you said you wanted opinions. Here they are. I'm sorry I didn't sugar coat everything like some people.

I'm not so sure it's a question of sugar coating things, but rather we're just giving advice using different philosophies and approaches to education altogether. It's clear that you see a predental curriculum as a means towards an end, and little else. That's cool with me, and I have a lot of friends who share your opinion. Personally, I just think college should be something more than that, and if the OP enjoys those "fluff" courses, they shouldn't be dropped in the name of taking as many science courses as possible, particularly if they aren't necessarily the reason for the OP's "underperformance" in the prereqs. Like others have said, the OP's grades aren't even that bad... a little below average but nothing he won't me able to fix.

And s2davey, sorry if you're a girl! Change all my he's, him's, and his's to their female equivalents 😛

 

[dentalWorks]

hahhahahhahahaha




fuq off niqq3r

😱 I smell a ban coming

 

[jackalo34]

hahhahahhahahaha




fuq off niqq3r

….

 

[hmmmmm]

hahhahahhahahaha




fuq off niqq3r

oh he mad

lol @ the fluff courses

i'm pretty sure adcoms aren't stupid and they'd spot them as fluff right away.

to stand out, you don't take easy classes.

 

[s2davey]

I kinda need to take those to GRADUATE from my college....

 

[Bereno]

+1 on post #4 by AwesomeTeeth.

If you want dental school then you need to focus junior year, and kill the DAT. Your grades are decent, but I think you need some good dental shadowing time, and a 20+ DAT in there to really make it solid. 👍

Side note: OP, try and not step on anyone's toes here... This is a great resource that can quickly be closed to you. Also, this is a public forum, and ADCOMs can find out who you are by looking at all your grades and other basic info. A fellow SDNer kindly advised me to keep this in mind, and I feel the need to pass it on. It OK that you post your grades, just try and not make any posts that place you in a bad light. Basically be mature. 👍

 

[s2davey]

with a 3.5 gpa? And only 3.4 science? Dentistry is out of the question 🙁

oh is that so??!!!!! Damnnn im screwed

 

[jackalo34]

So...I just got into a really deep life talk about my future career plans etc. after I got my grades back. Here's my grade break down. If anyone in Dental school/pre-dental could help me out, that'd be nice:
I'm a Sophomore at a top 20 college in the US. I just finished the first semester of my second year:

Freshman:

Semester 1-

bio lab: C+
Intro to bio: B
Gen chem: B+
gen chem lab: B+
Single Variable Calc: A

Semester 2 -

Gen chem 2: B+
Gen chem 2 lab: B+
Intro bio 2: A
The Planets: A
Elementary French: B
Single Variable Calc 2: A
Intro violin: A-

Sophomore:

Semester 1 -

Organic Chemistry: C
Physics: B
Intro to Korean: A
Intro to Religion: A+
Intro English (Writing intensive): A

Semester 2 I will be taking: Physics 2, Intro Korean 2, Differential Equations, and Animal Behavior.
.

I can understand needing to take fluff classes to graduate, but the amount of fluff you have taken so far is kinda ridiculous. If you are just deciding now that you want to go to dental school, it isn’t that bad, but you’re pretty much putting off all your major sciences till junior year. I bolded the fluff…kinda odd (Intro Eng isn’t as fluffy, but I bolded it anyway 😛). Also, for next semester, you are not taking a single bio or chem class (animal behavior is more psych than anything). I’d change that up if you can…ie orgo II instead of animal behavior or something. I agree with everyone else…be more polite when you ask for opinions.

 

[Denthope]

I also think you're not in a bad position. I am a non-science major so I spent much of my early years in classes for my major, and took pretty much 1 science a semester until I was a junior. Once I became a Junior, I started taking upper level bio courses (2 a semester) and I find them to be much easier than the intro courses because they're more specific. Half of my science grades are A-'s and the other half are B-'s, leaving me with a sGPA of 3.0. With this GPA though, I got into all 9 of the schools I interviewed at. Your application is more than your grades.

My advice to you is to make sure your grades show an upward streak. So, if you're getting B's, your grades should steadily improve to A's, as you become more familiar with the rigor and demands of your school. Also, work hard to do really well on your DAT. Your DAT can often act as an equalizer if you have a lower GPA. Strong letters of rec and a strong personal statement will help as well.

Overall, do your best, and follow your instincts about what is best for you.

 

[Demps]

SO HARSH!😡

what? lol...

 

[s2davey]

I can understand needing to take fluff classes to graduate, but the amount of fluff you have taken so far is kinda ridiculous. If you are just deciding now that you want to go to dental school, it isn’t that bad, but you’re pretty much putting off all your major sciences till junior year. I bolded the fluff…kinda odd (Intro Eng isn’t as fluffy, but I bolded it anyway 😛). Also, for next semester, you are not taking a single bio or chem class (animal behavior is more psych than anything). I’d change that up if you can…ie orgo II instead of animal behavior or something. I agree with everyone else…be more polite when you ask for opinions.

Animal Behavior at our school is actually a part of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology hence the course code EBIO, which is why I'm taking it to boost my science GPA. I was also considering taking Plant Diversity (also EBIO). I need two Natural Science courses not related to my major (Biochemistry) in order to get my Biochem diploma.

Suggestions?😴😱😎😀🙂

 

[s2davey]

I also think you're not in a bad position. I am a non-science major so I spent much of my early years in classes for my major, and took pretty much 1 science a semester until I was a junior. Once I became a Junior, I started taking upper level bio courses (2 a semester) and I find them to be much easier than the intro courses because they're more specific. Half of my science grades are A-'s and the other half are B-'s, leaving me with a sGPA of 3.0. With this GPA though, I got into all 9 of the schools I interviewed at. Your application is more than your grades.

Are you by any chance a URM?

'Cause I'm asian...and this puts me in a bad position I know.

 

[s2davey]

I changed up my schedule a bit:

Physics 2 (For engineers), Plant Diversity (EBIO), Animal Behavior (EBIO), Intro to Korean 2, and Sociology (one of the toughest non-science related course at my TOP 20 COLLEGE YEEEUHHH THUG LIFE)!!!!

 

[s2davey]

OKAYy???????y?y?y??😳😛😡😕😍[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE][GVIDEO][/GVIDEO][GVIDEO][/GVIDEO][GVIDEO][/GVIDEO][GVIDEO][/GVIDEO][YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

 

[longhornpride]

Didn't read every post, but I'd take the DAT first. If you rock the science sections (20+ in every section), then I honestly wouldn't retake any classes. Do well in the science section of the DAT and do well in some upper division science courses. If you do the above and the rest of your app is well rounded, you should land a fair share of interviews if you apply to 10 or so schools.

 

[s2davey]

THANKSSSS!!!!😱

 

[s2davey]

le bump!

 

[wizi]

le bump!

s2davey,

Why do you keep bumping the thread? I thought everyone answered your question.

 

[hmmmmm]

s2davey,

Why do you keep bumping the thread? I thought everyone answered your question.

given his posts,

i believe he has both ADHD and a severe attention deficiency.

 

[s2davey]

Hiiiiiii

 

[Bereno]

Hiiiiiii

Dude, are you a troll?? 😕