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Hi all,
It has been my plan to attend dentistry school for as long as I can remember. I put forth the effort in high school in preparation but my years of undergrad were filled with numerous adversities to say the least. I realize that not everything will go according to the "plan" you have in mind but I still do not feel discouraged about pursuing my dream.
I graduated from a private college in 2010, my undergrad career turned out to be a 5 year ordeal instead of my planned 4. This was due to illness and having to take incompletes in courses and making up finals almost 6 months later. Needless to say, I didn't do very well and ended up deciding to repeat some courses. I have 2 F's on my transcript and 2 D's from that time period and it gives me a knot in my stomach just to think about it. I made an A in the courses when I retook them. In another course, at midterm when I realized I was not doing well I decided to audit instead of withdrawal and still attended the class in order to gain as much knowledge of the subject as I could. In the end I finally graduated with a Bachelor of Medical Sciences in 2011.
I will also note that I worked part time (mostly nights), paid all of my bills, etc. and supported myself with no help through my entire undergraduate career.
For my undergraduate I had
Cumulative GPA: 3.1
Science: 2.9
I immedietaly enrolled in the masters program an my alma mater and began courses the following fall. By this time I had taken a Full-time job at the medical center (the same med center that I want to attend dentistry school) as a research technician in the pharm department. I have always felt that research would be my "backup plan" if dental school just isn't in the cards for me.
Now working full time, I took night classes to obtain my masters in Biology in 3 semesters. Although it was stressful, I maintained above a 3.5 GPA to be on the graduate school deans list all 3 semesters and graduated in December 2012 with a cumulative GPA of 3.7.
I was promoted to technician 2 after getting my masters and have been on numerous papers for my role in our research efforts. I learn so much and do enjoy research and excel greatly with lab techniques and micro surgical skills. I feel my surgical skills will be an asset to my dexterity in the dentistry field as well.
In present day, I am 25 years old, I will take the DAT in June and apply this summer. I have a 16 week study plan that I am in the process of, it is intense but I only have after work and weekends to study so I had to give myself plenty of time to prepare. I have tried to study on and off for the past few months to get an idea of what I really need to focus on refreshing.
Shadowing: I have about 40 hours of shadowing experience so far spread amongst 3 dentists. 1 general dentist, 1 pediatric and 1 periodontist. Once I started working full time it has been difficult to plan to shadow but my boss is pretty great and is willing to allow me to take a week off and shadow for 40 more hours. However, I am not sure if 80 hours total is enough.
I have been involved in the community a lot, that never changed since high school. I was in phi theta kappa and was able to participate in lots of service as well as organizations that are personal to me. Mainly the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, APS and ASM.
Anyway, I know I wrote a book and I'm sorry. This is the first time I have tried to put my academic career into words and this is definitely the short version, I spared you all the trials and tribulations.
I just want to know if I am overestimating my chances of acceptance or if you have any advice on how I could become a more competitive applicant.
Regardless, I am not giving up and will continue pursuing my goals!
Thanks!
It has been my plan to attend dentistry school for as long as I can remember. I put forth the effort in high school in preparation but my years of undergrad were filled with numerous adversities to say the least. I realize that not everything will go according to the "plan" you have in mind but I still do not feel discouraged about pursuing my dream.
I graduated from a private college in 2010, my undergrad career turned out to be a 5 year ordeal instead of my planned 4. This was due to illness and having to take incompletes in courses and making up finals almost 6 months later. Needless to say, I didn't do very well and ended up deciding to repeat some courses. I have 2 F's on my transcript and 2 D's from that time period and it gives me a knot in my stomach just to think about it. I made an A in the courses when I retook them. In another course, at midterm when I realized I was not doing well I decided to audit instead of withdrawal and still attended the class in order to gain as much knowledge of the subject as I could. In the end I finally graduated with a Bachelor of Medical Sciences in 2011.
I will also note that I worked part time (mostly nights), paid all of my bills, etc. and supported myself with no help through my entire undergraduate career.
For my undergraduate I had
Cumulative GPA: 3.1
Science: 2.9
I immedietaly enrolled in the masters program an my alma mater and began courses the following fall. By this time I had taken a Full-time job at the medical center (the same med center that I want to attend dentistry school) as a research technician in the pharm department. I have always felt that research would be my "backup plan" if dental school just isn't in the cards for me.
Now working full time, I took night classes to obtain my masters in Biology in 3 semesters. Although it was stressful, I maintained above a 3.5 GPA to be on the graduate school deans list all 3 semesters and graduated in December 2012 with a cumulative GPA of 3.7.
I was promoted to technician 2 after getting my masters and have been on numerous papers for my role in our research efforts. I learn so much and do enjoy research and excel greatly with lab techniques and micro surgical skills. I feel my surgical skills will be an asset to my dexterity in the dentistry field as well.
In present day, I am 25 years old, I will take the DAT in June and apply this summer. I have a 16 week study plan that I am in the process of, it is intense but I only have after work and weekends to study so I had to give myself plenty of time to prepare. I have tried to study on and off for the past few months to get an idea of what I really need to focus on refreshing.
Shadowing: I have about 40 hours of shadowing experience so far spread amongst 3 dentists. 1 general dentist, 1 pediatric and 1 periodontist. Once I started working full time it has been difficult to plan to shadow but my boss is pretty great and is willing to allow me to take a week off and shadow for 40 more hours. However, I am not sure if 80 hours total is enough.
I have been involved in the community a lot, that never changed since high school. I was in phi theta kappa and was able to participate in lots of service as well as organizations that are personal to me. Mainly the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, APS and ASM.
Anyway, I know I wrote a book and I'm sorry. This is the first time I have tried to put my academic career into words and this is definitely the short version, I spared you all the trials and tribulations.
I just want to know if I am overestimating my chances of acceptance or if you have any advice on how I could become a more competitive applicant.
Regardless, I am not giving up and will continue pursuing my goals!
Thanks!
