Non-traditional applicant: what are my chances?

[dudtlatn]

Sorry that my story is going to be pretty long. I don't know whether I should be considered a non-traditional applicant or not but here is my background:

I'm currently a 6th year at UCLA majoring in Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology (MCDB), and 24 yo.
Overall GPA: 3.005
Science GPA: 2.859
UCLA is a quarter-based school and during my 1st year I took a quarter off and I retro-withdrew from a quarter (because I never attended lectures so I got all Fs), during 3rd year I took a quarter off, during 4th year I took a quarter off = total of 3 gap quarters and 1 retro-withdrawal.
Now it's my 6th year this year (2018- started attending fall 2012) and spring quarter (which starts next week) will be my last quarter.

Mistakes I've made: took unrelated courses such as 5 art history classes, 3 film/cinema-related courses, repeated 4 pre-reqs because I got C- and Ds (C- -> A, Ds -> B). Some C+s in upper-division biology & physics classes; Mostly Bs (as you can tell from my GPA)

Some explanations for my mistakes: I got accepted as undeclared-life sciences major and was COMPLETELY unaware of the pre-reqs that I had to take for dental school. Luckily, I declared my major last quarter (Winter 2018) as MCDB major and most of the pre-reqs for the major meet the requirements for dental school. However, I wasted a lot of my time taking art history classes and other stupid courses that had no relevance to my interest at all. I didn't know what I wanted to be until recently and now I'm trying my best to be a competitive applicant as possible.

During gap quarters and school year: I worked mostly in unrelated fields - server at a restaurant, receptionist at a restaurant, and as a bartender/hostess at a club/karaoke (sigh..) - and traveled few months (about 6 months total which is equivalent to 2 quarters). I had to financially support myself (for my rents, living costs, etc - excluding tuition though) so I had to work while going to school. During my 1st - 2nd year, I worked at a restaurant which took enormous amount of time and I didn't do well academically. Then I quit because I wasn't getting either money or grades and started working as a hostess while attending school. So during the day I would go to school and at night I would work. Of course, I didn't do well academically but at least I made a lot of money ($60-80/hr). Because I had to drink while working (part of this job), my grades didn't improve; mostly Bs, some As, and 1 D.

Right now: I'm not working anymore because I think I have enough money to sustain myself for at least 2 years. I started shadowing a dentist and also started volunteering at a dentistry. I'm taking 3 classes this quarter which is considered a full-time and will graduate this June. I haven't taken the DAT yet so I know no one can tell my chances right now but I'm pretty sure that I'll do at least average (at least 20) while my goal is to get 23+.

My questions: my plan is to take DAT by end of this year (Nov/Dec) so I can apply for the next cycle (2019). By June 2019, I'll have ~300 shadowing & volunteer hours. I'm also thinking of post-bacc program since my GPA is low but I've pretty much taken all biology upper division classes. So in conclusion, I don't know what will make me competitive (except DAT). Should I concentrate on increasing more of the shadowing & volunteering hours? (make them ~500?). Should I engage in a research since I don't have any experiences in the research area? Should I work in a dental lab or as dental assistant so I can stand out from the traditional applicants? Also, should I mention my work experiences (working as a hostess) which significantly impacted my grades in my application? Even though I truly want to pursue a career in dentistry, I know I am a B average student and lack many experiences in the research & leadership area. Thank you for reading my long post & ANY ADVICE WILL BE TRULY APPRECIATED.

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[hajin]

Current non-traditional dental student here.

As you already know, you need to crush the DAT. Don't study for a few weeks or a month, study for 3+ months. I mean, sure some people with strong science backgrounds are able to get a 23+ off of not much studying, but in general the crazy DAT scores are usually from the crazy prepared. You have the time, so find your weak points and drill them like crazy.

Also, again if you have the time, take even more science classes like anatomy, biochem etc. Consider taking them at a smaller college (but NOT a junior college) where a 4.0 will be a little easier (sure, admins are aware UCLA is harder, but at the end of the day the raw numbers count for a lot). That's what I did to substantially boost my GPA. Alternatively, you could do one of those 1 year MA programs (if you have the cash to burn), but I'm not sure how much more valuable that would be. Either way, show the admins a semester or 2 of a 4.0. Not to sound harsh, but nobody cares about explanations of your mistakes. What schools want is evidence that you've successfully course corrected.

Another thing to set you apart would be some UNIQUE volunteering not just more hours. It cost way too much to arrange, but I did some volunteering overseas through a company that focuses mainly on pre-med students -- But they also had a small, and not very popular dental program. I ended up doing a week at a dental hospital in southeast asia and an independent study project based on some public health work I did there. It played very well in my interviews.

Good luck

 

[dudtlatn]

Current non-traditional dental student here.

As you already know, you need to crush the DAT. Don't study for a few weeks or a month, study for 3+ months. I mean, sure some people with strong science backgrounds are able to get a 23+ off of not much studying, but in general the crazy DAT scores are usually from the crazy prepared. You have the time, so find your weak points and drill them like crazy.

Also, again if you have the time, take even more science classes like anatomy, biochem etc. Consider taking them at a smaller college (but NOT a junior college) where a 4.0 will be a little easier (sure, admins are aware UCLA is harder, but at the end of the day the raw numbers count for a lot). That's what I did to substantially boost my GPA. Alternatively, you could do one of those 1 year MA programs (if you have the cash to burn), but I'm not sure how much more valuable that would be. Either way, show the admins a semester or 2 of a 4.0. Not to sound harsh, but nobody cares about explanations of your mistakes. What schools want is evidence that you've successfully course corrected.

Another thing to set you apart would be some UNIQUE volunteering not just more hours. It cost way too much to arrange, but I did some volunteering overseas through a company that focuses mainly on pre-med students -- But they also had a small, and not very popular dental program. I ended up doing a week at a dental hospital in southeast asia and an independent study project based on some public health work I did there. It played very well in my interviews.

Good luck

Thanks for the comment, Hajin!! Yeah since I have this summer till next summer to prepare myself im planning to do something unique that will make me more interesting. I cant afford to volunteer overseas but if financial aid allows, ill be able to do something similar i guess. Thanks again

 

[schmoob]

You're not considered non-traditional.

 

[Dentalco2020]

You're not considered non-traditional.

is he tra-d-i-ti-on-al?

 

[BeggarsCantBeChoosers]

.

 

[Blackca3]

Hate to break it to you man but anything below a 3.0 for sGPA is a no go even with a killer DAT. You need to do post bac.

Do you have data to verify that?