Non-Traditional Applicant with UG Business GPA (low) seeks advice

[AASDDS1]

Any insight is appreciated greatly. Tia!

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[vc7777]

Hello everyone!
After graduating with a finance degree, I started working for a well known financial firm as a financial analyst. I've been working in this position for about 2.5 years. Now I am about to get laid off and have started re-evaluating my career path (where do i go from here? new job? mba? something totally different?). My job in finance was soul-sucking and terrible. The pay was OK and I suppose I made the best of it, but why settle? I thought about dentistry, and after shadowing a family friend who is a dentist for a few weeks and doing a lot of research on the profession, I became convinced that this was the career for me. I am very excited to finally know this, albeit a little later!

So my questions are regarding GPA requirement and how mine will be viewed. I graduated from a top business school with a gpa on the lower end (2.98). I am convinced i got the job bc of my school's reputation. I am going back to a local university to take the 10 pre-requisites needed to apply to dental school after I get laid off - school will become my new full time job. And I am aiming for no less than all A's. IF i do as well as i am hoping (4.0), how will this science GPA factor in with my low finance GPA?

If i don't stand a chance because of my finance GPA, i also want to know that before I risk everything to take these courses.

I already posted this on the dental board as I wasn't sure which one to go to..

Any insight is appreciated greatly. Tia!

Hey, my story is much the same as yours. I went to a top engineering school, and returned for post bacc at the local university.

How many years have you been out? just the ~3 yrs? I ask because my arguments rested on the fundamental point that I AM a different man than as an UG. Wow! 2.98?! My undergad was a 2.87 ! I didn't get all A's in post-bacc, but I got pretty close. Click on my profile to the left if you want to see how I am doing this application cycle.

The fact is EVERY medical school needs to cut down on the applicant pool. And EVERY medical school guards their first-cut process fiercely. If everybody knew what the first cut was, (almost) nobody below this would apply. Now, not to be cynical, but that's money out of their pocket, right? So...many have a GPA first cut. BUT...many do not! I am evidence of this. I have a sense (I can't explain it) that the upper tier schools truly do look at the individual applicants.

Let me give you some advice: If you can, get into a GRAD program: although your post-bacc is a separate line in your application, it is rolled into your UG cum. GPA. If you get into a grad program, it is a completely separate GPA line item, and stands out much better. I didn't do this, and I am certain it was part of my reason for being screened at some schools.

Second, you better be able to explain your undergrad GPA. It better be a sympathetic explanation, and it better be completely resolved - in the past. You better address is right up front in your personal statement. Don't leave this one till the interviews: must be addressed immediately.

Third, get your letters of recommendation in the spring FINALIZED. Get your personal statements and everything completed and uploaded and all your initial fees paid off THE VERY FIRST POSSIBLE DAY! Don't bother with EDP, as you need explore as many options as possible. Obviously, don't apply anywhere you can't actually see yourself at, but don't limit yourself. With the EDP, you are hamstrung until that school makes a decision. You can do multiple interviews in the regular application pathway by Oct 1. While you might have to wait for your one EDP program to decide in that same time frame...Summary: APPLY EARLY, APPLY OFTEN.

Phew! Sorry!

Also, final thought, PM me if you want me to get you in touch with a current applicant and SDN member I know who graduated from Univ. of Michigan Ross B-school as an UG, was out on the east coast for several years, is doing his science courses right now full time...EXACTLY like you are considering.

 

[AASDDS1]

Wow - I am impressed to see that you've already landed a few interview. Congrats! I am anxious to see how the rest of the application process fares for you!

Well, I am interested in dental school, not med. Not sure if the 2 differ much in terms of competition. I do know that while they're both fiercly competitive, the UG avg GPA for dental is 3.3+ whereas for med it's 3.4-3.5+, correct?

Although I really want to pursue this, I need to know whether it's worth the time/effort/money to start over again. I currently have some offers to start at top tier business schools that I'm willing to reject so that i can pursue the dental route.

Oh and will my post bacc work be factored into my UG gpa? For example 2.98 (UG) + 4.0 (science/post bacc) = 3.2-3.3 avg?

And will my finance classes be counted as math classes, and therefore into my science/math GPA?

 

[Optimalsauce]

Wow - I am impressed to see that you've already landed a few interview. Congrats! I am anxious to see how the rest of the application process fares for you!

Well, I am interested in dental school, not med. Not sure if the 2 differ much in terms of competition. I do know that while they're both fiercly competitive, the UG avg GPA for dental is 3.3+ whereas for med it's 3.4-3.5+, correct?

Although I really want to pursue this, I need to know whether it's worth the time/effort/money to start over again. I currently have some offers to start at top tier business schools that I'm willing to reject so that i can pursue the dental route.

Oh and will my post bacc work be factored into my UG gpa? For example 2.98 (UG) + 4.0 (science/post bacc) = 3.2-3.3 avg?

And will my finance classes be counted as math classes, and therefore into my science/math GPA?

I am in a similar boat. Went to a top 5 UG business program, and got killed by the "B" school curve and ended up with a 3.2 GPA my Junior and Senior years. My Science GPA is 3.8 and my Cumulative GPA is 3.5. Post-bacc classes count towards UG GPA. Finance classes count towards non-science classes. Check out the AMCAS pdf on what counts towards what or check out the SDN thread on it here.

Well if you are thinking about it financially, it is definitely NOT worth the money, especially if you have offers to go to top-tier (Harvard, MIT, UChicago, Stanford, etc) MBA schools. Average starting salaries out of top tier MBA schools are higher than the average dentist salary, which includes all dentists. Med school is the same for me, NPV wise, I am losing out on over a $1 Million with a 5% rate and assuming a higher than average physician salary by age 45.

As far as it is worth it regarding your chances, check out schools you are interested in. From my experience, dental schools seem to be less anal about GPA than med schools. Show that you are capable now with a strong post-bac and strong DAT (20+), anything is possible.

 

[Nasrudin]

Hey, my story is much the same as yours. I went to a top engineering school, and returned for post bacc at the local university.

How many years have you been out? just the ~3 yrs? I ask because my arguments rested on the fundamental point that I AM a different man than as an UG. Wow! 2.98?! My undergad was a 2.87 ! I didn't get all A's in post-bacc, but I got pretty close. Click on my profile to the left if you want to see how I am doing this application cycle.

The fact is EVERY medical school needs to cut down on the applicant pool. And EVERY medical school guards their first-cut process fiercely. If everybody knew what the first cut was, (almost) nobody below this would apply. Now, not to be cynical, but that's money out of their pocket, right? So...many have a GPA first cut. BUT...many do not! I am evidence of this. I have a sense (I can't explain it) that the upper tier schools truly do look at the individual applicants.

Let me give you some advice: If you can, get into a GRAD program: although your post-bacc is a separate line in your application, it is rolled into your UG cum. GPA. If you get into a grad program, it is a completely separate GPA line item, and stands out much better. I didn't do this, and I am certain it was part of my reason for being screened at some schools.

Second, you better be able to explain your undergrad GPA. It better be a sympathetic explanation, and it better be completely resolved - in the past. You better address is right up front in your personal statement. Don't leave this one till the interviews: must be addressed immediately.

Third, get your letters of recommendation in the spring FINALIZED. Get your personal statements and everything completed and uploaded and all your initial fees paid off THE VERY FIRST POSSIBLE DAY! Don't bother with EDP, as you need explore as many options as possible. Obviously, don't apply anywhere you can't actually see yourself at, but don't limit yourself. With the EDP, you are hamstrung until that school makes a decision. You can do multiple interviews in the regular application pathway by Oct 1. While you might have to wait for your one EDP program to decide in that same time frame...Summary: APPLY EARLY, APPLY OFTEN.

Phew! Sorry!

Also, final thought, PM me if you want me to get you in touch with a current applicant and SDN member I know who graduated from Univ. of Michigan Ross B-school as an UG, was out on the east coast for several years, is doing his science courses right now full time...EXACTLY like you are considering.

Nominating for best premed half-time speech this season.

 

[vc7777]

Nominating for best premed half-time speech this season.

Nasrudin, I have a friend whose sole advice for me before my interviews (at my request) is to tell me to shut up...

AASDDS1, Thanks! I hope it works well for you too! We could use a few more mature dentists in this world! Root around as far as the dental school application goes, because my whole statement about post-bacc being averaged into your undergrad GPA and my timelines are based just on my medical school applications.

Good 'ol OptimalSauce coming through again!