I'll be happy to join in. I could just leave you numbers and basic information, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Enjoy.
I graduated in '06 from a public university with a degree in biology with a gpa between 3.0 and 2.5. I was almost kicked out after my first semester due to low grades (parties were everywhere, and I gladly took advantage!). At the end of my junior year, my cheerleading coach asked me to volunteer at the local pediatric dentist office for 'Give Kids a Smile' day. I did and I was instantly hooked. From that point on, I decided to get serious, so I quit cheering and I quit participating in the beer ponging every other nite, for my senior year and focused on school. My senior year I pulled a 3.4 and I still managed to graduate in four years even after re-taking 6 or so classes. The year after graduation, I worked in pharma and decided to apply only to NYU, and got rejected. My grades still stunk, and my dat was barely average.
I knew then that if I was ever going to have a chance at dental school, I needed to go back and do a masters, post-bac or something, but do well in it. After a year of working and pondering my future, I went back to my alma mater, and enrolled in the Masters in Cell Bio program. In just my two years there, I added much to my resume and made a name for myself: 3.7 gpa, 2nd author publication, anatomy lab TA, winning an award for my research, presenting my research at several meetings included an invitation out in Denver, and volunteered through MOM dental clinics. After two years there, I decided to transfer to a non-thesis program at another school so I could work full-time in pharma, instead of accruing more debt (my PI did not believe in giving money to grad students) and pulling all-nighters in a research lab. In between my time of transferring, I was fortunate to be accepted into an intensive 9-week summer program at UNC that is sponsored by the medical and dental schools. I finished strong in the program, and made a name for myself, while meeting some incredible people. In addition, I took the dat again this summer and earned a 20 AA, bringing it up from an 18 AA.
The last few years has not been a ride without bumps. My gf of 3 years, a few months before I applied to dental school, broke up with me because "applying to dental school is nonsense, you're wasting our time, you're not going to get in." Well I got into my number one choice.
It truly has been a long road, but I'm glad I didn't give up (or give in). I'm a man a Faith, and it would be wrong of me to say I did it all by myself. Also, I had incredible support from my family, especially my mom, who is my biggest fan. If you truly believe dentistry is your calling, then you'll put in the work and the time. Surround yourself with family and positive people, because it's easy to lose hope and give up if you don't have the emotional support. A good idea is to possibly volunteer at a homeless shelter or a hospital, as it will help reinforce how blessed you are. Hopefully it won't be a long a road for you as it was I, but it sure was worth it. Boy what a ride.
Best wishes.