One Bad Year in College

[Naznina Chand]

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So I had a very bad freshman year at my first University. First semester I came out with all average grades, so C in Biology. And second semester, due to personal reasons, I bombed 3 classes...none of which were sciences. And I received a B in Biology that semester.

To bring up my GPA I transferred to a CC (Community College) and took about 30 hour credits, only took 3 science classes Anatomy & Physio I & II, receiving both B+. And a General Chemistry I class, where I received a C. I finished a lot of my General Educations at the CC, and took all my Mathematics up to Calculus.

Now I transferred, for the last time hopefully, to a 4 year university. I'm only taking one science class,General Chemistry II, now and I'm doing pretty well in all of my classes hoping for straight As. During summer I'll be taking Physics 1 and 2, (trig based).

I know I have a long way to go before I complete my BS degree, I might have to graduate a year late to even fit in a research opportunity, which isn't a problem, but as far as one bad year goes does that completely ruin my chances? I also went to a CC, so does that affect my chances of getting in? As of now, I have an overall solid 3.0 GPA, and 2.53 sGPA. I know I need to work on my sciences and I'm working very hard. This summer I plan on volunteering as well, and attending the Dental Preparation Course by University of Minnesota Dental School.

I'm an Illinois resident, so I would like to get into Midwestern or UIC. However, I do plan on applying to 10+ schools.

I have 2 years to go from this point...and I'm overwhelmed on how hard it is to get in Dental School these days. I keep worrying about my freshman year brining me down, and going to a CC.

Hoping I score at least a 21AA on my DAT, and do well in my science classes. Do I have a chance to get in?

Thank you to everyone that applies! Your advice is greatly appreciated!!

 

[omgroll]

Don't worry about your cc courses and your bad freshman gpa. Just make sure you didn't your prereqs in cc and that they have grade above c-. Also focus on bringing your gpa up. Not just your science but your ogpa too. Aim for 3.00+on sgpa and 3.4+ for ogpa by the end of your 4th year.
One bad year won't keep you out of ds but repeated bad years will.

 

[Slumber]

Start acing those classes and you'll be fine. Those CC pre-reqs may come back to haunt you though.

 

[Dentalguy8621]

That science GPA needs to come up. That should be priority. Focus on getting the GPA up and doing well in your coursework. Dental schools favor university courses to community college courses. So that C might be a little of a concern if anything.

 

[Meat Gyver]

In addition to the other responses, the more upper division courses you take, the better (provided you do well in them). Dental schools want to see that you can handle the rigors of their curriculum, and since you must be finished with many of your Gen-eds, emphasize on those upper division classes. I did some of my pre-reqs at a CC, but made sure I took a greater amount of upper division credits at a 4 year (and did well in them). At all of my interviews, UIC included, my CC credits were never brought up during any of them - but my DAT scores helped with that too. Also, UIC doesn't seem so big on research, so I wouldn't necessarily push back graduation to fit in research (even though research was one of the most rewarding experiences in my undergrad, and I highly recommend it if you are genuinely interested).

 

[rnco]

Podiatry school may be a good alternative.

 

[Naznina Chand]

In addition to the other responses, the more upper division courses you take, the better (provided you do well in them). Dental schools want to see that you can handle the rigors of their curriculum, and since you must be finished with many of your Gen-eds, emphasize on those upper division classes. I did some of my pre-reqs at a CC, but made sure I took a greater amount of upper division credits at a 4 year (and did well in them). At all of my interviews, UIC included, my CC credits were never brought up during any of them - but my DAT scores helped with that too. Also, UIC doesn't seem so big on research, so I wouldn't necessarily push back graduation to fit in research (even though research was one of the most rewarding experiences in my undergrad, and I highly recommend it if you are genuinely interested).

That's what I plan on doing!! Thank you for your helpful advice. As far as graduating a year late, its also so I can finish my BS degree and bring up my 0GPA and sGPA. I thought a year extra wouldn't hurt, and I'd defiantly like to do a research project within that time. How was your interview at UIC? I know compared to Midwestern University, UIC is a bit more tough to get into.