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AR044

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  1. Pre-Dental
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So this one seems to be played out, and believe me I spent hours searching and reading threads to see if I could find one very similar to my question. So please forgive me, if you feel this is an annoyance.

I would like to hear some recommendations/ what are my chances/ feedback/ etc...

I am a mechanical engineering major with a minor in math, after some engr internships and things i have decided that engineering is not what I would like to be doing for a career. I would like to pursue dentistry. I love it. Enough with my life story but I would like all that are reading this to know that I am very serious about this and I have dedicated my life to reaching this.

I am wondering what do any of y'all think my chances/outlook are with the following conditions.. Gpa 2.8....sGpa 2.85....BCP Gpa 3.68...last 40 hrs Gpa 3.95 DAT: 25(AA) 24(TS) 24(PAT). great LOR's from non-faculty and a pretty good LOR from the school. Shadowing of 6 dentist and one orthodontist for a combined ~100 hrs. I have above avrage extracurricular activities...not some crazy club person, but i get around (that's what she said..haha i know). I will answer anything else. I would really like to hear back from all of you SDN'ers. I have been lurking for some time now, I have bookmarked so may things and read countless threads and posts. Quick note, engr classes and all maths are computed into sGpa but nor BCP gpa, therefore the big differential.
 
Im gonna rarely say when ppl have a sub 3.0 gpa, but I think you will get several interviews and an acceptance. Your DAT is amazing, my god.haha.

But the most important reason why I am saying this is, your BCP is great, clearly your sgpa is that low because of the math, which is relatively irrelevant to dental admissions. BCP is the most important. and most of all, I have so much respect for engineer majors, that major is my top 3 of most respected and difficult majors, due to the gpa deflation.

GL man
 
Your DAT is very, very good. You have an upward trend, which schools like. I think you should consider doing post-bacc or masters to raise your overall and sGPA (most dental schools require at least 3.0 sGPA).
 
TheScienceGuy1 said:
Your DAT is very, very good. You have an upward trend, which schools like. I think you should consider doing post-bacc or masters to raise your overall and sGPA (most dental schools require at least 3.0 sGPA).
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I would usually agree with this 95% of the time, but his situation is so unique. BCP is amazing, ogpa is not great, but his DAT scores are off the charts. If you want to be extra safe, sign up for a few classes for next semester ( assuming you are graduating this semester , if you are not graduating this semester, then just take more "fluffy classes" to get your ogpa up). But i dont think a masters is necessary.
 
bing12 said:
I would usually agree with this 95% of the time, but his situation is so unique. BCP is amazing, ogpa is not great, but his DAT scores are off the charts. If you want to be extra safe, sign up for a few classes for next semester ( assuming you are graduating this semester , if you are not graduating this semester, then just take more "fluffy classes" to get your ogpa up). But i dont think a masters is necessary.
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I am not graduating. I have started the process of getting out all the pre reqs for admission. I haven't even had OChem, however I did teach it to myself. Next year will be more engineering OChem and it's labs, plus A&P Lab I, genetics, microbiology, biochem I and II, plus whatever else I can fit in so that I can apply next cycle. You may be thinking why is this guy even asking for our inut if he's not applying this cycle? Answer: I am very serious and I am trying the best I can to get to a level where I can be competitive. So no fluff classes for me. I hope that my BCP will be weighed a little more...obviously i am a little biased but i feel BCP is a better gpa than sgpa when looking at predent applicants.

PS...i hope 24 gets # 6 this year.
 
AR044 said:
I am not graduating. I have started the process of getting out all the pre reqs for admission. I haven't even had OChem, however I did teach it to myself. Next year will be more engineering OChem and it's labs, plus A&P Lab I, genetics, microbiology, biochem I and II, plus whatever else I can fit in so that I can apply next cycle. You may be thinking why is this guy even asking for our inut if he's not applying this cycle? Answer: I am very serious and I am trying the best I can to get to a level where I can be competitive. So no fluff classes for me. I hope that my BCP will be weighed a little more...obviously i am a little biased but i feel BCP is a better gpa than sgpa when looking at predent applicants.

PS...i hope 24 gets # 6 this year.
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Good man for that comment.

For the orgo, thats just awesome.haha. I have never heard that one before, so very impressive.

Why are you not applying this cycle?
 
TheScienceGuy1 said:
Your DAT is very, very good. You have an upward trend, which schools like. I think you should consider doing post-bacc or masters to raise your overall and sGPA (most dental schools require at least 3.0 sGPA).
Click to expand...

I am from Arkansas, however I am going to school at Louisiana Tech Univ. So my #1 shot is UTHSC at memphis(2.75 min ogpa), i'm also going to apply to LSU, Baylor, and Oklahoma. The next year I will be overloading myself on ochem, bio, and engr..projecting to be around 38-40 hrs for the year. I could finish engr next year, but i have so many pre reqs that i need to obtain, that in order to get the rest of them will mean that I won't be able to grad next year, so while going through the application/admissions process and cycle I will finish my senior load of mech engr. Thank you so much for your input
 
bing12 said:
Good man for that comment.

For the orgo, thats just awesome.haha. I have never heard that one before, so very impressive.

Why are you not applying this cycle?
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Ahh..this cycle. What I posted in my initial post was a projection. I am sitting at a 2.4 overall right now.So..yeah.

Orgo was pretty easy for me. Not to sound arrogant. However I feel that having to start a thread like this one and give out all my info should show I have no reason to be arrogant. lol a sub 3.0. Back to orgo, one of my best friends at school is pre med and he bought this crazy crazy kaplan mcat prep series. they messed up mailing him his books, so they sent out a second copy to him at school...ok to make that sound logical and coherent. my friend purchased this intense prep series, they sent him his materials to his home address(which was a mistake and something happened that made it take weeks) he contacted them because he did not have all the tine in the world to study so they rushed him the series to his school address, therefore resulting in him having two sets. this orgo book that came in the series is AMAZING. by far the best thing i studied.
 
crazy idea: if engineering is not working out too well, and if it can work out effectively, change your major.haha. If you can change your major and take maybe 5-6 classes to obtain a different major, go ahead if you dislike your current major. IF you enjoy engineering, then stick to it obviously. GL
 
I really like engineering, it used to be love instead of like, ha ha. Engineering is just not what I want to do with my life. Changing my major to anything else would require more classes(especially more than 5-6 classes). Also, i was raised by my grandparents and it would mean so much to them and myself to finish the degree. the difficulty has been there at times, but honestly it has just been my lack of desire in the classes. I would just float by(obviously not too well, but i was progressing). I cannot tell you how much more interesting thermodynamics is compared to biology. There is really no comparison for me. However, the idea being stuck behind a desk all day, and not getting to work with many people is a big downer for me. These are just my opinions not trying to rattle anyone's cage. Also, I don't want someone to read this and think that I have chosen to pursue dentistry due to my lack of interest in engr anymore. It is closest to being described in short by. I love engr classes, dislike the work place(more so just not in love), started looking else where and found dentistry. so here I am.


I have appreciated the motivational words.

I wish Tennessee would have released their Gpa ranges for accpeted dental students. They released the DAT scores but not th GPA ranges, just the averages....ahh
 
Bump...

I'd like more SDN'ers comments...thanks
 
AR044 said:
So this one seems to be played out, and believe me I spent hours searching and reading threads to see if I could find one very similar to my question. So please forgive me, if you feel this is an annoyance.

I would like to hear some recommendations/ what are my chances/ feedback/ etc...

I am a mechanical engineering major with a minor in math, after some engr internships and things i have decided that engineering is not what I would like to be doing for a career. I would like to pursue dentistry. I love it. Enough with my life story but I would like all that are reading this to know that I am very serious about this and I have dedicated my life to reaching this.

I am wondering what do any of y'all think my chances/outlook are with the following conditions.. Gpa 2.8....sGpa 2.85....BCP Gpa 3.68...last 40 hrs Gpa 3.95 DAT: 25(AA) 24(TS) 24(PAT). great LOR's from non-faculty and a pretty good LOR from the school. Shadowing of 6 dentist and one orthodontist for a combined ~100 hrs. I have above avrage extracurricular activities...not some crazy club person, but i get around (that's what she said..haha i know). I will answer anything else. I would really like to hear back from all of you SDN'ers. I have been lurking for some time now, I have bookmarked so may things and read countless threads and posts. Quick note, engr classes and all maths are computed into sGpa but nor BCP gpa, therefore the big differential.
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Man, you gotta apply to both michigan schools.... They really like huge upward trends. Even detroit Mercy ranks BCP GPA as the most important criteria (aside from DAT).... and you've demolished both.

I am willing to bet an anatomical body part that if you applied to mercy, you'll get an interview followed by an acceptance.

Other than that, just focus on schools that like upwards trends.... that BCP and DAT are going to offset the other GPAs. To be on the safe side, aim at 15-20 schools.

Good luck pal
 
Thanks dentalworks.....i can't believe i got you to comment. It seems like every time i find an informative thread, you will have a comment somewhere in there. Like a SDN legend of advice
 
AR044,

After viewing your stats, you are a mirror image of myself. I am also a ME and have been working in the industry for 7 years. I recently decided to come back to school to pursue dentistry. Have been doing post bach for 40 hours and get 4.0 so far. I haven't calculated my BCP but my BCP should be close to yours, but my overall GPA sucks. I am planning to do 40 more hours of classes to boost my overall GPA and BCP. Will take DAT next summer and my goal is to score 20+ accross the board. I will apply next cycle and see how it goes. I am planning to apply to 30 schools just to be safe. Good luck to you buddy.
 
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oh... I forgot to mention Columbia.

They have a tendency to favor high DATs over low/sub-3.0 GPAs. I think you have a shot there too.
 
Also consider Midwestern AZ. They actually count your BCP as your science... so that will be to your advantage!
 
UltimateHombre said:
Also consider Midwestern AZ. They actually count your BCP as your science... so that will be to your advantage!
Click to expand...

Wow! I will look like a GREAT candidate to them.
I said it earlier, but why have the science gpa if there is a bcp gpa?
 
AR044 said:
Wow! I will look like a GREAT candidate to them.
I said it earlier, but why have the science gpa if there is a bcp gpa?
Click to expand...

I doubt anyone knows the answer to this... but I'll take a few guesses:

#1) System was designed along time ago, they are trying to keep the "tradition" alive

#2) Do they even know the difference between science and bcp?

#3) To separate the Mathematicians/Engineers from the Hardcore biology/chemistry geeks

#4) To confuse the young pre-dent

#5) Maybe they wanted a quick numerical method of comparing the TS score to BCP GPA? (without looking at other "science" classes ~ i.e math / engineering / etc etc)
 
sounds like your in ok shape man

crush the rest of your classes and you will probably be good to go. Seems like you have straightened yourself out.

also dont feel bad taking GPA boosters. obviously good to show you can succeed in upper level classes, but everyone works the system so some easier GPA boosters might be in order too.
 
kitejunky27 said:
sounds like your in ok shape man

crush the rest of your classes and you will probably be good to go. Seems like you have straightened yourself out.

also dont feel bad taking GPA boosters. obviously good to show you can succeed in upper level classes, but everyone works the system so some easier GPA boosters might be in order too.
Click to expand...

Yeah... wish I could take some easier classes, but with finishing engineering and getting my pre reqs out of the way. I won't have any time for boosters.
 
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