please help! i messed up

[straightenout]

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okay...so i didnt pick a major for 2 years of college and now i finally am a biology major with concentration in pre-dentistry. i didnt do well in school initially and got kicked out and came back last semester(fall 2008). i re-took all the classes that i had done badly in and got no c's. i'm now registered in 18 credits and am going to be graduating a year late. i want to be an orthodontist more than anything in the world and am extremely focused and driven to achieve my goals. luckily i only have 26 credits, so i still have the advantage to greatly impact my g.p.a. i know dental schools will look down on the fact that i took an extra year to graduate. can anyone give me any advice on what steps i should take to get into dental school, now that i have my head on straight?

 

[biota123]

I hope d-schools don't look down on you for taking an extra year to graduate! a lot of applicants are non-traditional or coming from grad school, i dont think age matters at all. I'm taking 5yrs to do my undergrad, Human Biology major, biology concentration, and a minor in business.

i think as long as you show a good upward trend in grades and do really well in your dentistry pre-reqs. you should be fine.

Be sure to do your shadowing and volunteering!! also, don't get so stuck on ortho, schools don't like ppl who have already determined their specialty with so much still to learn!

 

[rewJW]

Here's probably your most important advice: applying to/getting into/going to dental school is just that. Dental school. You aren't guaranteed an ortho residency, and if there is no way you'd be happy as a general dentist, it's probably not a good idea to go to dental school.

Schools don't care how long you take to graduate. They do care about things like academic probation and overall GPA. Those classes you retook, both your old and new grades will go into your GPA calculation for dental school application. But there are enough examples of people who have gotten into d-school after rough starts in college, so it's doable. Just keep your act together between now and graduation.

 

[206127]

Here's probably your most important advice: applying to/getting into/going to dental school is just that. Dental school. You aren't guaranteed an ortho residency, and if there is no way you'd be happy as a general dentist, it's probably not a good idea to go to dental school.

Schools don't care how long you take to graduate. They do care about things like academic probation and overall GPA. Those classes you retook, both your old and new grades will go into your GPA calculation for dental school application. But there are enough examples of people who have gotten into d-school after rough starts in college, so it's doable. Just keep your act together between now and graduation.

very very true...

I did one year at a CC took 12 units, then went to a 4 year and got a BS in Biology. So it took me a total of 5 years... I'm in...