Pre-dent + BME

[peace love dds]

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Hey Guys,

So I don't know if this thread has been made or not, seeing that I am very new on here; either way, I am in a little dilemma. I am pursuing a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and am also applying to dental school (weird combo, I know). The problem is, I haven't taken as many bio classes as have the Bio majors applying so I was assuming my science GPA was going to be higher. Unfortunately, AADSAS counted my Engr classes in my science GPA, now I am lingering at a 2.7 (Couple of my Engr courses killed me).

According to those who have made it into dental school, what do you think my chances are of getting in? Do you think they will be more forgiving because I am pursuing a more difficult degree or..? This is assuming I get a 21/22 on my DAT.


Thanks!

 

[Habbas]

the best route for you may be do to you post-bacc and bring up your GPA.

2.7 is rather low and 21/22 these days wouldnt really be high enough to balance out that GPA

 

[DrTank]

Your science GPA is low. Many D schools have gpa cutoffs so you will automatically be rejected. Dental schools will take into account your course load and the classes you have completed so you may be at an advantage. My advise to you is to shoot for a 23+ on your DAT. You should also research all the D schools and find out which schools accept applicants with low GPA's. There is a 3.0 and under thread you may want to take a look at for advise.

 

[peace love dds]

I know, when I checked the AADSAS calculation I was more than disappointed. I thought me being a BME, they might be a little more forgiving, but that was a longshot.

I really want to go to UoP's dental school, especially because I am in their undergrad right now and they will place me in the same applicant pool as the rest of their undergrad, but now I feel a little defeated.

Ah.

 

[Medwell]

I feel like I've posted this so many times...

From my undergrad's ChemE page:

"It is important to dispel the myth that engineering premeds have an advantage that displaces a high GPA and high MCAT score. In recent years admission to medical school has become very competitive. Consequently, medical school applicants have a low probability of acceptance without a reputable GPA, even if they opted for a more difficult undergraduate major. Do not expect admissions committees to utilize another academic standard because of the relative difficulty of Chemical Engineering curricula. In fact, most schools clearly state the indifference in undergraduate majors as a selection factor."

Key words here: "dispel the myth".
I realize that this paragraph discusses medical school specifically, but later on in the page:

Much of the information above about medical schools also applies to dental schools.

So basically, your major doesn't matter - only your grades. I believe that BME and ChemE are pretty interchangeable in this text, no?

 

[peace love dds]

I don't know, I've heard mixed things. The only thing I am certain about is that they hold more value when it comes to your DAT than your grades and I say this because a number of schools have told me so.


Let's hope the DAT works out well! Any tips?

 

[sfoksn]

If you are a BME major AND are able to actually understand fully what is going on (I say this because grades don't correlate at all with your understanding, I know that), you should be getting at least 25AA 🙂

Good luck, buddy

 

[Docplaque]

😛

 

[sfoksn]

Forget the haters! I did Bioengineering and it was rough that junk, was hard. Your best bet is to call the dental school and see what they look at, for some schools the science gpa is actually the bcp gpa, it really depends. I've called schools any was told straight up that they DON'T consider math or engineering courses in the sGPA just your Bio, Chem and Phys courses. Everyone knows that engineers make the best doctors. Lol!😛

Which schools only looked at BCP as only sGPA?!

That is such a great news for me! 😀

 

[peace love dds]

Hahah, werd with ENGR's being the best (lol jk, kind of?)! Dude, if I could get a 25AA, I will die happy! But as of now, OChem is my week spot; thankfully I have 3 more weeks!

Did either of you (Docplaque & sfoksn) get into dent school or are you still applying?

P.S.- Thanks for making me feel better! 🙂

 

[Docplaque]

The only two that I know of as of now are LSU and Howard. Both are great universities in different ways.

 

[sfoksn]

Hahah, werd with ENGR's being the best (lol jk, kind of?)! Dude, if I could get a 25AA, I will die happy! But as of now, OChem is my week spot; thankfully I have 3 more weeks!

Did either of you (Docplaque & sfoksn) get into dent school or are you still applying?

P.S.- Thanks for making me feel better! 🙂

Hey, you are welcome, buddy. I am a pre-dental student just like you and I just applied this June.

I am waiting to hear back from the dental schools, and I heard back from some of them.

Hopefully I will be able to make into some of my top choices 🙂

Feel free to PM me if you got any questions.

 

[Shipponz]

I am going for Undergrad BME at Rutgers University as an incoming freshmen. The reason i am doing BME is because imo biology is a waste of major in NJ. If you don't get into dental school one year, where are you going to find a job that will keep you for a short period of time. Maybe i might be confused but i like the idea of creating medical devices/objects. Hopefully, i can keep a high GPA plus i do think Engineers make better doctors. 🙂 Good luck with your app and hopefully you will graduate in 4 years when i just applied.