Rising college senior in need of advice for dental school! Is a SMP worthwhile?

[goblueeeeeee]

So.... I'm majoring in biology and biopsychology at Michigan except I'm seeking advice on what I should be focusing on this summer and programs to apply to for post grad.

I haven't gotten stellar grades but I haven't gotten grades lower than a C in any class. So I'm just bummed with my overall academic performance. I'm sitting at a 3.14 GPA.

Here are my plans: I will be taking the GRE the end of summer if I end up applying to SMP grad schools and take the DAT next year after I graduate.

1st year:
bio 1 C
gen chem B
physics 1 B+

2nd year:
bio lab A
orgo 1 & lab B
orgo 2 C / lab B+
stats A-
bio 2 B-

3rd year:
microbio B
p chem C+
cog psych A-
zoology C
biochem C+
neuroscience A-
genetics B-

So yeah... I've gotten quite a lot of Cs, some Bs, and a few As.. I'm discouraged and I'm not sure if I should apply to master programs in hopes of enhancing my academic record since I know at this point they're not good for dental school for Fall 2018. I believe I have a 3.0 BCPM gpa and want to know programs that are suited for me? Since BU OHS, tufts BMS, UMDNJ accept applicants with like a 3.4 and are relatively competitive programs. Are master program's GPAs more inflated? My school's science department averages grades to a C+/B- (around a 2.8 from the advisor I asked) hence the relatively subpar grades. I'm very discouraged and I'm not sure what to do in the fall since I have over 200 hours of dental shadowing experience (I know I love the field!), 3 full years of laboratory experience, and looking to enhance my application some more.

I still have a year left and I'm planning to take an upper level microbio class but I'm holding off on A & P since my school only offers it through the med school and they're 6 credit classes. I also do not want to take more undergrad classes after taking 3 years worth of it. Is there an updated list for specialized non-thesis (though I'm fine with thesis as well but I rather spend a year at a masters program) programs for pre-dental students, I only found a 2008 version? Will masters grades essentially replace your undergraduate gpa? Or just taken less heavily and will look at it in terms of academic progress over the years?

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[knewstance]

Although you have above average grades in relation to your school's science department, are you positive that you would be able to do 4.0-3.8 in a master's program? If you aren't confident in your ability to have excellent grades in a SMP, (ie 95% A's) it's probably going to hurt you more than help you.

Master's grades do not replace your uGPA. I have only see a handful of schools that do this. The SMP that I did definitely does not have inflated grades (unfortunately lol) but I don't think that's the case for all SMPs.

Assess if you believe that you have the ability to get all A's in a SMP. If you are even doubtful here at all, I do not recommend that you do one. If you feel strongly that you can do well, it would be beneficial for your knowledge base and obviously for your GPA.

If you decide that you are not in a position to do a SMP, I would suggest taking a while to study for the DAT. Spend a solid 3-4 months+ if you need it (while not taking other classes). I think if you had some stellar DAT scores (24+), you would have a chance at admission without doing extra classes. Since the scores would somewhat make up for your uGPA.