SMP or 1 more year of undergrad?

[Mindlelae11]

Hi,

I'm in my 4th year university preparing for DS. I'm from Canada, so wrote my DAT in November and got competitive scores. The thing is, my undergrad cGPA/sGPA is hovering just near 3.0, which I think is too low for DS. I'm aiming for C/O 2015, so I have a year gap (according to my plan).

My question is, would it be better for me to do a 1-year SMP after graduation in May 2010 or stay another year at my university try to boost my undergrad GPA? My main concern is that if I do choose SMP, the courses that I would need to take would be harder b/c they are grad-level courses, which would not really help w/my GPA.

Any input would be greatly appreciated...!!

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[coolslugs]

Hi,

I'm in my 4th year university preparing for DS. I'm from Canada, so wrote my DAT in November and got competitive scores. The thing is, my undergrad cGPA/sGPA is hovering just near 3.0, which I think is too low for DS. I'm aiming for C/O 2015, so I have a year gap (according to my plan).

My question is, would it be better for me to do a 1-year SMP after graduation in May 2010 or stay another year at my university try to boost my undergrad GPA? My main concern is that if I do choose SMP, the courses that I would need to take would be harder b/c they are grad-level courses, which would not really help w/my GPA.

Any input would be greatly appreciated...!!

Do a 1 year SMP! I made the mistake of doing a 5th year and still ended up doing a SMP. It was difficult for me to continue taking classes after all of my friends graduated at the 4 year mark. It will feel nice to have a degree under your belt. SMP will be more difficult in terms of how many science classes you will be taking at once, but it will better prepare you for dental school.

 

[DividedByZero]

Hi,

I'm in my 4th year university preparing for DS. I'm from Canada, so wrote my DAT in November and got competitive scores. The thing is, my undergrad cGPA/sGPA is hovering just near 3.0, which I think is too low for DS. I'm aiming for C/O 2015, so I have a year gap (according to my plan).

My question is, would it be better for me to do a 1-year SMP after graduation in May 2010 or stay another year at my university try to boost my undergrad GPA? My main concern is that if I do choose SMP, the courses that I would need to take would be harder b/c they are grad-level courses, which would not really help w/my GPA.

Any input would be greatly appreciated...!!

With any decision like this, CALL the schools you are interested in and ask!

Surprisingly, some dental schools could really not give two ****s if you went to a SMP or not. They will only look at your undergrad GPA as a barometer of how well you will do in dental school. Other schools will take a masters degree into account and you can take your chances there.

If your GPA is really hovering around a 3, one year at your undergrad will not only save you about 30-40 grand in tuition and expenses to uproot yourself to another location, but a yearful of A's (~45-50 units) in one year will easily catapult you into that 3.3-3.4 range and make you a competitive applicant.

If it were me, I would choose to do a 5th year instead of doing the SMP I'm in now. Too much money and too much time for nothing.

 

[Mindlelae11]

great advices on both sides!! thanks so much

surprisngly, i got an interview offer late in the afternoon from UBC, scheduled in january. i only applied to UBC this year. if anyone knows about CDA interview styles/questions, i'd really appreciate your input as well.

this is very exciting...