So what is a decent GPA for dental school?

[kat3iseret]

So I am curious what everyone considers to be a good enough GPA for dental school. A 3.5, 3.6, 3.8 or whatever?

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[lphiewok]

So I am curious what everyone considers to be a good enough GPA for dental school. A 3.5, 3.6, 3.8 or whatever?

IMO, if you want to have 'decent' GPA where it still requires decent DAT score, then probably around 3.5 both oGPA and sGPA (it would still be considered low gpa in some schools, e.g. UTHSC-SA starting class had avg. GPA of 3.78 during last year's interview presentation and made everyone feel pretty bad about their GPAs haha)

if you want to have competitive GPA where you will have no problems with your GPA, then probably 3.7-3.8 i would say for dental schools.

but of course you can overcome those numbers with DAT, ECs, etc.

 

[doc3232]

4.0 18
3.8 19
3.6 20
3.4 21
3.2 22
3.0 23

You will do great with these kinds of stats. You have to have the DAT score along with it or it means nothing.

 

[DrDDSman]

People with <3.0s get in, and people with ~4.0 can not get in (rare, in both instances). It all depends on your DATs, major/courseload, letters, ECs, PS, applying early, etc. I think that a 3.7-8 may be on the high side for "good" and is more on the "great" side. A 3.5+ with a 20+ can be seen as a successful indicator.

 

[wantVCUdental]

4.0 18
3.8 19
3.6 20
3.4 21
3.2 22
3.0 23

You will do great with these kinds of stats. You have to have the DAT score along with it or it means nothing.

i agree, though there are probably exceptions too, i think if you can pull off 3.0+ at cornell or MIT or any other grade deflated school, you can probably get in even if you have under 2

 

[failedmagician]

4.0 18
3.8 19
3.6 20
3.4 21
3.2 22
3.0 23

You will do great with these kinds of stats. You have to have the DAT score along with it or it means nothing.

This is a pretty good standard based on averages I have seen and word of mouth

When I started my freshman year I set my goal at a 4.0 and 20+ DAT. Now I know that's not what you need..but it sure does help. Basically to feel safe..you want to be a significant amount higher than the average for acceptance. If it's a 3.4...you want a 3.6.
Just think of a bell shaped curve..there are extremes and then there's the middle. Where do you want to fall.

 

[failedmagician]

i agree, though there are probably exceptions too, i think if you can pull off 3.0+ at cornell or MIT or any other grade deflated school, you can probably get in even if you have under 2

Oh yes, yes yes.

 

[joonkimdds]

I don't know anyone who got accepted with GPA less than 3.4.
I think 3.4 is minimum these days.

 

[doc toothache]

I don't know anyone who got accepted with GPA less than 3.4.
I think 3.4 is minimum these days.

But then, you could hardly be expected to know the ~4.5K applicants who were accepted.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527700
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=602109

 

[ashlander]

I don't know anyone who got accepted with GPA less than 3.4.
I think 3.4 is minimum these days.

NOT NICE!!

 

[Atticus]

But then, you could hardly be expected to know the ~4.5K applicants who were accepted.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527700
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=602109

👍

 

[judiciousjim]

I don't know anyone who got accepted with GPA less than 3.4.
I think 3.4 is minimum these days.

There are people who get into MEDICAL SCHOOL with lower than 3.4 GPA.

 

[FutureDent020]

But then, you could hardly be expected to know the ~4.5K applicants who were accepted.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527700
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=602109

Doc toothache once again brings logic to these ridiculous threads. THANK YOU...This thread is stupid. There are waaaay to many factors that play a part in dental school admissions to say people don't get in with a under a 3.4. And 3.7-3.8 for the typical dental school GPA, are you kidding??? If that was the case, then schools are getting too easy.

 

[sddat]

Doc toothache once again brings logic to these ridiculous threads. THANK YOU...This thread is stupid. There are waaaay to many factors that play a part in dental school admissions to say people don't get in with a under a 3.4. And 3.7-3.8 for the typical dental school GPA, are you kidding??? If that was the case, then schools are getting too easy.

Yeah but, the question was..what is a decent GPA? The question in itself is really an opinion...what is "decent"? a GPA that will get you in or one that may/may not get you by. Good...decent...these are just opinions really. An average can give you a starting point, but what would be considered "safe" is really just an opinion.

OP did not ask for the average..even if that's what they meant. They also did not ask for a GPA that will grant an acceptance, not that there is one.

 

[yuppers]

Yeah but, the question was..what is a decent GPA? The question in itself is really an opinion...what is "decent"? a GPA that will get you in or one that may/may not get you by. They did not ask for the average..even if that's what they meant. They also did not ask for a GPA that will grant an acceptance, not that there is one.

Except that there are so many variables that it is hard to just come up with one number to answer the question.

 

[sddat]

Except that there are so many variables that it is hard to just come up with one number to answer the question.

Yeah you are right about that.

 

[FutureDent020]

4.0 18
3.8 19
3.6 20
3.4 21
3.2 22
3.0 23

You will do great with these kinds of stats. You have to have the DAT score along with it or it means nothing.

DAT is one test. GPA accumulates over 4 years. I don't agree that just cause you have a 23 you will do "great" with a 3.0. Of course I am not saying you are screwed. Transcript progression and coarse load plays a huge part. Chart is arbitrary

 

[doc3232]

DAT is one test. GPA accumulates over 4 years. I don't agree that just cause you have a 23 you will do "great" with a 3.0. Of course I am not saying you are screwed. Transcript progression and coarse load plays a huge part. Chart is arbitrary

Yet many schools value them equally and some even care more for DAT.

I don't want to start a DAT VS gpa thread but DAT levels the playing field. That's all I will say about DAT vs gpa. 😀

 

[FutureDent020]

Yet many schools value them equally and some even care more for DAT.

I don't want to start a DAT VS gpa thread but DAT levels the playing field. That's all I will say about DAT vs gpa. 😀

Me neither.. Point taken though

 

[DrDientes]

I am curious about what my GPA should be at if I want to be competitive given my DAT scores. Given that all the other aspects of my application are solid enough.

AA:20 TS:22 PAT:21

 

[yuppers]

I am curious about what my GPA should be at if I want to be competitive given my DAT scores. Given that all the other aspects of my application are solid enough.

AA:20 TS:22 PAT:21

Like I said earlier:

Except that there are so many variables that it is hard to just come up with one number to answer the question.

It depends on what the schools values more, other DAT sections, PS, LORs, ECs, courses taken, interview, cGPA, sGPA, etc.
However, I would say 3.3-4.0 if you want to be competitive. But you could be fine with a lower GPA as seen many times on this sdn.

 

[The Anhedonia]

I am curious about what my GPA should be at if I want to be competitive given my DAT scores. Given that all the other aspects of my application are solid enough.

AA:20 TS:22 PAT:21

many schools are using RC as a really highly weighted aspect of the DAT (recent studies indicate that this is an excellent indicator on how you will perform in dental school). how did you do here?

 

[wantVCUdental]

many schools are using RC as a really highly weighted aspect of the DAT (recent studies indicate that this is an excellent indicator on how you will perform in dental school). how did you do here?

Totally agree! RC is definitely the most important section of DAT, it is a measure of how quickly you can take in and process information!
*can't believe i am saying this lol, i got 16 RC lol

 

[doc toothache]

Totally agree! RC is definitely the most important section of DAT, it is a measure of how quickly you can take in and process information!
*can't believe i am saying this lol, i got 16 RC lol

The ranking would be AA>TS>RC>Bio>OC>GC>PA>QR

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=657139

 

[doc3232]

The ranking would be AA>TS>RC>Bio>OC>GC>PA>QR

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=657139

I don't think you can really compare PAT in with the other sections and if you did, then I think it beats RC. It has correlation with a dental student's success in the clinic and is the only predictor for this.
Also, more schools have cutoffs on the PAT than on RC.

 

[The Anhedonia]

I don't think you can really compare PAT in with the other sections and if you did, then I think it beats RC. It has correlation with a dental student's success in the clinic and is the only predictor for this.
Also, more schools have cutoffs on the PAT than on RC.

PAT is somewhat of an indicator of one's perceptual ability (hence the name i guess), and this is indeed very important for good clinical development in dental school. However, the PAT relates absolutely nothing about one's hand skills or coordination, which i'd argue is just as important as the perceptual ability itself (if not more so).

i'd say that the greatest indicator of success in the clinic would be one's communication skills with their patients 🙂

 

[DrDientes]

Whoa really the RC has a big part in your DAT score? I thought it was one of those that didn't really matter too much, thus I never took it too seriously when studying
I got a 20 in that section

any further input on how I stand would be appreciated

 

[yuppers]

From another thread.

"The DATs are weighted very heavily in dental admissions decisions. Five of its component scores—academic average, science, perceptual ability, reading comprehension, and biology—were each rated more important by U.S. schools than any other factor. On a scale of 1 (least important) to 9 (most important), the academic average was rated (median score) 9, science 8, perceptual ability 7, and the rest of the component scores 6 or below as respective individual criteria of importance in the admissions decision. Quantitative reasoning score was ranked least important among the DAT’s component scores with a median of 2.2"

http://www.jdentaled.org/cgi/content/full/69/10/1095

[FONT=helvetica, arial] Evaluation of Applicants to Predoctoral Dental Education Programs: Review of the Literature .

[FONT=arial, helvetica] Richard R. Ranney, D.D.S., M.S.; Margaret B. Wilson, D.D.S., M.B.A.; Robert B. Bennett, Ph.D. .
[SIZE=-1] J Dent Educ. 69(10): 1095-1106 2005[/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1][/SIZE]

 

[doc3232]

PAT is somewhat of an indicator of one's perceptual ability (hence the name i guess), and this is indeed very important for good clinical development in dental school. However, the PAT relates absolutely nothing about one's hand skills or coordination, which i'd argue is just as important as the perceptual ability itself (if not more so).

i'd say that the greatest indicator of success in the clinic would be one's communication skills with their patients 🙂

Actually, I was talking about "hand skills" and not just the person's perceptual ability. Read up on the link posted by yuppers (above) to get more info about it.

 

[doc toothache]

I don't think you can really compare PAT in with the other sections and if you did, then I think it beats RC. It has correlation with a dental student's success in the clinic and is the only predictor for this.
Also, more schools have cutoffs on the PAT than on RC.

That happens to be true but it hard to get too excited over it considering the fact that only 4 schools have cutoffs for pa vs 1 for rc. In reality the minimum requirements are not particularly significant considering the fact the 15 for one ds represents the bottom 21%, the 2 at 14 represents the bottom 12.5% and the lone 13 represents the bottom 6.6% of the applicant pool and probably significantly lower for the enrollees pool.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=650441

 

[wantVCUdental]

That happens to be true but it hard to get too excited over it considering the fact that only 4 schools have cutoffs for pa vs 1 for rc. In reality the minimum requirements are not particularly significant considering the fact the 15 for one ds represents the bottom 21%, the 2 at 14 represents the bottom 12.5% and the lone 13 represents the bottom 6.6% of the applicant pool and probably significantly lower for the enrollees pool.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=650441

I don't want to say this info is false, doc toothache has provided us with a lot of good stuff and i really appreciate it.

Anyway, as a low RC scorer (16), i looked into the schools, Indiana is very strict, if you don't hit 18, it's no!
and case, temple also have i think at least 17 for their cutoffs

 

[uclaDDS101]

... i think if you can pull off 3.0+ at cornell or MIT or any other grade deflated school, you can probably get in even if you have under 2

Random question: How do you know if a school is a "grade deflated school"?

 

[wantVCUdental]

Random question: How do you know if a school is a "grade deflated school"?

Schools will know whether you came out of a tough school, you are from UCLA, i wouldn't worry too much. Usually big competitive public schools like UCLA, UCBerkeley are in the clear. And the top 15 schools are usually hard to do really well, because you are competing against top undergrads in the nation.
Cornell and MIT are just infamous for their grade deflation

 

[FutureDent020]

Random question: How do you know if a school is a "grade deflated school"?

If you went to one you would know. It's a school that gives out limited A's. You could rank fairly high in your class and make a lot of B's.

Most Ivy leagues practice grade deflation, and I think Swathmore and a few other northern private schools do too. VCUdental is right about MIT and Cornell, and I know Princeton was the worst for a while.

 

[doc toothache]

I don't want to say this info is false, doc toothache has provided us with a lot of good stuff and i really appreciate it.
Anyway, as a low RC scorer (16), i looked into the schools, Indiana is very strict, if you don't hit 18, it's no!
and case, temple also have i think at least 17 for their cutoffs

You are much too kind. Obviously, what you think is more reliable than the officially published information.

 

[wantVCUdental]

You are much too kind. Obviously, what you think is more reliable than the officially published information.

I am not good with words, i meant to say i called them and they told me 17 is the cutoff

 

[wwdaffodils]

You are much too kind. Obviously, what you think is more reliable than the officially published information.

Grammar patrol.

 

[doc toothache]

Grammar patrol.

It would have been wiser to check out some previous posts by an English major.

And APPLY EARLY, if not only for peace of mind. The application process is LONG and it'll stress you out when you come on SDN and see people getting interview invites left and right.

There are benefits of doing a post-bac program: you'll have advisors who have dealt with non-traditional students before (help you structure your coursework), committees for letters of recommendations, you'll be around other students who are going through the same exact process you'll be going through, etc.

BUT, with all that said, dentistry is an excellent field think about, and many others before you have made the switch, which tells you that it is indeed possible. Now it's a matter of how badly you want to succeed. SDN is a good start- it's a great resource to have, but remember to take everything with a grain of salt. Most of us are obsessively neurotic, and we represent a very very very VERY (did I mention, very?) tiny fraction of the actual pre dent population. And, even though we like to pretend, we don't actually know everything.

If you really want to go to a school in new york, NYU is probably your best bet at this point since you're closest to their averages (sGPA 3.39/ total GPA 3.44). Not to say that you can't get into the other 3 schools, because anything is possible, but just letting you know your odds. .

Best of all, ask a dentist! Most love to talk. A lot.