Some Advice For Fall Plans?

[AKL8]

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Hi SDN,

I don't mean to bother you guys with another "What are my chances" type thread but I am really in need of some advice.

I am a Canadian applicant to US dental schools applying for the second time.
I will be graduating in June from my Bachelors degree.

The first time I applied I had applied late (Nov. 24) and had only been granted one interview at BU early February.

I have to admit my final year had not turned out as great as I had hoped and my ogpa and sgpa both dropped.

My stats are as follows now:

ogpa: ~3.33
sgpa: ~3.15
CANADIAN DAT: RC: 20
TS:19
AA: 20
PAT: 23
CARV: 15

Now my dilemma is that I'm not sure whether I should return to school for the coming Fall term and upgrade my marks or just apply early with what I have. I have two options:

A.If I return to school I may be able to raise my ogpa to ~3.38 and sgpa to ~3.22 assuming I get straight 3.9s in all courses (which is by no means easy). Apply again for 2013 cycle.

B. Apply early, and further my shadowing and volunteering experiences (possibly abroad). If I am denied 2012 cycle then I will likely have to upgrade my marks but there are not many Winter courses that will help raise my marks.However, if I take fall courses in Sept. 2012 then my application will be late for the 2013 cycle which further jeopardizes my chances and then I will have to wait until 2014 cycle to apply.

Any opinions or suggestions are well appreciated. Thank you in advance! Best of luck to all of you in your applications!!

 

[4thMolar]

You're going to be fighting an uphill battle, but I think you should apply early this cycle and also continue taking courses for the next year. You can indicate on your application that you will be taking post-bacc courses and will be able to send these grades in by december. However, you did say your GPAs went down this year, so if you do apply and dont get any interviews pre-december, your chances will become even slimmer. Also, have you thought about re-taking your DAT or possibly taking the american DAT? Taking the american DAT will give you a wider selection of schools to apply to.

 

[dentalWorks]

Hi SDN,

I don't mean to bother you guys with another "What are my chances" type thread but I am really in need of some advice.

I am a Canadian applicant to US dental schools applying for the second time.
I will be graduating in June from my Bachelors degree.

The first time I applied I had applied late (Nov. 24) and had only been granted one interview at BU early February.

I have to admit my final year had not turned out as great as I had hoped and my ogpa and sgpa both dropped.

My stats are as follows now:

ogpa: ~3.33
sgpa: ~3.15
CANADIAN DAT: RC: 20
TS:19
AA: 20
PAT: 23
CARV: 15

Now my dilemma is that I'm not sure whether I should return to school for the coming Fall term and upgrade my marks or just apply early with what I have. I have two options:

A.If I return to school I may be able to raise my ogpa to ~3.38 and sgpa to ~3.22 assuming I get straight 3.9s in all courses (which is by no means easy). Apply again for 2013 cycle.

B. Apply early, and further my shadowing and volunteering experiences (possibly abroad). If I am denied 2012 cycle then I will likely have to upgrade my marks but there are not many Winter courses that will help raise my marks.However, if I take fall courses in Sept. 2012 then my application will be late for the 2013 cycle which further jeopardizes my chances and then I will have to wait until 2014 cycle to apply.

Any opinions or suggestions are well appreciated. Thank you in advance! Best of luck to all of you in your applications!!

Statistically speaking.... Option B sounds like a waste of money and time. Your odds of making it into a U.S school are very low (very).

I would put my head down and bury it in the books this coming Fall and Spring. You will need a higher GPA, thats for sure

 

[iralex801]

Because your Canadian, it is significantly harder for you to get into US schools. I suggest option B only because your Canadian.

 

[AKL8]

You're going to be fighting an uphill battle, but I think you should apply early this cycle and also continue taking courses for the next year. You can indicate on your application that you will be taking post-bacc courses and will be able to send these grades in by december. However, you did say your GPAs went down this year, so if you do apply and dont get any interviews pre-december, your chances will become even slimmer. Also, have you thought about re-taking your DAT or possibly taking the american DAT? Taking the american DAT will give you a wider selection of schools to apply to.

Hi 4thMolar,

Thank you for your input, I really appreciate it!
I wasn't sure what you meant. Did you mean that my chances of landing an interview this admission cycle would become slimmer if I was not granted an interview pre-december?

I have considered retaking both Canadian and American DATs but probably not for this coming cycle. I'm not sure that I would have enough time to get my DAT scores in early (Mid June) to help me in my admissions. My only chance now (considering my GPA and Citizenship) would be the large class size private schools like BU, NYU, etc. but even then I know the path is not easy.

 

[AKL8]

Statistically speaking.... Option B sounds like a waste of money and time. Your odds of making it into a U.S school are very low (very).

I would put my head down and bury it in the books this coming Fall and Spring. You will need a higher GPA, thats for sure

Hi dentalWorks,

Thanks for your reply!

I was wondering if my odds of making it into the private institutions such as NYU and BU are still "very low (very)" if I apply really early.

I guess maybe that 0.05 from ogpa ~3.38-->3.33 and 0.06 from sgpa ~3.22-->3.16 really makes that big of a difference despite my late application (Nov. 24) last cycle that got me an interview at BU? Do you happen to know if people with my kind of stats are still able to receive interviews at private DS when they apply early?

 

[AKL8]

Because your Canadian, it is significantly harder for you to get into US schools. I suggest option B only because your Canadian.

Hey iralex801,

Thanks for your reply!

I was wondering why you would suggest option B. If I was American would you suggest me to go back to school for some courses to upgrade my undergraduate GPA? Is that considered as a "post-bacc" or is "post-bacc" an actual program such as GMS programs?

 

[dentalWorks]

Hi dentalWorks,

Thanks for your reply!

I was wondering if my odds of making it into the private institutions such as NYU and BU are still "very low (very)" if I apply really early.

I guess maybe that 0.05 from ogpa ~3.38-->3.33 and 0.06 from sgpa ~3.22-->3.16 really makes that big of a difference despite my late application (Nov. 24) last cycle that got me an interview at BU? Do you happen to know if people with my kind of stats are still able to receive interviews at private DS when they apply early?

Unfortunately, yes. Even though they are private institutes and seem a little "easier" to land, they are still EXCEPTIONALLY competitive.

Being "early" does NOT make you more competitive... it just makes them look at your application before others and maybe, if you "woo" them enough, you'll get an early invite for interview before other applications are reviewed. The problem with your application is the low sGPA, thats gonna give you trouble.

I am not implying you won't make it (cause Im sure people with lower stats have made it)... I am just saying odds are against you.

Perhaps you can still apply to a few private DS and see how turns out and DEFINITELY start on post-bacc this fall (ya know... planning for the worst)

all the best

 

[4thMolar]

Hi 4thMolar,

Thank you for your input, I really appreciate it!
I wasn't sure what you meant. Did you mean that my chances of landing an interview this admission cycle would become slimmer if I was not granted an interview pre-december?

I have considered retaking both Canadian and American DATs but probably not for this coming cycle. I'm not sure that I would have enough time to get my DAT scores in early (Mid June) to help me in my admissions. My only chance now (considering my GPA and Citizenship) would be the large class size private schools like BU, NYU, etc. but even then I know the path is not easy.

What I mean by your chances becoming slimmer for an interview/acceptance post-december is b/c by december 1st many dental schools will start sending out acceptances to selected students and begin filling their classes. Therefore, with less spots available for you, it will just make it tougher to gain a select seat.