Under 3.0 GPA- Chance for dental school?

[chrome5000]

Hello SDN members,
I will be graduating from a Public Texas University next Spring (2016) and I would like to get your "2 cents" on my chances for getting accepted into a dental school anywhere in the U.S... assuming that I apply early next cycle. Any advice or feedback...(positive or negative) would be appreciated. Here's a few "relevant" facts about me.

Pros:
- President/Officer in Pre-Dental Club for 3 Years
~150 hours of community service (most hours are dental related)
- 26 hours of shadowing a General dentist
- Participated in two summer Pre-dental Enrichment Programs at a Dental School

Cons:
- (Assuming all A's for Fall 2015/Spring 2016)- I will be graduating with a...
OGPA- 3.03
SGPA- 2.79

Misc. Facts
1) I will be taking all upper division science classes both semesters (Immunology w/ lab, Histology, Biochem w/lab, etc.) I plan to have an upward trend.
2) I haven't taken the DAT yet but plan to study for it all winter break and take it afterwards.
3) I am an urm
4) I've already read all the posts on the "under 3.0 club", so there's no need to refer me there lol. Thanks

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[okiedokeartichoke]

Since you have a year to prepare for the next application cycle, make sure you get more shadowing hours under your belt

 

[chrome5000]

Thanks for the advice okiedokeartichoke. I met a dentist over the summer who said I could shadow him. I need to call him and get in some more hours

 

[aznriptide859]

If you're in Texas, take the online test for dental assistant certification available through UTHSCSA. That plus getting a CPR certification allows you to work as a registered dental assistant (RDA), which opens up WAY more doors than simply shadowing. If the dentist you're referring to is understanding, he won't hesitate to help train you and teach you the inner workings of a practice.

I'll tell you from personal experience I learned way more from working as an assistant for a month than I ever learned from shadowing for half a year.

 

[chrome5000]

Thanks for the tip aznriptide859. Our pre-dental club told us about becoming RDA certified online earlier this year but I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to find a dentist who would allow me to work with their patients since i would have no real "hands on" experience(plus there's the stigma of being a man lol). Asuming that you got your RDA certification online, was it easy to find a place to work/volunteer at? Oh and yeah did you get paid or did you work for free? I wouldn't know how to go abou it.Thanks again

 

[aznriptide859]

Course is here:

http://icourses.uthscsa.edu/courses/DAregistration/preview.html

The course can be finished within a 1 month period following initial registration; frankly if you don't have anything better to do you can finish it in 1-2 days.

CPR certification is also easy to obtain, it's usually just a 1-2 hour course and you learn extremely basic CPR/resuscitation and emergency skills. Cost is usually $20-40.

I got my certification during my last long-term shadowing, so my hands-on assisting there was extremely minimal. My first real experience was at a TMOM event (Texas Mission of Mercy), which is pretty hectic but very rewarding. The dentists there are extremely warm-hearted and are willing to teach you along the way. My current job is paid, part-time (since it's a brand new office), and the dentist is very patient in teaching me procedures. You can find jobs either through your pre-dent society (sometimes mine would post positions open to members), or you can find it through DentalPost (how I found mine). Be prepared, applying using DentalPost is basically jumping into the job market - tons of application submissions but only very few responses.

 

[chrome5000]

Awesome. Thanks for the info! I am already CPR certified and have volunteered at TMOM as just a Pre-dental student. I will definitely look into it some more. Assuming that I become RDA certified and get 100 shadowing hours by the next application cycle, can you think of anything else I can do to become more competitive? With my gpa barely at a 3.0 I feel that I need to make up for it on the other parts of my application somehow

 

[aznriptide859]

In terms of your GPA, you can either choose a post-bac or masters program if that's what you feel like you'd want to improve on. You should probably be better off asking advisors/professors attached to your pre-dental society to see what they'd suggest you do.

 

[chrome5000]

Thanks again for all your help I would talk to our schools prehealth advisors but I'm afraid that they would tell me to start looking into another career once they saw my transcripts lol. I'll reach out to someone though

 

[NewTab]

No. average is 3.5, you are 0.5 GPA below. Too far. Do another year or postbac or something homeboy.

 

[chrome5000]

I'm not your homeboy lol but thanks for the feedback. Depending on how I score on the DAT, I may or may not do a postbac

 

[pgex2t]

At this moment your highest priority is your DAT. Score high enough, and some schools may overlook your GPA as long as you can explain it. Other than that, more shadowing hours would definitely contribute as previously mentioned.

 

[chrome5000]

Thanks for the response pgex2t. I was feeling hopeless the other day scrolling through all the pages of 4.0/27AA DAT applicants on here... but I guess I still have a small chance of getting in somewhere. I am going to aim for all A's my final year, 75 more shadowing hours, and a 25 on the DAT. Hopefully that'll be enough

 

[ncide]

I would suggest getting a masters or doing a postbac. You need a higher GPA, especially your science GPA.

 

[chrome5000]

Thanks for the feedback ncide. Although my chance of getting accepted are statistically low, I think I will apply next cycle if I get above a 23 on the DAT and make all A's in the remainder of my 26 hours of upper division science classes. I may be naive, but I'm hoping that that will mean something to the admission committees. I don't want to do a post-bac/master's/SMP but I guess having that as a backup plan (in case I am met with 100% rejections ) wouldn't hurt. I'll start researching some today- Thanks again

 

[okiedokeartichoke]

Thanks for the advice okiedokeartichoke. I met a dentist over the summer who said I could shadow him. I need to call him and get in some more hours

Sounds like a good idea! I'm also a low-GPA'er here so I can empathize with you on your situation. I'll be applying next cycle as well so good luck to you!

 

[DENTALSCHNEEZ811]

Yea I have a 2.96 and got 4 interviews. GPA is not a big deal to a lot of schools. Keep ur head up, be prepared to apply early and kill the DAT u will get interviews. Personal statement is very important as well.

 

[chrome5000]

@ okiedokeartichoke- Thanks and good luck to you as well

@ DENTALSCHNEEZ811- That's awesome! Congratulations and thanks for sharing- I honestly feel 20x better right now I don't know if there is a private message feature on SDN, but if so, would you mind if I asked you a few questions? I am soooooooooo curious right now as to what you did to make yourself stand out (besides the excellent DAT score of course). If you don't want to share I understand

 

[DENTALSCHNEEZ811]

@ okiedokeartichoke- Thanks and good luck to you as well

@ DENTALSCHNEEZ811- That's awesome! Congratulations and thanks for sharing- I honestly feel 20x better right now I don't know if there is a private message feature on SDN, but if so, would you mind if I asked you a few questions? I am soooooooooo curious right now as to what you did to make yourself stand out (besides the excellent DAT score of course). If you don't want to share I understand

no go ahead I'd be happy to. Good luck!

 

[Iwanttopulloutteeth]

no go ahead I'd be happy to. Good luck!

Can you talk a little bit about your DAT score/ if you did an SMP/Master's/ ECs?

 

[hopefuldentist1]

Yea I have a 2.96 and got 4 interviews. GPA is not a big deal to a lot of schools. Keep ur head up, be prepared to apply early and kill the DAT u will get interviews. Personal statement is very important as well.

if you dont mind, what did you get on your dat?

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

22+ AA the DAT and try your best to maintain a 3.7+ GPA between your last year of school and an extra year of taking classes (informal postbac)

 

[chrome5000]

@DENTALSCHNEEZ811 - Thanks man. Since other members are asking you some of the same questions that I was going to ask you... I'll hold off on messaging you until you've replied to them so you won't have to give duplicate answers

@DentalLonghorn2014- Thanks for the advice! That sounds exactly like my plan...with the exception of the informal postbacc (as of yet that is). I am clueless as to what I should do during my gap year but I'm already in debt from undergrad

 

[DENTALSCHNEEZ811]

@DENTALSCHNEEZ811 - Thanks man. Since other members are asking you some of the same questions that I was going to ask you... I'll hold off on messaging you until you've replied to them so you won't have to give duplicate answers

@DentalLonghorn2014- Thanks for the advice! That sounds exactly like my plan...with the exception of the informal postbacc (as of yet that is). I am clueless as to what I should do during my gap year but I'm already in debt from undergrad

Can you talk a little bit about your DAT score/ if you did an SMP/Master's/ ECs?

yea I got a 22 and no Masters, i have good extra curriculars and I worked hard on my personal statement

 

[Marty1989]

yea I got a 22 and no Masters, i have good extra curriculars and I worked hard on my personal statement

Hi DENTALSCHNEEZ811, ! Can I send you a private message? Have some questions I would like to ask

 

[cacajuate]

Awesome. Thanks for the info! I am already CPR certified and have volunteered at TMOM as just a Pre-dental student. I will definitely look into it some more. Assuming that I become RDA certified and get 100 shadowing hours by the next application cycle, can you think of anything else I can do to become more competitive? With my gpa barely at a 3.0 I feel that I need to make up for it on the other parts of my application somehow

I interviewed at 2/3 texas schools last year with a 2.95ogpa 20/20/20 DAT. Did about 45 credits with a 3.6. Didn't get accepted.

Reappled this year. 3.01 ogpa, 3.7 postbacc, 21/21/23. Have 1/3 interviews at Texas schools ATM.

You will have a chance if you do what you say you are going to do.

 

[480640]

.

 

[DENTALSCHNEEZ811]

Hi DENTALSCHNEEZ811, ! Can I send you a private message? Have some questions I would like to ask

yea

 

[JohnConstantine511]

Not to get off topic, but I do hear about a SMP for MD schools a lot. Does it have the same effect with Dental Schools?

 

[Jay20155555]

Not to get off topic, but I do hear about a SMP for MD schools a lot. Does it have the same effect with Dental Schools?

yes

 

[JoMo84]

If you're in Texas, take the online test for dental assistant certification available through UTHSCSA. That plus getting a CPR certification allows you to work as a registered dental assistant (RDA), which opens up WAY more doors than simply shadowing. If the dentist you're referring to is understanding, he won't hesitate to help train you and teach you the inner workings of a practice.

I'll tell you from personal experience I learned way more from working as an assistant for a month than I ever learned from shadowing for half a year.

.

 

[predentIL]

Yea I have a 2.96 and got 4 interviews. GPA is not a big deal to a lot of schools. Keep ur head up, be prepared to apply early and kill the DAT u will get interviews. Personal statement is very important as well.

Mind if I ask if you got in anywhere?

 

[Teeth4Life1234]

Not to get off topic, but I do hear about a SMP for MD schools a lot. Does it have the same effect with Dental Schools?

Yes, definitely.

 

[Teeth4Life1234]

1,000,000 more hours of shadowing will not do much. Since your GPA is so low, ADCOM wants to know you can handle a rigorous curriculum. Shadowing isn't going to show them that.

I was in your exact same position. Similar GPA with 21TS/22AA DAT. Got interviewed, waitlisted, and didn't get in. I was recommneded to do a SMP which I am doing now. It's a **** ton of work, but if you are willing to give up a year (or two) of your life to study hardcore in a SMP, you are almost guaranteed an acceptance.

 

[crest4life]

Hi, I'm new to SDN

I'm under 3.0 ogpa: 2.8 I plan to take the dat in february and apply to a smp before applying to dental school, but i'm ultimately relying on this masters program and now i'm worried that it might be critical for me to even get into a smp? does anyone with similar stats have any advice or hope?

 

[chrome5000]

@crest4life Hello, I am the OP of this thread. Let me start off by giving you a quick update on my status since a lot has happened over the past two years. I graduated in 2016 and applied for Fall 2017 entry with my sub-3.0 GPA. Got a ton of rejection letters lol. I completed a formal post-baccalaureate program during the Fall 2017/Spring 2018 semesters (Got all A's/B's), retook the DAT twice (did much better), and got new and revised LOR's. I applied to 20+ schools August 2018 and as of now have received 8 pre-December interview offers! I say all of this to say... DON'T GIVE UP! Your time will come. You will have to put in LOTS of work before you get those acceptances but it will be worth it in the end. It seems like you already have a solid plan in mind, so I'm not really sure what to say, other than "Go for it" . The GPA requirements for SMP/Masters/Post-Bacc. programs are readily available online. For my post-baccalaureate program... it was "Recommended" that you have a 3.0 overall GPA but it wasn't "Required" so I applied and got in. If you're worried about whether you're eligible for a certain SMP/Masters program, I encourage you to check out their website to find out the specifics. If you complete a SMP/Masters (or even post-bacc. program for that matter) with mostly A's (3.7+), do good on the DAT (20+ in all sections), and of course have some shadowing/volunteering experience, I am confident you will get in when you apply. Your performance in those programs will tell dental schools whether you are ready or not for their rigorous programs. Not sure if any of this helps at all... but best of luck to you!

 

[crest4life]

@crest4life Hello, I am the OP of this thread. Let me start off by giving you a quick update on my status since a lot has happened over the past two years. I graduated in 2016 and applied for Fall 2017 entry with my sub-3.0 GPA. Got a ton of rejection letters lol. I completed a formal post-baccalaureate program during the Fall 2017/Spring 2018 semesters (Got all A's/B's), retook the DAT twice (did much better), and got new and revised LOR's. I applied to 20+ schools August 2018 and as of now have received 8 pre-December interview offers! I say all of this to say... DON'T GIVE UP! Your time will come. You will have to put in LOTS of work before you get those acceptances but it will be worth it in the end. It seems like you already have a solid plan in mind, so I'm not really sure what to say, other than "Go for it" . The GPA requirements for SMP/Masters/Post-Bacc. programs are readily available online. For my post-baccalaureate program... it was "Recommended" that you have a 3.0 overall GPA but it wasn't "Required" so I applied and got in. If you're worried about whether you're eligible for a certain SMP/Masters program, I encourage you to check out their website to find out the specifics. If you complete a SMP/Masters (or even post-bacc. program for that matter) with mostly A's (3.7+), do good on the DAT (20+ in all sections), and of course have some shadowing/volunteering experience, I am confident you will get in when you apply. Your performance in those programs will tell dental schools whether you are ready or not for their rigorous programs. Not sure if any of this helps at all... but best of luck to you!

Thank you! No a lot of this helps! Congratulations on your interviews! And hope you hear good news soon!

You said you got a lot of rejections ... did you mean from masters programs or from dental schools?

Thanks!

 

[chrome5000]

Thank you! No a lot of this helps! Congratulations on your interviews! And hope you hear good news soon!

You said you got a lot of rejections ... did you mean from masters programs or from dental schools?

Thanks!

@crest4life Glad it helped and thanks! December 3rd can't get here fast enough

Sorry for the ambiguity. Those sentences should read... "I graduated in [May] 2016 and applied for Fall 2017 entry [into dental school] with my sub-3.0 GPA. Got a ton of rejection letters [from the dental schools I applied to]lol." So yeah, the rejection letters were all from dental schools... 21 schools to be exact . This is my second cycle applying and fortunately things are looking much, much better . In case you're curious... I only applied to one post-baccalaureate program which was very risky in retrospect. You of course, may want to apply to multiple SMP/Masters Programs to have options lol.

Best of luck to you again!

 

[themuffinman11]

This is really cool to see updates from your situation 3 years ago, congratulations!

 

[thisismyacct]

I'm glad to see everything worked out for you, you give me hope.

did you change any study habits in your SMP? is there just more information in the class, or are the concepts harder?

 

[chrome5000]

@themuffinman11 Thanks, it's been a loooong journey to get to the starting line lol

@thisismyacct Thanks. Always keep hope alive! The SDN "under 3.0 club" has been my source of comfort for many years. To answer your questions, I did a formal post-baccalaureate program which is supposedly easier than SMP/Masters programs. Over the course of two semesters, I took 30 credit hours of upper-division (3000/4000 level) science courses at a reputable 4-year university. The courses, were all handpicked by my academic advisors to strengthen my competitiveness for dental school (ex: Oral Histology and Embryology, Biochemistry II, Anatomy and Physiology II, Neuroanatomy, Mammalian Physiology, Neuroscience of Pain, etc.). Since the classes were taught at the "undergraduate", not "graduate" level, the concepts/material wasn't beyond anything I hadn't already seen before. Having said that... taking so many challenging science classes at once was difficult so I had to study like crazy to get my A's and B's. I definitely had to change my study habits... but the student loans I took out + the fact I knew this was my last shot to get into dental school kept me motivated lol. (BTW I know you were asking about SMP's but I hope that helps ) Thanks.

 

[thisismyacct]

@themuffinman11 Thanks, it's been a loooong journey to get to the starting line lol

@thisismyacct Thanks. Always keep hope alive! The SDN "under 3.0 club" has been my source of comfort for many years. To answer your questions, I did a formal post-baccalaureate program which is supposedly easier than SMP/Masters programs. Over the course of two semesters, I took 30 credit hours of upper-division (3000/4000 level) science courses at a reputable 4-year university. The courses, were all handpicked by my academic advisors to strengthen my competitiveness for dental school (ex: Oral Histology and Embryology, Biochemistry II, Anatomy and Physiology II, Neuroanatomy, Mammalian Physiology, Neuroscience of Pain, etc.). Since the classes were taught at the "undergraduate", not "graduate" level, the concepts/material wasn't beyond anything I hadn't already seen before. Having said that... taking so many challenging science classes at once was difficult so I had to study like crazy to get my A's and B's. I definitely had to change my study habits... but the student loans I took out + the fact I knew this was my last shot to get into dental school kept me motivated lol. (BTW I know you were asking about SMP's but I hope that helps ) Thanks.

No worries, that helps. Thank you.

 

[Futuredentist(hopefully)]

yeah 26 hours of shadowing should be in the con list not the pro list

 

[crest4life]

@crest4life Glad it helped and thanks! December 3rd can't get here fast enough

Sorry for the ambiguity. Those sentences should read... "I graduated in [May] 2016 and applied for Fall 2017 entry [into dental school] with my sub-3.0 GPA. Got a ton of rejection letters [from the dental schools I applied to]lol." So yeah, the rejection letters were all from dental schools... 21 schools to be exact . This is my second cycle applying and fortunately things are looking much, much better . In case you're curious... I only applied to one post-baccalaureate program which was very risky in retrospect. You of course, may want to apply to multiple SMP/Masters Programs to have options lol.

Best of luck to you again!

Hi! Just wondering if you heard back from anyone today!!

 

[Slueman33]

@ okiedokeartichoke- Thanks and good luck to you as well

@ DENTALSCHNEEZ811- That's awesome! Congratulations and thanks for sharing- I honestly feel 20x better right now I don't know if there is a private message feature on SDN, but if so, would you mind if I asked you a few questions? I am soooooooooo curious right now as to what you did to make yourself stand out (besides the excellent DAT score of course). If you don't want to share I understand

Can you please explain how you did this

 

[chrome5000]

yeah 26 hours of shadowing should be in the con list not the pro list

@Futuredentist(hopefully) - You are correct. Fortunately by the time I applied in 2016, I had shadowed two other dentists for an additional 120 hours

 

[chrome5000]

Hi! Just wondering if you heard back from anyone today!!

@crest4life Yesterday was one of the happiest days of my life! I was accepted into 4 dental schools and waitlisted at 2 !!! The remaining two schools I interviewed at are giving me the silent treatment but its all good since I AM IN !!! I've responded to congratulatory Facebook comments and texts all day so I'm burnt out on typing... but I plan to make an encouraging post in the "under 3.0 club" soon if you or anyone else is interested. (I'll post the link below when it's done.) Thanks for asking btw.

@Slueman33 Was your question directed at DENTALSCHNEEZ811?

 

[Slueman33]

It was but congrats mannn! I’m a 5th year college student about to retake 3 prereq science classes I know I can get an A in to bring my gpa up to 3.35. I will end my 6th year by having 100 hours of shadowing experience, one year of pharmacy technician experience, relatives who are all pharmacists/doctors (not dentists) that may help with letters of rec, and nothing below a 21 on my DAT. What are my chances of getting in by 6th year if i accomplish above things. I just recently decided that I hate pharmacy and that I’m capable of dentistry but I’m scared bc everyone on this forum are model A students. I want to get into lecom actually I want to get in anywhere. Do you have any suggestions? If you don’t mind telling me your stats that would be nice. I would probably end up doing pharmacy if I had to do post bacc/masters just to get into a dental school


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[chrome5000]

It was but congrats mannn! I’m a 5th year college student about to retake 3 prereq science classes I know I can get an A in to bring my gpa up to 3.35. I will end my 6th year by having 100 hours of shadowing experience, one year of pharmacy technician experience, relatives who are all pharmacists/doctors (not dentists) that may help with letters of rec, and nothing below a 21 on my DAT. What are my chances of getting in by 6th year if i accomplish above things. I just recently decided that I hate pharmacy and that I’m capable of dentistry but I’m scared bc everyone on this forum are model A students. I want to get into lecom actually I want to get in anywhere. Do you have any suggestions? If you don’t mind telling me your stats that would be nice. I would probably end up doing pharmacy if I had to do post bacc/masters just to get into a dental school


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

@Slueman33 Based on what you've said... here are a few of my thoughts.

1) 3.35 GPA- Your GPA is "below average" but applicants with lower GPA's have gotten accepted (although the odds are lower). Make sure you have an upward trend in your GPA and a post-bacc./masters program might not be needed.

2) 21 on the DAT- Competitive score... but getting it will require LOTS of preparation and studying. (I set a similar goal of scoring super high on the DAT and it never worked out lol)

3) 100 Shadowing Hours- Will meet most school requirements

4) LORs- One letter will need to be from a dentist + (I don't know rules on obtaining LOR's from family members- a.k.a might now be allowed). Just in case you don't know... you will need letters from science professors as well. Some schools do have unique requirements so check out their websites.

I see nothing wrong with those four aspects of your application... but the fact you are switching from pharmacy does complicate things.

Assuming that dentistry is a field you could THRIVE and be HAPPY in for the remainder your life (Your last sentence scares me )... you need to SHOW ADCOMS that you are COMMITTED to the profession and not just doing it because you figured out that you hated pharmacy.

Even if its only for a semester... I would recommend joining a pre-dental club and getting in an officer/leadership position if possible. Also seek out and participate in as many dental related volunteer events as you can. When you apply, your personal statement should be OUTSTANDING and clearly explain your passion for the profession. Of course you should apply as early as possible to increase your odds of getting in. Applying broadly will likely help as well (10+ schools). If you do get interviews, your pharmacy tech experience will likely be brought up... so you should be capable of succinctly explaining why you switched from pharmacy and now want to do dentistry.

If you can demonstrate your love for dentistry to ADCOMS (beyond just shadowing) it will help your case out a lot.

Those are just a few of my thoughts. Hopefully someone else can chime in with their thoughts. Best of luck to you!

 

[crest4life]

@crest4life Yesterday was one of the happiest days of my life! I was accepted into 4 dental schools and waitlisted at 2 !!! The remaining two schools I interviewed at are giving me the silent treatment but its all good since I AM IN !!! I've responded to congratulatory Facebook comments and texts all day so I'm burnt out on typing... but I plan to make an encouraging post in the "under 3.0 club" soon if you or anyone else is interested. (I'll post the link below when it's done.) Thanks for asking btw.

@Slueman33 Was your question directed at DENTALSCHNEEZ811?

Congratulations! thats great to hear!! Yes please post! Your story gives me hope!!