"Upward Trend" Value?

[denticus]

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How important is an upward trend on your academic record to you? More importantly, how important do you REALLY 😎 think academic upward trends are to adcoms, all things being equal? I've seen on DS websites that they do look at trends, but how important are they really? Does it matter how long you've "ended up" academically successful (say your past 2-3 years compared to just 1 year) or do they just consider the trend? Thanks for opining!

 

[Regmata]

Not as imortant as doing well the whole time you were in school

 

[litldime]

well, i think its important...say for instance you have 2 students (A and B) in the same major who are applying and end up with a 3.6 gpa

If student A started off bad and worked to get a 3.6...the upward trend is helpful....

If student B started off with a 3.9 like his first 2 years and did really bad...yea, the trend of this grades make a difference

they both had the same gpa...but one worked hard to get it up and the other slacked

i've always been told its been helpful...but obviously, the comprehensive will also matter...there are lots of factors that are incorporated anyways into gaining admission
-ld

 

[dr.rex]

its helpful but you have to be competitive already for it to do anything

 

[jackbauer!]

an upward trend with good DAT scores can save your application.

jb!🙂

 

[toothy2112]

an upward trend with good DAT scores can save your application.

jb!🙂

thats what I'm hoping for!!😀

 

[starfishbear]

upward trend saved my friend, although he took a lot of bs classes during his third year. He got all A's for a 4.0 and he got into Penn with a 3.4 overall and 18 DAT.

 

[shamrock2006]

it can help a lot as was previously stated. After 1st semester sophomore year my Cgpa hit 3.0 and sci gpa hit 2.9 I had to apply my senior year instead of jr year (took a year off) to make up for it...but I busted my a$$ and brought both GPA's up to roughly 3.5 in a span of 5 semesters..got some decent DAT scores..nothing great to say the least, but acceptable so I didn't have to retake. Good LORs help, good personal statment helps, etc. But bottom line...upward trend can look favorably..shows you can come back after you have dug yourself a hole.

 

[xdianaax]

I actually asked about that and it's harder for someone to change and re-train themselves to work hard, than someone who has worked hard the whole way through. So it is def. looked at.

 

[vhh007]

it does make a difference (so I have been told) I'm counting on this one too, haha.

 

[jfitzpat]

I think it also depends on the school.

I had a 3.2 as a business major in undergrad. I subsequently graduated magna cum laude from law school and got a 4.0 in all of my postbac prereqs, which brought my GPA up to a 3.4. I had a 20 on the dat. I was told by Nebraska that I was auto-cut because of my GPA. So I guess for them upward trend meant nothing.

 

[denticus]

I think it also depends on the school.

I had a 3.2 as a business major in undergrad. I subsequently graduated magna cum laude from law school and got a 4.0 in all of my postbac prereqs, which brought my GPA up to a 3.4. I had a 20 on the dat. I was told by Nebraska that I was auto-cut because of my GPA. So I guess for them upward trend meant nothing.

Which of course I think is ridunkulous because schools should be more concerned with how you are performing now, not how you were performing like, lets say, three years ago🙄! It's like the Buster Douglas syndrome. Yeah, back in the day he could've rocked Tyson but like a year later he morphed into a fatty and couldn't do anything. I would think that being competitive CURRENTLY would be a big priority for DS. Nevertheless, I can also understand why schools want people who are not only consistent but consistently competitive.

 

[midwestboy]

I think it also depends on the school.

I had a 3.2 as a business major in undergrad. I subsequently graduated magna cum laude from law school and got a 4.0 in all of my postbac prereqs, which brought my GPA up to a 3.4. I had a 20 on the dat. I was told by Nebraska that I was auto-cut because of my GPA. So I guess for them upward trend meant nothing.

This could also possibly be due to the fact that you've already graduated from Law school...are you interested in dental law?

 

[jfitzpat]

This could also possibly be due to the fact that you've already graduated from Law school...are you interested in dental law?

No, I'm interested in never having to bill another hour or read another 100 page contract ever again in my life. I didn't jump straight from law school to dental school. I practiced for a couple of years and hated it. I would agree that what you say might possibly be the case, but I talked to the admissions office and they straight up said that I missed the GPA cutoff. However, for those that don't know, Nebraska is on this mission to have the highest average GPA in the country. In fact, I think they edged out Harvard this year.

 

[Regmata]

No, I'm interested in never having to bill another hour or read another 100 page contract ever again in my life. I didn't jump straight from law school to dental school. I practiced for a couple of years and hated it. I would agree that what you say might possibly be the case, but I talked to the admissions office and they straight up said that I missed the GPA cutoff. However, for those that don't know, Nebraska is on this mission to have the highest average GPA in the country. In fact, I think they edged out Harvard this year.

Does that mean that nebraska has all the nerds?

 

[supraman]

Does that mean that nebraska has all the nerds?

It means Nebraska has all the Dentists with no personalities 😀

 

[saaz55]

obviously a 2 year upward trend looks a lot better than one year trend.

but do dental schools even consider a one year upward trend in this situation:

1st semester: 2.5
2nd semster: 3.0
3rd semster: 3.5
4th semester: 2.0

and then a 5th and 6th semester of say a gpa of around 3.6 would schools accept a student like this or would they reject em and see if the person can do it again for their final year?

 

[xdianaax]

You always want to show a constant upward trend. A trend that shows inconsistency is questionable. You're not completly out of the game but try and stay consistent from here on out. Good luck.

 

[saaz55]

i hear that diana