WAMC Low GPA Canadian Non-Trad Applicant for US Schools (Post-Bacc)

[aspiringdentalstudent6ix]

TL;DR What are my chances:
UG GPA: 2.93
Post-Bacc: 4.0
oGPA: 3.22 (3.36 if I wait an extra yr)
DAT: 27 AA

Hi everyone,

I'm feeling a little hopeless right now and after looking through multiple threads and not finding anybody in a similar situation to mine, I decided to make this post to see if anyone can help me out or give me a little bit of hope or any tips.

I completed my honours bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences from a top Canadian university and graduated with a 2.93 GPA according to ADEA calculations. After this, I did a Post-Bacc (second undergrad degree) and got a 4.0 so far over the span of one year. This brought my overall GPA up to 3.22.

I took the DAT, here are my stats (studied for 10 months lmao):
AA:27/ BIO:27/ Chem:29/ OC:28/ RC:29/ QR:23

The schools I want to apply to:

1. USC
2. UoPacific
3. UCLA
4. UCSF
5. NYU
6. Western
7. Chicago

Extracurriculars:
- 200 hours shadowing (oral surgeon)
- Founded a club at my university, and I'm the executive of it
- Fluent in 6 languages (have a fluency diploma in French)
- Almost 3 years of volunteering creating and delivering learning activities to elementary kids
- Paid research assistant for COVID research with Public Health Canada (5 months)
- Received a grant/funding for the research specified above ^
- Unrelated work experiences include 2 retail jobs (2 years) and one job working as a receptionist and social media manager for a clinic (1 year)
- Volunteer at my city's hospital (~100 hours)
(If this needs work, please give me suggestions on what else to do)

ANYWAYS,
Do you think I'll get into any of the schools I mentioned above, as a Canadian applicant with a low GPA? I do have one year left of my second undergrad, so I can always apply next year, (my GPA will have boosted to about a 3.36). But I really want to know if I'll have a shot in this year's cycle. If I don't, do I have a shot with a 3.36?

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[Mr.Smile12]

You've done some work to get attention with the DAT and your last few semesters. It's too hard to say without more details which would likely require confidentiality. Otherwise, what's your PAT score?

First how did you come up with that list? Basically it's all your California schools. There are also many dental schools that are more accommodating to Canadian applicants closer to the border (Minnesota, Detroit Mercy, Buffalo, CWRU, Washington, Creighton maybe?), so why haven't you listed them?

 

[aspiringdentalstudent6ix]

You've done some work to get attention with the DAT and your last few semesters. It's too hard to say without more details which would likely require confidentiality. Otherwise, what's your PAT score?

First how did you come up with that list? Basically it's all your California schools. There are also many dental schools that are more accommodating to Canadian applicants closer to the border (Minnesota, Detroit Mercy, Buffalo, CWRU, Washington, Creighton maybe?), so why haven't you listed them?

Thanks for your reply, MrSmile. My PAT score is 24.
For Canadian dental schools, if you do a second undergrad degree, your admission is only based on your second undergrad and your first undergrad isn't touched or looked at -- it's completely removed from your GPA calculations. This means that I'm highly qualified and competitive for schools in Canada because my admissions GPA will be a 4.0. The only downside to this is I'd have to wait till Fall 2023 to apply and enrol in dental school in Fall 2024 and I'll be 26 by that time lol, scary. Anyways, my point is I likely won't have a hard time getting interviews at Canadian schools so I only want to go to American schools if it's in a state I like and want to live in (Cali, NY etc), and if it'll give me the opportunity to finish dental school a year early. (Yes, yes, I know I'm crazy for considering paying twice as much tuition to pay for American schools when I'm eligible in Canada lol). With that being said, I'll likely apply to 20+ schools in the US including the ones you mentioned above, however I just want to know what my chances are in my top choices (USC, UCLA, UoP, UCSF).

Also, to you and to anyone else reading this, I did some calculations today and my GPA is actually a little bit higher than what I wrote up there so I'm going to change it so don't be alarmed if you look back and remember seeing different stats before lol.

 

[PerioDont]

Starting dental school at 26 is not late.

I’d much prefer to do that than spend 500k+ at USC or NYU.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I agree; it makes more sense to get your training in Canada so you won't have the debt. Succeed in dental school and go for a residency in the US in California or New York. Otherwise, look to the typical border schools that I mentioned. Also as you mentioned, you would already be a strong candidate because of the GPA calculation rules (which in the US would count all of your bachelor's coursework and thus give you a much less competitive profile on screening).

For full due diligence, what is your ADEA science GPA vs. BCP GPA? Do you have any general dentistry experience, since 200 hours shadowing oral dentists seems to be a bit high if it's the only perspective of dentistry that you have. I also don't know what experiences you have had working directly with underserved patients and populations both in clinical and non-clinical settings.

 

[aspiringdentalstudent6ix]

I agree; it makes more sense to get your training in Canada so you won't have the debt. Succeed in dental school and go for a residency in the US in California or New York. Otherwise, look to the typical border schools that I mentioned. Also as you mentioned, you would already be a strong candidate because of the GPA calculation rules (which in the US would count all of your bachelor's coursework and thus give you a much less competitive profile on screening).

For full due diligence, what is your ADEA science GPA vs. BCP GPA? Do you have any general dentistry experience, since 200 hours shadowing oral dentists seems to be a bit high if it's the only perspective of dentistry that you have. I also don't know what experiences you have had working directly with underserved patients and populations both in clinical and non-clinical settings.

I'm very fortunate to be blessed with parents that are promising me debt-free education as long as I cover living expenses myself. At this point my decision is solely based on the city I'll be living in since they all lead to a DDS or DMD. This is why my first choice is USC and second choice is NYU. Yes, I'd definitely be competitive for Canadian schools, however I'm ineligible to apply to schools in Canada until next year. I want to apply to American schools this year and I'm really hoping that I at least get the chance to interview at my schools of choice. That's the reason I wrote this; I want to see if my application is strong enough and if there's something I can do to improve it.

I don't know my BCP gpa/science gpa but I'd estimate that to be around 3.05 or 3.1 maximum. I've only calculated my overall GPA so far and it's coming down to 3.23, so if I don't get in this year I can apply next year with my 3.36 so I hope that does something for me. Do I have any chance of an interview?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I would talk with students at the school as well as the admissions staff prior to applying. I would see if there are students similar to yourself at those schools. It is hard to say that you have a chance because of your GPA and Canadian status, even if your family is able to pay for it entirely. That said, both schools are always recruiting because so many students blink when it comes to their costs.

That said, cost of living is not going to be something you should overlook. Just wanting to live in a place doesn't mean you still really "live" there while you are in school.