WAMC - low gpa, please needs advice

[mk20013]

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Date of submission: 8/8/2025
Overall GPA: 3.51
Science GPA: 3.50
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.38
DAT score (include AA and all sections):
1st
AA 420, TS 410, PAT 380, QR 420, Reading 420, Bio 380, Chem 390, Org 470
2nd
AA 420, TS 410, PAT 370, QR 450, Reading 420, Bio 380, Chem 430, Org 410
3rd
I took on 10/28, so I don't know my grade yet.

State of Residence: New Jersey, with permanent resident status
Undergrad Attended: Rutgers University
Major: Computer science
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? Yes - Internationally transferred student, computer science major to pre-dental
Shadowing Experience: 150 hours in 1 general and periodontist offices
Volunteering Experience: total 54 hours

• 52 hours, at RWJ Hospital
• 2 hours at the childcare center

Employment: 96 hours, Resident Assistant
Research: 640 h computer science research, yes presentations and research paper/ No publications
Other Extracurriculars:

• Peer Mentor for an autism student
• Secretary, pre-health club
• General member, outdoor club and book club
• Student Speaker and Project Presenter on the Computer Science program
• Vice President and Secretary, Computer Science Club
• Buddy Mentor for exchange students

Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? No
Relevant Honors or Awards:

• College/School honors - Cum Laude
• Rutgers College Scholarship
• Multiple Dean's lists
• Multiple course-based computer science project awards
• Multiple National Government Scholarships.

LOR type and strength:
1 periodontist dentist; we connected really well, he wrote me a great one
2 get chem and organic chemistry professor; strong connection with 1 professor and lesser connection with the other
1 gen bio TA ( phD student); I did well on his section and had some connections.
picked by the undergrad health committee.

Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags:

• I changed to pre-dent in my spring semester of junior year
• I didn't take any upper-level biology classes, so I'm currently taking a microbiology course.
• C+ on orgo 1, orgo 2, and gen phys 2
• Grade trends are declining
• DAT bio is around 17-18

School list:
Rutgers
NYU
Buffalo
Touro
Temple
Roseman - rejected

I have not been invited to any interview. I plan to apply more after receiving my third DAT score (for Boston and Tufts or Upenn?) and sending a letter of interest to the school. I'm very worried about whether I have at least a small chance of getting into schools. If you have any extra recommendations or schools to apply to, please let me know.

 

[macsak]

Date of submission: 8/8/2025
Overall GPA: 3.51
Science GPA: 3.50
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.38
DAT score (include AA and all sections):
1st
AA 420, TS 410, PAT 380, QR 420, Reading 420, Bio 380, Chem 390, Org 470
2nd
AA 420, TS 410, PAT 370, QR 450, Reading 420, Bio 380, Chem 430, Org 410
3rd
I took on 10/28, so I don't know my grade yet.

State of Residence: New Jersey
Undergrad Attended: Rutgers University
Major: Computer science
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? Yes - Internationally transferred student, computer science major to pre-dental
Shadowing Experience: 150 hours in 1 general and periodontist offices
Volunteering Experience: total 54 hours

• 52 hours, at RWJ Hospital
• 2 hours at the childcare center

Employment: 96 hours, Resident Assistant
Research: 640 h computer science research, yes presentations and research paper/ No publications
Other Extracurriculars:

• Peer Mentor for an autism student
• Secretary, pre-health club
• General member, outdoor club and book club
• Student Speaker and Project Presenter on the Computer Science program
• Vice President and Secretary, Computer Science Club
• Buddy Mentor for exchange students

Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? No
Relevant Honors or Awards:

• College/School honors - Cum Laude
• Rutgers College Scholarship
• Multiple Dean's lists
• Multiple course-based computer science project awards
• Multiple National Government Scholarships.

LOR type and strength:
1 periodontist dentist; we connected really well, he wrote me a great one
2 get chem and organic chemistry professor; strong connection with 1 professor and lesser connection with the other
1 gen bio TA ( phD student); I did well on his section and had some connections.
picked by the undergrad health committee.

Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags:

• I changed to pre-dent in my spring semester of junior year
• I didn't take any upper-level biology classes, so I'm currently taking a microbiology course.
• C+ on orgo 1, orgo 2, and gen phys 2
• Grade trends are declining
• DAT bio is around 17-18

School list:
Rutgers
NYU
Buffalo
Touro
Temple
Roseman - rejected

I have not been invited to any interview. I plan to apply more after receiving my third DAT score (for Boston and Tufts or Upenn?) and sending a letter of interest to the school. I'm very worried about whether I have at least a small chance of getting into schools. If you have any extra recommendations or schools to apply to, please let me know.

are you a US citizen or international?

 

[mk20013]

are you a US citizen or international?

I'm a permanent resident. btw thank you for your comment 🙂

 

[macsak]

I'm a permanent resident. btw thank you for your comment 🙂

i think you still have chance at the privates, less so at the 2 publics

i withhold any further advice until i see your final dat scores
how much are your gpas declining?
what is your last year's gpa? last 2 years?

 

[mk20013]

i think you still have chance at the privates, less so at the 2 publics

i withhold any further advice until i see your final dat scores
how much are your gpas declining?
what is your last year's gpa? last 2 years?

Yeah, I'll update my dat score.

This is my gpa over the last 2 years.
fall 23: 4.0
spring 24: 3.83
summer 24: 4
fall 24: 3.57
spring 25: 3.05
summer 25: 3.05

 

[macsak]

Yeah, I'll update my dat score.

This is my gpa over the last 2 years.
fall 23: 4.0
spring 24: 3.83
summer 24: 4
fall 24: 3.57
spring 25: 3.05
summer 25: 3.05

how did you come up with your list of the original 6 schools?

 

[mk20013]

how did you come up with your list of the original 6 schools?

I wanted to go to school near my home in NJ. I chose the school that has the oos friendly, and is around and not too far from my stats.

 

[macsak]

I wanted to go to school near my home in NJ. I chose the school that has the oos friendly, and is around and not too far from my stats.

roseman is not near NJ
there are many more appropriate schools closer to NJ...

 

[Mr.Smile12]

OP, I think you know how your application looks. I presume you have met with the admissions team at Rutgers. Have you attended any outreach programs or recruitment events? How about your local dental society?

Being OOS friendly is great, but it also comes with you bringing higher stats. You should have more privates to your list, including UNE, Boston, and Tufts from the outset. UPenn is not going to be a good fit. Sure it is ideal if you can stay near home to do dental school; if so, Rutgers should be calling you soon, but that's likely going to be it if you have made that preference clear. If you would be happy "anywhere," you need more privates like UDM and LECOM... provided you fit their mission.

That said, your volunteering list seems low. I'd like to see at least 100 hours in community service (non-clinical). You have 150 hours of shadowing/assisting, which might be on the low end of candidates in the pools you are competing against. And remember, that NYC-area applicants are not known to be slackers.