WAMC Non-trad Applicant, First Cycle (25-26)

[SkyHighFlyGuy]

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Date of submission: Summer 2025
Overall GPA: 3.031
Science GPA: 2.458
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.004
DAT score (include AA and all sections): 23 PAT; 24 AA (22 QR, 30 RC, 22 BIO, 30 GC, 18 OC, 22 TS). Taken 1/13/25. These scores are unofficial as of the date of this post.
State of Residence: Missouri

Major: BA Chemistry
Minor: Biology
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? Yes - active duty military 2017-22

Shadowing Experience: 46 hours general dentistry, 8 hours OMFS, 3 hours Endo, 3 hours Ortho, 2 hours Perio.
Volunteering Experience: 20 hours Emergency Room, 70 hours free clinic medical scribe, 15 hours county dental clinic (ongoing activity)
Employment: AD military (2017-'22), Part-time handyman (Nov 2022- May '24), Private General Chemistry Tutor (Aug - Dec '23), 2024 General Election Judge, Part-time Pharmacy Technician (Aug 2024 - present)
Research: Taking Intro to (Chemistry) Research for credit Spring '25
Other Extracurriculars: Private pilot (110 hours), Track and Field (377 hours). Military leadership positions: Shop supervisor (Mar - Oct '19), Convoy Security Assistant Officer-in-Charge (Mar - Dec 2020), Project Lead Operator (Jan - Jul '21), Collateral Equipment Custodian (Aug 2021 - Aug '22)
Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? 17 of my listed shadowing hours are from UMKC. I attended the University of Iowa Summer Pre-Dental Academy in June 2024.
Relevant Honors or Awards: Standard awards for my military service plus a Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, and 2 deployment ribbons.
LOR type and strength: None attained at time of post. Requesting 1 chemistry professor, 1 physics professor, 1 general dentist, and 1 from my current manager who is a pharmacist
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags:
2013-17:
High school dual enrollment and first attempt at in-person college. Failed university physics II twice. Failed Statics (I was an engineering major). One W from failing trajectory in an online class I kept forgetting about. Combined GPA 2.026.
2019-21:
Took 6 classes at one online school before transferring and completing an Associate of Science in Aeronautics at another program. Three W's. Two W's were from the first school when I decided to switch majors. One W from the institution from which I was conferred my Associate's after I decided to take a break after enrolling in the bachelor's program. Combined GPA 3.823.
2023-present:
My most recent 74 credits, all in-person. 55 at my previous institution in California and 19 at my current school. Combined GPA 3.809.

I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea in December 2023 and I was likely experiencing its symptoms through the previous 10 years of my life. At my first in-person college I was constantly depressed, slept all day, and rarely went to class. Currently I take an SSRI and use a CPAP, and like magic, I have restful sleep and I can function during the day. I'm looking for things to focus on this semester before my application. I will also be applying to SMPs in case my positive trend is not enough to overcome my cumulative GPA.

School list:
Howard
Georgia (original home of record)
Southern Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
New England ME
Michigan
Kansas City University
UMKC
ATSU - Missouri
Creighton
Nebraska
East Carolina
High Point
UNC - Chapel Hill
Case Western
Ohio State
Oklahoma
U Penn
U Pitt
Temple
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
UT - Houston
UTSA
Roseman
Utah
Virginia Commonwealth
Marquette

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums. Thank you for your service.

First, stop thinking like a premed. The list is WAY too long. You should keep your list within a desired practice region and pay close attention to IS/OOS admission statistics.

When you can, I would switch from being a pharm tech to dental assistant. I can forgive anyone who needs a job for the living income, but if you want to convince people you want to make the switch to dentistry, switch. We need pharmacists, and pharm tech is a great gateway there.

Do some recon on dental schools' friendliness to military/veteran applicants. For example

Military Service and Iowa Dentistry

From our career-retired military dentists who spend the second half of their career teaching at Iowa to our veteran students, from our esteemed alumni who carry on the Iowa legacy throughout their military careers to our veteran patients who wouldn’t have access to dental care without our college,

dentistry.uiowa.edu

 

[macsak]

Date of submission: Summer 2025
Overall GPA: 3.031
Science GPA: 2.458
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.004
DAT score (include AA and all sections): 23 PAT; 24 AA (22 QR, 30 RC, 22 BIO, 30 GC, 18 OC, 22 TS). Taken 1/13/25. These scores are unofficial as of the date of this post.
State of Residence: Missouri

Major: BA Chemistry
Minor: Biology
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? Yes - active duty military 2017-22

Shadowing Experience: 46 hours general dentistry, 8 hours OMFS, 3 hours Endo, 3 hours Ortho, 2 hours Perio.
Volunteering Experience: 20 hours Emergency Room, 70 hours free clinic medical scribe, 15 hours county dental clinic (ongoing activity)
Employment: AD military (2017-'22), Part-time handyman (Nov 2022- May '24), Private General Chemistry Tutor (Aug - Dec '23), 2024 General Election Judge, Part-time Pharmacy Technician (Aug 2024 - present)
Research: Taking Intro to (Chemistry) Research for credit Spring '25
Other Extracurriculars: Private pilot (110 hours), Track and Field (377 hours). Military leadership positions: Shop supervisor (Mar - Oct '19), Convoy Security Assistant Officer-in-Charge (Mar - Dec 2020), Project Lead Operator (Jan - Jul '21), Collateral Equipment Custodian (Aug 2021 - Aug '22)
Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? 17 of my listed shadowing hours are from UMKC. I attended the University of Iowa Summer Pre-Dental Academy in June 2024.
Relevant Honors or Awards: Standard awards for my military service plus a Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, and 2 deployment ribbons.
LOR type and strength: None attained at time of post. Requesting 1 chemistry professor, 1 physics professor, 1 general dentist, and 1 from my current manager who is a pharmacist
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags:
2013-17:
High school dual enrollment and first attempt at in-person college. Failed university physics II twice. Failed Statics (I was an engineering major). One W from failing trajectory in an online class I kept forgetting about. Combined GPA 2.026.
2019-21:
Took 6 classes at one online school before transferring and completing an Associate of Science in Aeronautics at another program. Three W's. Two W's were from the first school when I decided to switch majors. One W from the institution from which I was conferred my Associate's after I decided to take a break after enrolling in the bachelor's program. Combined GPA 3.823.
2023-present:
My most recent 74 credits, all in-person. 55 at my previous institution in California and 19 at my current school. Combined GPA 3.809.

I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea in December 2023 and I was likely experiencing its symptoms through the previous 10 years of my life. At my first in-person college I was constantly depressed, slept all day, and rarely went to class. Currently I take an SSRI and use a CPAP, and like magic, I have restful sleep and I can function during the day. I'm looking for things to focus on this semester before my application. I will also be applying to SMPs in case my positive trend is not enough to overcome my cumulative GPA.

School list:
Howard
Georgia (original home of record)
Southern Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
New England ME
Michigan
Kansas City University
UMKC
ATSU - Missouri
Creighton
Nebraska
East Carolina
High Point
UNC - Chapel Hill
Case Western
Ohio State
Oklahoma
U Penn
U Pitt
Temple
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
UT - Houston
UTSA
Roseman
Utah
Virginia Commonwealth
Marquette

how did you come up with this list?

 

[SkyHighFlyGuy]

Welcome to the forums. Thank you for your service.

First, stop thinking like a premed. The list is WAY too long. You should keep your list within a desired practice region and pay close attention to IS/OOS admission statistics.

When you can, I would switch from being a pharm tech to dental assistant. I can forgive anyone who needs a job for the living income, but if you want to convince people you want to make the switch to dentistry, switch. We need pharmacists, and pharm tech is a great gateway there.

Do some recon on dental schools' friendliness to military/veteran applicants. For example

Military Service and Iowa Dentistry

From our career-retired military dentists who spend the second half of their career teaching at Iowa to our veteran students, from our esteemed alumni who carry on the Iowa legacy throughout their military careers to our veteran patients who wouldn’t have access to dental care without our college,

dentistry.uiowa.edu

Thank you for welcoming me and thanks for your feedback.

If I may offer an alibi for my employment, I live in a more rural area and commute to school. I tried to get an assisting job but the dentists here work 3-4 days a week and have hours that don’t match up with the schedule of a full time student. I chose pharm tech because I had volunteer experience with it and I really needed a job before my VA benefits started coming in.

I will be revising my school list when the ADEA refreshes the guide this Spring. I’ve read that 10-20 is an appropriate number. Do you agree?

Thanks Again!

 

[SkyHighFlyGuy]

how did you come up with this list?

Missouri plus its bordering states is how it started. From there I added places I wouldn’t mind going. Mr. Smiley recommended condensing my list which I will once the ADEA publishes the new edition of the official guide.

 

[macsak]

Missouri plus its bordering states is how it started. From there I added places I wouldn’t mind going. Mr. Smiley recommended condensing my list which I will once the ADEA publishes the new edition of the official guide.

are you sure your gpas are that low?
seems like you have a ton of credits at 3.8 level...

 

[macsak]

Missouri plus its bordering states is how it started. From there I added places I wouldn’t mind going. Mr. Smiley recommended condensing my list which I will once the ADEA publishes the new edition of the official guide.

you need to look at mission fit rather than "bordering states" and "places i wouldn't mind going"
as ex-military, you should fully understand mission fit
you also have to eliminate HBCUs and schools that have a vast majority of in-state students
depending on your gpa/dat, that tells you how many schools you should apply to
you need to have a broad list, a few reaches, mostly in-range schools, and some safeties...

 

[SkyHighFlyGuy]

are you sure your gpas are that low?
seems like you have a ton of credits at 3.8 level...

Unfortunately, I am sure. Just under half of my total credits are at the 2.0 level. Granted, some of those credits are over/going on 10 years old now.

 

[macsak]

Unfortunately, I am sure. Just under half of my total credits are at the 2.0 level. Granted, some of those credits are over/going on 10 years old now.

ah ok
schools look at recent trends and understand people were young once and life situations can change
get back to us once you have a more concise list
and thank you for you service

 

[yourfavedentist]

Date of submission: Summer 2025
Overall GPA: 3.031
Science GPA: 2.458
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.004
DAT score (include AA and all sections): 23 PAT; 24 AA (22 QR, 30 RC, 22 BIO, 30 GC, 18 OC, 22 TS). Taken 1/13/25. These scores are unofficial as of the date of this post.
State of Residence: Missouri

Major: BA Chemistry
Minor: Biology
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? Yes - active duty military 2017-22

Shadowing Experience: 46 hours general dentistry, 8 hours OMFS, 3 hours Endo, 3 hours Ortho, 2 hours Perio.
Volunteering Experience: 20 hours Emergency Room, 70 hours free clinic medical scribe, 15 hours county dental clinic (ongoing activity)
Employment: AD military (2017-'22), Part-time handyman (Nov 2022- May '24), Private General Chemistry Tutor (Aug - Dec '23), 2024 General Election Judge, Part-time Pharmacy Technician (Aug 2024 - present)
Research: Taking Intro to (Chemistry) Research for credit Spring '25
Other Extracurriculars: Private pilot (110 hours), Track and Field (377 hours). Military leadership positions: Shop supervisor (Mar - Oct '19), Convoy Security Assistant Officer-in-Charge (Mar - Dec 2020), Project Lead Operator (Jan - Jul '21), Collateral Equipment Custodian (Aug 2021 - Aug '22)
Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? 17 of my listed shadowing hours are from UMKC. I attended the University of Iowa Summer Pre-Dental Academy in June 2024.
Relevant Honors or Awards: Standard awards for my military service plus a Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, and 2 deployment ribbons.
LOR type and strength: None attained at time of post. Requesting 1 chemistry professor, 1 physics professor, 1 general dentist, and 1 from my current manager who is a pharmacist
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags:
2013-17:
High school dual enrollment and first attempt at in-person college. Failed university physics II twice. Failed Statics (I was an engineering major). One W from failing trajectory in an online class I kept forgetting about. Combined GPA 2.026.
2019-21:
Took 6 classes at one online school before transferring and completing an Associate of Science in Aeronautics at another program. Three W's. Two W's were from the first school when I decided to switch majors. One W from the institution from which I was conferred my Associate's after I decided to take a break after enrolling in the bachelor's program. Combined GPA 3.823.
2023-present:
My most recent 74 credits, all in-person. 55 at my previous institution in California and 19 at my current school. Combined GPA 3.809.

I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea in December 2023 and I was likely experiencing its symptoms through the previous 10 years of my life. At my first in-person college I was constantly depressed, slept all day, and rarely went to class. Currently I take an SSRI and use a CPAP, and like magic, I have restful sleep and I can function during the day. I'm looking for things to focus on this semester before my application. I will also be applying to SMPs in case my positive trend is not enough to overcome my cumulative GPA.

School list:
Howard
Georgia (original home of record)
Southern Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
New England ME
Michigan
Kansas City University
UMKC
ATSU - Missouri
Creighton
Nebraska
East Carolina
High Point
UNC - Chapel Hill
Case Western
Ohio State
Oklahoma
U Penn
U Pitt
Temple
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
UT - Houston
UTSA
Roseman
Utah
Virginia Commonwealth
Marquette

science GPA is way too low

 

[markzui]

Date of submission: Summer 2025
Overall GPA: 3.031
Science GPA: 2.458
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.004
DAT score (include AA and all sections): 23 PAT; 24 AA (22 QR, 30 RC, 22 BIO, 30 GC, 18 OC, 22 TS). Taken 1/13/25. These scores are unofficial as of the date of this post.
State of Residence: Missouri

Major: BA Chemistry
Minor: Biology
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? Yes - active duty military 2017-22

Shadowing Experience: 46 hours general dentistry, 8 hours OMFS, 3 hours Endo, 3 hours Ortho, 2 hours Perio.
Volunteering Experience: 20 hours Emergency Room, 70 hours free clinic medical scribe, 15 hours county dental clinic (ongoing activity)
Employment: AD military (2017-'22), Part-time handyman (Nov 2022- May '24), Private General Chemistry Tutor (Aug - Dec '23), 2024 General Election Judge, Part-time Pharmacy Technician (Aug 2024 - present)
Research: Taking Intro to (Chemistry) Research for credit Spring '25
Other Extracurriculars: Private pilot (110 hours), Track and Field (377 hours). Military leadership positions: Shop supervisor (Mar - Oct '19), Convoy Security Assistant Officer-in-Charge (Mar - Dec 2020), Project Lead Operator (Jan - Jul '21), Collateral Equipment Custodian (Aug 2021 - Aug '22)
Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? 17 of my listed shadowing hours are from UMKC. I attended the University of Iowa Summer Pre-Dental Academy in June 2024.
Relevant Honors or Awards: Standard awards for my military service plus a Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, and 2 deployment ribbons.
LOR type and strength: None attained at time of post. Requesting 1 chemistry professor, 1 physics professor, 1 general dentist, and 1 from my current manager who is a pharmacist
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags:
2013-17:
High school dual enrollment and first attempt at in-person college. Failed university physics II twice. Failed Statics (I was an engineering major). One W from failing trajectory in an online class I kept forgetting about. Combined GPA 2.026.
2019-21:
Took 6 classes at one online school before transferring and completing an Associate of Science in Aeronautics at another program. Three W's. Two W's were from the first school when I decided to switch majors. One W from the institution from which I was conferred my Associate's after I decided to take a break after enrolling in the bachelor's program. Combined GPA 3.823.
2023-present:
My most recent 74 credits, all in-person. 55 at my previous institution in California and 19 at my current school. Combined GPA 3.809.

I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea in December 2023 and I was likely experiencing its symptoms through the previous 10 years of my life. At my first in-person college I was constantly depressed, slept all day, and rarely went to class. Currently I take an SSRI and use a CPAP, and like magic, I have restful sleep and I can function during the day. I'm looking for things to focus on this semester before my application. I will also be applying to SMPs in case my positive trend is not enough to overcome my cumulative GPA.

School list:
Howard
Georgia (original home of record)
Southern Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
New England ME
Michigan
Kansas City University
UMKC
ATSU - Missouri
Creighton
Nebraska
East Carolina
High Point
UNC - Chapel Hill
Case Western
Ohio State
Oklahoma
U Penn
U Pitt
Temple
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
UT - Houston
UTSA
Roseman
Utah
Virginia Commonwealth
Marquette

I can't speak to your chances exactly, but I can give you some advice. I recommend you frame your personal statement, supplemental question answers, interview responses, etc. as a story about how you were able to improve and grow as a person. I would also lean quite a bit on the military in regard to your leadership experiences, morals, and interactions with others. I am currently on active duty in the Air Force and targeting those unique experiences that I got from the Air Force worked very well for me.