What are my chances of getting into a good dental school?

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euterpessi

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Hello! So I’m currently a rising senior and I’m about to take a gap year so I’ll be applying next cycle. I want to see what my chances may be applying to a good dental school as I have a low gpa and I’m worried. My state school is OSU and if I can get in that would be amazing. I would also like to apply to other more selective schools but I don’t know if I have the requirements that may meet them - UPenn is one of my dream schools but I also am realistic and know my chances of getting in are very very slim. Other school options are UPitt, BostonU, University of Illinois, Tufts, Case Western (where I went for undergrad), Columbia (shoot for the stars lol), and honestly anywhere that would accept me fr (goal is OSU though)

Some info about me is that I’m a black female, first generation college student, and come from a disadvantaged background.

My current gpa is a 3.5 and I’m hoping to get it to a 3.6 by this year. I honestly had an upward trend as I struggled a lot my first semester in college and I had a 2.8 and finished my freshman year with a 3.0. It took a lot of work to get the 3.5 but even then I had gotten a couple B’s (I hate physics) here and there and I wish it could’ve been higher than it is now. I am hoping to take the Dat in 2 months and my goal is to score high to even out the gpa.

I also recently started shadowing so I don’t have much hours but I’m hoping to get as much hours as I can during the year before applying. Honestly I think my extracurriculars are pretty strong as I have had multiple leadership positions. I was one of the VP’s of my schools umbrella orgs which is in charge of financing and allowing cultural clubs to be created. I was exec throughout my sophomore - junior year. I actively volunteer with remote area medical - a nonprofit with the goal to provide free medical, dental, and vision care to underserved communities - and am a Core in Training which means I’m training to be a head volunteer in a specific section of the clinic. I was originally cit in the vision department because i honestly just enjoyed talking to the people there as you get more interactions with people but recently switched to dental x-Ray (which is still nice as im able to still talk to a lot of patients and observe some of the dentists). I am also a part of the CHG (clinic host group) for RAM at my school ans we anre planning to host our own clinic this upcoming school year and am the risk manager of my schools ram chapter (sophomore year - current). I am also currently apart of the executive team for the African American Society at my college and am the treasurer.

I also actively volunteer at an elementary school that’s in an underserved community - I’ve been volunteering there since freshman year and honestly hope to continue doing so even after college. I also sometimes volunteer at another elementary school in the area though not as frequent and at a nearby transplant house once a week for a couple of hours. I have been an orientation leader for 2 years. I also have been tutoring at my local mosque occasionally.

I have done some research in Alzheimer’s for like a semester but stopped because I quite frankly hated being in a lab setting. I was thinking of starting up research again this upcoming year in something I like more - possibly more in social work. (I also don’t know if I should include this research experience or not since I didn’t really do much)

I am also debating if I should retake some of my classes that I got C’s on my freshman year (Calc 1 and 2) to boost my gpa but I don’t know if it’s worth it and if I’m just adding unnecessary workload on my already heavy workload this upcoming year.

I also have gotten pretty close to a lot of my professors and school administration so I also know I will have good letters of recommendations hopefully! 🤞
 
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Previously

Sounds like you are ready for a WAMC profile
 
First, you don't need to retake any C's. What are you considering as DIY postbac courses? You don't need a SMP.

Second, put your chips into acing the DAT.

Third, how many dental experience hours do you have (shadowing + volunteering + employment)?

Fourth, why dentistry? Have you connected with SNDA members at the schools you are most interested in attending?

I get the impression UIC is not very OOS friendly. Would you consider Howard or Meharry?
 
I honestly haven’t really looked into postbac programs.

And yeah right now I’m doing as much as I can to make sure I do well on my dat. All the classes I have taken after my freshman year that I’d need on the dat I aced so I’m hoping I can do well.

I don’t have much dental experience - maybe around 30 hours shadowing? And 80 volunteering at a dental setting. I’m hoping to get those up by this year.

I’m mainly interested in dentistry is because many low income and minority Americans barely receive proper dental care and imo is often overlooked in those communities. I want to be able to help those communities and I also like the dental field, I like how dentistry mixes art, healthcare, and the fact that it’s also very hands on.

No I haven’t connected with SNDA members but I’ve gotten to know some UPitt dental students and professors as well as OSU.

I will also be applying to Howard and honestly as much schools as I can. I mainly want OSU or schools in Pennsylvania as it’s close to home - but I also know as long as I can get an acceptance anywhere that it’s also a win.

I’ve also heard UIC isn’t OOS friendly I just like the area honestly but it’s not a heavy want for me to go there. Honestly if I could possibly get an acceptance anywhere that’s cheap I’d take it lol
 
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