What should/CAN i do? May god help me.

[blackberryman]

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[4thMolar]

Although your first year wasn't exactly spectacular, you showed great improvement during your second year thus far. If you keep your grades up at this point and have semesters such as this past one, I think you'll be fine. Try aiming for around a 20 on your DAT and keep up your grades, therefore you can keep a realistic goal of getting into dental school. My first year was my worst year as well, but I wasn't asked at any of my interviews about specific grades. And just b/c you may not do as well as you expect, it doesn't mean you will never be able to get into dental school. You don't have to look at other professional schools if dentistry is what you really want to do.

 

[blackberryman]

Thats true however, I feel like theres only so much my BCP gpa will go up since it only consists of Bio/Chem/Physics and Iv already taken Bio and Gen Chem and did poorly. Now all i have left is Orgo and Physics. ahhh

 

[321931]

Thats true however, I feel like theres only so much my BCP gpa will go up since it only consists of Bio/Chem/Physics and Iv already taken Bio and Gen Chem and did poorly. Now all i have left is Orgo and Physics. ahhh

Dude calm down. You are fine. Take electives. Yes, I took bio/chem/physics/orgo, but I also took 10+ BIO ELECTIVES which factor into your bcp gpa. Your "days" aren't over by far. You barely have any units under your belt. Ace your next pre-reqs and ace the bio electives and bam you have a ~3.5 bcp gpa.

<---I had a 3 C's in physics 1/orgo 1,2, 1 D in physics 2 and I still came out with a 3.5 bcp. How electives? Jeez you need to relaxxxxxxxxxx.

 

[dentalWorks]

you still have 2 years of undergrad to go. If your worried about your BCP GPA, take some upper level biology courses and make sure you get an A in them.

But like previous posters said, you too early to start worrying about things. You've shown good improvements on your 2nd year, keep it up on your junior and senior year and you'll end up with a 3.4 overall and maybe 3.3-3.5 science. Pretty respectable numbers if you ask me.

Don't worry too much about "killing" the DAT.... right now, your #1 objective is that GPA..... DAT is a 2-3 month process, the GPA however, is a 4-year project and you should put ALL of your focus into it.

Good luck to ya

 

[blackberryman]

I thought BCP was only Gen Bio/Gen Chem/Physics/Orgo? Guess not.

Thanks a lot for the info guys!

 

[dentalWorks]

I thought BCP was only Gen Bio/Gen Chem/Physics/Orgo? Guess not.

Thanks a lot for the info guys!

BCP = any courses that are Biology / Chemistry / Physics

 

[Knadian]

Hey OP, just want to tell you that I started out weak in undergrad as well, in fact, my first 2 years were undesireable, and i hadnt decided on dentistry at the time. At the end of my second year, I decided to get a grip on my academics and strive for dentistry. Since second year I improved my grades tremendously (retaking courses I did ****ty in, continuing to take upper bios and chems to up my BCP) and then topped it off with an impressive DAT performance. YOU are in my shoes right now 3 years ago. What its gonna take from you now is to reallllllllllllly want it, and make that change for the better. It IS possible. Some schools look fondly on a trend of academic improvement. Maybe you had a tough transition, didnt know what you wanted to do yet... as long as you show that you became driven and were determined to turn it around, I think you will have a shot.

Trust me, I thought I was a long shot and have been having a very successful application cycle so far. I've interviewed at my top choice and since then I've been really happy I put in the effort and insisted that it wasnt over. I know this all sounds like the feel-good movie of the year... but really, just get your academics in shape and dont think its not possible to turn it around. Youre lucky that youve still got a lot of time to SHOW a change, but you have to START now.

 

[blackberryman]

Success is the only option- failures not.

I am going to do it!

 

[7 Iron]

Success is the only option- failures not.

I am going to do it!

Work hard and make your dream a reality

 

[axa5033]

im in probably the worst shape of anyone-
i have a way low gpa but on the practice dat i did ok like 19/20

my chances of getting in are very low considering the fact im not even close to being done with school-

anyone know of what my options would be for post-bac work, i really dont want to go for a masters in something useless

 

[dentalWorks]

im in probably the worst shape of anyone-
i have a way low gpa but on the practice dat i did ok like 19/20

my chances of getting in are very low considering the fact im not even close to being done with school-

anyone know of what my options would be for post-bac work, i really dont want to go for a masters in something useless

not many options really... you either do formal or informal post-bac. Personally, I would take informal anytime over formal because I can tailor the classes I need whenever I choose to.

It is what I started doing back in 2007 and it worked out well for me.

 

[axa5033]

where did you do your post-bac at-explain bc im totally clueless bc my advisor is a joke

 

[dentalWorks]

where did you do your post-bac at-explain bc im totally clueless bc my advisor is a joke

I applied to Michigan State back in late 2006 as a 2nd degree bachelors in chemistry. My goal was NOT to get a 2nd bachelors degree, they wanted a major from me so I picked chemistry. After I got accepted, I started taking parttime courses that were pre-dent requirements..... As matter of fact, I never got my 2nd bachelors, I just took whatever courses I needed, and when I was done, I left MSU.

 

[LLUProf]

To the OP, it's not just your grades that are considered, your grade trend is looked at also and it was good advice given to take some upper division classes and do well in them. Good luck

 

[axa5033]

well im scheduled to graduate next december..should i not apply to dental schools but to grad schools? or work somewhere for a bit..at this point i really dont want to be in school anymore-its really starting to wear on me

mind you i traveled a lot when i was younger so im itching to get out and see the world

 

[dentalWorks]

well im scheduled to graduate next december..should i not apply to dental schools but to grad schools? or work somewhere for a bit..at this point i really dont want to be in school anymore-its really starting to wear on me

mind you i traveled a lot when i was younger so im itching to get out and see the world

sounds like your not ready for the rigorous curriculum of dental schools. Do you see your self taking 20-25 credits per term?

 

[axa5033]

im taking 19 now

the thing is-i dont challenge myself-i really dont like the classes i have to take to graduate, i just dont find them interesting which shows in my school work

but i actually enjoy studying about things i like such as biochem and virology-its all a sham/catch 22 when it comes to school i guess..so yes i see myself taking 20-25 credits in something i actually want to study

im just really worried bc my gpa is crazy bad but i had alot of personal issues the last 3 years and unfortunately its an uphill battle to try to actually make a dent *no pun intended*

im not a stupid person, i just dont have the application and drive like most americans-i didnt go to school in the states but for only 3 years before college so my mentality is a bit different-i know this all sounds like excuse after excuse but its who i am but regardless i can hold my own with students with 4.0s even though im a 2.0 student

my dream is to be a dentist but im destroying my chances and i dont know what to do..

 

[dentalWorks]

im taking 19 now

the thing is-i dont challenge myself-i really dont like the classes i have to take to graduate, i just dont find them interesting which shows in my school work

but i actually enjoy studying about things i like such as biochem and virology-its all a sham/catch 22 when it comes to school i guess..so yes i see myself taking 20-25 credits in something i actually want to study

im just really worried bc my gpa is crazy bad but i had alot of personal issues the last 3 years and unfortunately its an uphill battle to try to actually make a dent *no pun intended*

im not a stupid person, i just dont have the application and drive like most americans-i didnt go to school in the states but for only 3 years before college so my mentality is a bit different-i know this all sounds like excuse after excuse but its who i am but regardless i can hold my own with students with 4.0s even though im a 2.0 student

well, lets be realistic here, most dental schools in the nation get between 2000 and 4000 applications each year for approx 100 seats.... You best believe they are only going to interview the hardest-working / smartest individuals based on their on-paper credentials. If you are a 2.0 student, it doesn't matter how well you can "hold you own" against the 4.0 folks, on paper, you don't come close.

You need to make yourself competitive, period. If you are a 2.0 student, I HIGHLY suggest (if you are very serious about dentistry) to get started on a post-bacc system after you obtain your bachelors degree. Some people will suggest a masters degree, if you've read my previous posts about this very topic, I am almost ALWAYS for-post-bacc / against-masters.

my dream is to be a dentist but im destroying my chances and i dont know what to do..

Well, if your GPA is in the 2.0s, its going to be hard but NOT impossible... Your just gonna have to do some serious GPA-dmg control, which is (a) expensive as heck, (b) time consuming (could take many years), and (c) worth it if you ACTUALLY do it

Good luck on whatever you decide

 

[blackberryman]

Up to which year do dental schools look at your grades? I know that you apply in the SUMMER OF JUNIOR YEAR. Thus do dental schools only look at 3 years worth of grades? I feel like that not enough for me. I want them to look at my senior year grades too when they factor in my admission GPAs.

 

[blackberryman]

bumper cars.

 

[dentalWorks]

Up to which year do dental schools look at your grades? I know that you apply in the SUMMER OF JUNIOR YEAR. Thus do dental schools only look at 3 years worth of grades? I feel like that not enough for me. I want them to look at my senior year grades too when they factor in my admission GPAs.

They have the right to look at every single grade you entered through AADSAS. I started my initial undergrad degree back in year 2000 and some schools I interviewed at, pulled up some of my bad grades from those early years.

They don't look at specific years.... they look at the ENTIRE list of courses you've taken throughout your college history

 

[yappy]

In what manner did they bring up some past poor grades? and how did you respond? if you dont mind me asking.

I started my initial undergrad degree back in year 2000 and some schools I interviewed at, pulled up some of my bad grades from those early years.

They don't look at specific years.... they look at the ENTIRE list of courses you've taken throughout your college history

 

[dentalWorks]

In what manner did they bring up some past poor grades? and how did you respond? if you dont mind me asking.

My detroit mercy interview.... felt like a flogging haha

They first brought up my D+ in ethics (from 2001) and were like, "I see you obtained a D+ in ethics, whats up with that".... My response was the truth. I was not a very serious college student back then and it led to a rather poor undergrad performance.

The same question was brought up with other C's in classes like History, philosophy, some math courses etc etc. The answer was basically the same, however, I felt like I needed to get them off my back so I assured them that my old "partying" habits will not interfere with my current situation... I pointed them towards my most recent 3-year post-bacc and how I maintained a perfect 4.0, and that this "newly" found work ethic is most likely to continue throughout dental school.

I dunno if they bought it or not, but I got into Mercy.



Oh and I forgot, Nova interview did the same, but it was much more relaxed. They just opened up my file and asked me about the many C's and few Ds I had from my initial undergrad years. Same story, I was a partying student and didn't take school seriously, we started to joke around about it.... and they then brought up my most recent performance and how they were very impressed by it.