what should i do for my current situation

[melovedrillz]

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I have an overall GPA at community college around 3.3 and sci.GPA at UCLA as bio major of 2.6. I have 6 classes left which means I will have to take the first summer session. Have not taken DAT yet but planning to take kaplan class from early march to late april.

my problem: I want to go for the SFSU post bac program but they start in june, but i can't finish until august... Meaning I will have to take my chances in applying and study DAT and have everything send in by early june. I know this is nearly impossible (or maybe just impossible).

what should i do at this point? apply to both? is it worth it to take DAt class at this point? If i take open university classes, should i be taking graduate courses or still undergraduate? Would retake my required courses such as ochem and biology help? If taking classes at other cal state or junior colleges help, what classes should i be taking?

 

[bodiddely]

I'm really confused about what exactly your dilemma is.

 

[ummjoey]

im not really familiar with the post bac programs....

if you are applying this coming june why would you do a post bac? the schools wont see those grades? or by the time they see the grades it will be after your academic update......i dont know if that will still help? you might get some interviews after the academic update? sorry im not familiar with the post bac programs.

if you got a C- or lower on the pre-reqs for dental school then you need to retake them. i think you should get an A if you retake a class.

you can take science classes dental schools recommend.

do well on the DAT.

impossible? my "junior" year (year i was applying) was super busy. but i still did it. you just need good time management, plan smart, and hardwork!

DAT class depends on how you study. i cant really study on my own so taking the class was good because it forced me to go to class. i also used my own money so i motivated me even more to study. some people say they just cover what is in the books. so if you can study on your own then you probably dont need the classes. i also liked taking the classes because they had a bunch of practice tests for you. but again those you can buy online for much cheaper. you should do a bit more research on the DAT classes.

 

[Selso2109]

if you cant get that 2.6 over a 3 then applying would most likely be a waste. 3.3 at a CC is not too strong and having the sub 3.0 at ucla is a red flag. Not trying to be harsh, just being real about it. Good luck though.

 

[melovedrillz]

Well sorry for the confusion...im just too confused myself...

With my situation, whats the quickest way for me to get into a dental school? i'm open to all feasible options

 

[bodiddely]

When will you get your bachelors? You stated that you need 6 classes and that you need to take summer classes. Obviously you can't take 6 classes over the summer though.

Likewise, if you won't graduate until Aug. then you obviously can't do the SFSU post bacc program.

So I'm just somewhat confused about where you stand academically in terms of receiving your degree and where you are on pre-reqs.

 

[melovedrillz]

i finished my pre-reqs and i have 6 upper division courses left. I'm taking 4 next quarter and 2 in session A of summer.

 

[newstudent]

im not really familiar with the post bac programs....

if you are applying this coming june why would you do a post bac? the schools wont see those grades? or by the time they see the grades it will be after your academic update......i dont know if that will still help? you might get some interviews after the academic update? sorry im not familiar with the post bac programs.

if you got a C- or lower on the pre-reqs for dental school then you need to retake them. i think you should get an A if you retake a class.

you can take science classes dental schools recommend.

do well on the DAT.

impossible? my "junior" year (year i was applying) was super busy. but i still did it. you just need good time management, plan smart, and hardwork!

DAT class depends on how you study. i cant really study on my own so taking the class was good because it forced me to go to class. i also used my own money so i motivated me even more to study. some people say they just cover what is in the books. so if you can study on your own then you probably dont need the classes. i also liked taking the classes because they had a bunch of practice tests for you. but again those you can buy online for much cheaper. you should do a bit more research on the DAT classes.

Can you attend post bacc if you are bioscience mayor? Someone said no and dental school saw you take it twice, do they give you higher chance?
My school UC does not allow me to re-take a C grade class unless it la F.

 

[ummjoey]

at my undergrad (UC Riverside) we can retake classes if we get D+ or lower. my school consideres D+ or lower not passing. however my school thinks C- is passing but dental schools dont. therefore at my school you need to petition to retake C- classes.

 

[melovedrillz]

hmmm sadly I dont have any C- for my classes....pretty much 1 C and all C+ and B-....
feel like dying...

 

[jdoc04]

if you cant get that 2.6 over a 3 then applying would most likely be a waste. 3.3 at a CC is not too strong and having the sub 3.0 at ucla is a red flag. Not trying to be harsh, just being real about it. Good luck though.

Agreed, your focus should be on getting that 2.6 above a 3.0. Unless you get a 24+ DAT score you won't turn any heads with the adcoms. Even a great DAT might not offset such a low gpa. I'm not familiar with Cali post-bacc's but that can't be the only one offered and might not even be the best route right now. You need at least two years of classes in order to bring that gpa up. I am guessing you have ~100+ credit hours since your almost finished with your degree. A one-year post-bacc most likely will not give you enough credit hours to get a 3.0.

I recommend you re-take your lower division courses first. Bio, Chem, Ochem if you got less than a B. Reason being your trying to build a upward trend. You need to show that your study habits have changed and you passionate about doing whatever it takes to become a dentist. Starting lower will build your confidence and help you prepare for the DAT. If you have 2.6 I doubt you learned enough in those courses to be adequately prepared for the test.
After retaking these courses move on to upper division courses similar to those sciences taken in dental school. You need a solid upward trend at the back end of your transcript when you apply if you are to contend with the competitive pool that is d-school applicants.

You can do it. There are a bunch of people in you situation every year that tackle the road you have ahead. You just need to stay focused and find a way to persevere.