What should my next step be?

[kiwipie]

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Hi everyone, I was wondering if you guys could give me some advice on what my next step should be. I graduated from college 2 years ago with a Major in East Asian Studies and minors in Art History and Psychology. My GPA was 3.04. After college, I decided that I wanted to go into dentistry. I had only taken Gen. Chem in college (C, and C+) so I decided to take the prereqs at a local state school, I've also been working at a dental office for the past 2 years doing things such as sterilizations, developing x-rays, assisting, and billing.

I don't feel confident that the grades in the prereqs that I have been taking are going to make me competitive for the next application cycle.
So far I've gotten
Bio I: A-
Bio II: A
Gen Chem I (Retake): B+
Gen Chem II (Retake): B+
Anatomy Physiology I: A+
Organic Chemistry I: B-
Physics I: C+...
O-Chem II: TBD
Physics II: TBD

I know dental school is UBER competitive and these scores are not going to do too much for my GPA, and I only have the bare minimum requirements. I haven't taken the DATs yet, but have enrolled in Kaplan and plan to take them in mid june. I think I'm going to apply this cycle, but I don't think I'll get in because Anat and Phys II: looks like another A+ but Physics and ochem looks like the grades are going to be similar to last semester.

I was wondering if I should get a full time job and continue to take upper level classes next year.
Try to get into a SMP (Some applications aren't due till june/july although I wonder if they still have spots)
Or should I not even apply for the upcoming cycle? I'm feeling so unsure about life and about my path. Over the course of the past two years I've also looked into other careers, but ultimately the only thing I feel passionate about is dentistry. I'm willing to work even harder, but sometimes I doubt my abilities, which I know is a bad mindset. I'd appreciate any help/advice, and thanks for reading this entire post... I apologize for it's length.

 

[Frederico Albin]

Your grades aren't as bad as you think it is. Make sure you get A's in your next classes.
The kaplan course should help you with your DAT.
As far as extra curricular, you have been working as a dental assistant for 2 years, most people don't have that type of experience, so that should be a plus in your application.

As far as classes go, there are several schools out there that require students to take classes like biochemistry/microbio, so make sure you check out the pre-requesites for each school you are thinking about applying to. In my opinion, I think you should apply on the next cycle, just finish those pre-reqs and do good on the DAT. There is no need for you to stay 1 more year doing pre-reqs if you can finish them before next cycle.

Good Luck

 

[SanOnofre2002]

Bank on the DAT. It looks like your GPA should at least be going up after your prereqs are added in. If you can get 20's on the DAT, you should be able to get in. That Kaplan class worked great for me, but if I'd known about all the other resources (destroyer, etc) I would have used them too. Give yourself enough time to study for the DAT without any other committments. That's what can make or break you from right now.

 

[kiwipie]

Thanks for the advice guys 🙂. I was starting to lose hope...

 

[Frederico Albin]

Don't lose hope my brother, you choose the right path. 😛

 

[youngmc27]

Work hard this semester to get good grades in the prereqs you have left and study like and for the DAT and you will be fine

 

[Hoprod3]

Just keep working hard and allow your application to show an upward trend in grades and a good DAT. Also remember that you want to be able to show your commitment to dentistry. I think that is important along with your previous experience because it may separate you from other applicants with similar numbers.