Withdrawals and Bad Grades

[kmiceray]

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This is going to be my first post and I would like to start off by saying hello! I have decided to pursue my dream of becoming a dentist. Before I give you my question you will need to know some background info first. I graduated in 2002 and I have been going to school ever since and I still do not have a degree. The only reason I was going to school was to keep my mom from hounding me about going to school. So, as you can imagine I was not the most motivated student out there and my grades showed it. I began to withdrawal from classes like crazy. I did get A's in the classes I liked, but classes I did not like I withdrew or got a low grade in it. At the time I was working at Best Buy and thought I had it made financially. However, as I began to mature I realized that I have made a huge mistake. I know now that a person has to get a degree to be successful financially in this world. So, I decided to become serious about school and devote all my energy to it. I am the most serious student there is now. After a year of me being serious about school I have gotten 8 A's and 2 B's. I want to become a dentist desperately and I am fully prepared to devote all the energy I have toward that goal.

I still have 3 years of school to go before I get my undergraduate degree, so there is still plenty of time for me to show that I can get A's consistently. So, my question is will my withdrawals and bad grades in the past affect my chances of getting into a dental school? Currently I have 14 W's and 7 F's. Now keep in mind that I have already retaken these classes that I dropped or failed. I got mostly A's and a few B's for these classes. These withdrawals or retakes were not on any of the prerequisite classes for dental schools. They were mainly on English 1 and intro algebra. Currently, my GPA is a 3.4 and I know it will continue to go up as I have many classes to take still.

I read several posts regarding this same question and It seems that I will have to explain them to the board during the interview if they ask about them.

So what do you think? Am I screwed even if I have a high GPA after graduation, a good DAT score, and 3 years of consistent A's in classes with no withdrawals or low grades in them?

Sorry my post was so long.

Thanks,
Kyle

 

[tinman831]

Your GPA is around average for the typical dental school applicant. I say you have a decent shot. Those W's and F's will raise an eyebrow but you seem to have turned your life around and they may be willing to overlook it provided your performance continues to improve. Dental schools like positive trends in grades. 👍

 

[harjay]

depending on how you calculated the GPA, 3.4 with your situation sounds fine. However[correct me if I'm wrong], I believe AADSAS will count those F's even if they've been retaken, which will lower you visible GPA on your application. If you keep up the good work though, when the admissions gets to looking at your grades, they should see the turn around.🙂

 

[kmiceray]

Thanks for the feedback. I am sure that if I continue my good trend they will see my commitment to becoming a dentist. On my transcripts they have a "Repeat exluded from GPA" next to all of my F's. So, I am gusing I will not be affected by them. I will look into how they affect the AADSAS. Thanks agin for the feedback. I will have many more questions. Im glad I found this forum. I have gotten so much info just by reading the posts on this site.

 

[kmiceray]

depending on how you calculated the GPA, 3.4 with your situation sounds fine. However[correct me if I'm wrong], I believe AADSAS will count those F's even if they've been retaken, which will lower you visible GPA on your application. If you keep up the good work though, when the admissions gets to looking at your grades, they should see the turn around.🙂

You were right. They do look at all the course grades. Here is what they said: Q: I repeated a course as an undergraduate. My undergraduate institution only counts the second grade earned in my GPA. Why are both grades counted in my AADSAS GPA?

A: When applicants repeat courses, AADSAS calculates the grades earned in both the original and the repeated course, even if the institution does not.

So, my GPA wont be from the undergrad school I go to, but from the AADSAS?

 

[Selso2109]

AADSAS will calculate those into your GPA whether your sending institution does or doesn't. Seven F's will be a major blow to your GPA, but if you put in a few years of flawless semesters you may be able to get it back up over a 3.3. Work hard, do well on the DAT, anything is possible. But, understand you have a formidable challenge in front of you right now. Good luck.


I don't know all of your exact transcripts but from what you wrote, I calculated that if you can get 4 15 credit 4.0 semesters your gpa will be around a 3.18
As it stands now your GPA is a 2.23, from what you listed.


8 A's
2 B's
7 F's
4 15 credit 4.0 Semesters
= 354 grade points divided by 111 hours = 3.18

 

[1992Corolla]

My story:

1st semester of college = 1.7 GPA
Last 4 years of college = 3.4

Work hard and you will get in, even if you have to apply a couple of times!

 

[kmiceray]

Thanks for the encouraging words. I know I have dug myself in a hole, but I am willing to do what ever I need to do to get out of it. I should be able to bring up my GPA since I still have 3 years of school to do before graduating from my undergraduate school. Also, I have not taken any prerequisite science classes, so I have a great chance of getting a high GPA in the science portion. So, my game plan now is to study hard for the DAT, continue doing well in school, do some volunteer work at a dental office, and join a dental club. Thanks again for the help.

 

[SHC1984]

I have 4 W(s)....One my sophomore year in college and 3 my SENIOR YEAR in college!! I recieved three acceptances.
Having W does not matter! 😀
Just make sure your DAT scores are 20+!

 

[supraman]

I think the most notable thing is how you

Currently I have 14 W's and 7 F's.

and still have a 3.4

 

[Dentalishus]

I think the most notable thing is how you and still have a 3.4

HUH?!? Your comment makes absolutely no sense.

 

[kmiceray]

OK, I used a GPA calculator and put in every class that I have attempted and received a grade for it. My current AADSAS GPA is not great but is not as bad as I thought. It is currently a 2.62. So, for sure I can get that up with 3 years of school still left.

 

[kmiceray]

I think the most notable thing is how you and still have a 3.4

I know it sounds crazy, but believe it or not I kept failing English, algebra and a history class over and over and over. I just wasn't willing at that time of my life to put the effort needed to do well in college. So, when I got serious I passed those classes with A's. So, the college excluded the F's from my GPA. So, that is how i have a 3.4 GPA at my school.

 

[Selso2109]

I think it's silly that schools omit F's and allow the retake to replace the old grade, while they do not allow scores of C or higher to be replaced. Kind of a double standard, my school has the same policy. A student could get 2 years of F's,clean up their act and then graduate with high honors which is absurd. Good luck though, peace.