Worried about GPA...please help!

[PreDent1201]

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Soo I'm entering my Junior of college right now in hopes of getting into Dental School, and unfortunately, my GPA isn't as great as I'd like it to be. I screwed up my freshman year and did horrible in my Chem and Pre-Calc classes. I am currently retaking Chem 1 in my Summer course and planning to retake Pre-calc (for the second time) as well.

Now my question is, seeing as I'm taking these classes over, will this hurt me in my applying to Dental schools? A few have told me it shows persistence-- that I could've easily just withdrawn or been stuck with a D/F-- but the fact that I'm retaking them shows that I WANT to do well. I do plan on getting at least an A- or B+ in both classes, so hopefully that'll give my otherwise good GPA a nice boost. The only reason why I'm worried is because these two classes (esp. Chem) are very crucial classes. From what I know, I can't do bad in any Science course, period. And although Chem isn't my BEST subject, I am going to strive to do well in every way I can. I just hope the schools see that.

I'm just looking for any words of advice from anyone who's gone through the process or someone who's been in a similar situation. I'm sure we've all had those times where we've messed up but want to make it better. This is one of those times for me, so I'd greatly appreciate some help! Dental School is a huge goal of mine and I want it more than anything right now! Thank youu.

 

[ItalianPrincess]

i had similar trouble as I suck in math, i got a D in Calc 1 freshman year, retook it and managed a B+ and then got a C- in Analytical Calculus based physics II...due to school policy I couldn't retake this class (unless you get a D/F no retakes) so what i did was ask the pre-health committee to address that in my letter, and they talked about how i could have switched my major from biochemistry to biology and taken regular general physics but i'm hardworking and determined so i didnt...basically trying to make the best out of a bad situation.

i definitely feel your pain, whenever i look at my grades i cringe because i know i could have done better freshman year if i knew what i was doing, but you cant change it now. just work even harder from here on out to get your gpa up and prove you can handle difficult course-loads! good luck!

and remember AADSAS will put retakes back into your gpa

 

[quickad88]

I know what yo mean. I did horrible in my lower div bio classes and one O chem class, although i was taking o chem bio and physics all at the same time. I just did REALLY well in my upper division and i'm hoping that the admissions will see that and forgive 🙂 we shall see though. Also DAT is weighted more than grades so do really well on ur DATs

 

[PreDent1201]

oh wow, ok phew, thanks for that guys! lol. I'm really freaking out, but as long as I know I can get myself back up, I think I should be good. Good luck to the both of you! We got this 🙂

 

[widentist]

Also DAT is weighted more than grades so do really well on ur DATs

Im not sure that this is the case in every situation. I would try to get good scores on the DAT, and make sure you are a well rounded applicant in every category (LOR, EC, shadowing etc) and that will really help too. Plus the stats that you see on Predents are averages meaning that some scores had to have been lower and some higher. That said it make the road tougher but def. still possible

 

[PreDent1201]

Im not sure that this is the case in every situation. I would try to get good scores on the DAT, and make sure you are a well rounded applicant in every category (LOR, EC, shadowing etc) and that will really help too. Plus the stats that you see on Predents are averages meaning that some scores had to have been lower and some higher. That said it make the road tougher but def. still possible

Yeah, I do agree with you. I am quite confident that I will be a well-rounded student by the time I graduate, as I've done quite a lot of shadowing and gotten some research experience in as well. My only main concern is and always has been my grades and overall GPA. So I guess I need to work extra hard to attain what I will be needing!

 

[lmaozedong1]

What is your GPA right now, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[aelian]

I was in a very similar situation. Everything until mid-way through junior year was sub-par. Freshman year I screwed up my biologies. Sophomore, my o. Chems. I ended up taking the classes the year after and went up from C's to A's. So to answer part of your question, you are not screwed if you retake classes, AS LONG as you actually improve the grade. I know people who have retaken courses and gotten the same grade. AND you can't just simply do well on those retakes. You have to finish STRONG. They say your last 45 hours (maybe this is a dental school myth) are weighed as the most important and this makes sense for a few reasons. One, your last semesters will be the hardest subjects and those will be more indicative of the academic potential of the candidate as opposed to introductory classes. So start your rebound now. Perfect time. And don't wimp out on the upper levels. If you can get A's in your upper levels like A&P, Bich, etc, the admissions people will be impressed. What helped me get interviews was that my last 40 hours were all A's. One last thing. Kill your DATS. This means whatever date you intend to take your test, start studying 4-6 months ahead of it. It doesn't mean study 5 hours a day for that period. Just study 30 mins a day until the last months. From what I understand, you struggled with your underclassmen classes. Your DAT is all underclassmen science. I remember at my interview the way they would refer to my underclassman grades. I would say I struggled, blah, blah, blah. Got serious. Look at my DATS and my last few semesters. If they want to antagonize you for your underclassman years and repeats, show/convince them that you are a different person.

 

[PreDent1201]

What is your GPA right now, if you don't mind me asking?

As of noww, my GPA is a mere 2.78 🙁

I should also add that I'll most likely be taking an extra year to study for DATs and improve the rest of my grades...because there's no way I'll be ready to graduate in 2012 at this rate :-/

 

[PreDent1201]

I was in a very similar situation. Everything until mid-way through junior year was sub-par. Freshman year I screwed up my biologies. Sophomore, my o. Chems. I ended up taking the classes the year after and went up from C's to A's. So to answer part of your question, you are not screwed if you retake classes, AS LONG as you actually improve the grade. I know people who have retaken courses and gotten the same grade. AND you can't just simply do well on those retakes. You have to finish STRONG. They say your last 45 hours (maybe this is a dental school myth) are weighed as the most important and this makes sense for a few reasons. One, your last semesters will be the hardest subjects and those will be more indicative of the academic potential of the candidate as opposed to introductory classes. So start your rebound now. Perfect time. And don't wimp out on the upper levels. If you can get A's in your upper levels like A&P, Bich, etc, the admissions people will be impressed. What helped me get interviews was that my last 40 hours were all A's. One last thing. Kill your DATS. This means whatever date you intend to take your test, start studying 4-6 months ahead of it. It doesn't mean study 5 hours a day for that period. Just study 30 mins a day until the last months. From what I understand, you struggled with your underclassmen classes. Your DAT is all underclassmen science. I remember at my interview the way they would refer to my underclassman grades. I would say I struggled, blah, blah, blah. Got serious. Look at my DATS and my last few semesters. If they want to antagonize you for your underclassman years and repeats, show/convince them that you are a different person.

Wow, thanks for all the tips. And yeah, this whole mess is mainly b/c I bombed my freshman year 🙁 I really didn't know what I wanted to do back then, so I guess I didn't care as much about how I did in the hard Science classes. But now that I'm a Bio major and am aiming towards Dentistry, it's a whole different story.

You say the DAT involves all underclassmen sciences...soo,would that be Chem 1&2, organics, Bio 1 &2, and Physics? Or is Physics not on the DAT? Also...what about the quantitative sections...like Calculus and the like? While I be seeing a lot of that? I'm not a very big fan of Math and numbers >_<

 

[aelian]

Wow, thanks for all the tips. And yeah, this whole mess is mainly b/c I bombed my freshman year 🙁 I really didn't know what I wanted to do back then, so I guess I didn't care as much about how I did in the hard Science classes. But now that I'm a Bio major and am aiming towards Dentistry, it's a whole different story.

You say the DAT involves all underclassmen sciences...soo,would that be Chem 1&2, organics, Bio 1 &2, and Physics? Or is Physics not on the DAT? Also...what about the quantitative sections...like Calculus and the like? While I be seeing a lot of that? I'm not a very big fan of Math and numbers >_<

Yes, everything on your DAT, you should have seen by the start of your Junior year, provided you have stayed on track. Since you may be taking classes over, it might be a little different. So yes, you are right, Gen. Chem, O. Chem, and Bio. NO physics, thank Gosh . That is all your science section. You'll also have a math (hate it as well) but limited calculus. Think SAT math. Slightly harder. Okay Mr/Miss Predent1201. You need to start studying for your DATs soon. You want to wow the admissions committee. I'll be glad to send you my DAT guides via e-mail. It helped me do really well on my DAT. But you really, really need to start getting serious about dentistry. However hard you were working before, work twice as hard...somehow. 😕

 

[zdlee]

Yes, everything on your DAT, you should have seen by the start of your Junior year, provided you have stayed on track. Since you may be taking classes over, it might be a little different. So yes, you are right, Gen. Chem, O. Chem, and Bio. NO physics, thank Gosh . That is all your science section. You'll also have a math (hate it as well) but limited calculus. Think SAT math. Slightly harder. Okay Mr/Miss Predent1201. You need to start studying for your DATs soon. You want to wow the admissions committee. I'll be glad to send you my DAT guides via e-mail. It helped me do really well on my DAT. But you really, really need to start getting serious about dentistry. However hard you were working before, work twice as hard...somehow. 😕

Don't mind me barging in, but I am lurking for DAT tips...can you send me your DAT guides via email as well?? Thanks!

 

[PreDent1201]

Yes, everything on your DAT, you should have seen by the start of your Junior year, provided you have stayed on track. Since you may be taking classes over, it might be a little different. So yes, you are right, Gen. Chem, O. Chem, and Bio. NO physics, thank Gosh . That is all your science section. You'll also have a math (hate it as well) but limited calculus. Think SAT math. Slightly harder. Okay Mr/Miss Predent1201. You need to start studying for your DATs soon. You want to wow the admissions committee. I'll be glad to send you my DAT guides via e-mail. It helped me do really well on my DAT. But you really, really need to start getting serious about dentistry. However hard you were working before, work twice as hard...somehow. 😕

Ohh my goodness, I would be forever grateful for that. I'll send you my email in a private message. Thanks so much for the tips. And you're very right, I need to work a lottt harder now, especially since I don't have much time. I will be sure to do whatever I can to get myself back on top!

 

[adrift1984]

Also DAT is weighted more than grades so do really well on ur DATs

I'm not to sure about this.......especially in the scope of all schools. From the breakdowns I have seen sGPA is followed by oGPA and then by a whole slew of others from AA to extracurricular's and PAT. Please don't inject into an already very opinionated forum what you think or don't know.

 

[doc toothache]

Now my question is, seeing as I'm taking these classes over, will this hurt me in my applying to Dental schools? A few have told me it shows persistence-- that I could've easily just withdrawn or been stuck with a D/F-- but the fact that I'm retaking them shows that I WANT to do well. I do plan on getting at least an A- or B+ in both classes, so hopefully that'll give my otherwise good GPA a nice boost. The only reason why I'm worried is because these two classes (esp. Chem) are very crucial classes. From what I know, I can't do bad in any Science course, period. And although Chem isn't my BEST subject, I am going to strive to do well in every way I can. I just hope the schools see that.

You "could've easily just withdrawn" but you didn't. The fact that you are retaking them may also show that you are more worried about how adcoms view it rather than you "WANT to do well". When you first took the courses did you not "plan on getting at least an A- or a B+"? Why not wait until you do retake the courses and see how you do? Maybe you will even change your mind about your future goals.

 

[Winn0316]

aelian could you please send me your DAT guides as well? Im taking the DATs on wed. and I am flipping out!...message me and I'll message you back my email.

 

[lmaozedong1]

I know what yo mean. I did horrible in my lower div bio classes and one O chem class, although i was taking o chem bio and physics all at the same time. I just did REALLY well in my upper division and i'm hoping that the admissions will see that and forgive 🙂 we shall see though. Also DAT is weighted more than grades so do really well on ur DATs

Agree to disagree. 👍

 

[aelian]

Agree to disagree. 👍

👍 Agree. A high GPA shows consistency. I'm pretty sure most people can buckle down and get a nice DAT, provided the fire is on them.

And Winn, I would be glad to. Just PM me. 😀

 

[PreDent1201]

You "could've easily just withdrawn" but you didn't. The fact that you are retaking them may also show that you are more worried about how adcoms view it rather than you "WANT to do well". When you first took the courses did you not "plan on getting at least an A- or a B+"? Why not wait until you do retake the courses and see how you do? Maybe you will even change your mind about your future goals.

Sorry for the really delayed response, I got a bit side tracked with my Summer courses and what not. But to answer your question, the first time I took these classes, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I was still an undecided major and I wasn't even sure I wanted to do Dentistry, so I guess that impacted my grades since I wasn't really motivated at the time. Now that I'm actually SURE about what I want to do, I think that may affect my grades in a good way. I'm a bit more driven now and it makes me want to do a whole lot better. The thing with me is, though, Math and Science have always been my two weakest subjects. It's not that I don't want to do well, I do!! But it's so difficult for me to excel in these two subjects for some reason or the other 🙁 I just wish I could immediately move on to Dentistry and bypass all of this nonsense! lol.

 

[nhitb]

aelian can you please e-mail me your DAT study guide as well. i dont even know how to get started..