Yet another underdog asking for advice thread

[adamrose]

Hello SDN'ers. I am taking a needed study break from the DAT to reflect a little about my current situation. Would appreciate some insight

I Switched to pre-dental a few months before graduating. I really hope to go to my instate school for the obvious financial reasons, as I see it almost impossible and impractical to graduate with 425k in debt and be happy.

My top choice for dental school is UB, however I only have a 3.37Cgpa (Started with a 2.3 freshman year, continually have had a 3.5-3.8 from sophomore year on) and a 3.15Sgpa (C's in both gen chems and evo bio from freshman year)
my mother was diagnosed with cancer during my freshman year and this had a negative impact on me and was wondering what the best way to communicate this to schools would be.
Relevant info:
-UB undergrad
-3 TA positions in anatomy, physiology, biopsychology,
-Research for 1 year in virology
-Raised $5,000 for child patients w/ heart problems as philanthropy chair of my social frat.
-30 hours shadowing (I just switched, so I am also shadowing as I study for DAT)
~100 Hours volunteering in 2 hospitals
-EMT-B certified but no experience
-LOR from every professor I TAd for
I would say I have 7 LORS and 4 incredibly strong ones

Plans for my Gap year as I await school decisions:
-Lined up Dental Assistant job
-tutoring high school students for free

I am feeling like it would be close to impossible to get in even if I scored a 21-22AA (I feel like I could do this)

Would it be advisable from a financial perspective to get a masters and work my ass off to have a chance of getting into a state school like UB even if I get accepted from an expensive(100k/yr) school this cycle?

I have met the Dean of UB and have exchanged a few emails with him. I am not sure if it is making a significant impact on my chances though


Thank you

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[ajj70]

If you get a good DAT score you should have a good chance. The upward trend in your GPA will help as will your EC. Obviously no one can say for sure, but a 22+ on your DAT will look very good.

 

[RuffDay]

The only thing I see that you are lacking is your confidence.

 

[CraigHack]

I think the reason behind your GPA is a reasonable excuse, with a solid academic performance following it to back up the claim that you're a strong student. A high DAT will be your best bet, as mentioned above. It does seem like that GPA tends to have a negative impact on applicants from what I've seen on SDN.

I would cast a wide net this cycle. There's a number of public schools that grant in-state status after a year. UNLV and OSU come to mind. It'll give you more opportunities to attend a school that doesn't leave you $400K in the whole on day 1. All that said, keep in mind that delaying for a year to take another shot at UB (and not a private school) has an opportunity cost. What I mean by that is you're forfeiting a year of employment in the hopes that your education will be cheaper. Not necessarily a bad play, but something you'll have to take a hard look at.

 

[adamrose]

I think the reason behind your GPA is a reasonable excuse, with a solid academic performance following it to back up the claim that you're a strong student. A high DAT will be your best bet, as mentioned above. It does seem like that GPA tends to have a negative impact on applicants from what I've seen on SDN.

I would cast a wide net this cycle. There's a number of public schools that grant in-state status after a year. UNLV and OSU come to mind. It'll give you more opportunities to attend a school that doesn't leave you $400K in the whole on day 1. All that said, keep in mind that delaying for a year to take another shot at UB (and not a private school) has an opportunity cost. What I mean by that is you're forfeiting a year of employment in the hopes that your education will be cheaper. Not necessarily a bad play, but something you'll have to take a hard look at.

How do I learn if a school offers instate tuition after a period of time? in the new ADEA, it doesn't list information like this