Your Advice please...

[DJ Quik]

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Ok, First off, I am not in the cycle this year, but was rejected by 24 schools last year. Quick stats,

2.88 AADSAS GPA, Science a little lower. BS in Biology

19 AA on DAT, nothing 18 or lower, 22 on PAT.

Little experience when I applied last year, except for a week long dental trip to central america.

White Male, 28, graduated in 05


Since last year: Got an A in an Anatomy class, And I have recently gotten a job as a Dental Assistant.

Now Here is my question:

Obviously my GPA sucks, so should I:

1) Retake Classes I did poorly in
2) Take new classes
3) A little of both

If I take new classes, should they be lower division, upper division, or 500+ plus level classes. I would really like to do online stuff, but that tends to limit my choices, unless you know of a respected school that has a lot of online offerings open to a california resident. I can move if thats my only chance, but i really prefer to stay here and work on stuff.
I have applied and am accepted to sfsu (not for dental school ( the don;t have one) but for undergrad work) , but I am not sure if I would be able to work that into my schedule.

My goal is to get ready for the 2008 application cycle.

What would you do if you were me?

 

[Ron Jeremy]

I'm a reapplicant that also had a low gpa during my first application and I didn't get in anywhere. So, I kept taking classes, and I did get an interview this year. Here's my two cents:

1. Based on my conversations with numerous people on ADCOMMS and who were formerly on ADCOMMS, they mostly discourage people from retaking classes. They only seriously consider A and B performance on upper level classes if you did poorly on a lower level class.

2. They want to see a strong academic performance on a full-load of science classes, i.e., taking four classes at a time with at least 3 of them in upper level Bio classes at a four-year college. You already have more than enough dental experience time, so I would now soley focus on proving that you can perform well academically under a full-load of classes.

3. Since you live in the Bay area, you should check out Berkeley's Extension program. They offer numerous upper level Bio classes.

 

[diane07]

That GPA is probably not competitive these days. Lack of ability vs lack of motivation are two different things. Think long and hard about what you want, and then do your best to achieve your goals.

 

[tylert82]

Im not a BIO major or any other science major. It is difficult to take 4 upper division science classes at the same time when I need to fill in upper division required courses for my degree. So I am only able to fit a couple science classes each semester. Will this affect my chances even though my GPA is still average?(3.4-3.5 sci)

 

[Ron Jeremy]

tyler82, your grades are fine. You have nothing to worry about, especially if you pull off a strong DAT. Your science gpa is right at the average of most dental schools.

 

[DJ Quik]

How much dental experience do schools like you to have? After a certain amount, do they not really care?

 

[haisha ni narou]

maybe someone said it, I donno. Play it safe and call maybe the top 10 schools you are "most likely to get into" and talk to their admissions, they will be your best resource.