Hi Julia. I was in your shoes last year. I, too, decided late in choosing dentistry. I left college in 1995 as a Jr. to start a biz. After running it for 4 years, I decided to go back to school and pursue my dream. I took the DAT in Aug. 2000--and will start dental school at the U of Iowa in Aug 2001. Here's my advice: (In order to be helpful---I'll be as honest as I can-- be it good or bad.) The gpa is important but not the sole factor in getting accepted. The other factors are: interviews, recommendations, DAT scores, community service, leadership, and dental experience. Back to gpa---yes your gpa is on the lower end of the spectrum but that is not a huge problem. What you need to do is nail the DAT. Not just in overall academic score but in each subtest (organic, biology, chem., etc...). This will say although I have an average gpa---I can compete with any student. A high DAT score won't guarantee admission---but a terrible DAT will guarantee no admission. Take a Kaplan or Princeton review course---to get yourself prepared. You definitely want to feel comfortable with the computerized format of the test. The review course will give you the edge. (although expensive--it will be worth the money.) This will be the most important test you have taken in your academic life. Study hard. The extra 3 semesters isn't going to increase your gpa all that much, but the admissions board will be interested in finding out how your grades have been in the past 2 years. Therefore, it is important to be finishing up college with awesome grades. (try to stay over the 3.5 mark each semester left.) The AADSAS application breaks your gpa into 3 areas. They are the BCP gpa, the Science gpa, and the overall gpa. BCP is the gpa of only biology, chemisty, and physics courses. The science gpa is all science courses PLUS any math related course! As you can see they look in a lot of small places to see how you are preforming. Overall and science gpa are the most important out of the 3. Schools to apply to--- is tricky. Dental schools are no longer ranked by US Newsweek or other publications----so you have to decide what you want from a school and rank them personally. From my research it is generally easier to get accepted in the state of which you are a resident. Therefore Minnesota should be your first choice. DON'T listen to rankings from people or out of date books. (i.e. Did you know Iowa dental school was ranked #3 in the nation by US Newsweek in 1994. Harvard didn't even make the top 12 that year---get the picture. Completely crazy.) Obviously the name brand schools will be a challenge to get into. (Penn, UCLA, Harvard, Creighton, Columbia etc...) The average entering dental student gpa in the midwest (Creighton, Iowa, Marquette, Minn) is around 3.45 and science gpa the same. The avg. DAT score at Iowa is 18-19 in all subtest. The national avg. is 16-17, although this is NOT a competitive score. So I would apply to a minimum of 7 schools---more if you can. (remember you will have to travel to the school for an interview---can get expensive.)
Start your application early (like now), think of the personal essay you want to write, the schools you want to apply to, and the individuals you want to write recommendations for you. Start now and you will have less stress this summer. Plus it will show the admissions board how organized you are. Early bird always gets the worm.
In final, you will be just fine. Don't get caught-up on your gpa----simply kick butt on the DAT, interview awesome, have great recommendations, and be determined to be a dentist and everything will be alright. If there is anything I can do to help or explain better----don't hesitate to ask. Good luck and take care, Rob
[This message has been edited by Dr.2b (edited 01-15-2001).]
[This message has been edited by Dr.2b (edited 01-15-2001).]
[This message has been edited by Dr.2b (edited 01-15-2001).]
