Career change to dentistry. Does my old GPA still count?

[bubbles1003]

Hello,

I am 28 and I have been working as an Engineer for the last 4 years. Recently I have realized that I do not want to work as an Engineer for the rest of my life for many reasons. I carefully thought about a career change and decided that I want to pursue a second career in dentistry.

I did 5 years of undergrad (all full-time; I switched program in 3rd year) and unfortunately because I have low GPAs in my first three years, I am hoping to apply to UWO that looks at best two years, which is my fourth and fifth years (both meet the UWO's 3/5 course requirement rule in having 3rd and 4th year courses); I have 89.2% in 4th year (2011-2012) and 89.6% in 5th year (2012-2013). I also did a one-year professional MSc after my undergrad.

I was looking into the UWO pre-requisites requirement and although I took the prerequisites in my undergrad, they are no longer valid as they were taken 10 years ago. So I am scheduled to take these courses (physiology, organic chemistry, biochemistry) over the next year or so. This got me scared and I was wondering if this is the case for my undergrad GPA; would they expire after the 10 year mark? That means I would have to get in by 2022? I really hope not because I cannot afford to do another undergrad at this point in my life

I am also studying for the DAT in November 2019. Would I have a chance for an admission to UWO dentistry with 89.4% and a decent DAT? Also am I going to be too old for starting dentistry at 30 (if all goes well with the admission)? Lots going through my mind right now and any advice would be very appreciated on how I should approach the admission and if there is anything I can do to improve my application.

Thanks so much in advance!

[longhaul]

I'm not sure if there is a GPA expiration date for consideration at UWO. I would call the admissions office and ask - I'm sure they wouldn't mind shedding some light on this very specific circumstance.

An 89.4% average, with decent DAT scores, and a well-rounded ABS + personal statement would definitely be competitive, considering previous year's admittance stats. Consider doing some shadowing as well, if you haven't already, just to further be able to solidify your reasons for the career change. There are numerous students throughout all 4 years currently who are in their 30s (either finishing up or starting their DDS). Don't let that be something to hold you back, as it isn't uncommon to have previous professionals who have changed their career paths and entered dental school (speaking from personal experience when looking at the current cohorts that are going through Schulich's program).