Fifth year undergrad? Do I have a chance?

[mooncak3]

Hey guys,

 

I'm going into my 4th year in september and let's just say I graduate with a GPA of 3.8. I know it's not competitive at all for dental schools @ western and U of T so I am thinking of staying one extra year.

 

I know Western treats it as their special year, but my question is, what kind of courses are equivalent to their level 2000/above courses? I of course want to pull up my GPA with easy bird courses.

 

I don't seem to get any information on how U of T treats the extra year when I searched... Do they count it towards our cumulative GPA?

 

Thanks in advance for the inputs!

[MacStudent]

Hey guys,

 

I'm going into my 4th year in september and let's just say I graduate with a GPA of 3.8. I know it's not competitive at all for dental schools @ western and U of T so I am thinking of staying one extra year.

 

I know Western treats it as their special year, but my question is, what kind of courses are equivalent to their level 2000/above courses? I of course want to pull up my GPA with easy bird courses.

 

I don't seem to get any information on how U of T treats the extra year when I searched... Do they count it towards our cumulative GPA?

 

Thanks in advance for the inputs!

 

This is what I was able to dig up from my emails...mind you, it's several years old, but I think it is still relevant.

 

"..years taken after a degree has been completed, which have no program requirements, are termed Special Years. In order for the academic average of a Special Year to be used in our application process, several parameters must be met:

 

a. During the previous undergraduate degree education, the student must

have achieved had at least one A-level year (80% or higher).

b. The Special Year contains a full course load - at least 5 full courses or equivalent, 4 of which are equal in difficulty to those courses at Western which are coded 200 or above. (They are non-introductory courses.) Basically, you get to choose the courses, we get to choose the level of difficulty!

d. The complement of courses in the Special Year must not appear to be

a repeat of a year taken within the student's undergraduate degree.

 

So long as 80% or higher is achieved in the Special Year, it will be considered. The Admissions Committee will allow 2 Special Years on a candidate's transcript (should the applicant not achieve 80%+ in the

first Special Year attempt), but no more.

 

If your extra year fulfills these requirements, then I would anticipate

that we would use that year's academic average in our application

process. (You would also have to meet DAT and interview competitive

minimums as well.)

 

The members would be more concerned if your transcripts showed you'd consistently taken lighter course loads or easier courses throughout your academic history."