dentsmiles Posted August 13, 2014 Report Share Posted August 13, 2014 Hey guys! I need a bit of help in deciding what I should do for the next 2 years. I am going into my 4th year and would like to apply to dental schools in Ontario, but have not taken all the prereqs yet. My GPA breakdown is 1st year: below 3.5 (not exactly sure what it is, but I guess it does not matter since both Western and UofT will not count this year) 2nd year: ~3.81 3rd year: ~3.91 4th year: 4.00 (I haven't done 4th year yet, but I'm hoping I can get a 4.00 since I always get A+'s in my major courses and have made my schedule so that I am taking all major courses this year) For the sake of deciding what to do next, let's say I get a 4.00 in my last year and a 23 AA on the DAT (I've been studying this summer and so far 23 AA seems like a reachable score for now) - now from here I have no idea what to do. From what I understand, I don't stand much of a chance with my current GPA, as it will be about a 3.86 for both schools. So my questions are: 1. Does 4th year GPA count for admissions if I apply this cycle? From what I understand, it does not, but I'd just like to make sure. 2. Should I apply for this cycle at all? Or does a 3.86 make it pretty much impossible to get in nowadays (also assuming my 4th year will not count). Usually I would have nothing to lose, but in this scenario, if I do apply this cycle, I will have to take a full year of phys and biochem, which I think I can pull A's on (only 3.8 in my school), but not A+'s, like I usually can with my major courses. So, do you guys think it's worth it? 3. If it's not worth applying this admission cycle, what should I do during my 5th year? If current GPA does not count, I'm thinking it would be pointless to do a 5th year to boost my GPA. Should I work? Or should I do a Master's? Those seem to be my only 2 options. The only thing is, I'd much prefer to go to UofT because it is close to home and I could live at home while going to dental school (my preference literally has nothing to do with curriculum or prestige) - and apparently UofT favours Master's students, and I do no really want to do a Master's, so if I did do it, it would really mostly be for making myself a better candidate for UofT. Ahhh, I am so confused and stressed about this! I would literally appreciate any advice you guys have! Thank you so much in advance, and thanks for taking the time to read my post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StriveP Posted August 13, 2014 Report Share Posted August 13, 2014 1. No it won't count for this year. 2. I would apply if I were you but then again you would need to take the pre-requisites no matter what... 3. If you are planning to do a 5th year then I would do the pre-requisites and take a semester off for research, volunteering, traveling, a job, or even a masters (especially since it really pulls your application up). So the way I see it is if you apply this cycle you will only be applying to Western since you have 0 shot at UofT. If you REALLY want to go to UofT I would get that 4.0 this year and take the prerequites sometime in the summer/during masters (if you can do that) and do a masters. Realistically you would have a really good shot at UofT since they drop your lowest year and masters would pull your application. I hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann2012 Posted August 13, 2014 Report Share Posted August 13, 2014 1. your 4th year won't count 2. I would apply to Western (they consider your grade in %, and ideally you want ~87% or higher) and as StriveP mentioned you would need to take the pre-req no matter what. Plus UT do take your summer courses GPA into your final GPA calculation so....It really doesn't matter when you take them 3. Have you considered doing a 1 year course based master? (just putting it out there) If I were you I would apply to Western and Mcgill this year (I see you haven't even considered Mcgill but their GPA requirement is lower than most schools according to their website). For Western you will have a fair shot if your GPA is ~87% and you can prob make it if you pull off a good interview. As for Mcgill I think you should do a bit more research about the school if you haven't looked at anything outside of Ontario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dentsmiles Posted August 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2014 Thank you so much StriveP and ann2012 for your help, I really, really appreciate your responses!!! 1. No it won't count for this year. 2. I would apply if I were you but then again you would need to take the pre-requisites no matter what... 3. If you are planning to do a 5th year then I would do the pre-requisites and take a semester off for research, volunteering, traveling, a job, or even a masters (especially since it really pulls your application up). So the way I see it is if you apply this cycle you will only be applying to Western since you have 0 shot at UofT. If you REALLY want to go to UofT I would get that 4.0 this year and take the prerequites sometime in the summer/during masters (if you can do that) and do a masters. Realistically you would have a really good shot at UofT since they drop your lowest year and masters would pull your application. I hope that helps. Just wondering, why would I have a 0 shot at UofT? They would also drop my worst year wouldn't they? So basically it would be only my 2nd and 3rd year for both schools, but I guess UofT is more competitive? Also, if I had to do a 5th year, would you recommend I work/volunteer, etc. or do a 1-year Masters? Basically I mean to ask, do you think it would be necessary to do a Master's with my GPA (assuming 4.00 in 4th year), because I'm trying to avoid that since I would be doing it almost purely for the purpose of dental school, but if my GPA isn't good enough, I wouldn't completely write off that option. 1. your 4th year won't count 2. I would apply to Western (they consider your grade in %, and ideally you want ~87% or higher) and as StriveP mentioned you would need to take the pre-req no matter what. Plus UT do take your summer courses GPA into your final GPA calculation so....It really doesn't matter when you take them 3. Have you considered doing a 1 year course based master? (just putting it out there) If I were you I would apply to Western and Mcgill this year (I see you haven't even considered Mcgill but their GPA requirement is lower than most schools according to their website). For Western you will have a fair shot if your GPA is ~87% and you can prob make it if you pull off a good interview. As for Mcgill I think you should do a bit more research about the school if you haven't looked at anything outside of Ontario. Thank you for the suggestion about McGill! I didn't realize they have a lower GPA requirement, all I could see was that they required physics, so I wrote it off write away lol because that would mean I would have to take physics on top of the biochem and phys that I still have to take. But now that I know they have lower GPA requirements, I guess it would be worth it. Also your right about UofT counting prereqs, it's just that I feel more confident in getting better grades in those courses in the summer, when I have a lighter load overall. Also, I just realized something .... I'm not even sure if applying this year would be an option because Western apparently requires me to finish my degree, which would be impossible for me to do alongside my missing prereqs (assuming I have to complete them before summer). I'd really hate to do a 5th year, since I won't even really be doing on as it won't count for my GPA, but I guess it's my only choice now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dentsmiles Posted August 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2014 Also, I'm open to any other suggestions ... just trying to evaluate any options I have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrewmrew Posted August 14, 2014 Report Share Posted August 14, 2014 Uoft would only be possible with a masters. In fact, I think if you got a masters and you do manage to 4.0 fourth year you would be an very competitive applicant. The undergrad gpa at UofT is ridiculously high nowadays unfortunately and 3.86 won't cut it. As for uwo, they look at %, not gpa. If your school only gives letter grades, you would need to convert them. If your best two years is ~90% you chances are good if you kill the interview. And as others have said, you MUST take the prereqs haha. No getting out of prereqs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedentalst7 Posted August 14, 2014 Report Share Posted August 14, 2014 Good luck for your future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dentsmiles Posted August 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2014 Uoft would only be possible with a masters. In fact, I think if you got a masters and you do manage to 4.0 fourth year you would be an very competitive applicant. The undergrad gpa at UofT is ridiculously high nowadays unfortunately and 3.86 won't cut it. As for uwo, they look at %, not gpa. If your school only gives letter grades, you would need to convert them. If your best two years is ~90% you chances are good if you kill the interview. And as others have said, you MUST take the prereqs haha. No getting out of prereqs! Thank you for the input! What about if I take a gap year during 5th year (instead of a Masters) and I get a 4.0 during my last year? Do you think it would be possible then, or do you think I'd still have to do my Masters at that point as my GPA would not suffice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dentsmiles Posted August 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2014 Good luck for your future Thank you thedentalst ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann2012 Posted August 14, 2014 Report Share Posted August 14, 2014 Western requires you to be in your last year of your degree and they want to be have a degree when you graduate. You are suggesting that you won't have any degree after your 4th year if you take the pre-req??? Maybe you should go talk to your school's advisor to find out. Also, doing a 5th year is nothing if you think it can get you into dental school. Lots of people do it and as for ECs I'd recommend you do wtv you enjoy as long as it doesn't downplay your grade. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luzzati Posted August 17, 2014 Report Share Posted August 17, 2014 Call up the admissions office. Some undergraduate programs are more difficult than others. My GPA was lower than yours, with your worst year included. I do strongly recommend that you at least consider other schools in Canada. Talk to dental students (esp. fourth years) and new grads. I believe big changes have happened at U of A, and I hear good things about U of M but never gets much attention here on the forums, sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.