DOC123doc1 Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Hello All, I am a recent grad from the University of Alberta with a bachelors of science in biological sciences with a cGPA of 3.56 (exclusion of the first year and spring summer courses). My DAT scores are as follows: MD:28 PA:19 RC:18BIO:19 CHEM:14 (I don't know what i was thinking) AA: 17 TS:17 I am very passionate about the field of dentistry but with my current GPA and DAT scores I feel like my dream to pursue dentistry is at a halt at the moment. I want to apply to Canadian dental schools, but dental schools abroad are an option as well. However, US/Ireland/Australian dental schools means of calculating GPA brings my GPA down to a 3.19 which makes my chances of acceptance close to slim. Please advise as to what I should do to bring my GPA up and whether I have a chance at dental school if I work on my grades a little. I have great extracurricular activities which consist of many leadership positions, research, sports, hospital and dental volunteer work. PLEASE HELP ME OUT, i would be forever grateful for any form of guidance and words of encouragement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncientDentist Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Hey there! First of all, you just need to know that if you really have the passion for dental school, you will definitely get in. It's only a matter of time. I think a lot of us get into the mentality that either we get in ASAP or never at all. In my personal situation, I had a good GPA in my undergrad, but I only recently got serious about pursuing dentistry, and I spent three years after my undergrad until I finally decided to apply. So whatever extra time you take to boost up your GPA and work on your application is not the end of the world, in fact there are countless other applicants (like me) out there who did the same thing. So down to the practical advice: You WILL have to bring up that GPA. There's no question. Now this could mean an extra two years of a new undergrad or just taking courses as a special student. Either way, if you are truly serious about dentistry, there's no reason you won't be able to get close to get 3.9-4.0. That's just the standard nowadays, and the fact that we see so many of these high GPAs from current applicants just confirms my belief that it's possible for anybody with the right mentality and work ethic (and choice of courses ofc). Now while taking those extra years, rewrite the DAT until you get an above average score. Again the DAT is something anybody can do well in, if they give it the enough time and dedication. I know some of this may not be what you wanted to hear, but for me it is always comforting to know that I will eventually accomplish my goals as long as I persist. These few years that we may "waste" here and there will be nothing compared to the (hopefully) lifetime of happiness and success we will have as professionals in a field that we're passionate about. And also, they may not even be wasted years... you'll likely mature and develop skills which may make you a better dental student. Maybe this is just what you needed to give you a shot at being the top in your dental class and getting into a competitive dental specialty and outshining us all! Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyfrog007 Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 I want to apply to Canadian dental schools, but dental schools abroad are an option as well. However, US/Ireland/Australian dental schools means of calculating GPA brings my GPA down to a 3.19 which makes my chances of acceptance close to slim. Hello DOC123doc1, I am on the same boat as you are but can you tell me how you calculated your GPA for the US/Ireland/Australian dental schools? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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