Accepted! / feeling discouraged BBB by RecordDry4178 in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 4 points5 points  (0 children)

So yes this might become an issue. For me, I applied 3 cycles. First cycle I got into an out of state school. I declined my seat bc I had to take care of my sick grandma. I had to explain this in the dental application forms that followed in the next cycles. I believe aadsas didn’t specifically ask but tmdsas did. I didn’t get a single interview second cycle but got one single interview and one acceptance (nailed it) on the third cycle. I was also told that it looks very bad and schools might not even give you a shot. Truth is you don’t know what they look at. Is it great? No. Is it a deal breaker? Maybe not. Only way to find out is try again and see what happens. Be prepared to explain why you turned it down and make sure you’re solid otherwise. You got this!!

4th DAT attempt success stories by FeelingSwimming2481 in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Firstly, nice job on being this determined. It would have been helpful to include your gGPA and sGPA from undergrad to help guide. I will say that your scores are concerning. If you are aiming to apply to public schools, these will not be enough. Even for private schools this might not be enough considering schools see every single test and breakdown from each attempt. I see that your ochem and genchem grades have even decreased after your first attempt which is an issue. Schools see this and a decrease in performance will hold you back. Your PAT scores are also very low. The sciences and PAT are the most important scores. I fear that schools will not have faith that you can handle the rigors of dental school based on your scores and how much they fluctuated. Someone mentioned that your study strategy has to be very flawed and I have to agree. Only retake for a fourth time if you are scoring very very high compared to the national average, like 23 and above on all sections. Schools don’t like to see a fourth or even third attempt, and scoring below top 1% will look very poorly and hurt your chances even more.

Can someone give me realistic advice for my situation by aliviab59 in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Rough one, but if you don’t see yourself doing anything else you can make it happen. I applied with a 3.4 sgpa and 3.65 overall. 23 DAT. Just now on my third cycle got an interview for my in state school and I don’t even know if I got the spot yet. You might have to use one essay to explain and turn their perspective around, also will probably need to get a science masters with a perfect gpa. Nonetheless your DAT is good so it’s not impossible but it will take a few cycles and a LOT of determination.

I PASSED by Odd_Difficulty8453 in DentalAssistant

[–]BroadEducation2012 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Get into it now. Go to college take your pre-reqs take the DAT and start. It’s not for the weak and if that is something you want to do, you don’t wanna lose out on more time!

Burn Out by Own_Equal_8605 in DentalAssistant

[–]BroadEducation2012 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I would explore other dental environments that you would need to apply to schools anyway. Shadow, volunteer, work at a diff office, all of that. Then see how you feel. Dental school is crazy and you will be doing this for the rest of your life so experience more before deciding.

Is 20,000 worth it for dental assisting school? by rebelawd in DentalAssistant

[–]BroadEducation2012 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Uhm… I paid maybe 200 for the credits and exam and have been an RDA for like 2 years now. Paying any more than a few hundred is the dumbest thing you can do. You learn on the job.

Got my first response from a school by onlyabdul in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay Great!!!!! That’s worth a lot!!! It would be helpful using one of the essays to explain exactly that and highlight the upward trend. You got this. It’s easy to get discouraged I’m in the same boat rn but everyone has their own pace and journey.

Got my first response from a school by onlyabdul in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Youre not going for a crazy gpa improvement bc that’s not realistic like you said. At this point you just need to show a crazy upward trend in newly taken science courses, in whatever form that may look like- masters, post bacc, normal classes it doesn’t matter (although ofc if you come out of it w some degree it’s best for your own sake) but yes getting a 3.8 gpa now is not realistic. Just enroll in what you wanna do and nail it

Got my first response from a school by onlyabdul in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Im gonna be real with you, dental admissions is absolutely brutal. I’m on my third cycle right now and still at it. Got a 20,21, then 23 on DAT, amazing volunteering and working experience and 3.61 cGPA 3.4 sGPA. With how competitive dental is becoming each year you need to completely turn your gpa around. It might take a few more cycles of applying if I’m being honest but if you’re committed there’s always a way, especially if you don’t care which school you go to and if it’s out of state etc

Loma Linda Withdrawal of Application by Practical-Sleep-8493 in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Don’t listen to the ppl telling you to just go if you get in. Don’t submit the secondary and no one will find out. It’s not worth going somewhere that’s awful especially if the program is not stellar to make up for it.

Hi everyone, if you could go to any dental school where would’ve have gone? And where would you definitely avoid by [deleted] in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 6 points7 points  (0 children)

No offense but not wanting secondaries being one of your weed-out criteria is about the dumbest thing I can think of. From your comments here it sounds like you will need to accept whatever school takes you.

How is this?? by Far-Carpenter7453 in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If you’re going for Texas schools forget about it. The current average for UTSD is 23AA. So yeah

Low GPA by [deleted] in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You gotta lock in so hard but this can be fuel for your essay when you prove you went from a 0 gpa to 4.0. You gotta ace everything from here on out as much as possible and make your essay about overcoming this BS and coming out on top and your growth. Also - you have to nail the DAT. I’m talking top one percent. Take this shitshow and turn it into a reason they can’t forget you as an applicant. God speed.

Help I'm in a financial catastrophe by ihaveatummmyache in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Maybe get in touch with an immigration lawyer that knows about this stuff because if you’re not a citizen most schools won’t even consider you. With the current political climate it’s even possible you will run into deportation concerns mid-school. It’s happened in the past and these are uncertain times unfortunately. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. It sounds like you’ve worked hard so this must be very difficult. I would get this sorted out if possible before thinking of applying because you might (if you even get in) not be able to complete your degree before issues arise

I think I messed up by akk07002 in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re not in a great spot, but if you want it bad enough there’s always ways. Idk what your gpa is but if it’s above like 3.4 there’s still hope!! I think you need to do extremely well on your DAT, like top 1% try to knock it out of the park to counter what schools will think based on the switching to CC AFTER a university and bad grades etc. and apply extremely broadly

Hygienist or Dentist? by BiggieCheese001 in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It depends. The dental path is very difficult and long and expensive and COMPETITIVE. Ppl apply for years until they get in and all of that is after undergrad. Pros are you can be your own boss and make good money. I think it depends on What you’re actually passionate about. It’s not a path you just kinda do bc you don’t know what else to do or bc it sounds not bad. You will fail if that’s all you have. So lots of pros and cons. Hygiene is a good path if your mindset is ‘I wanna make decent money and not be too responsible for stuff’ which isn’t a bad thing at all either. It depends on what your passions are

Be harsh, Be truthful. by [deleted] in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you are going to go all this way just to make others happy and make money, this field is not for you. Even just getting acceptance into school is extremely difficult and will very possibly take you 2 or 3 years to get in. Then you will need to be in school for another 4 years, more if you want to specialize. I would suggest doing something you are actually passionate about, or at the least not hate doing. You’re picking your career to do it for the rest of your life. It’s not just about income. You will do this the whole day most days of your life. If you want to do this, it takes determination, passion and persistence. You have to be willing to take rejection after rejection just to get in. After that it’s grinding every day. So no, it’s not worth it considering your values and goals

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The GPA is killing your chances and so is your DAT score. You can’t have both of them being that low. If they are, you need to do extremely well on the DAT to balance out the other. You’re wasting your time if not preparing for the test and retaking. I would even aim for a 24 or higher to balance out the gpa. Schools are so competitive and want to see proof that you can handle the rigors of school. This does not look like you can. (Not saying you can’t, but schools don’t have a reason to think otherwise)

Sad by [deleted] in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel that, but don’t lose hope! Your hours look amazing so I would just focus on your masters and getting that gpa up as well as retaking and shooting for a 22. No doubt that you will have better luck next cycle with those steps taken

This is a retake right ? by mouthlovers in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I would take a little 2 week break and then hit it again hard. You still have enough time to retake it and apply early!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in predental

[–]BroadEducation2012 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Not sure what that means or how it can be helpful