Heres my link
https://www.mass.edu/shared/documents/admissions/admissionsstandards.pdf
Despite that the sliding-scale criteria could potentially get you into a UMass campus, the out of state tuition and fees alone exceed your 30K budget. Then you have to live somewhere. In one of the most expensive cities in the country.
There is no point asking repeatedly to be “chanced” at schools that are are manifestly way beyond your budget as well as your stats. But if it helps to hear it said, I do not think you can get into Purdue, or IU, or Penn State, or UIUC, or Michigan State. Nor would any of these (except maybe/almost/barely UIUC) be affordable if you could get in. You will not be competitive for merit aid even at the school that offer it.
You need to rework your list, using the suggestions made in detail up-thread. You’re in a little bit of a Catch 22, because the private colleges that might be more holistic about viewing an upward grade trend and good EC’s in a positive light are generally too expensive, and the public U’s that are affordable will tend to have a more standardized, stat-driven admissions process. Truman State may be the exception to keep in mind. But, to review and add to what’s been said:
In-state:
UIC is a good possibility.
MSEP schools:
U of Akron ← their strength in polymer science and materials could actually be a great background for an aspiring orthodontist. So much about the advances in that field are about the materials.
UIPUI ← the shared campus with the dental school offers great opportunities
U of MO St. Louis
Missouri State
Truman State ← excellent public LAC that could be possible with improving grades
U of North Dakota
U of Nebraska Lincoln if you can get to the 3.25 minimum by the time you apply
Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, which has a Dental Hygiene program that feeds into a Dental Therapy grad program https://www.metrostate.edu/academics/programs/advanced-dental-therapy-msadt
https://www.sctimes.com/story/life/wellness/2017/04/09/6-years-dental-therapist-experiment-working-experts-say/97958494/
Others that have a low enough sticker price and admit students with your stats:
U of Maine Presque Isle <–gorgeous northern almost-Canada Maine (not an island nor even on the coast, despite the name)
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology ← not a terrible idea if you want a serious STEM school
Utah State ← one of the few states where you can acquire residency after a year, bringing your costs down even more
U of Wyoming and UT El Paso as suggested by coolguy
I’m sure there are others, but you get the general idea. There are some fine options here. But if you have your heart set on someplace that’s more competitive to get into, then the solution is straightforward: get a good GPA for two years at community college and then transfer to UIUC or another competitive school that you can afford. (Maybe there’s also a transfer pathway from UIC—>UIUC? I’m not that familiar with the IL system.) There’s nothing wrong with this approach; in fact, it can give you a better shot at the top grades in your dental school prereqs that you will need to have a realistic shot at dental school.
(Also, dental school, like med school, has major standardized tests as a gating factor, both for getting in - the DAT - and for getting licensed - the boards. You have done decently on standardized tests thus far, but not quite at a level that predicts acing those tests easily. So, as much as I hate to recommend that people pour their life-energy into test-prep, if you are set on a field that requires test-taking prowess, then that’s a skill-set you’ll need to keep building.)
All you can really do right now is to realize your ambitions for a strong junior year. Doing that will not open every door in the world, as far as undergraduate admissions, but it will get things moving in the right direction. Consider visiting some of the schools that are looking realistic as of now, like Akron and Truman State. Keep up the great work with SciOly - that definitely helps to show that you have some “chops” that don’t come through in your stats. Maybe think about doing more research about options at Canadian U’s. You have some rebuilding to do, but people have come back from much worse and succeeded; the important thing is to put whatever supports you need in place, to turn your good intentions in to reality.
I’m applying to Akron is a top choice after talking to a student there.
What do you think m chances are at Illinois Institute of technology?
My college counselor said to look into it.
Bump