Low RC going to kill me?

SDN Members don't see this ad. (About Ads)

Will an RC of 17 kill me?

DAT is 19/18/22 and gpa is 3.4/3.3. Plenty EC's, shadowing, and research.

Any thoughts?

Originally Posted by RSalha17

Will an RC of 17 kill me?

DAT is 19/18/22 and gpa is 3.4/3.3. Plenty EC's, shadowing, and research.

Any thoughts?

it's not going to kill you, most schools have a cutoff of 17 in RC and the other sections. But your DAT and GPA scores are rather average. I would apply to 20+ schools, your best shot is big private schools like MWU-AZ, MWU-IL, Tufts, NYU, USC, etc. State schools might be a reach. Apply early June and see what happens. As the famous saying says "Spray the applications and then pray for responses."

Hmm okay good to know.

Also I have a letter of rec from the president of our university, but I see that some schools only want letters from dentists or science faculty.

Is there any way that I can still send them the letter as an extra they can refer to? Or will that look bad against me for some reason?

Originally Posted by RSalha17

Hmm okay good to know.

Also I have a letter of rec from the president of our university, but I see that some schools only want letters from dentists or science faculty.

Is there any way that I can still send them the letter as an extra they can refer to? Or will that look bad against me for some reason?

http://www.adea.org/dental_education...hingForms.aspx

Q: I need to submit more than four letters of evaluation. What do I do?

A: ADEA AADSAS can accept up to four letters of evaluation (or one Committee Report plus one letter of evaluation). Contact individual dental schools regarding their policies of accepting additional letters of evaluation.

Thank you, but I understand the things you listed, I probably just wasnt really clear in my question.

Will a school look at an extra letter of recommendation even if they didnt ask for that type of reference?

For example if they want two letters from a science professor and one from a dentist, and I sent them all three of those plus the fourth would they even take it into consideration?

I don't think a 17 RC kills you, but it is definitely harmful. Here are the numbers of admission for last cycle:


Attachment 19722


Your DAT is a little low for some of the schools davai listed, but I still believe you should give it a shot by applying broadly. Best of luck.

*

I feel like you have pretty good numbers, don't mean to sound rude but why is this your third round applying to schools?

Originally Posted by omnipoDent

I don't think a 17 RC kills you, but it is definitely harmful. Here are the numbers of admission for last cycle:


Attachment 19722


Your DAT is a little low for some of the schools davai listed, but I still believe you should give it a shot by applying broadly. Best of luck.

His DAT is absolutely fine for the schools I listed. Using your file, averages for schools like Tufts, USC, etc. are at a 20AA. Since those are the averages, there are at least 25% of students who get into those schools with a 19 or below. Applying to enough schools with averages of 19 to 20 will yield at least one acceptance somewhere. Majority of schools on that file have an average AA from 19 to 20, so the OP will be fine if he applies to enough schools. The real culprit here is his GPA, using your file, only 13 schools are at or below a 3.4 GPA. So he would struggle to get into state schools like Buffalo or UConn, which sucks because those are awesome schools with great tuition price tags. Although he still seems to have a shot at Tufts their average GPA was only a 3.44.

Originally Posted by davaidavai1

His DAT is absolutely fine for the schools I listed. Using your file, averages for schools like Tufts, USC, etc. are at a 20AA. Since those are the averages, there are at least 25% of students who get into those schools with a 19 or below. Applying to enough schools with averages of 19 to 20 will yield at least one acceptance somewhere. Majority of schools on that file have an average AA from 19 to 20, so the OP will be fine if he applies to enough schools. The RC cutoff might or might not hurt him depending on any particular school, but if he applies early he will probably get into at least one school.

Whoa, now. I never said this person would not get accepted, but being under the average does mean you are a little low. I don't think it's fair to say she is "absolutely fine" when she is below the DAT average, the OP has a 19/18 putting the OP under the average for 20s across the board, and right at or below the gpa average.

Applying to many schools with scores below the 19 or 20 averages does not necessarily yield an acceptance. There are a large amount of people that have higher stats than this person that have been rejected after applying to many schools.

I think the OP is right on the cutoff for RC for many places. I believe it will be harmful, as the I think dental schools think the RC is important and view it as the section to measure whether or not the applicant has the ability to quickly go through information and find the key points. It's a skill that will be needed to cover the large amount of information in dental school. I do not believe it will definitely prevent interview offers or acceptances, but I do think it is a negative.

As I said, the OP should give it a shot and apply broadly. I'm not sure if you can say the OP will probably get accepted, but I believe there's a chance.

Also, she may have a shot at her state school. It depends on what state she is from. For instance, if she is from North Carolina, it looks like she would have a solid shot at ECU.

OP, I'm not saying you will not get accepted. I'm just trying to give my honest opinion about the RC. I think you have a shot if you apply broadly.

Originally Posted by omnipoDent

Whoa, now. I never said this person would not get accepted, but being under the average does mean you are a little low. I don't think it's fair to say she is "absolutely fine" when she is below the DAT average, the OP has a 19/18 putting the OP under the average for 20s across the board, and right at or below the gpa average.

Applying to many schools with scores below the 19 or 20 averages does not necessarily yield an acceptance. There are a large amount of people that have higher stats than this person that have been rejected after applying to many schools.

I think the OP is right on the cutoff for RC for many places. I believe it will be harmful, as the I think dental schools think the RC is important and view it as the section to measure whether or not the applicant has the ability to quickly go through information and find the key points. It's a skill that will be needed to cover the large amount of information in dental school. I do not believe it will definitely prevent interview offers or acceptances, but I do think it is a negative.

As I said, the OP should give it a shot and apply broadly. I'm not sure if you can say the OP will probably get accepted, but I believe there's a chance.

Also, she may have a shot at her state school. It depends on what state she is from. For instance, if she is from North Carolina, it looks like she would have a good shot at ECU.

OP, I'm not saying you will not get accepted. I'm just trying to give my honest opinion about the RC. I think you have a shot if you apply broadly.

??? Your twisting your tongue on this one. If the OP applies broadly he will probably get in somewhere. There are no guarantees in life, but that's why you apply broadly and hope that you get at least one acceptance. My opinion is that the OP will get into at least one school if he applies in June, puts down 20 or more schools, writes a good personal statement, has good LORs and acts presentable at the interviews. And again I dont see the point of arguing against his DAT score when the average DAT of all the schools on your file is a 19.5. Like I said before if anything is going to hold him back, it will probably be the GPA, since its below average for most schools.

Originally Posted by davaidavai1

??? Your twisting your tongue on this one. If the OP applies broadly he will probably get in somewhere. There are no guarantees in life, but that's why you apply broadly and hope that you get at least one acceptance. My opinion is that the OP will get into at least one school if he applies in June, puts down 20 or more schools, writes a good personal statement, has good LORs and acts presentable at the interviews. And again I dont see the point of arguing against his DAT score when the average DAT of all the schools on your list is a 19.5. Like I said before if anything is going to hold him back, it will probably be the GPA, since its below average for most schools.

I guess I'm confused. How am I twisting my tongue?

I said in the one sentence that applying to many schools with scores below the averages does not necessarily yield acceptances. I don't think it necessarily yields rejections, though. That's why I then said at the end the OP had a shot.

I agree. There are no guarantees.

Yeah, I realized that was your opinion. I think it's fine to think that the OP will get accepted. I just don't believe it's definite like you're saying.

I was referencing the average DAT scores of the schools you listed: MWU-AZ, MWU-IL, Tufts, NYU, USC.

I then said the OP's DAT score was a little low for some of the schools on your list. The "some" I was referencing were the last three, which have DAT averages of 20 across the board. I did not say she was low for all of them.

I think the gpa could also be an issue as well.

Alright so just a quick clarification, I'm a guy.

On top of all this, I just calculated my gpa and I have a 3.48 overall and 3.3 science gpa. I have been really going back and forth on this for a while now and I'm wondering if I should retake my DAT??? It is killing me I have gone back and forth over 10 times. As of now, I am fully ready to apply.

I have very strong letters of rec, one being from the president of our university. University of Washington, which I like to think is quite a prestigious school.

On top of this I have very unique and lots of EC's. Research at our dschool of public health, tri-lingual and teach ESL classes at a local spanish chapel (i'm not hispanic though), 200+ hours of shadowing and 200+ volunteer, 1000+ work.

I have worked 3 jobs to support my schooling and that is why my gpa is a little bit low. My full dat is Bio20, GC18, OC17, RC17, QR21, PAT22.

Should I retake my DAT? which will set my application back to early august? or should i just apply to 15 schools right when the app opens and hope for the best? AHHHHHH I hate dental school

Originally Posted by omnipoDent

I guess I'm confused. How am I twisting my tongue?

I said in the one sentence that applying to many schools with scores below the averages does not necessarily yield acceptances. I don't think it necessarily yields rejections, though. That's why I then said at the end the OP had a shot.

I agree. There are no guarantees.

Yeah, I realized that was your opinion. I think it's fine to think that the OP will get accepted. I just don't believe it's definite like you're saying.

I was referencing the average DAT scores of the schools you listed: MWU-AZ, MWU-IL, Tufts, NYU, USC.

I then said the OP's DAT score was a little low for some of the schools on your list. The "some" I was referencing were the last three, which have DAT averages of 20 across the board. I did not say she was low for all of them.

I think the gpa could also be an issue as well.

Again applying to enough schools will probably yield an acceptance somewhere, otherwise there's no point to apply broadly. Very few students apply to 20 schools and don't get a single acceptance. Assuming their stats are close to or near the average of those schools. In my opinion being 1 point below the average i.e. 19 vs. 20 isn't significant enough to assume that your chances are low, the chances only decrease by 25% or so. You don't have to believe that its going to be definite, but the stats from your file are on my side. Unless the OP applies to hot shot schools like Columbia and assuming everything else in the file is acceptable he will get in somewhere. It just doesn't mean he'll get into his number one choice.

Originally Posted by RSalha17

Alright so just a quick clarification, I'm a guy.

On top of all this, I just calculated my gpa and I have a 3.48 overall and 3.3 science gpa. I have been really going back and forth on this for a while now and I'm wondering if I should retake my DAT??? It is killing me I have gone back and forth over 10 times. As of now, I am fully ready to apply.

I have very strong letters of rec, one being from the president of our university. University of Washington, which I like to think is quite a prestigious school.

On top of this I have very unique and lots of EC's. Research at our dschool of public health, tri-lingual and teach ESL classes at a local spanish chapel (i'm not hispanic though), 200+ hours of shadowing and 200+ volunteer, 1000+ work.

I have worked 3 jobs to support my schooling and that is why my gpa is a little bit low. My full dat is Bio20, GC18, OC17, RC17, QR21, PAT22.

Should I retake my DAT? which will set my application back to early august? or should i just apply to 15 schools right when the app opens and hope for the best? AHHHHHH I hate dental school

I would apply now with the present DAT score, applying early puts you at a huge advantage and will probably yield a few interview invites. Like I said before, apply to 20 or more schools and i'm sure you'll get in somewhere. No guarantees (I have to state this to appease the nitpickers) but you will probably get in somewhere. If you wait till August and don't succeed with the retake, your shot will be significantly diminished because applicants with better stats will be assigned interviews earlier than you.

Ok cool that all helps out a lot thanks guys.

I just calculated everything and officially I will apply with....

sGPA: 3.27
nsGPA: 3.79
cGPA: 3.45

Does this change anything much? To be honest I would love to get interviews, I really think that is where I can shine. It has always been really easy for me to talk to people and interview, I think it will be a definite plus to my overall app if given the shot.

PS the LOR from the President is really immaculate. How can I incorporate that in my application with schools that don't want a character reference or only want letters from science faculty? should i still send it anyway with all my apps?

Originally Posted by RSalha17

Alright so just a quick clarification, I'm a guy.

On top of all this, I just calculated my gpa and I have a 3.48 overall and 3.3 science gpa. I have been really going back and forth on this for a while now and I'm wondering if I should retake my DAT??? It is killing me I have gone back and forth over 10 times. As of now, I am fully ready to apply.

I have very strong letters of rec, one being from the president of our university. University of Washington, which I like to think is quite a prestigious school.

On top of this I have very unique and lots of EC's. Research at our dschool of public health, tri-lingual and teach ESL classes at a local spanish chapel (i'm not hispanic though), 200+ hours of shadowing and 200+ volunteer, 1000+ work.

I have worked 3 jobs to support my schooling and that is why my gpa is a little bit low. My full dat is Bio20, GC18, OC17, RC17, QR21, PAT22.

Should I retake my DAT? which will set my application back to early august? or should i just apply to 15 schools right when the app opens and hope for the best? AHHHHHH I hate dental school

Ha, my apologies. I will make sure to say he going forward.

Obviously, the higher the oGPA the better. The sGPA is a little lower, but honestly not bad. Do you know your BCP?

I really don't know what to tell you about the DAT. That's really a decision only you can make about the retake or not. You could start another post to ask SDN whether or not they feel a retake is needed.

There have been discussions on here about whether the ranking or prestige matter in the admissions process. I'm inclined to believe rankings and prestige of your undergrad are taken into consideration, but there are people that feel that's not the case and it is just the gpa itself that is what's considered.

I think you should go forward with this score.

Originally Posted by RSalha17

Ok cool that all helps out a lot thanks guys.

I just calculated everything and officially I will apply with....

sGPA: 3.27
nsGPA: 3.79
cGPA: 3.45

Does this change anything much? To be honest I would love to get interviews, I really think that is where I can shine. It has always been really easy for me to talk to people and interview, I think it will be a definite plus to my overall app if given the shot.

your sGPA is very low, that might be a huge negative, but you can't do anything about it now. Just apply to 20 or more schools and see what happens. Hopefully it will work out for you, if not then I would suggest a retake and perhaps a post bac or masters program to raise the low sGPA.

Originally Posted by davaidavai1

Again applying to enough schools will probably yield an acceptance somewhere, otherwise there's no point to apply broadly. Very few students apply to 20 schools and don't get a single acceptance. Assuming their stats are close to or near the average of those schools. In my opinion being 1 point below the average i.e. 19 vs. 20 isn't significant enough to assume that your chances are low, the chances only decrease by 25% or so. You don't have to believe that its going to be definite, but the stats from your file are on my side. Unless the OP applies to hot shot schools like Columbia and assuming everything else in the file is acceptable he will get in somewhere. It just doesn't mean he'll get into his number one choice.

These are two separate statements. Many people apply to over 20 schools and do not get an acceptance. It's simply untrue to say otherwise.

If their stats are close, then the numbers obviously get better.

Again, I said some of the schools on your list. Having a TS score that's two points below the average is significant. Saying it's not is like saying the difference between a 20 and a 22 isn't significant.

The stats in my file support that the person is only slightly below the national average. Then again, you're not factoring in how even with those scores the OP would need higher scores to get into the state schools as an out of state applicant that have lower DAT scores due to a state population with lower DAT averages. For instance, the OP is above the average for West Virginia on my list. Yes, the list supports he is above it on the list, but my list doesn't make the distinction of what the average DAT is for those accepted out of state vs those accepted in state. A more thorough list that's actually relevant to the OP, when the disparity of out of state vs in state scores is taken into account, would probably show the stats are not on your side.

Again, I understand you definitely believe he will get in somewhere. I do not believe it's definite like that, but I believe he has a shot.

Originally Posted by davaidavai1

I would apply now with the present DAT score, applying early puts you at a huge advantage and will probably yield a few interview invites. Like I said before, apply to 20 or more schools and i'm sure you'll get in somewhere. No guarantees (I have to state this to appease the nitpickers) but you will probably get in somewhere. If you wait till August and don't succeed with the retake, your shot will be significantly diminished because applicants with better stats will be assigned interviews earlier than you.

I agree about the rest, though. Waiting until August does diminish your chances. I believe you go forward with this score and play it by ear as the cycle goes along.

Originally Posted by omnipoDent

These are two separate statements. Many people apply to over 20 schools and do not get an acceptance. It's simply untrue to say otherwise.

If their stats are close, then the numbers obviously get better.

Again, I said some of the schools on your list. Having a TS score that's two points below the average is significant. Saying it's not is like saying the difference between a 20 and a 22 isn't significant.

The stats in my file support that the person is only slightly below the national average. Then again, you're not factoring in how even with those scores the OP would need higher scores to get into the state schools as an out of state applicant that have lower DAT scores due to a state population with lower DAT averages. For instance, the OP is above the average for West Virginia on my list. Yes, the list supports he is above it on the list, but my list doesn't make the distinction of what the average DAT is for those accepted out of state vs those accepted in state. A more thorough list that's actually relevant to the OP, when the disparity of out of state vs in state scores is taken into account, would probably show the stats are not on your side.

Again, I understand you definitely believe he will get in somewhere. I do not believe it's definite like that, but I believe he has a shot.

Can you define the term "many people" you seem to be a man of concrete terms and yet this "many" number cannot be quantified because no official data exists. But looking at some unofficial data such as predents.com I noticed that there was a total of 115 applicants that had no acceptances. Only 16 of them had applied to 20+ schools and did not get accepted. 16/115 = 13%. Majority of those students had anomalies with their DAT sections or had lower end GPAs. Then I decided to look at students that applied to 20+ schools and got accepted, roughly 57 students got accepted to at least one school. Before you say "well the students that got accepted must have had better GPAs or DAT scores" I will retort by saying that I did the average calculations and the GPAs and AA scores were pretty comparable between the accepted and rejected groups. Even if predents.com is grossly inaccurate and you double the percentages of students without acceptances, then you'd only have 26% of students without acceptances. This isn't considered to be a big deal or as you say "many students." Its not the majority and in fact that would imply that 74% of students get in to at least one school when they apply to 20+ schools. Does this work in all cases? Of course not. But that "many students" viewpoint isn't the majority and won't happen 3 times out 4.

PS: I've addressed the state schools as being a problem for an OP due to his GPA and not the DAT. While SDNers might have an obsession with DAT scores, your file shows that most schools are somewhere between a 19 an 20AA. S the GPA would probably be the reason why the OP might not get into a state school, not his DAT score.

Originally Posted by omnipoDent

I agree about the rest, though. Waiting until August does diminish your chances. I believe you go forward with this score and play it by ear as the cycle goes along.

I'm glad I got your approval... how could anyone live w/o it

I think you have a shot this cycle. Just make sure you drop that "important" letter somewhere . In fact, I would even include it on AADSAS. If a school asks for an additional letter, just have your advisor send it out for you...that way, you're not DIRECTLY sending it to the school of interest--and it won't look fishy.

Your GPA is a tad-bit low...BUT you have other parts of your application that make you VERY competitive. You're not a shoo-in, but I would be a bit surprised if you don't get in. You just need 1 school to take a chance on you.

As always, do your research (ADEA guide), apply early, apply broadly, do your best on secondaries (before it's due) and just hope.

Good luck!

Everyone on SDN is seriously awesome. I really do appreciate all the responses and help. I think I am going to run with my current DAT, and hope for the best. If for some reason I don't get in, I still have the rest of my life to become a dentist. It is what I'm passionate about, and what I will do in the future.

Good luck to everyone applying this cycle and I appreciate all the honest support on SDN.

Thanks all!

PS if anyone has any other advice/input please feel free to either reply or PM me personally. Thanks again!

Originally Posted by davaidavai1

I'm glad I got your approval... how could anyone live w/o it

^
wired/avicci/rp37/dds25/tikitorchusa is back...not sure if that is or

This is the oddest argument to have.

The average TS is 19, AA is 19, and the GPA and sGPA fall around 3.5. You are a little below those marks, however notice the word AVERAGE. This means some people will below some people will be above. I think you are fine as long as you apply broadly. Dental school acceptance is one the oddest things in the world. Some people who don't deserve to get in are able to Waltz in. Others who are more than capable have to scratch, claw, and fight there way in.

If you apply to more schools of course you'll have more chances. I don't think it that important to apply early. I think it will help a small percentage of people with lower stats, but at the end of the day dental schools will wait around a little while before they just invite whoever sent in an application first.

Originally Posted by theleatherwalle

This is the oddest argument to have.

The average TS is 19, AA is 19, and the GPA and sGPA fall around 3.5. You are a little below those marks, however notice the word AVERAGE. This means some people will below some people will be above. I think you are fine as long as you apply broadly. Dental school acceptance is one the oddest things in the world. Some people who don't deserve to get in are able to Waltz in. Others who are more than capable have to scratch, claw, and fight there way in.

If you apply to more schools of course you'll have more chances. I don't think it that important to apply early. I think it will help a small percentage of people with lower stats, but at the end of the day dental schools will wait around a little while before they just invite whoever sent in an application first.

Good one!

everyone says "apply broadly." when y'all say this how many schools are we talking here? 10-15? 15-20? Money is definitely an issue for me too because I have to pay rent and car insurance and cell phone, etc.

applying gets pricey fast....

Honestly I would say 10-15 is a good number. 15 to 20 is just over-kill.

I think someone wrote the average number of schools applied to was 8. Apply to where you can. I would assume 75 dollars per secondary and 75 dollars for AADSAS to send out your application per school after the 5th school. So do the math on what you can afford.

Originally Posted by RSalha17

everyone says "apply broadly." when y'all say this how many schools are we talking here? 10-15? 15-20? Money is definitely an issue for me too because I have to pay rent and car insurance and cell phone, etc.

If you can afford it, I would do 20. Its expensive but its worth it. Each school has a primary AADSAS fee of $75 and then a secondary application fee that's usually anywhere from $35 to $100 dollars. So assuming the secondary fee averages at around $50 per application, you can expect to spend (75+50)*20 = $2,500 in total fees. If you did 10 schools you would pay half of that, but your chances would be a lot smaller.

Hey bro,
Like everyone else said, you do have a shot but it's not a good shot. I would love to be positive and tell you that you will get at least 1 acceptance but thIs is reality and with competition getting very fierce each year, your chances of getting accepted are not great. A 17 in O chem is def a concern BUT a 17 in RC is a huge RED FLAG! even though 17 is a cutoff it does not say anything. I got an 18 in RC and I got 1 acceptance after many months of prayIng and writing a letter of intent and going to the school to visit with the admissions. In addition to that I have been a leader in many organizations and did a TON of community service.

As someone who really cares and wants you to get into dental school and not waste your money or time, my best advice is: apply June 3, study your butt off this summer and take your DAT in August!! Trust me you won regret it!! Don't miss this chance!!

Best of luck!!

Originally Posted by toothhornet88

Hey bro,
Like everyone else said, you do have a shot but it's not a good shot. I would love to be positive and tell you that you will get at least 1 acceptance but thIs is reality and with competition getting very fierce each year, your chances of getting accepted are not great. A 17 in O chem is def a concern BUT a 17 in RC is a huge RED FLAG! even though 17 is a cutoff it does not say anything. I got an 18 in RC and I got 1 acceptance after many months of prayIng and writing a letter of intent and going to the school to visit with the admissions. In addition to that I have been a leader in many organizations and did a TON of community service.

As someone who really cares and wants you to get into dental school and not waste your money or time, my best advice is: apply June 3, study your butt off this summer and take your DAT in August!! Trust me you won regret it!! Don't miss this chance!!

Best of luck!!

Tooth you had a 3.0 science GPA, no offense but that was probably your issue. Your DAT score was good, but even your overall GPA was a paltry 3.40. Applying end of August will surely spell rejections for the OP.

.

yeah a 3.0 was def a red flag for me!! but what I meant for OP is to submit his application June 3 and take his DAT in August

Originally Posted by toothhornet88

yeah a 3.0 was def a red flag for me!! but what I meant for OP is to submit his application June 3 and take his DAT in August

right but that means schools will review his file with the old DAT score, so what's the point of taking it in August vs. just retaking it later. Its going to be an uphill battle but as I wrote above, enough people will get into at least one school if they apply to 20 that it's still something the OP should do.

Originally Posted by davaidavai1

right but that means schools will review his file with the old DAT score, so what's the point of taking it in August vs. just retaking it later. Its going to be an uphill battle but as I wrote above, enough people will get into at least one school if they apply to 20 that it's still something the OP should do.

The point is that schools review the file at specific dates throughout the cycle (from June 2012-May 2013) So if the school that reviewed his file in July with the old DAT's and did not make a decision because it had much more stronger applicants may definitely consider him and give him an interview the next time they re-review applicants that they previously had put away, say in September (with his much improved DAT scores). Applicants do this all the time. They apply with the old DAT scores and then retake their DAT to improve their score. You do whatever it is you gotta do to get accepted. So WHY risk not getting accepted because you did not RETAKE the DAT at a convenient time.

Just saying, If I was in your shoes I would study my butt off and then retake it. But it's OP's decision in the end.

Also, UOP told me the following: "The main setback from you getting an interview was your RC score!" They said nothing about my GPA, even though I know it wasn't pretty. They saw my upper trend and that is what they really liked.

Originally Posted by toothhornet88

Also, UOP told me the following: "The main setback from you getting an interview was your RC score!" They said nothing about my GPA, even though I know it wasn't pretty. They saw my upper trend and that is what they really liked.

If it was such a concern for UOP then why did they acceprt this guy? Not to stir up anything, but his GPA was pretty horrible too. Also, I don't think a 17 is really that much of a difference to say 17 would be a red flag compared to an 18.

http://predents.com/index.php?page=user&user_id=6775

Originally Posted by Hope45

If it was such a concern for UOP then why did they acceprt this guy? Not to stir up anything, but his GPA was pretty horrible too. Also, I don't think a 17 is really that much of a difference to say 17 would be a red flag compared to an 18.

http://predents.com/index.php?page=user&user_id=6775

I would say a 17 and an 18 are both red flags. Concerning the guy, there may be several reasons like race, upper trend, ties to the school.

Originally Posted by toothhornet88

I would say a 17 and an 18 are both red flags. Concerning the guy, there may be several reasons like race, upper trend, ties to the school.

Race? Really? Asian's aren't considered URMs so I can't see how race has anything to do with it. Plus you also had a upper trend and that didn't do much for you. Meanwhile ties to schools cannot be proved and usually has no bearing on acceptances. The fact of the matter is that you didn't get into most schools because of your low sGPA, that's really it. If you have a 3.4 or 3.5 sGPA you'd get into a lot more schools. The OP has a pretty average GPA along with an average DAT score, he will probably get into at least one school. This has been discussed up above and the chances are in his favor if he applies early enough. Even your stats got you one acceptance so the fact of the matter is that 20+ schools will probably yield at least one acceptance.

Originally Posted by davaidavai1

Race? Really? Asian's aren't considered URMs so I can't see how race has anything to do with it. Plus you also had a upper trend and that didn't do much for you. Meanwhile ties to schools cannot be proved and usually has no bearing on acceptances. The fact of the matter is that you didn't get into most schools because of your low sGPA, that's really it. If you have a 3.4 or 3.5 sGPA you'd get into a lot more schools. The OP has a pretty average GPA along with an average DAT score, he will probably get into at least one school. This has been discussed up above and the chances are in his favor if he applies early enough. Even your stats got you one acceptance so the fact of the matter is that 20+ schools will probably yield at least one acceptance.

Lol look I'm not here to debate abOut OP's chances with anyone. I just gave my opinion and my best advice that's all.

The reason that I got 1 acceptance has nothing to do with the fact that I applied to 20+ schools. It's because I wrote a letter of intent to the school I got accepted to and I did pretty well on my interview. I also visited that school multiple times and go to know the admissions people so they could see how I am in person and how I am off paper

So when it was time for them to accept people they knew me pretty well by then!!

Originally Posted by toothhornet88

Lol look I'm not here to debate abOut OP's chances with anyone. I just gave my opinion and my best advice that's all.

The reason that I got 1 acceptance has nothing to do with the fact that I applied to 20+ schools. It's because I wrote a letter of intent to the school I got accepted to and I did pretty well on my interview. I also visited that school multiple times and go to know the admissions people so they could see how I am in person and how I am off paper

So when it was time for them to accept people they knew me pretty well by then!!

Right but by sheer math if one applies to enough schools they'll get in somewhere. The OP just needs to get into one school and that will happen by applying to 20 or more schools.

Low RC here.

I got into 6 out of the 7 schools that I interviewed at and now I'm going to be attending my #1 choice of all the schools I applied to. It won't hold you back if the rest of your application is solid.


And that's it for me! Goodbye SDN!

Originally Posted by RSalha17

Everyone on SDN is seriously awesome. I really do appreciate all the responses and help. I think I am going to run with my current DAT, and hope for the best. If for some reason I don't get in, I still have the rest of my life to become a dentist. It is what I'm passionate about, and what I will do in the future.

Good luck to everyone applying this cycle and I appreciate all the honest support on SDN.

Thanks all!

PS if anyone has any other advice/input please feel free to either reply or PM me personally. Thanks again!

I hope it helped. Best of luck with the upcoming application cycle.

Originally Posted by toothhornet88

Lol look I'm not here to debate abOut OP's chances with anyone. I just gave my opinion and my best advice that's all.

The reason that I got 1 acceptance has nothing to do with the fact that I applied to 20+ schools. It's because I wrote a letter of intent to the school I got accepted to and I did pretty well on my interview. I also visited that school multiple times and go to know the admissions people so they could see how I am in person and how I am off paper

So when it was time for them to accept people they knew me pretty well by then!!

Exactly. Applying to 20+ does not guarantee an acceptance.

Originally Posted by sacapuntas

^
wired/avicci/rp37/dds25/tikitorchusa is back...not sure if that is or

I believe you are correct.

Thanks a lot guys! Is anyone willing to read my personal statement? I still need to cut out 1500 characters but I would appreciate any comments on my paper if someone is willing to read it?