Advice for next cycle?

[T14dan]

I'm likely not getting in during this second round of applying. My GPA, science and overall were a 3.2, with a 3.7 in upper level bio classes at my state university for one year (informal post-bacc) and my overall DAT was a 20. I have quite a few shadowing/volunteer hours in a dental clinic and dental office, a publication, work experience w/recommendations, and a lot of tennis awards.
Results: one interview, no acceptances. Currently, I'm working at the hospital in surgery research, which I hoped to talk about in more than one interview.
Now, I'm not sure what I should do. Do I stay at this job, shadow some more, and apply again? Do I re-take the DAT(seems risky since i'm at 90 percentile score and, on average, people do worse on re-takes)? Do I try to find some kind of masters program where I would be paid, since I'm too broke to afford one? I thought that my post-bacc GPA combined with my DAT would be enough to get me more interviews this cycle, but alas, disappointment reigns supreme. I'd be grateful for any advice, whether or not it directly answers any of the above questions.

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[FeralisExtremum]

When did you apply, and how many schools did you apply to?

 

[JLT223]

How were your letters? Did you have anybody read over your personal statement?

 

[T14dan]

When did you apply, and how many schools did you apply to?

6/20 date applied. 20 schools applied to.

 

[T14dan]

How were your letters? Did you have anybody read over your personal statement?

I thought my letters were good. One from Chemistry professor and chair of department, another from chemistry professor, another from dentist, another from biology professor, and one from the director of surgical research at my job (sent independently from aasdas) to certain schools.

My parents and friends read over my personal statement. If someone is willing to critique it, I will send it via a personal message or email.

 

[baronen26]

Keep the dream alive! Haven't heard back or waitlisted/rejected for the interview? Also, still a little time for some late interviews. Maybe try to get a job in the dental field for the time being?

 

[fogorvostan]

Any part of your DAT low? I know you said you have a 20, but what is your exact breakdown?

 

[T14dan]

Any part of your DAT low? I know you said you have a 20, but what is your exact breakdown?

20AA 20 Gen Chem, 19 Biology 18 Organic Chemistry(didn't finish), 22 QR, 21RC, 18PAT.

 

[JLT223]

I really don't see any reason for you to not have any more interviews

 

[efseders]

From NC here, did my UG at NC State and currently in Masters of Physiology at NCSU. I am assuming you are an NC resident since applying to ECU and also a NC State alum. This is my 4th application cycle over 5 years. It is very surprising that you did not receive more interviews. Your application seems strong to me, and honestly there are no obvious areas where you need to improve - you have a good UG/Sci GPA; even stronger post-bacc GPA (what classes did you take and where?); very strong DAT. I would schedule exit interviews with the state schools, and set up something over the phone with the out of state schools you are interested in and see what they advise for you - they were very helpful for me. My biggest piece of advice is to not let this process discourage you. Take whatever the admissions committees tell you constructively and use this experience as motivation to better your application (however that may be). Like I said, it took me 4 tries and I finally got a few acceptances this round and had much more interviews (6) after taking a year off from applying and making improvements.

 

[T14dan]

From NC here, did my UG at NC State and currently in Masters of Physiology at NCSU. I am assuming you are an NC resident since applying to ECU and also a NC State alum. This is my 4th application cycle over 5 years. It is very surprising that you did not receive more interviews. Your application seems strong to me, and honestly there are no obvious areas where you need to improve - you have a good UG/Sci GPA; even stronger post-bacc GPA (what classes did you take and where?); very strong DAT. I would schedule exit interviews with the state schools, and set up something over the phone with the out of state schools you are interested in and see what they advise for you - they were very helpful for me. My biggest piece of advice is to not let this process discourage you. Take whatever the admissions committees tell you constructively and use this experience as motivation to better your application (however that may be). Like I said, it took me 4 tries and I finally got a few acceptances this round and had much more interviews (6) after taking a year off from applying and making improvements.

Thank you for the reply. Well done reading between the lines; I am indeed from North Carolina. My additional classes were at UNCC. They included Cell Biology, Virology, Immunology, Developmental Biology(embryology), Ecology, Human Physiology, Microbiology, and Medical Terminology. Also, I got published today in a medical journal. Do you think I should send that as an update? Finally, I wanted to say that I am SO inspired by your journey. You deserve do be a dentist and I'm sure you will be a great one.

 

[T14dan]

Thank you for the reply. Well done reading between the lines; I am indeed from North Carolina. My additional classes were at UNCC. They included Cell Biology, Virology, Immunology, Developmental Biology(embryology), Ecology, Human Physiology, Microbiology, and Medical Terminology. Also, I got published today in a medical journal. Do you think I should send that as an update? Finally, I wanted to say that I am SO inspired by your journey. You deserve do be a dentist and I'm sure you will be a great one.

Also, can you tell me about your experience with the Masters of Physiology? My weakest course in undergrad was Biochemistry and it might be good for me to go this route if the admissions committees are unimpressed with my current post bacc courses.
Thanks

 

[efseders]

Also, can you tell me about your experience with the Masters of Physiology? My weakest course in undergrad was Biochemistry and it might be good for me to go this route if the admissions committees are unimpressed with my current post bacc courses.
Thanks

I have really enjoyed the MOP program and was a great fit for me. I didn't think my overall and science GPAs from undergrad were reflective of my capabilities, and I had a few C's in undergrad that raised some questions I think. So my main priority in going back to school was to prove I could handle the graduate level science work - and I also retook the DAT last summer to bump that up. However, considering the post-bacc classes you have taken/are taking, I think it would be overkill for you to do the MOP program; and your DAT is very strong. When did you start taking the post-bacc classes, and did you let the schools know that this is what you were doing? It may be too late to notify schools for this cycle of your publication to make any difference, but this is certainly something I would include in your next application cycle. Could you tell me a little more about your experiences within dentistry - shadowing, volunteering, interning, paid experiences, MOM, etc.? I also would be happy to read over your personal statement.

 

[DentalDanger]

So I got three interviews and no acceptances with 4.0 and 24 DAT. I have research and shadowing but no community service. I think my rec letters were okay since I got 3 interviews, but I only got three letters. Now, I feel like a huge part of getting into the school you like is how you describe what you did in the applications. I was taking classes when I was filling my secondaries, and wrote very short essays and didn't describe the things I did very well, and that comes off as not being interested in the school. So my advise, make sure you write every sentence on those applications with love and knowledge about the school you are applying to, or it wouldn't matter what your stats are...

 

[super frank]

So I got three interviews and no acceptances with 4.0 and 24 DAT. I have research and shadowing but no community service. I think my rec letters were okay since I got 3 interviews, but I only got three letters. Now, I feel like a huge part of getting into the school you like is how you describe what you did in the applications. I was taking classes when I was filling my secondaries, and wrote very short essays and didn't describe the things I did very well, and that comes off as not being interested in the school. So my advise, make sure you write every sentence on those applications with love and knowledge about the school you are applying to, or it wouldn't matter what your stats are...

This is disconcerting. Can't imagine how frustrated you must be feeling...

 

[Incis0r]

So I got three interviews and no acceptances with 4.0 and 24 DAT. I have research and shadowing but no community service. I think my rec letters were okay since I got 3 interviews, but I only got three letters. Now, I feel like a huge part of getting into the school you like is how you describe what you did in the applications. I was taking classes when I was filling my secondaries, and wrote very short essays and didn't describe the things I did very well, and that comes off as not being interested in the school. So my advise, make sure you write every sentence on those applications with love and knowledge about the school you are applying to, or it wouldn't matter what your stats are...

Wow. This is scary. Thank you for sharing.

 

[jokersmiles]

6/20 date applied. 20 schools applied to.

can you tell us exactly which schools you applied to and what your state of residency is?
you need to apply to out of state friendly schools like Tufts, Temple etc
a 3.2 GPA with a 20 DAT should get you accepted at least in the newer schools like lecom, roseman, midwestern etc
maybe apply for Touro this cycle?
You have really good extracurriculars so that makes up for your GPA and do not retake your DAT its fine.
I have a friend with a 3.2 GPA and a 25 DAT and he was rejected by 26 schools with no interviews
I also know someone with a 19 DAT and 3.1 gpa that got an interview at UCSF, admission can be very random
I think its your essays, you need to be able to sell yourself and describe your activities well.

So I got three interviews and no acceptances with 4.0 and 24 DAT. I have research and shadowing but no community service. I think my rec letters were okay since I got 3 interviews, but I only got three letters. Now, I feel like a huge part of getting into the school you like is how you describe what you did in the applications. I was taking classes when I was filling my secondaries, and wrote very short essays and didn't describe the things I did very well, and that comes off as not being interested in the school. So my advise, make sure you write every sentence on those applications with love and knowledge about the school you are applying to, or it wouldn't matter what your stats are...

yes the essays are very important, you must show interest in the schools
the lack of community service can also be a reason, you never had any leadership positions in any organizations in college?

 

[DentalDanger]

yes the essays are very important, you must show interest in the schools
the lack of community service can also be a reason, you never had any leadership positions in any organizations in college?

No unfortunately didn't really have time for leadership position and CS, I was working in the lab for an entire year, and shadowing a dentist for a year too.

 

[jokersmiles]

No unfortunately didn't really have time for leadership position and CS, I was working in the lab for an entire year, and shadowing a dentist for a year too.

i wish you luck, you have obviously worked hard and you truly deserve an acceptance.

 

[fs90]

Hi. I need help. This is my second year of apply. I got my bachelor in Kinesiology from out of USA. I took all of the prerequisite of DAT. also I took Micro, Physio, Biochem, and Anatomy all in community college.

My first DAT scores: PAT: 21, QR: 22, RC:15, Bio:19, GC:18, OC: 20, TS: 19, AA: 19. sGPA: 4.0, sGPA: 3.8

last year I gor three interviews from UCSF, WesternU, and Case Western. I got reject from UCSF and WesternU, and wait list for Case Western.

My second DAT scores: PAT: 20, QR: 17, RC:17, Bio:21, GC: 23, OC: 19, TS: 21, AA: 19. sGPA: 4.0, sGPA: 3.8

I have got an interview from LLU ad I got reject so far. Could you help me what is the problem on my application? If I take the DAT for the third time it would be a negative point on my application or not?

 

[DentalDanger]

Hi. I need help. This is my second year of apply. I got my bachelor in Kinesiology from out of USA. I took all of the prerequisite of DAT. also I took Micro, Physio, Biochem, and Anatomy all in community college.

My first DAT scores: PAT: 21, QR: 22, RC:15, Bio:19, GC:18, OC: 20, TS: 19, AA: 19. sGPA: 4.0, sGPA: 3.8

last year I gor three interviews from UCSF, WesternU, and Case Western. I got reject from UCSF and WesternU, and wait list for Case Western.

My second DAT scores: PAT: 20, QR: 17, RC:17, Bio:21, GC: 23, OC: 19, TS: 21, AA: 19. sGPA: 4.0, sGPA: 3.8

I have got an interview from LLU ad I got reject so far. Could you help me what is the problem on my application? If I take the DAT for the third time it would be a negative point on my application or not?

In my opinion, your DAT is not bad, if you are sure that you can improve your AA above 20 it would help a bit, if not don't waste time and money on that. If I were you I would increase my volunteer hours if you didn't get in this cycle, and apply to many private schools. you can take a look at the average DAT score of the students who got to their school if you get the ADEA dental school guide, that would help you to decide which schools you want to apply to. Also like I said before make sure you do a great job writing the personal statement, essays on the secondaries, and answer all the questions they ask on their secondaries thoroughly, they really like it when they think you like them
Also make sure you know what you want to talk about before the interviews. usually you know the weak point of your application, and the interview is a good opportunity to let them know that you did your best to improve those weaknesses (lets say I had no community service, it helps if I tell the interviewer that I applied to a couple of places and I'm volunteering to increase my community service).
Again, if you already got an interview from UCSF, that means your application is strong. Your problems is probably the interviews and how well you describe what you did in the secondaries. It could also be that you didn't apply to the right schools. Anyway, let me know if you have any questions about the schools you want to apply to, I would be happy to help

 

[fs90]

In my opinion, your DAT is not bad, if you are sure that you can improve your AA above 20 it would help a bit, if not don't waste time and money on that. If I were you I would increase my volunteer hours if you didn't get in this cycle, and apply to many private schools. you can take a look at the average DAT score of the students who got to their school if you get the ADEA dental school guide, that would help you to decide which schools you want to apply to. Also like I said before make sure you do a great job writing the personal statement, essays on the secondaries, and answer all the questions they ask on their secondaries thoroughly, they really like it when they think you like them
Also make sure you know what you want to talk about before the interviews. usually you know the weak point of your application, and the interview is a good opportunity to let them know that you did your best to improve those weaknesses (lets say I had no community service, it helps if I tell the interviewer that I applied to a couple of places and I'm volunteering to increase my community service).
Again, if you already got an interview from UCSF, that means your application is strong. Your problems is probably the interviews and how well you describe what you did in the secondaries. It could also be that you didn't apply to the right schools. Anyway, let me know if you have any questions about the schools you want to apply to, I would be happy to help

Thanks. It was a great explanation. Could you please tell me for the new cycle should I change my personal statement, essays on the secondaries or not? I think it is possible to bring my AA score up, but it is not gonna be a negative point in my application if I take the DAT for the third time? I feel the problem is my interview skills, I got the first three interviews in the first cycle but this time all of them rejected me without any invitation for an interview even my scores are better and took biochem and physiology. It's been five years that I came to the USA, and I did not know any English at first.

 

[JLT223]

Thanks. It was a great explanation. Could you please tell me for the new cycle should I change my personal statement, essays on the secondaries or not? I think it is possible to bring my AA score up, but it is not gonna be a negative point in my application if I take the DAT for the third time? I feel the problem is my interview skills, I got the first three interviews in the first cycle but this time all of them rejected me without any invitation for an interview even my scores are better and took biochem and physiology. It's been five years that I came to the USA, and I did not know any English at first.

You MUST change your personal statement and responses to secondary essays if you are reapplying. Schools will see you didn't take the time to update them with what you've been doing differently and that will most likely rub them the wrong way. I'd also recommend getting new letters of recommendation (new content, not new writers).

 

[cotoncub]

So I got three interviews and no acceptances with 4.0 and 24 DAT. I have research and shadowing but no community service. I think my rec letters were okay since I got 3 interviews, but I only got three letters. Now, I feel like a huge part of getting into the school you like is how you describe what you did in the applications. I was taking classes when I was filling my secondaries, and wrote very short essays and didn't describe the things I did very well, and that comes off as not being interested in the school. So my advise, make sure you write every sentence on those applications with love and knowledge about the school you are applying to, or it wouldn't matter what your stats are...

That is a tough pill to swallow. Do you mean no acceptances as of yet or did you get rejected already?

 

[DentalDanger]

That is a tough pill to swallow. Do you mean no acceptances as of yet or did you get rejected already?

Out of my three interviews I had a waitlist at usc and two rejections, the rest of the schools I applied to haven't invited me to an interview yet, but this late in the cycle it would be a miracle to get an interview and an acceptance, so I'm not counting on it.

 

[DentalDanger]

Thanks. It was a great explanation. Could you please tell me for the new cycle should I change my personal statement, essays on the secondaries or not? I think it is possible to bring my AA score up, but it is not gonna be a negative point in my application if I take the DAT for the third time? I feel the problem is my interview skills, I got the first three interviews in the first cycle but this time all of them rejected me without any invitation for an interview even my scores are better and took biochem and physiology. It's been five years that I came to the USA, and I did not know any English at first.

I agree with JLT223 you should change your personal statement and your essays. don't copy paste anything. Also if you feel like you have problem with your interview skills do mock interviews and practice.

 

[cotoncub]

Out of my three interviews I had a waitlist at usc and two rejections, the rest of the schools I applied to haven't invited me to an interview yet, but this late in the cycle it would be a miracle to get an interview and an acceptance, so I'm not counting on it.

Sorry to hear that. From an academic stand point you are obviously a strong candidate. I hope things go your way next cycle.

 

[yammybo]

I thought my letters were good. One from Chemistry professor and chair of department, another from chemistry professor, another from dentist, another from biology professor, and one from the director of surgical research at my job (sent independently from aasdas) to certain schools.

My parents and friends read over my personal statement. If someone is willing to critique it, I will send it via a personal message or email.

Hey can I take a look at your PS? It would be very helpful

 

[1passbbsSHAVE]

Hey can I take a look at your PS? It would be very helpful

for you or him? lol

 

[1passbbsSHAVE]

I'm likely not getting in during this second round of applying. My GPA, science and overall were a 3.2, with a 3.7 in upper level bio classes at my state university for one year (informal post-bacc) and my overall DAT was a 20. I have quite a few shadowing/volunteer hours in a dental clinic and dental office, a publication, work experience w/recommendations, and a lot of tennis awards.
Results: one interview, no acceptances. Currently, I'm working at the hospital in surgery research, which I hoped to talk about in more than one interview.
Now, I'm not sure what I should do. Do I stay at this job, shadow some more, and apply again? Do I re-take the DAT(seems risky since i'm at 90 percentile score and, on average, people do worse on re-takes)? Do I try to find some kind of masters program where I would be paid, since I'm too broke to afford one? I thought that my post-bacc GPA combined with my DAT would be enough to get me more interviews this cycle, but alas, disappointment reigns supreme. I'd be grateful for any advice, whether or not it directly answers any of the above questions.

My situation is not exactly the same, but I share very similar sentiment because I think I should have received more interview invites than I actually did.
But you've probably seen people getting accepted with 3.0 and 18 DAT, and people getting rejected with 3.7 and 25 DAT, so you know how random and unpredictable this process can be.

I have 3.4 ish GPA, 24AA24TS. Non traditional student, been out of school for a while, working at a hospital. Just couldn't quit because of financial circumstances, etc, etc. (need insurance for me and wife, need tuition assistance for class, etc, etc)
After finishing my college degree 4 years later than I should have, I have taken 3 upper level science courses just to show that I've taken some classes. Received 2 A's and 1 B.

Applied to around 20 schools first cycle, interviewed at 5 schools, waitlisted at 4 and rejected at 1 school.
Applied to around 20 schools this cycle(changed the list of schools a little, not much), interviewed at 4 identical schools I interviewed last year (the other school rejected me flat out, no interview, wut?), got waitlisted again. interviewed at MWU-IL this year for the first time, rejected after interview. I have 1 more school I am waiting to hear from, which is touro.


I am as frustrated as I can be, but I am trying to get myself together and better myself so I will get accepted next cycle for sure.
I have applied to official post-bacc program so the adcom will see that I am still able to handle large courseload, since I think my problem is that I've been out of school for too long and adcoms just don't think I am academically ready, despite high DAT.


Keep your head up and keep trying. I've met a professor/admissions lady who's in her 50's and she said it took her 5 tries to get in. In the grand scheme of things, this lost year or two will be nothing.

 

[postpitadh]

you mention that you thought your letters of rec were good. does this mean you read them?!? If so, that could be a reason against you

 

[JLT223]

My situation is not exactly the same, but I share very similar sentiment because I think I should have received more interview invites than I actually did.
But you've probably seen people getting accepted with 3.0 and 18 DAT, and people getting rejected with 3.7 and 25 DAT, so you know how random and unpredictable this process can be.

I have 3.4 ish GPA, 24AA24TS. Non traditional student, been out of school for a while, working at a hospital. Just couldn't quit because of financial circumstances, etc, etc. (need insurance for me and wife, need tuition assistance for class, etc, etc)
After finishing my college degree 4 years later than I should have, I have taken 3 upper level science courses just to show that I've taken some classes. Received 2 A's and 1 B.

Applied to around 20 schools first cycle, interviewed at 5 schools, waitlisted at 4 and rejected at 1 school.
Applied to around 20 schools this cycle(changed the list of schools a little, not much), interviewed at 4 identical schools I interviewed last year (the other school rejected me flat out, no interview, wut?), got waitlisted again. interviewed at MWU-IL this year for the first time, rejected after interview. I have 1 more school I am waiting to hear from, which is touro.


I am as frustrated as I can be, but I am trying to get myself together and better myself so I will get accepted next cycle for sure.
I have applied to official post-bacc program so the adcom will see that I am still able to handle large courseload, since I think my problem is that I've been out of school for too long and adcoms just don't think I am academically ready, despite high DAT.


Keep your head up and keep trying. I've met a professor/admissions lady who's in her 50's and she said it took her 5 tries to get in. In the grand scheme of things, this lost year or two will be nothing.

If you got wait listed twice at the same schools then it is your interviewing skills that need work, not your GPA/DAT.

 

[1passbbsSHAVE]

If you got wait listed twice at the same schools then it is your interviewing skills that need work, not your GPA/DAT.

that's a possible scenario, but what I think is more likely is that they could think my GPA/DAT combo was good enough to offer interview, but when they meet to decide who to accept after interviews, maybe they saw things they didn't like, such as how long i've been out of school, I've had some ups and downs, etc.

You could be right, but I don't think it's solely my interviewing skill because I felt I did pretty well on some of the interviews and still got waitlisted.

Like the popular saying, it's just too hard to predict what gets you in or not.

 

[T14dan]

So, I did an exit interview at one of my state schools. They said that:
1. I should not bother with more classes, my post-bacc was evidence that i can do the work
2. I should not re-take the DAT. They thought 20 was adequate.
3. Their main criticisms were my shadowing (I pretty much ONLY shadowed my general dentist, for many hours). They also said my personal statement was read too much like a story, not enough substance about WHY I wanted to be a dentist and how my role as a dentist can help other people. Finally, they said that I needed to volunteer at the state run NCMOM's clinics. Hopefully this advice will be useful to others on here. For me, it's on to cycle three!

 

[Hi Im Dent]

So, I did an exit interview at one of my state schools. They said that:
1. I should not bother with more classes, my post-bacc was evidence that i can do the work
2. I should not re-take the DAT. They thought 20 was adequate.
3. Their main criticisms were my shadowing (I pretty much ONLY shadowed my general dentist, for many hours). They also said my personal statement was read too much like a story, not enough substance about WHY I wanted to be a dentist and how my role as a dentist can help other people. Finally, they said that I needed to volunteer at the state run NCMOM's clinics. Hopefully this advice will be useful to others on here. For me, it's on to cycle three!

It's great that you got an exit interview, I almost had to do the same thing since my stats were very similar to yours. 20AA, 3,23 BCp with a 3.89 from my post-bacc. I had 8 interviews but I was waitlisted to 4, 2 didn't respond, one I declined, but one acceptance. Prior to my acceptance I was pulling my hair out from being on 4 waitlists. Most of the schools I was waitlisted to or were rejected from (I had a good amount of rejections outside of interviews) were either silent or did not want to give me advice until the cycle was over. One school did give advice about not needing to take more classes but I didn't get more of a response out of them.

For me, my advisor in my post-bacc was one of the most helpful people to read over my personal statement. Although I had my family and my girlfriend read over my statement, I felt that they couldn't give unbiased feedback and it was also hard to accept their feedback since I knew them well. My year before that I had them read it over to and I only had one waitlist. My advisor's input and his experience in working with students applying to medical and dental school really helped. I hope you can find someone like that, he actually helped narrow down the goal of my personal statement about WHY I want to be a dentist and what I've DONE to show it as well as portraying me as more than just another applicant by throwing in personal stories that related to dentistry in there. I hope this helps!

 

[CareerNumTwo]

So, I did an exit interview at one of my state schools. They said that:
1. I should not bother with more classes, my post-bacc was evidence that i can do the work
2. I should not re-take the DAT. They thought 20 was adequate.
3. Their main criticisms were my shadowing (I pretty much ONLY shadowed my general dentist, for many hours). They also said my personal statement was read too much like a story, not enough substance about WHY I wanted to be a dentist and how my role as a dentist can help other people. Finally, they said that I needed to volunteer at the state run NCMOM's clinics. Hopefully this advice will be useful to others on here. For me, it's on to cycle three!

Out of curiosity, what were your shadowing and volunteering hours when you applied? Just want to get a gauge on my own hours.