Still on cloud 9 over here!! I got an acceptance on 12/1 and one of my favorite interviewers that I had called me to congratulate me later in the day. I applied to 8 schools in total and only interviewed here, but I never let that get me down. ECU is my top pick school because of its mission and clinical experience. Nobody cares what you do, they care why you do it. If you don't have a big enough why, it's going to be hard to push through years of studying, and dental schools know that. I never let my stats define me as an applicant, I let my why do that. Dental schools can give you all the resources in the world to help you improve your stats, but only you can determine your why.
A little background, I was so nervous about my GPA going into my senior year that I sat down and met with my pre-health advisor for what turned into a 5 hour meeting trying to determine if I should plan for a post bacc/ masters. Although my intentions of planning ahead were well-intended, I was giving too much into the "what ifs" and fear. Throughout this entire process (especially with retaking my DAT, not fun at all) was to let go of fear and let God have control of everything. I did my part though. I studied, I planned out my days, but in the end, I know we win. This is obviously my belief, doesn't have to be yours, but if you see something you like, I encourage you to take it.
Applied: 8/27
Interview: 10/5
GPA: 3.46 (Transferred, had some hurricanes, some personal family stuff, and a pandemic)
DAT: AA/TS/PAT/RC/QR -16/17/18/17/12 (first attempt)
DAT: AA/TS/PAT/RC/QR - 18/20/20/17/16 (second attempt)
LOTS of shadowing and volunteering starting off towards the end of high school.
Also HIGHLY recommend doing any and all Pre-dental days or enrichment activities that you can. I don't really think that anyone can necessarily get your foot in the door at any dental school, but you can definitely associate and go to the school as much as you can and get your name recognized.
