Getting in as an average student

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Dev13

Dev3eb
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Hey everyone,

I was wondering how hard it will be for a pretty average student to get into dental school. I have a 3.4 science gpa and a 3.6 overall gpa. I got a 21 on every section on the dat.

I thought my scores all looked good until I saw other people posting on here. Should I retake the dat again before applying to dental school? I've noticed that there are people who have gotten in with low gpa's but most those people have high dat's while some with low dat's get in while they have high gpa's. Any advice would really help. Thanks!

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Your scores are good, try not to be intimidated by SDN. Your average SDNer is likely to have higher GPA / DAT than the typical dental school applicant.
 
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Average means statistical mean, roughly 50% are above and 50% are below on a normal distribution (Gaussian) curve. I am proof positive that average stats are good enough to get you in. Your stats are average for matriculants, which means you have just as good a shot as anyone.
 
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Thanks,

I'm just now starting to realize how many people get tuned down every year so I'm starting to worry that my grades and dat aren't high enough. But I've been on an upward trend. Hopefully my 7 B+'s don't come back to haunt me
 
Hey everyone,

I was wondering how hard it will be for a pretty average student to get into dental school. I have a 3.4 science gpa and a 3.6 overall gpa. I got a 21 on every section on the dat.

I thought my scores all looked good until I saw other people posting on here. Should I retake the dat again before applying to dental school? I've noticed that there are people who have gotten in with low gpa's but most those people have high dat's while some with low dat's get in while they have high gpa's. Any advice would really help. Thanks!

I felt the same way at the start of this application cycle. With a sGPA of 3.4, oGPA of 3.6 and a 21AA/21TS DAT (and a 16 on QR), our stats are very comparable. I applied (very) broadly and received many interviews invites, 10 acceptances and I'll be attending a school I never imagined I'd get into. If you already have the B+'s, you can't make them go away, so just focus on what's in your control. Just make sure your ECs are in order, write a strong PS and get great LORs. And keep your grades up!
 
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21 on the DAT is by no means average. 21 is at or above the mean matriculant for just about all schools besides UCLA, Harvard, and Columbia. And your GPA is, again, average for a matriculant, not an applicant.
 
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@Mufasha , I laughed when I saw your screen name because I had a fish named Mufasha... XD

@Dev13 , I think you have a shot because your DAT is decent, your GPA is not too terrible, you can pass the cutoff lines for a lot of dental schools, but apply broadly, also, have a killer/god-like personal statement, also make the best impressions on your interview by knowing what you should talk about to emphasize your strong desire for a career in dentistry (I suggest doing a mock interview). Oh and don't wait until like September to apply, because that's when a lot of the first batch go to their interviews (meaning you lose half your chance), you want to be ready but at the same time do it with perfect timing (June-August is usually a good window to have everything in).

Any corrections/other inputs from other SDNers are welcome.
 
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lol those are pretty good stats! i got in with a 3.19 overall and a 3.02 science
 
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3.6 and 18 AA DAT here. Accepted to 4/7 schools. Silence from 2, only 1 solid rejection. Hope this gives someone hope, haha.
 
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Hey everyone,

I was wondering how hard it will be for a pretty average student to get into dental school. I have a 3.4 science gpa and a 3.6 overall gpa. I got a 21 on every section on the dat.

I thought my scores all looked good until I saw other people posting on here. Should I retake the dat again before applying to dental school? I've noticed that there are people who have gotten in with low gpa's but most those people have high dat's while some with low dat's get in while they have high gpa's. Any advice would really help. Thanks!
MY GPA is a 3.3 and got a 20 on the DAT. However, I did complete a Masters. I've applied to several schools and have gotten 5 interviews so far and only 1 rejection. Your academics can be average, but you need to prove yourself to be above average when it comes to things outside of academics.
 
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I don't know what your EC's look like but your stats are competitive, so I would focus on building your EC's if needed. Do some shadowing - try and get 100 hrs or so, volunteer, etc. And of course, apply early if it works out for you. I received 4 interviews thus far (2 acceptances, cancelled 1 interview, have yet to attend the last) and have a 3.3 and 20 AA. With that said I have been working in research for 3 years so I'm sure it gave me a needed boost. Just make yourself well rounded and I'm sure you'll land some interviews. Best of luck!
 
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21 on the DAT is by no means average. 21 is at or above the mean matriculant for just about all schools besides UCLA, Harvard, and Columbia. And your GPA is, again, average for a matriculant, not an applicant.

When your DAT is 1 point above the mean on a 30 point scale...realistically speaking, it's going to be considered average. It's not going to hold him back at all, but it's not going to be considered a strength like someone with a 23+.
 
When your DAT is 1 point above the mean on a 30 point scale...realistically speaking, it's going to be considered average. It's not going to hold him back at all, but it's not going to be considered a strength like someone with a 23+.

Actually, no...

What matters is the standard deviation. As someone posted in another thread, only ~300 people score a 23+ each year. That is 300 people out of 13,000. This is by no means a linear scale, it is a normally distributed curve.
 
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Actually, no...

What matters is the standard deviation. As someone posted in another thread, only ~300 people score a 23+ each year. That is 300 people out of 13,000. This is by no means a linear scale, it is a normally distributed curve.

That's exactly why a 23+ (and not a 21+, that roughly 1/3 of accepted applicants have each year) is standout.

In case you're wondering the standard deviation for all test takers is around 2.3, with a mean around 17.6. When you narrow down to accepted students rather than all test takers, he's very much in the average area of the curve.

-Edited to update the correct figures.
 
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That's exactly why a 23+ (and not a 21+, that roughly 1/3 of accepted applicants have each year) is standout.

In case you're wondering the standard deviation for all test takers is around 3, with a mean around 19. So he's very much in the average area of the curve, especially when you narrow down to accepted students.

According to this, the standard deviation is 3 and the average is 19. So a 16 is within the range of the average? I never even hear about people getting in with a 16.
 
According to this, the standard deviation is 3 and the average is 19. So a 16 is within the range of the average? I never even hear about people getting in with a 16.

Most of the accepted applicants come from the higher end of the average range (e.g. the standard deviation set above the mean), not lower end. Which is why the average of accepted students (19.9) is higher than the average of all test takers (19).
 
Most of the accepted applicants come from the higher end of the average range (e.g. the standard deviation set above the mean), not lower end. Which is why the average of accepted students (19.9) is higher than the average of all test takers (19).
Oh I gotcha
 
Most of the accepted applicants come from the higher end of the average range (e.g. the standard deviation set above the mean), not lower end. Which is why the average of accepted students (19.9) is higher than the average of all test takers (19).
I thought the average of all test takers was around 17?
 
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That's exactly why a 23+ (and not a 21+, that roughly 1/3 of accepted applicants have each year) is standout.

In case you're wondering the standard deviation for all test takers is around 2.3, with a mean around 17.6. When you narrow down to accepted students rather than all test takers, he's very much in the average area of the curve.

-Edited to update the correct figures.

Where do you find that the standard deviation is around 3? I haven't been able to find any documentation on the standard deviation for the DAT.

Nevermind, you just answered my question as I posted it.
 
Thanks,

I'm just now starting to realize how many people get tuned down every year so I'm starting to worry that my grades and dat aren't high enough. But I've been on an upward trend. Hopefully my 7 B+'s don't come back to haunt me

Only when you wake in a cold sweat from your brain making you relive them ;).
 
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Your scores are good, try not to be intimidated by SDN. Your average SDNer is likely to have higher GPA / DAT than the typical dental school applicant.

I realize this is an older thread, but, the OP's scores are even above average for most SDN'ers. Yes, you see some outstanding scores, but I you read most posts, most people are closer to the OP's scores, maybe a higher GPA with lower DAT or a higher DAT with lower GPA but most people are coming in around that mark.

21 on the DAT is by no means average. 21 is at or above the mean matriculant for just about all schools besides UCLA, Harvard, and Columbia. And your GPA is, again, average for a matriculant, not an applicant.

I agree, the average SCORE is 17 or 18, but the average for those attending dental school last year was 19.9.
 
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