One, that's Western, where I believe the average DAT is a bit lower than most schools. Two, wouldn't you want to stand out from the crowd by having a 22 or 23? There are over 13,000 applicants every year, and I think about 6,000 are admitted.
Having gone through the application process, I would have done just a couple of things differently. I am a non-traditional student, having earned my BA many years ago. When I went back to school, I was working full-time and taking my prereqs. It was difficult to balance school, work, time with my wife, and then volunteer and shadow dentists at the same time. However, looking back on everything, I should have cut back on my work, even if it meant taking out a little bit of loans. To give yourself the best possible opportunity to get into a public school (where you will save $100k+), you really do need to make dentistry your top priority. Get plenty of volunteer hours, shadow several dentists, do research if that interests you, but keep that GPA up. My grades suffered a bit because of my work schedule. I'm rambling, but my point is, do everything you can to be the best applicant possible.
