WAMC? Low GDAT Score

[dorothywhite]

I don't even know if it's worth it at this point. I know I should retake it but I genuinely do not want to wait to apply this cycle. I do plan on retaking if I get 0 offers by December

Date of submission: 8/18/23 (will submit but basically done with the app)

Overall GPA: 3.5

Science GPA: 3.36

Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: Upward trend- C/B to A


DAT score (include AA and all sections):
Really bad….

PAT-17
QR- 14
RC- 19
Bio- 16
Gc- 17
OC- 18

TS- 17

AA-17

State of Residence: NY

Major: Biology

Minor: Chemistry


Minority? No but South Asian

Reapplicant? No

Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 250+

Volunteering Experience: 150+

Employment: Tutor

Research: N/A

Other Extracurriculars:

Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? No

Relevant Honors or Awards: Cum Laude. Dean’s List

LOR type and strength: 1 dentist and committee letter (2 science/1 non)

Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: 17AA is my second attempt, first would be 15…. Really bad but I improved/stayed the same on all sections. I went from 12 OC to 18.

School list:

NYU (dream school)
Touro
Rutgers

I know these 3 are COMPLETE reaches but as a NYC resident it’s my dream

Tufts
Boston
Augusta
Indiana
UNE
USC
Roseman
Midwestern Chicago

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[macsak]

I don't even know if it's worth it at this point. I know I should retake it but I genuinely do not want to wait to apply this cycle. I do plan on retaking if I get 0 offers by December

Date of submission: 8/18/23 (will submit but basically done with the app)

Overall GPA: 3.5

Science GPA: 3.36

Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: Upward trend- C/B to A


DAT score (include AA and all sections):
Really bad….

PAT-17
QR- 14
RC- 19
Bio- 16
Gc- 17
OC- 18

TS- 17

AA-17

State of Residence: NY

Major: Biology

Minor: Chemistry


Minority? No but South Asian

Reapplicant? No

Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 250+

Volunteering Experience: 150+

Employment: Tutor

Research: N/A

Other Extracurriculars:

Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? No

Relevant Honors or Awards: Cum Laude. Dean’s List

LOR type and strength: 1 dentist and committee letter (2 science/1 non)

Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: 17AA is my second attempt, first would be 15…. Really bad but I improved/stayed the same on all sections. I went from 12 OC to 18.

School list:

NYU (dream school)
Touro
Rutgers

I know these 3 are COMPLETE reaches but as a NYC resident it’s my dream

Tufts
Boston
Augusta
Indiana
UNE
USC
Roseman
Midwestern Chicago

you need to add more schools...

 

[dorothywhite]

you need to add more schools...

Any suggestions? Is my list realistic?

 

[macsak]

Any suggestions? Is my list realistic?

i suggest you add more schools...

 

[Mr.Smile12]

[I'm now on my computer and not my phone. Yay!]

You need to add all your in-states. That includes Buffalo and Stony Brook.

That said, I would pause. Your DATs will not get you anywhere except perhaps NYU if they have to go that far into their applicant pool (roughly half of all AADSAS applicants send an app to NYU, need to confirm this on DSE). You may be accustomed to living in NYC, but make sure you would be happy going there. With such a large class size, many testimonials put NYU in a bad light in their situations.

What feedback did you get in the committee letter process about your application?

 

[dorothywhite]

[I'm now on my computer and not my phone. Yay!]

You need to add all your in-states. That includes Buffalo and Stony Brook.

That said, I would pause. Your DATs will not get you anywhere except perhaps NYU if they have to go that far into their applicant pool (roughly half of all AADSAS applicants send an app to NYU, need to confirm this on DSE). You may be accustomed to living in NYC, but make sure you would be happy going there. With such a large class size, many testimonials put NYU in a bad light in their situations.

What feedback did you get in the committee letter process about your application?

Buffalo has a cutoff of 15 in all sections, I have a 14 in QR. Stony is unrealistic due to class size so I'd rather apply elsewhere idk :/ NYU truly is my dream school, I live only 15 minutes away from it too. I just don't think they'd even look at my application with that 17AA.....
My prehealth advisor liked my application, only my DAT score wasn't promising to him but I'm still gonna shoot my shot

 

[Ryxndek]

My concern is that the DAT is a standardized test, and while it isn't reflective on dental material it still shows schools your ability to handle a large volume of material, study for a long period of time, and take a high stress exam. Doing below average as you have may have schools hesitant about your ability to succeed in dental school.

With that said, if you are able to show that you can through the rest of your app, then don't let your score define you. I will say this though, NYU is not as forgiving as other schools when it comes to remediating courses, and some students have had to repeat and pay for an entire year vs other schools letting you remediate the class. Some being completely dismissed and not allowed to remediate. (check out previous threads)

Achieving a higher score on the exam will open more doors for you. But unfortunately retaking the exam and applying this cycle are somewhat out of the question now due to it becoming "late" in the cycle for retaking for logistic reasons with certifying and taking the exam. Which would further hurt your chances.

If you've already applied, or going to apply very shortly, then there isn't much else you can do. Definitely do some research about NYU as well and make sure you can answer "Why NYU" in their supplemental and if the question comes up in the Kira interview should you be extended one.

Good luck this cycle! If you find it to be unsuccessful, then I would start looking into retaking the exam.

 

[dorothywhite]

My concern is that the DAT is a standardized test, and while it isn't reflective on dental material it still shows schools your ability to handle a large volume of material, study for a long period of time, and take a high stress exam. Doing below average as you have may have schools hesitant about your ability to succeed in dental school.

With that said, if you are able to show that you can through the rest of your app, then don't let your score define you. I will say this though, NYU is not as forgiving as other schools when it comes to remediating courses, and some students have had to repeat and pay for an entire year vs other schools letting you remediate the class. Some being completely dismissed and not allowed to remediate. (check out previous threads)

Achieving a higher score on the exam will open more doors for you. But unfortunately retaking the exam and applying this cycle are somewhat out of the question now due to it becoming "late" in the cycle for retaking for logistic reasons with certifying and taking the exam. Which would further hurt your chances.

If you've already applied, or going to apply very shortly, then there isn't much else you can do. Definitely do some research about NYU as well and make sure you can answer "Why NYU" in their supplemental and if the question comes up in the Kira interview should you be extended one.

Good luck this cycle! If you find it to be unsuccessful, then I would start looking into retaking the exam.

I know. I didn't have the best resources due to financial hardships, getting bootcamp for 2 months was a lot for me. Not an excuse obviously but I wish I had better methods maybe? I am open to retaking by January if I hear crickets though. If not NYU I'm okay with any school on my list. ANY dental school would be a dream but obviously NYU is the dream school due to personal reasons such as commuting and easier financial commitments (no need for housing) I guess I just wanted to hear some success stories with 17AA. I just thought the subsection improvements would play to my favor as I am capable of improving but besides that I really just have to hope I'm even lucky enough for an interview from any school

 

[Ryxndek]

I know. I didn't have the best resources due to financial hardships, getting bootcamp for 2 months was a lot for me. Not an excuse obviously but I wish I had better methods maybe? I am open to retaking by January if I hear crickets though. If not NYU I'm okay with any school on my list. ANY dental school would be a dream but obviously NYU is the dream school due to personal reasons such as commuting and easier financial commitments (no need for housing) I guess I just wanted to hear some success stories with 17AA. I just thought the subsection improvements would play to my favor as I am capable of improving but besides that I really just have to hope I'm even lucky enough for an interview from any school

I don't mean to put you down, but even with subscore improvements, a 17AA is still below the national average of all school's matriculants (being ~20.7AA). And while there are certainly students with lower DAT scores, they generally will make up <5% of the entering class for any given dental school. I'm just trying to be realistic because this process costs a lot of money and I don't want you going down a rabbit hole spending a ton of money if you could push that into improving a critical component of your application.

However, you truly never know, and dental schools really are trying to be more holistic in their review process. So all you can do now is try your best this cycle and hope things end up working out in your favor. I can understand the financial hardships, applying to dental school isn't cheap, and its frustrating that they don't make things more accessible.

But try to get your app in ASAP and really make sure you highlight how you meet each schools mission in their secondaries or any interviews you get. Let that portion shine. Remember, it's not all about numbers, but they do make things easier getting your foot in the door for some schools. Stay determined, schools will see that. I wish you best of luck, if you have any questions you can always PM me. Get that app in!