What are my chances of getting accepted to a Dental School? ......

[Windsor88]

Hello,

I was wondering what are my chances of getting accepted to dentistry school.

I have a 3.44 cumulative GPA and a 3.2 science GPA, I am applying to dentistry schools this July and taking my DAT in August. Ive shadowed an orthodontist and have around 150 hours. I am also currently doing research at NYU langone medical center. Im an Eagle Scout, President of my fraternity,I have received the presidents scholarship from my school, part of the Phi Eta Sigma honor society and part of the red cross club in my school. Ive done community service pertaining to each those things.I have also shadowed a pediatrician my freshman year of college and have around 200 hours for that, this was back when I was thinking about being a D.O. but I switched my want to dentistry after my freshman year.

I was also wondering if someone could tell me what I would need on my DAT to get accepted.

Thank You!

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[Cello]

Cumulative is okay, science GPA is a bit low. You have more than enough shadowing experience, and the research will look good. Your ECs are all good with plenty of leadership. Score above average on the DAT (20+ AA) and you will almost certainly get at least a couple of interviews.

 

[Windsor88]

Cumulative is okay, science GPA is a bit low. You have more than enough shadowing experience, and the research will look good. Your ECs are all good with plenty of leadership. Score above average on the DAT (20+ AA) and you will almost certainly get at least a couple of interviews.

Okay Thank you! I have 12 weeks before I take my DAT, do you think that will be enough time to score above average? I plan on studying 5 days a week and for 8-9 hours each day.

 

[Cello]

It is more important that you study well than that you study a lot. I studied intensively for about 12 weeks as well and scored 23AA 23TS 28BIO 26PAT 25RC 22OC 23GC 17QR

I spent most of my time studying the math... But, my math study was far less organized than my other studies, hence why my score was significantly lower. Get the right study materials, read the bio books repeatedly (I read Barron's twice and Cliff's 4 times), you'll be fine so long as you don't put the hard stuff off until the end. Last-minute stress studying is probably worse than not studying at all.

My stats were similar to yours: 3.32 cGPA, 3.44 sGPA

I had 9 interviews and 5 acceptances. You will be fine, just study hard for the DAT (check out the DAT forums), feel prepared, and before you know it you will be buying a new suit/dress for your interviews!

 

[Windsor88]

It is more important that you study well than that you study a lot. I studied intensively for about 12 weeks as well and scored 23AA 23TS 28BIO 26PAT 25RC 22OC 23GC 17QR

I spent most of my time studying the math... But, my math study was far less organized than my other studies, hence why my score was significantly lower. Get the right study materials, read the bio books repeatedly (I read Barron's twice and Cliff's 4 times), you'll be fine so long as you don't put the hard stuff off until the end. Last-minute stress studying is probably worse than not studying at all.

My stats were similar to yours: 3.32 cGPA, 3.44 sGPA

I had 9 interviews and 5 acceptances. You will be fine, just study hard for the DAT (check out the DAT forums), feel prepared, and before you know it you will be buying a new suit/dress for your interviews!

Okay Thank you so much for your help! I will get those bio books and read them. I currently have the Princeton review crack the DAT book.

 

[Cello]

Go to the DAT forums and see the materials others are using. The materials I used were as follows:

-Barron's AP Bio
-Cliff's AP Bio
-Campbell's Bio (full edition, mostly for reference and better explanations)
-DAT Bootcamp (the creator Ari posts here sometimes)
-Crack DAT PAT
-Notecards which I cut in half and folded up to represent folding patterns (I used a hole punch to replicate the patterns on the DAT)
-Also made 700 or 800 bio flashcards
-Youtube videos for how the PAT works
-Chad's Videos (O-Chem and Gen-Chem)
-DAT Destroyer (the mother of all problem sets for the DAT, its creator Dr. Romano and his assistant Nancy frequent the DAT forums)
-Math Destroyer (I wish I had gotten through more of it than I did)
-Khan Academy for math

 

[Windsor88]

Go to the DAT forums and see the materials others are using. The materials I used were as follows:

-Barron's AP Bio
-Cliff's AP Bio
-Campbell's Bio (full edition, mostly for reference and better explanations)
-DAT Bootcamp (the creator Ari posts here sometimes)
-Crack DAT PAT
-Notecards which I cut in half and folded up to represent folding patters (I used a hole punch to replicate the patterns on the DAT)
-Also made 700 or 800 bio flashcards
-Youtube videos for how the PAT works
-Chad's Videos (O-Chem and Gen-Chem)
-DAT Destroyer (the mother of all problem sets for the DAT, its creator and his assistant frequent the DAT forums)
-Math Destroyer (I wish I had gotten through more of it than I did)
-Khan Academy for math

Thank You! ill try to do as much of that as i can before my dat exam! i appreciate all of this

 

[1passbbsSHAVE]

ace the DAT and you will be golden...

 

[Windsor88]

ace the DAT and you will be golden...

Thank You! I'm going to try my best to

 

[Windsor88]

Thank You! ill try to do as much of that as i can before my dat exam! i appreciate all of this

would applying in September be too late?

 

[Windsor88]

Go to the DAT forums and see the materials others are using. The materials I used were as follows:

-Barron's AP Bio
-Cliff's AP Bio
-Campbell's Bio (full edition, mostly for reference and better explanations)
-DAT Bootcamp (the creator Ari posts here sometimes)
-Crack DAT PAT
-Notecards which I cut in half and folded up to represent folding patterns (I used a hole punch to replicate the patterns on the DAT)
-Also made 700 or 800 bio flashcards
-Youtube videos for how the PAT works
-Chad's Videos (O-Chem and Gen-Chem)
-DAT Destroyer (the mother of all problem sets for the DAT, its creator Dr. Romano and his assistant Nancy frequent the DAT forums)
-Math Destroyer (I wish I had gotten through more of it than I did)
-Khan Academy for math

would applying in September be too late?

 

[Likkriue]

You guys are forgetting he needs to shadow a general dentist. Dental school you learn how to become a general dentist, not how to specialize.

 

[nonociceptors]

I saw your thread about applying in September and yes, with your stats even an amazing DAT might not be able to help if you apply that late. Your stats aren't bad by any means and your ECs look great, but September is just a bad idea for anyone who can apply earlier. I'm assuming the 12 weeks you are giving yourself to study for the DAT are causing you to consider applying later. If that's the case I'd suggest cutting that time in half. I was able to watch all of Chad's videos with notes, complete the destroyer 3 times with notes 1st time, go through all the DAT bootcamp tests twice, read AP cliffs with notes, and reread all those notes in 4 weeks of what I considered to be intensive studying, 5 hours max per day. I was also a year removed from and chemistry and most relevant biology and math before studying, so I relearned a lot. I really believe studying for 9 hours per day for 3 months is overkill, and you'll probably need to relearn whatever you studied the first 2 months. It works for some people, but then again who knows, maybe they'd have scored the same if they studied half that time. Maybe I'm just lazy and lucky. My GPA was about the same as yours - barely pushing 3.4 - and I had a 26 AA fwiw.

 

[Cello]

I saw your thread about applying in September and yes, with your stats even an amazing DAT might not be able to help if you apply that late. Your stats aren't bad by any means and your ECs look great, but September is just a bad idea for anyone who can apply earlier. I'm assuming the 12 weeks you are giving yourself to study for the DAT are causing you to consider applying later. If that's the case I'd suggest cutting that time in half. I was able to watch all of Chad's videos with notes, complete the destroyer 3 times with notes 1st time, go through all the DAT bootcamp tests twice, read AP cliffs with notes, and reread all those notes in 4 weeks of what I considered to be intensive studying, 5 hours max per day. I was also a year removed from and chemistry and most relevant biology and math before studying, so I relearned a lot. I really believe studying for 9 hours per day for 3 months is overkill, and you'll probably need to relearn whatever you studied the first 2 months. It works for some people, but then again who knows, maybe they'd have scored the same if they studied half that time. Maybe I'm just lazy and lucky. My GPA was about the same as yours - barely pushing 3.4 - and I had a 26 AA fwiw.

Yes, I agree that you can do it with 1 month of intensive studying. I didn't study 8 or 9 hours per day over 12 weeks, nor did I need to. There was one week where I studied that much, and that's about it.

 

[confidentandgood]

Cumulative GPA is okay, but I would focus on raising the science GPA. Perhaps take one or two upper-level courses?

Volunteer involvement seems strong, and I agree that shadowing a general dentist would be a good idea.

Lastly, only you know how you can best study for the DAT. Assess your individual study skills. Some people require 8-9 hours a day, others 4-5 hours a day. Some people work better with many materials, others with one or two (I've seen one person on here who never took a practice test and made a 26 -- it's all about knowing what works for you!). It's perfectly okay to read posts on here for study ideas (that's exactly what I did) but remember to adjust accordingly. I study more efficiently during the semester (and reduced my credit load in order to make room) and I'm a morning person, so I'm setting aside 3-5 hours before classes for review. I know that I'll do better with 3-4 months of casual review as opposed to 1 month of hardcore review, because that's the method that has allowed me to succeed in undergrad. Set aside time to organize your study layout -- and make sure to set aside time to review each subject -- and you'll be set. Best of luck.