I am currently a senior about to finish up a bachelors of Health Sciences. I went into this degree planning to apply to PT school come spring. However, working as a tech has given me a firsthand look at the field and I decided it wasn't for me. Then I found dentistry and it seems to be where I should've been all along. The big problem is I'm going to be a year behind on the application process and will have to sit out a year if I decide to go through with it. My question is this: am I competitive enough that if I were to apply to the right schools I would find an acceptance letter somewhere? I will graduate with roughly a 3.63 GPA, nearly a 3.2 sGPA, and have yet to take my DAT but I feel I will score fairly well on it- 19ish. The thought of putting a whole year off floating around till the next applicant pool and not getting in terrifies me. I know there is no certainty, but do I stand a good chance of gaining acceptance somewhere, and what schools might give me the best chance?
Would appreciate anyone who might have some insight.
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If you really think dentistry is your passion then don't be afraid to fail. I was in a similar situation where I was accepted into various pharmacy schools last year. I realized I was only in pharmacy for the stability and income rather than passion. Luckily, I fell upon dentistry and decided to drop everything this year and pursue dentistry. Was I scared I would miss out and not get in this year? Heck yes! But I found a career that I really want to pursue and so in the long run will missing out on a year be really detrimental? I don't think so. Although my stats are higher than yours, I don't see you having any trouble in getting interviews if you really nail that DAT! Anyways good luck with your decision.
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Congrats on your decision to follow your dream. One thing that admissions officers want to see is that you are absolutely sure you want to be a Dentist. You are going to need to prove that by getting some experience either by shadowing or getting a job in a dental practice (General Practice if possible). If you have a year off you could do a few things that might improve your chances. You can get a masters degree or take post-grad elective upper level science courses (Histology, Medical Micro, Pathology, etc.) to improve your sGPA or you can try to get a job as a Dental Assistant.
Like others have said, your grades are in the range to get accepted but a 19 on the DAT will land you squarely on the bubble....by that I mean you will be in a large group of undifferentiated applicants who are too good to get rejected but not quite good enough to get accepted....you might still get in, but not until late in the game and probably not at your top choices. Not because you don't deserve it, but because you might not get to interview until late in the cycle.
From what I have gathered going through the process you need to get a 20 AA/20 PAT to get attention....a 21/21 is a very strong score and 22+ is almost a guaranteed acceptance.
And please don't take this advice as a deterrent. If you are passionate about Dentistry go for it! You are still very young, and one year is not going to be a big deal....just be sure to have a lot of fun during your "gap year" because Dental School is exciting, but it is HARD work.
Your science gpa is a tad low but overall your stats looks good. Obviously shoot for as high as you can on your DAT, but a 19 really isn't as bad as everyone on SDN makes it out to be. You may end up at a more expensive private school, but it's not the end of the world that's for sure. I think a 19 puts you in decent position and a 20-21 puts you in good position. Best of luck to you! It's a stressful time (I'm going through it now haha), but It'll all be worth it in the end.
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I am taking a year off right now as I apply this cycle because I decided on dentistry late as well. I have similar GPAs (see my signature) and a 21 DAT and I have 6 interviews so far (a good PS and LORs are important). I'd say go for it and put everything in it that you have. I thought I was going to get a 19 on my DAT as well, but I studied and tried my best and got a 21. So coming from personal experience, I think you should go for it. Put in a lot of hard work now in the short run and get a lot in return in the long run in the form of working a job you'll want to work for the rest of your life!
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