- Joined
- Apr 23, 2019
- Messages
- 99
- Reaction score
- 62
Where do I begin? I know how everyone feels when it comes to applying to dental schools. It’s hard, its time consuming and more importantly, sometimes you start to doubt yourself. I’m here to tell you its possible.
Back in 2017, I applied for the first time and had no idea what I was doing. I was young and didn’t have a good grasp of how things were supposed to be on my application and didn’t know how important a personal statement was nor my experiences or extra-curricular activities were. I applied to 15 dental schools with a DAT score of 16 and a overall g.p.a of 3.48. Of course, rejection letters were flying in like misquotes in the summer. I retook the DAT and sadly ended up again with a score of 16. I didn’t know what on earth I was doing. During this time, I wanted to improve my application and be certain that this is what I wanted. I applied to the dental hygiene program that same year and was accepted.
During the summer of 2019, I was finishing up my third semester in dental hygiene school and that’s when I discovered SDN. I started to read forums and saw pre-dents with DAT scores of 21’s and were landing interviews and acceptances. I knew that I had to improve my DAT score in order to be competitive enough to interview with dental schools. After studying three months while in dental hygiene school, my scores were as followed:
PAT: 19
Ochem: 21
Genchem: 20
Bio: 15
Math: 18
Reading: 18
TS: 18
AA: 18
When I finished my exam, I was thrilled and worried at the same time. My bio score wasn’t where I wanted it to be. When I took the exam, the bio section threw me off and decided to finish the chemistry sections first and go back to the bio when I was done, however, I didn’t have enough time to do that. If I had just a few minutes to review back then, I knew my score would have been better.
I applied for a second time while in hygiene school, and to sum up everything, no interviews and rejection letters were coming in left and right. I decided to finish hygiene school and wait until I gained some experience in the field and apply for a third time.
After graduating in 2020, and working for about 2 years in the field, I can gladly say that I’m glad it didn’t work out back then and I am thankful for everything I learned out in the field.
In 2021, I decided to apply one more time with the same DAT score and a overall g.p.a of a 3.18 and a 3.0 science g.p.a. (People told me I was crazy to do this because I was well below the average). Before applying, I bought the ADEA dental explorer pdf that showed all the stats for the dental schools in the nation and what they accepted and what their averages were. I applied to 4 schools that I thought I might have a chance with and……..BOOM an interview slipped its way into my inbox. I was shocked, thrilled and over the moon when I read that my application was being considered. I didn’t know why they chose me but they did. I knew other applicants had way better stats than me and yet they saw something in my application. There isn’t anything special about me other than that I’m a 25 year old hygienist practicing full time at a office near my home.
Receiving this interview was in itself an accomplishment. Even if they didn’t accept me, I was still so thankful for this oppurtunity. I started to prepare for the interview everyday for two weeks, reading articles online on SDN and watching YouTube videos.
When the interview happened, I was interviewing with students who worked just as hard as me if not, harder. The interview in my opinion went amazing and so smoothly that it felt like a conversation and we laughed a lot. The interviewer was so nice and the other two dental students were so nice and kind. It felt like I was speaking to my colleagues at work and we were joking and having a great time. After I finished interviewing, I just sat there and thanked god for this opportunity. Even if they didn’t take me, this itself was the biggest accomplishment and my parents were so thrilled.
When December 1st hit, I was heading to work and I knew schools were going to call and let applicants know if they were accepted. I really didn’t think I stood a chance with other applicants who had way better stats than me. While at work, I had left my phone with my manager and told her if any random number calls, please answer it. I was with a patient when 11:30 a.m. hit and I get a phone call from the school I interviewed with. The manager comes in running and tells me that my phone is ringing. I told the patient that I needed to step out for a second to answer something urgent. I answer the phone call and the news I have been waiting for three years happen. I was accepted into their program! My phone call was on speaker and the whole team starts to cheer and yell from excitement. The funniest part of all of this is that the admission team were also happy to hear that others were happy for me and really liked this. I bursted out in tears and couldn’t believe it. The reason why I want to share my story is to let other applicants know that persistence pays off. Don’t ever doubt yourself and don’t let others say that you can’t do it. For three years, people on SDN told me I wasn’t good enough and that no school would accept me. Don’t let people discourage you. Hard work truly does pay off and I am a prime example of this. I am proud to say that I will be a D1 starting this August.
Please if you have any questions, please reach out!
Back in 2017, I applied for the first time and had no idea what I was doing. I was young and didn’t have a good grasp of how things were supposed to be on my application and didn’t know how important a personal statement was nor my experiences or extra-curricular activities were. I applied to 15 dental schools with a DAT score of 16 and a overall g.p.a of 3.48. Of course, rejection letters were flying in like misquotes in the summer. I retook the DAT and sadly ended up again with a score of 16. I didn’t know what on earth I was doing. During this time, I wanted to improve my application and be certain that this is what I wanted. I applied to the dental hygiene program that same year and was accepted.
During the summer of 2019, I was finishing up my third semester in dental hygiene school and that’s when I discovered SDN. I started to read forums and saw pre-dents with DAT scores of 21’s and were landing interviews and acceptances. I knew that I had to improve my DAT score in order to be competitive enough to interview with dental schools. After studying three months while in dental hygiene school, my scores were as followed:
PAT: 19
Ochem: 21
Genchem: 20
Bio: 15
Math: 18
Reading: 18
TS: 18
AA: 18
When I finished my exam, I was thrilled and worried at the same time. My bio score wasn’t where I wanted it to be. When I took the exam, the bio section threw me off and decided to finish the chemistry sections first and go back to the bio when I was done, however, I didn’t have enough time to do that. If I had just a few minutes to review back then, I knew my score would have been better.
I applied for a second time while in hygiene school, and to sum up everything, no interviews and rejection letters were coming in left and right. I decided to finish hygiene school and wait until I gained some experience in the field and apply for a third time.
After graduating in 2020, and working for about 2 years in the field, I can gladly say that I’m glad it didn’t work out back then and I am thankful for everything I learned out in the field.
In 2021, I decided to apply one more time with the same DAT score and a overall g.p.a of a 3.18 and a 3.0 science g.p.a. (People told me I was crazy to do this because I was well below the average). Before applying, I bought the ADEA dental explorer pdf that showed all the stats for the dental schools in the nation and what they accepted and what their averages were. I applied to 4 schools that I thought I might have a chance with and……..BOOM an interview slipped its way into my inbox. I was shocked, thrilled and over the moon when I read that my application was being considered. I didn’t know why they chose me but they did. I knew other applicants had way better stats than me and yet they saw something in my application. There isn’t anything special about me other than that I’m a 25 year old hygienist practicing full time at a office near my home.
Receiving this interview was in itself an accomplishment. Even if they didn’t accept me, I was still so thankful for this oppurtunity. I started to prepare for the interview everyday for two weeks, reading articles online on SDN and watching YouTube videos.
When the interview happened, I was interviewing with students who worked just as hard as me if not, harder. The interview in my opinion went amazing and so smoothly that it felt like a conversation and we laughed a lot. The interviewer was so nice and the other two dental students were so nice and kind. It felt like I was speaking to my colleagues at work and we were joking and having a great time. After I finished interviewing, I just sat there and thanked god for this opportunity. Even if they didn’t take me, this itself was the biggest accomplishment and my parents were so thrilled.
When December 1st hit, I was heading to work and I knew schools were going to call and let applicants know if they were accepted. I really didn’t think I stood a chance with other applicants who had way better stats than me. While at work, I had left my phone with my manager and told her if any random number calls, please answer it. I was with a patient when 11:30 a.m. hit and I get a phone call from the school I interviewed with. The manager comes in running and tells me that my phone is ringing. I told the patient that I needed to step out for a second to answer something urgent. I answer the phone call and the news I have been waiting for three years happen. I was accepted into their program! My phone call was on speaker and the whole team starts to cheer and yell from excitement. The funniest part of all of this is that the admission team were also happy to hear that others were happy for me and really liked this. I bursted out in tears and couldn’t believe it. The reason why I want to share my story is to let other applicants know that persistence pays off. Don’t ever doubt yourself and don’t let others say that you can’t do it. For three years, people on SDN told me I wasn’t good enough and that no school would accept me. Don’t let people discourage you. Hard work truly does pay off and I am a prime example of this. I am proud to say that I will be a D1 starting this August.
Please if you have any questions, please reach out!
