30 on the Quantitative Reasoning?

[babybull]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

How good would this look to dental school admissions? I'm currently pre-pharm and have interviewed at a couple of pharmacy schools [i'm waiting to hear back], but lately i've been playing with the idea of applying to dental schools this summer. i don't really have a passion for pharmacy or dentistry, but i would think i have a passion for getting a stable career with sound pay and regular hours. pharmacy is on shaky ground...

i've taken the practice DAT on the ADA website, and I got a 40/40 on the QR reasoning section. I also did extremely well on the bio and PA sections, but performed average on the gen chem and org chem sections [20 on each]. i teach SAT Math five days/week so i'm sure if i took the actual DAT, my QR score would be close to my PT score. i have also been teaching ap bio and ap chem weekly for almost a year now.

if you guys/girls were in my shoes, would you go for dental school because you were scoring superbly on the DAT [23/24], ASSUMING that you don't have a passion for any other good-paying profession? lol.

 

[letsdoitbama]

this may be the most pathetic post of all time. The sad part is I think you're serious.

 

[Duriel]

I would try shadowing a dentist first. After working and shadowing with plenty of dentists, its easy to see if that your not passionate about it, it gets old really quick.

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

How good would this look to dental school admissions? I'm currently pre-pharm and have interviewed at a couple of pharmacy schools [i'm waiting to hear back], but lately i've been playing with the idea of applying to dental schools this summer. i don't really have a passion for pharmacy or dentistry, but i would think i have a passion for getting a stable career with sound pay. pharmacy is on shaky ground...

the flame war is on its way

 

[persenmi]

How good would this look to dental school admissions? I'm currently pre-pharm and have interviewed at a couple of pharmacy schools [i'm waiting to hear back], but lately i've been playing with the idea of applying to dental schools this summer. i don't really have a passion for pharmacy or dentistry, but i would think i have a passion for getting a stable career with sound pay. pharmacy is on shaky ground...

i've taken the practice DAT on the ADA website, and I got a 40/40 on the QR reasoning section. I also did extremely well on the bio and pat sections, but performed average on the gen chem and org chem sections [20 on each]. i teach SAT Math five days/week so i'm sure if i took the actual DAT, my QR score would be close to my PT score. i have also been teaching ap bio and ap chem weekly for almost a year now.

if you guys/girls were in my shoes, would you go for dental school just because you were scoring superbly on the DAT [23/24], ASSUMING that you don't have a passion for any other good-paying profession? lol.

Remember, the DAT is a timed test so getting all the questions right is only half the battle. Lots of people can do that (myself included). Doing it in the time given is another story.

 

[babybull]

this may be the most pathetic post of all time. The sad part is I think you're serious.

i'm pretty darn serious lol.

 

[tntme321]

Without a passion for dentistry............. I would say no, do not apply just cuz you are scoreing well on a practice test.

 

[babybull]

I would try shadowing a dentist first. After working and shadowing with plenty of dentists, its easy to see if that your not passionate about it, it gets old really quick.

i don't know. my passion is being at home/having my own free time and having the financial ability to travel here and there. i'm not really looking for a career i am passionate about because i doubt that there is actually a career i'm passionate about.

i've been studying for school pretty seriously for the past 9 years even though i'm not passionate about that. ofc though, i did that because i knew i had to -- it would give me better chances at entering pharm/dental/med school, which would then help me to attain a good-paying job. med school is out of the question, and now the field of pharmacy is saturated [little did i know until recently].

 

[cottonschwab217]

listen man, this is going to be something you will do for the rest of your life. If you think having a good salary and steady job is going to make you happy, you are mistaken. Sure that sounds good now, but if you are doing something every day for 8 hours that you really do not care for, then you are in store for a rough ~40 years. I'm not saying you have to have some deep "passion" or love for dentistry, but your career choice should be based on DOING something that you enjoy.

As for advice, I would imagine dental school admission committees would see right through you and know exactly what your motivation is for switching to dentistry. The only way you would be able to fool them is to get a whole bunch of shadowing/volunteer hours and then make up a story about how you fell in love with dentistry or something. Again though, you would essentially be lying to their faces so it's a risky move. Your scores would probably be fine, but, as I am sure you know, there is a whole lot more involved in the admissions process than just your DAT scores.

 

[AwesomeTeeth]

i've been studying for school pretty seriously for the past 9 years even though i'm not passionate about that. ofc though, i did that because i knew i had to -- it would give me better chances at entering pharm/dental/med school, which would then help me to attain a good-paying job. med school is out of the question, and now the field of pharmacy is saturated [little did i know until recently].

Why is med school out of the question?

The practice DAT on the ADA site is quite easy and isn't indicative of the real thing. Go buy DAT Achiever and tell me if you can get a perfect score on that.

 

[Msmouth]

If you're caring for a human being's health, then I would hope you are somewhat passionate about it. When interview time comes, how will you convince (lie to them) that you love dentistry and it's the career for you???

 

[WastedTime]

who cares about passion... just because ur not passionate doesnt mean u cant be a great dentist...

 

[DentalJedi]

I don't buy into the whole "you should eat sleep and breathe dentistry" thing that some people on this forum swear is a prerequisite, but I definitely agree with the people saying you need to at least shadow. It's one thing to not have a passion for it but it's another thing to find out later that you actually hate it. Also, you're not going to get a 30 on QR just because you're good at math. Maybe you should apply just for the humility it brings.

 

[babybull]

Why is med school out of the question?

The practice DAT on the ADA site is quite easy and isn't indicative of the real thing. Go buy DAT Achiever and tell me if you can get a perfect score on that.

doctors i've talked to have said that i would really need to have a passion for medicine if that would be the career field i was going for. most ppl going into medicine know this... there would be a lot to sacrifice personally in med school, then residency, and even after.

i really am indifferent to the type of work i would be doing, as long as i am payed decently and can expect to be home regularly. i can understand why people don't agree with my motivation! 😛 still, just be chill about it and be logical. no jokes or w/e

 

[babybull]

If you're caring for a human being's health, then I would hope you are somewhat passionate about it. When interview time comes, how will you convince (lie to them) that you love dentistry and it's the career for you???

some people do it/have done it for other health careers!

assume that i do care about a person's health. i'm really just waiting to see different views.

 

[sacapuntas]

Ignoring your other tom-foolery, I don't think it would matter if you got a 22QR or a 30QR.

There isn't a lick of difficult math on the DAT, and time really isn't as big of an issue for those of us that spent enough to doing practice tests.

Really it comes down to whether or not most people cared enough to re-learn trig functions and stats. If we put any significant time into QR like many do on GC or OC, you would see a lot of high QR scores.

Truth of it is, no one cares how you did on QR as long as it is a respectable score. Time is better spent elsewhere.


So to some up my long post (do that too often!)

NO, no one will care if you got a 30 QR, though it would help your AA.

 

[babybull]

Ignoring your other tom-foolery, I don't think it would matter if you got a 22QR or a 30QR.

There isn't a lick of difficult math on the DAT, and time really isn't as big of an issue for those of us that spent enough to doing practice tests.

Really it comes down to whether or not most people cared enough to re-learn trig functions and stats. If we put any significant time into QR like many do on GC or OC, you would see a lot of high QR scores.

Truth of it is, no one cares how you did on QR as long as it is a respectable score. Time is better spent elsewhere.


So to some up my long post (do that too often!)

NO, no one will care if you got a 30 QR, though it would help your AA.

meaning that would help me to have a better chance of getting accepted into dental school?! =]

i do have doubts about my chances of getting accepted to a dental school because i don't have many experiences in a dental office/lack of passion, but i'm also trying to gauge how much of a positive effect good DAT scores [especially scores of 22+] will have on one's chances in getting into a dental school, assuming an average gpa and average experiences [shadowing/volunteering at a dental office].

in general, do you think 22+ DAT scores will overcome the lack of unique dental experiences/research [i've never done research unlike most students it seems, but an aunt of mine is a dentist and she is willing to write a letter of recommendation for me about my shadow/volunteer experience at her office]? applying to schools is very costly -- i don't want to apply to dental schools thinking that good DAT scores are a shoe in for at least one dental school.

 

[AwesomeTeeth]

doctors i've talked to have said that i would really need to have a passion for medicine if that would be the career field i was going for. most ppl going into medicine know this... there would be a lot to sacrifice personally in med school, then residency, and even after.

i really am indifferent to the type of work i would be doing, as long as i am payed decently and can expect to be home regularly. i can understand why people don't agree with my motivation! 😛 still, just be chill about it and be logical. no jokes or w/e

If you want to give dentistry a shot, I say go for it. Its your life. I don't really see the point of this thread.

Keep in mind that dentistry has the highest tuition cost if you end up going to a private out of state dental school. Were talking 300-400k in loans. So think about that before you commit to dentistry.

 

[sacapuntas]

meaning that would help me to have a better chance of getting accepted into dental school?! =]

Right, a high AA obviously helps you get into DS.

I don't think too many people in the world are passionate about their job, so if you want a stable career with good pay and find your meaning in life from things other than work than I say go for it.


You don't hear people slamming future accountants for not being passionate about their industry.

 

[sacapuntas]

i do have doubts about my chances of getting accepted to a dental school because i don't have many experiences in a dental office/lack of passion, but i'm also trying to gauge how much of a positive effect good DAT scores will have on one's chances in getting into a dental school, assuming an average gpa and average experiences [shadowing/volunteering at a dental office].

First, shadow. You need to do that no matter what to get into D-School. You also might figure out if you can really do it every day.


Second, get a high DAT...doesn't do much good to talk about it unless you have it.



What do you mean by average GPA? Between 3.2 and 3.6?

You should be fine as far as getting into D-School if you really do get a high DAT and some shadowing hours in...and you are a good liar.

 

[Barking Lamb]

Right, a high AA obviously helps you get into DS.

I don't think too many people in the world are passionate about their job, so if you want a stable career with good pay and find your meaning in life from things other than work than I say go for it.


You don't hear people slamming future accountants for not being passionate about their industry.

Thank you Sacapuntas! I'm not kidding, I'm really sick of the words passion and dentistry. Dental school will be cool and fun and I am going to learn a bunch o' neat stuff and get to work with people, own a business, be my own boss. These are all things that I am passionate for. But at the end of the day everyone works, everyone has a job, and a job becomes a job after 30 years of doing it.

You know? We all try and pick something we like that also brings home the bacon. I assume the OP finds dentistry attractive. That is why he is interested.

 

[JP2740]

You don't hear people slamming future accountants for not being passionate about their industry.

Accountants don't permanently mess up people's health. Health care professionals can. You don't need the "passion." but to just not give a **** in any way just to make cash is disheartening if it's bad enough to the point of hurting the patient. If not, then there's no reason to not be a dentist. This matters more in medicine obviously.

 

[sacapuntas]

Accountants don't permanently mess up people's health. Health care professionals can. You don't need the "passion." but to just not give a **** in any way just to make cash is disheartening if it's bad enough to the point of hurting the patient. If not, then there's no reason to not be a dentist. This matters more in medicine obviously.

I agree with you to a point.

However, you probably won't make it through dental school if you care that little about patients and your own skills.

You can be very good at something without being passionate about it. For example, I can fix almost any problem with any car made but I don't like working on cars. But, if a friend came to me to help fix his car I would and that car would be fixed properly and I would get satisfaction over helping my friend.


Additionally, if you suck at being a dentist and you somehow make it through school, you will not stay in business as no one wants to have a sucky dentist and the problem with take care of it self.

 

[Bis-GMA111]

How good would this look to dental school admissions? I'm currently pre-pharm and have interviewed at a couple of pharmacy schools [i'm waiting to hear back], but lately i've been playing with the idea of applying to dental schools this summer. i don't really have a passion for pharmacy or dentistry, but i would think i have a passion for getting a stable career with sound pay and regular hours. pharmacy is on shaky ground...

i've taken the practice DAT on the ADA website, and I got a 40/40 on the QR reasoning section. I also did extremely well on the bio and pat sections, but performed average on the gen chem and org chem sections [20 on each]. i teach SAT Math five days/week so i'm sure if i took the actual DAT, my QR score would be close to my PT score. i have also been teaching ap bio and ap chem weekly for almost a year now.

if you guys/girls were in my shoes, would you go for dental school just because you were scoring superbly on the DAT [23/24], ASSUMING that you don't have a passion for any other good-paying profession? lol.

if you want fast money with high risks/high rewards...go into finance or actuary science

don't base the rest of your life on a test. shadow a dentist and then decide

 

[veggieheadgeek]

in general, do you think 22+ DAT scores will overcome the lack of unique dental experiences/research [i've never done research unlike most students it seems, but an aunt of mine is a dentist and she is willing to write a letter of recommendation for me about my shadow/volunteer experience at her office]? applying to schools is very costly -- i don't want to apply to dental schools thinking that good DAT scores are a shoe in for at least one dental school.

First and foremost, you cannot have a LOR from anyone in your family. If she has a different last name it would be easy to fool a dental school, but why anyone would want to take that risk and be dishonest about something so silly would be very indicative of that person's character. Have you actually shadowed her a lot or would you be counting on her to embellish?

Good scores are obviously very important, but they're not everything. An interviewer can tell in two second flat if you really want to be a dentist or if you want to do it for the salary. Someone from my school graduated with a 3.9 in bio and had a 23 on his PAT. He got interviews at many places because of his stats, but only got into one because it is quite apparent when talking to him that he sees dentistry as a good way to make money, not a good way to spend his life. I do think that "passion" is a pretty strong word that is thrown around way too much here, but I do think that "genuine interest" is certainly an important factor in admissions. I took a practice LSAT alongside my friend (she needed someone to force her to sit down and do it) and did remarkably well, but I have precisely zero interest in being a lawyer. Just because you do well on the test, it doesn't mean it's what you should do with the rest of your life.

Also, no one gives a flying fck about QR. It is hands-down the least important section of the DAT.

 

[babybull]

First and foremost, you cannot have a LOR from anyone in your family. If she has a different last name it would be easy to fool a dental school, but why anyone would want to take that risk and be dishonest about something so silly would be very indicative of that person's character. Have you actually shadowed her a lot or would you be counting on her to embellish?

Good scores are obviously very important, but they're not everything. An interviewer can tell in two second flat if you really want to be a dentist or if you want to do it for the salary. Someone from my school graduated with a 3.9 in bio and had a 23 on his PAT. He got interviews at many places because of his stats, but only got into one because it is quite apparent when talking to him that he sees dentistry as a good way to make money, not a good way to spend his life. I do think that "passion" is a pretty strong word that is thrown around way too much here, but I do think that "genuine interest" is certainly an important factor in admissions. I took a practice LSAT alongside my friend (she needed someone to force her to sit down and do it) and did remarkably well, but I have precisely zero interest in being a lawyer. Just because you do well on the test, it doesn't mean it's what you should do with the rest of your life.

Also, no one gives a flying fck about QR. It is hands-down the least important section of the DAT.

yet it is included in the AA, which is highly important right? i remember seeing an excel sheet showing how certain dental schools rated each section in terms of importance [on a scale of 1-4]. some schools rated it a 2 [i think usc, which would be my #1 choice, rated it a 2 as well??]. i can't find that sheet anymore =/

also, i know several ppl who have gotten/are getting their letters of rec from family/friends. i think it happens more often than you think. a majority of the people i know have gotten their letters of rec from friends actually. i had three letters of rec from pharmacists -- one from a cousin and two from a couple of family friends. lol .__.

seriously though, why would i put myself at a disadvantage if i didn't have to? it might be somewhat dishonest, but that's less important than me being dishonest to potential patients i would have. if i were a dentist, i would do my job with the kind of quality most people would expect.

 

[Msmouth]

I agree with you to a point.

However, you probably won't make it through dental school if you care that little about patients and your own skills.

You can be very good at something without being passionate about it. For example, I can fix almost any problem with any car made but I don't like working on cars. But, if a friend came to me to help fix his car I would and that car would be fixed properly and I would get satisfaction over helping my friend.


Additionally, if you suck at being a dentist and you somehow make it through school, you will not stay in business as no one wants to have a sucky dentist and the problem with take care of it self.

Actually not true.....I've seen a ton of horrible dentists that are busy and successful. I worked a short time for one, his crowns were the worst I have ever seen. He often left decay undiagnosed and suggested patients use a toothpaste to 'help' them.
Another dentist left decay undiagnosed and the patient needed a root canal at his subsequent visit. The decay was evident on a film from a year prior.
There's more but I'll leave it at that.

 

[doc toothache]

Apparently, pretty "passionate" about yanking chains.

 

[sacapuntas]

That is ridiculous, I stand corrected that a crappy dentist can practice for a long period of time.

Actually not true.....I've seen a ton of horrible dentists that are busy and successful. I worked a short time for one, his crowns were the worst I have ever seen. He often left decay undiagnosed and suggested patients use a toothpaste to 'help' them.
Another dentist left decay undiagnosed and the patient needed a root canal at his subsequent visit. The decay was evident on a film from a year prior.
There's more but I'll leave it at that.

 

[yappy]

OP: Look into the career path of pharmacy where you work for the VA.

If you're looking for stability and good hours hnag with me in my logic.

As a pharmacist you get a job with the VA earning ~110k with raises in the future. Your debt is much lower than what it would be if you went to dental school and you dont have to stress about owning a practice. You will also be eligible for federal retirement and health benifits. Not bad huh?

 

[babybull]

OP: Look into the career path of pharmacy where you work for the VA.

If you're looking for stability and good hours hnag with me in my logic.

As a pharmacist you get a job with the VA earning ~110k with raises in the future. Your debt is much lower than what it would be if you went to dental school and you dont have to stress about owning a practice. You will also be eligible for federal retirement and health benifits. Not bad huh?

my question is: will there be any positions left with the VA?! currently there are 120 pharmacy schools or so, and if i were to graduate in 2016, by then around 50,000 new pharmacists will have entered the market. the numbers are looking really grim. i've been reading articles and opinions on the outlook of pharmacy jobs for the past year and there is no doubt that the profession is getting worse in terms of saturation.

five years ago, pharmacy was perfect. great pay, great hours, tons of jobs, bonuses, etc. a very close aunt of mine has been a hospital pharmacist for over 20 years now, and she was able to afford a home in the same neighborhood where barry bonds lived for a time [i used to visit his house for halloween!] as well as another football player. she had the chance to visit so many countries with all her vacation time, pay, etc. etc. man, i wish i could do the same! lol 😛

 

[babybull]

Apparently, pretty "passionate" about yanking chains.

nice! found the excel sheets! 😛 thnx.

 

[veggieheadgeek]

yet it is included in the AA, which is highly important right? i remember seeing an excel sheet showing how certain dental schools rated each section in terms of importance [on a scale of 1-4]. some schools rated it a 2 [i think usc, which would be my #1 choice, rated it a 2 as well??]. i can't find that sheet anymore =/

also, i know several ppl who have gotten/are getting their letters of rec from family/friends. i think it happens more often than you think. a majority of the people i know have gotten their letters of rec from friends actually. i had three letters of rec from pharmacists -- one from a cousin and two from a couple of family friends. lol .__.

seriously though, why would i put myself at a disadvantage if i didn't have to? it might be somewhat dishonest, but that's less important than me being dishonest to potential patients i would have. if i were a dentist, i would do my job with the kind of quality most people would expect.

As a fabulous drag queen one emoted:

1. AA is not a straight average of your scores; sections are weighted differently. QR holds the least weight, so while it will boost the AA, it won't be by more than probably 1 or 2 points. I have heard literally verbatim from several deans of admission that QR doesn't matter as long as you get above a 16.
2. I don't care that "other people" get letters from family members. It is dishonest, wrong, and blatantly disallowed. I have three family members who are dentists - with different last names - but I didn't think for a second about asking them for a letter. I have shadowed other dentists who I knew would have wonderful things to say about me with no embellishment that a family member would almost certainly add.
3. As someone else said, if fast money is what you're after, become an actuary. Since USC is your top choice (which btw...lolwut), you can expect to be in debt at least until you're 30.
4. You will get read to filth in an interview.

 

[babybull]

As a fabulous drag queen one emoted:

1. AA is not a straight average of your scores; sections are weighted differently. QR holds the least weight, so while it will boost the AA, it won't be by more than probably 1 or 2 points. I have heard literally verbatim from several deans of admission that QR doesn't matter as long as you get above a 16.
2. I don't care that "other people" get letters from family members. It is dishonest, wrong, and blatantly disallowed. I have three family members who are dentists - with different last names - but I didn't think for a second about asking them for a letter. I have shadowed other dentists who I knew would have wonderful things to say about me with no embellishment that a family member would almost certainly add.
3. As someone else said, if fast money is what you're after, become an actuary. Since USC is your top choice (which btw...lolwut), you can expect to be in debt at least until you're 30.
4. You will get read to filth in an interview.

2. most letter writers certainly have wonderful things to say of a student. check out surveys on google. many writers claimed they wouldn't write negative descriptions of a student even if they thought those descriptions had merit.

4. i plan on getting lucky. that's the name of the gameeeeeeeee =]

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

Dude, that's pathetic that you don't have anyone other than family members to write you letters of recommendations.

 

[babybull]

Dude, that's pathetic that you don't have anyone other than family members to write you letters of recommendations.

it's not even that. i've actually tried shadowing a pharmacist, but the impression i got was that he was a busy guy and thus wouldn't be too ecstatic about writing a letter for me [owned his own pharmacy]. i could've tried to shadow another pharmacist and have asked for a letter, but that would be wasting my own time. i try to be respectful of another person's time.

my cousin willingly wrote one for me.

it's not like letters of rec should be taken so seriously anyways. i think they have little merit. i'm sure adcoms see the same thing over and over again: "blah blah was great and etc. etc.". lol. the interviews give them a better chance of knowing us and our intentions. that's why they offer interviews.

be easy on yourself.

 

[ta11geese3]

i don't know. my passion is being at home/having my own free time and having the financial ability to travel here and there. i'm not really looking for a career i am passionate about because i doubt that there is actually a career i'm passionate about.

I don't think you need to have a passion for it. I don't think most of us have a passion for drilling teeth exactly. I do believe that most of us can see ourselves doing this for the next few decades or so because we like to work with our hands and interact with others. And of course it helps that the pay is good and the hours are flexible. That is, dentistry fits us.

I sure don't have a passion for dentistry, but after this whole application process I've definitely convinced myself this is what I want to do 😀

I know some dentists that only work a few days a week. It depends on the practice (and how much money you want to make lol). And then there's always the option of being successful enough after some time to own several practices, and simply hire other dentists while you stay home...

 

[futuretxdds]

1. AA is not a straight average of your scores; sections are weighted differently. QR holds the least weight, so while it will boost the AA, it won't be by more than probably 1 or 2 points. I have heard literally verbatim from several deans of admission that QR doesn't matter as long as you get above a 16.

This is wrong. The AA, as per the ADA website, is literally the average of your QR, RC, BIO, GC, and OC scores. Sure, some adcoms don't care about the QR section, but it DOES play into your academic average just as strongly as the other sections.

 

[Dentman218]

Don't go for a career that your not going to like. You could be a truck driver in North Dakota and have no debt and make 120,000 a year. Don't go for the money there are many many many other things to do to make good money.

 

[dentalWorks]

How good would this look to dental school admissions? I'm currently pre-pharm and have interviewed at a couple of pharmacy schools [i'm waiting to hear back], but lately i've been playing with the idea of applying to dental schools this summer. i don't really have a passion for pharmacy or dentistry, but i would think i have a passion for getting a stable career with sound pay and regular hours. pharmacy is on shaky ground...

i've taken the practice DAT on the ADA website, and I got a 40/40 on the QR reasoning section. I also did extremely well on the bio and pat sections, but performed average on the gen chem and org chem sections [20 on each]. i teach SAT Math five days/week so i'm sure if i took the actual DAT, my QR score would be close to my PT score. i have also been teaching ap bio and ap chem weekly for almost a year now.

if you guys/girls were in my shoes, would you go for dental school because you were scoring superbly on the DAT [23/24], ASSUMING that you don't have a passion for any other good-paying profession? lol.

I am not going to judge your reasoning for picking dentistry (or pharm or medicine, or whatever you like), everyone has their own reasons....

Personally, if your scoring that high on the DAT then im pretty sure you can make it into DS, HOWEVER, since money is soo important to you, have you considered the fact that many dental schools these days cost in the upwards of 400k+ (with a 7% interest rate). To make thing worse, many newly graduate GPs aren't swining the "high life" incomes you tend to see with the older/more experienced dentists. So keep this in mind, Finishing DS with 400k debt will put a good choke on your life-style for (I am guessing) 5-10 years after graduation, but eventually, you'll enjoy a decent income... keep this in mind

These days, many newly graduate GPs are earning between 90-140-ish K a year (some make more, some less, but this range is reasonable for new graduate in most zip codes)

 

[doc toothache]

This is wrong. The AA, as per the ADA website, is literally the average of your QR, RC, BIO, GC, and OC scores. Sure, some adcoms don't care about the QR section, but it DOES play into your academic average just as strongly as the other sections.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=657139

 

[toothexplore]

if i had followed my dreams for something i was truly passionate about i'd be on the streets drawing pictures for nobody

if youre intelligent and can see yourself being a dentist, then go for it

 

[euphaire]

my cousin willingly wrote one for me.

Yup, happens quite often. My several "friends" did it (with family members or just family dentists who willingly lied about their shadowing hours). I also overheard people proudly talking about it while waiting to take the Canadian DAT in Toronto a few months ago. Sad.

 

[futuretxdds]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=657139

I saw this thread a while ago, and yes, SOME schools may have an internal system of how they look at separate scores, but your AA is still technically an average of all five scores and in many cases is the first number schools look at.

Schools like UTHSCSA clearly post on their website a "management model score" that is part of their admissions criteria, and their MMS is (science GPA x (DAT AA/30 x 4)) + Overall GPA) x 50.

Note that this score doesn't take into account your separate scores but simply what your AA is -- so obviously your QR counts just as much as any other section since it's 1/5 of your AA. And this sort of formula isn't unique to UTHSCSA -- I know of other schools that use similar formulas as well.

 

[Adamsswag]

How good would this look to dental school admissions? I'm currently pre-pharm and have interviewed at a couple of pharmacy schools [i'm waiting to hear back], but lately i've been playing with the idea of applying to dental schools this summer. i don't really have a passion for pharmacy or dentistry, but i would think i have a passion for getting a stable career with sound pay and regular hours. pharmacy is on shaky ground...

i've taken the practice DAT on the ADA website, and I got a 40/40 on the QR reasoning section. I also did extremely well on the bio and pat sections, but performed average on the gen chem and org chem sections [20 on each]. i teach SAT Math five days/week so i'm sure if i took the actual DAT, my QR score would be close to my PT score. i have also been teaching ap bio and ap chem weekly for almost a year now.

if you guys/girls were in my shoes, would you go for dental school because you were scoring superbly on the DAT [23/24], ASSUMING that you don't have a passion for any other good-paying profession? lol.

If I were in your shoes I would be asking myself how I would let this thread influence any career decision you make. My advice is pick a decision and just stick with it.

 

[Seamonkey Doc]

How good would this look to dental school admissions? I'm currently pre-pharm and have interviewed at a couple of pharmacy schools [i'm waiting to hear back], but lately i've been playing with the idea of applying to dental schools this summer. i don't really have a passion for pharmacy or dentistry, but i would think i have a passion for getting a stable career with sound pay and regular hours. pharmacy is on shaky ground...

i've taken the practice DAT on the ADA website, and I got a 40/40 on the QR reasoning section. I also did extremely well on the bio and pat sections, but performed average on the gen chem and org chem sections [20 on each]. i teach SAT Math five days/week so i'm sure if i took the actual DAT, my QR score would be close to my PT score. i have also been teaching ap bio and ap chem weekly for almost a year now.

if you guys/girls were in my shoes, would you go for dental school because you were scoring superbly on the DAT [23/24], ASSUMING that you don't have a passion for any other good-paying profession? lol.

To answer your original question, no. If I were in your shoes, I would not pick a career solely based on my test results. You don't have to squeal with excitement at the site of teeth or the mention of root canals, but you have to at least like what you're doing. This is a four year investment in schools we're talking about (expensive schools by the way, esp if you go private). After that, it's decades of doing something that you are not "passionate" about. Look, every career has its pros and cons, so does dentistry. And what if dentistry also touches the "shaky ground" that pharmacy is on?

PS: Shadowing family members is one thing but LOR's from family members is kind of lame.

 

[babybull]

To answer your original question, no. If I were in your shoes, I would not pick a career solely based on my test results. You don't have to squeal with excitement at the site of teeth or the mention of root canals, but you have to at least like what you're doing. This is a four year investment in schools we're talking about (expensive schools by the way, esp if you go private). After that, it's decades of doing something that you are not "passionate" about. Look, every career has its pros and cons, so does dentistry. And what if dentistry also touches the "shaky ground" that pharmacy is on?

PS: Shadowing family members is one thing but LOR's from family members is kind of lame.

30 years ago, there were about 70 pharmacy schools. today, there are 120 with 26 having opened within the last 6 years; more are set to open within the next few years. i think there are 61 dental schools. ofc it would be helpful to have a better perspective of these numbers, but the numbers by themselves are scary enough. google pharmacy job outlook/browse the pharmacy forums on sdn and you would grow even more worried if you were going for pharmacy.

at least, if i go for dentistry and finish dental school, i would probably have "my foot in the door." with pharmacy, most likely i'll have trouble just getting my foot in the door

 

[Msmouth]

It sounds like you already made your mind up, no to pharmacy.
Do you like people? You will be dealing with all kinds of personalities. People that generally hate the dentist, unruly children (working on a moving target).....don't forget occasional vomit. Many patients need to build trust in their dentist before agreeing to a treatment plan, others never trust and feel you are just in it for the money. Are you prepared for a potential lawsuit.....just saying, statistically most dentists experience this or the threat of this at least once in their career (I read this somewhere). Do you think you're the type of person that can basically sell snow to an eskimo or at least build a rapport with patients? If so then maybe you're on the right track.

 

[doc toothache]

Schools like UTHSCSA clearly post on their website a "management model score" that is part of their admissions criteria, and their MMS is (science GPA x (DAT AA/30 x 4)) + Overall GPA) x 50.

There has never been any doubt that AA is king while TS has the honorary function of queen. The other scores may come under scrutiny when dealing with applicants that are on the cusp. In the case of the SA formula, what it basically does is to consider the sgpa as 4 times more important than the ogpa. The DAT score at 30 has no impact as a multiplying factor and any value short of the perfect score results in a smaller multiplying factor.

 

[Seamonkey Doc]

It sounds like you already made your mind up, no to pharmacy.
Do you like people? You will be dealing with all kinds of personalities. People that generally hate the dentist, unruly children (working on a moving target).....don't forget occasional vomit. Many patients need to build trust in their dentist before agreeing to a treatment plan, others never trust and feel you are just in it for the money. Are you prepared for a potential lawsuit.....just saying, statistically most dentists experience this or the threat of this at least once in their career (I read this somewhere). Do you think you're the type of person that can basically sell snow to an eskimo or at least build a rapport with patients? If so then maybe you're on the right track.

+1
Another thing to keep in mind is how well you can work with your hands, especially in small areas. There's a section on the AADSAS application that asks about this and it may even come up in interviews.

I'm not sure what the point of this thread is either if you already made up your mind.