3rd Year Applying Decision: NEED HELP!

[DentalMTL99]

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Hello everyone,

I have been reading the forum's for a long long time, but now decided finally to make the dive and post a message. I would really need advice on how to keep going to pursue my goal of getting into dentistry. I'll explain as much info about me below, so please reply with as much detail about your opinion on what I should do. Any feedback would be GREATLY appreciated. It will be my third year applying and I am not sure if I could go any further. Anyways, here is my information.

University = in Canada
Ethnic Background: White / Non-hispanic
Degrees = Major in Business & almost finished second major in Biology
Undergraduate GPA = 3.3 (Was 3.29 when I applied last year)
Science GPA = 3.32 (Was 3.16 when I applied last year)
Last 4 semesters (2 years) GPA = 3.51 with almost all science classes
DAT Score = 21 AA = 20 (Didn't change since last year as I didn't re-write)

Location: I am originally from Mass.

Shadowing Hours = 65 total hours shadowing at 3 different dental practices (roughly 20 / 20/ 25 hours)
Work Experience = Nothing relevant to dentistry
Volunteer / Other = Sport teams, environmental/sustainability groups, student clubs etc..


Again, any feedback would be GREATLY appreciated! I have been applying to 9-10 schools each year and have yet to get an interview. If you guys need anymore info please lemme know! The questions I would kinda like answers to are:

1) Do I have a shot with my current application?
2) Which part is hindering me the most? My DAT score or GPA? Aka if I tried the DAT again and got a 22 would that be enough?
3) Should I do a 1 year masters in the states? I have been doing undergrad courses for quite a while and now my courses don't move the needle anymore so its extremely difficult to raise my GPA...
4) How much shadowing experience should I have to be competitive?

Thank you very much in advance to anyone who helps me out!

 

[bing12]

what is the breakdown of your DAT? so you are a U.S citizen? what schools did you apply to? did you receive any interviews in the previous cycles, if so where?

 

[dentalWorks]

1) Do I have a shot with my current application?
2) Which part is hindering me the most? My DAT score or GPA? Aka if I tried the DAT again and got a 22 would that be enough?
3) Should I do a 1 year masters in the states? I have been doing undergrad courses for quite a while and now my courses don't move the needle anymore so its extremely difficult to raise my GPA...
4) How much shadowing experience should I have to be competitive?

1) shot yes.... but odds are against you. Canadian applicants tend to have a harder time (usually) even when they have stellar stats.

2) Is your DAT 21 or 20? I didn't understand what "21 = 20" meant. Anyways, I think your old 3.1 sGPA along with being a canadian applicant is what hurt you the most.

3) well, masters is your next (and only) option at this point because you are probably running out of undergrad courses anyways.... If you can get into a masters in the states and do well (above 3.5), I think it will significantly improve your odds.... And please know, I say this as a person who has no experience with masters so....

4) your shadowing is fine. Few dental schools require 100 hrs, but your 65 will be okay at most schools.



IMO, you only have 2 options:
1) you can apply this year with your current stats to 20+ schools, and HOPE (big time crossing fingers) you get in.... Either you apply to a great many schools, or don't apply at all.

2) Don't apply this year, enroll into a masters program in U.S.... and apply next year with a new masters GPA.


If money is no object (i.e grows on trees for you), you can do both options. If money is tight (such as the case with most of us), go with #2

 

[DentalMTL99]

Last 2 cycles I didn't get any interviews...... and I applied to about 9-10 schools.

Arizona
BU
Columbia
NYU
Temple
Tufts
Maryland
USC
University of the pacific arthur a dugoni school of dentistry
Virginia Commonweath University (VCU)

Organic = 19
Biology = 21
General Chemistry = 21
Quant = 22
Reading = 20
AA = 21

I am a US citizen with dual citizenship (CAN/US)

 

[bing12]

what is ur PAT score?

 

[DentalMTL99]

Oops, my PAT was a 20..... pretty consistent lol

 

[bing12]

deff DONT RETAKE your DAT with a 21AA, that would be very risky(in the chance you would get a worse score). Are you back in the U.S? Maybe you should take a few classes of postbacc at a U.S university. Are canadian schools looked down upon by U.S Dschools? I am not sure about this fact,can someone clear this up for me.

 

[DentalMTL99]

I am in Canada right now but my options are open.... I really don't know what to do!

- Redo the DAT (which I prob won't do as a 21 AA is pretty good)
-keep doing undergrad courses... Not much benefit for American schools since I won't be able to raise my GPA by much.
- go to the states and do a 1 year masters.... But that's like 50k! And no guarantee...

What about doing a 2 year masters in Canada and apply to dental after one year?? Do dental schools frown upon not finishing Ur masters to go to Dental school??? Reason being it is MUCH cheaper in Canada...

Also do American schools look at last 2 year GPA??? Reason being I have been in university 5 years now (two degrees) and my last two full years with all BIO classes my GPA has been 3.5...

Thx for anyone with their input!!!!!

 

[bing12]

tell us what possible red flags you may have, because your STATS tell us that you should have atleast gotten ONE interview. a 21 DAT score, and a 3.2 overall warrants IMO atleast one interview.
- do you have any criminal record?
- do you have an academic dishonesty mark on your record?

 

[DentalMTL99]

From my first year I have an academic dishonesty on my record ... (long story short it was a lab which I thought was a group lab but wasn't so when the prof saw our answers were the same.... Lol)

 

[bing12]

From my first year I have an academic dishonesty on my record ... (long story short it was a lab which I thought was a group lab but wasn't so when the prof saw our answers were the same.... Lol)

then that is it, because your stats alone are pretty good, your gpa is lower than the avg of accepted applicants, but your DAT I believe is good enough to land atleast one interview. How do you explain yourself on the application? Correct me if I am wrong, but is there an area where you explain why you have a mark of dishonesty in AADSAS?

 

[DentalMTL99]

Yeah there is 200 words where you can explain and I explained the situation... Apparently it is not on my official transcript but still shows on my unofficial transcript... So this year I was thinking of not mentioning it since it is supposed to be off...

Any other advice on what I can do???

 

[DentalMTL99]

bump

 

[lululime]

did you apply to other professional schools? Because I heard that schools can find out if you also applied to other programs like med, and if you do this makes you look less serious about dental school.

 

[DentalMTL99]

Nope I only applied to the same 9-10 dental schools both years.

What do you guys think of this?


There is a 1 year mcgill Masters of science in food science...... 3 terms in which it is a non-thesis program.

A) Do schools care that its not specifically a dental related science program? Aka I am not taking my dental seriously by doing another program unrelated...

B) Do schools care that it is not a 2 years masters program?

 

[dentalWorks]

Nope I only applied to the same 9-10 dental schools both years.

What do you guys think of this?


There is a 1 year mcgill Masters of science in food science...... 3 terms in which it is a non-thesis program.

A) Do schools care that its not specifically a dental related science program? Aka I am not taking my dental seriously by doing another program unrelated...

B) Do schools care that it is not a 2 years masters program?

I didn't do the masters option... but If I did, I woulda done it in something similar in biological sicnece (physiology, biochemistry, etc) to demonstrate that I can take upper level classes (similar to dental classes) and still do well.

Food science IMO doesn't satisfy such requirement

 

[DentalMTL99]

Yeah ideally I would want to do a program like you mentioned..... but if I were to offer you the following situation what would you do?

A) 50k for a program related to dentistry in the states (SMP) (So high because I would need to find room and board....)

B) A 3k program in Canada in a program like food service.....

 

[dentalWorks]

Yeah ideally I would want to do a program like you mentioned..... but if I were to offer you the following situation what would you do?

A) 50k for a program related to dentistry in the states (SMP) (So high because I would need to find room and board....)

B) A 3k program in Canada in a program like food service.....

Well... Is your goal to just have any masters degree or...
a masters degree that increase your chances at admission?

I'd do SMP.... Even though the 50k sucks, at least doing well in SMP has shown positive outcomes from previous members. A masters in food, I don't know anything about it and to be honest, it sounds like a waste of 1-2 years.