A URM

[MaxwelltheDentist]

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Is Egyptian-Sudanese American considered as a URM? Do you think I have a better chance of being accepted to Meharry? I have an 18 AA, 19 PAT, 20 TS, 21 BIO, 15 RC, 14 QR, 23 OC, and 17 GC? What about Howard? My mom is from Egypt and my dad is from Sudan.

 

[Faux]

Bio and RC are pretty low, URM or not. Still time to study and take it again.

 

[MaxwelltheDentist]

Bio and RC are pretty low, URM or not. Still time to study and take it again.

My BIO is a 21. My RC is a 15. My QR is a 14.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Good luck with your retake

 

[deleted696582]

Is Egyptian-Sudanese American considered as a URM?

Sudan and Eygpt are located in Africa, so you could check the African American category in whatever application materials ask about it. So yes, you would be an URM.

I'd retake the DAT though. Some schools have cutoffs for certain scores, and RC is considered very important by most schools.

Edit: turns out the US Census Bureau classifies North Africans (such as Egyptians and Sudanese people) white. That makes them technically not an URM.

 

[MaxwelltheDentist]

Sudan and Eygpt are located in Africa, so you could check the African American category in whatever application materials ask about it. So yes, you would be an URM.

I'd retake the DAT though. Some schools have cutoffs for certain scores, and RC is considered very important by most schools.

USC- I can assume strict cutoff a 15 on each section, but with my second retake my QR was a 17.
Marquette - cutoff(not strict cutoff) is at 15.
Meharry - no cutoff but competitiveness is 17 AA and 17 TS.
UDM- cutoff( not strict cutoff) at 19, 20 to be competitive in science sections( My GC after second retake was a 22)

 

[deleted696582]

USC- I can assume strict cutoff a 15 on each section, but with my second retake my QR was a 17.
Marquette - cutoff(not strict cutoff) is at 15.
Meharry - no cutoff but competitiveness is 17 AA and 17 TS.
UDM- cutoff( not strict cutoff) at 19, 20 to be competitive in science sections( My GC after second retake was a 22)

Your 18 AA is competitive at Meharry, and average at Howard (according to the 2015 ADEA Guide). It's the RC score that will probably hold you back at those two. And whether or not Meharry and Howard will consider it, I doubt any other dental school will take a 15 RC.

 

[MaxwelltheDentist]

Your 18 AA is competitive at Meharry, and average at Howard (according to the 2015 ADEA Guide). It's the RC score that will probably hold you back at those two. And whether or not Meharry and Howard will consider it, I doubt any other dental school will take a 15 RC.

I meet the RC cutoff for USC and Marquette, so why retake?

 

[711769]

USC- I can assume strict cutoff a 15 on each section, but with my second retake my QR was a 17.
Marquette - cutoff(not strict cutoff) is at 15.
Meharry - no cutoff but competitiveness is 17 AA and 17 TS.
UDM- cutoff( not strict cutoff) at 19, 20 to be competitive in science sections( My GC after second retake was a 22)

OP, what is your GPA?

 

[deleted696582]

I meet the RC cutoff for USC and Marquette, so why retake?

Because DAT score cutoffs aren't indicative of what schools are looking for. Cutoffs are a way to filter out applications.

 

[MaxwelltheDentist]

OP, what is your GPA?

What does OP means or stands for? My gpa in undergrad is a 2.8 and my masters after this summer is going to be 3.4, but by the academic update period my gpa in masters will be pulled to a 3.5.

 

[MaxwelltheDentist]

Because DAT score cutoffs aren't indicative of what schools are looking for. Cutoffs are a way to filter out applications.

The actual class profile for Marquette has stats for AA and PAT, not RC. USC profile class has for AA, PAT, and TS, not RC so its hard to tell. Meharry has AA only.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

The actual class profile for Marquette has stats for AA and PAT, not RC. USC profile class has for AA, PAT, and TS, not RC so its hard to tell. Meharry has AA only.

No matter how URM you are, it is extremely likely that you will not be getting in anywhere with a 15 RC and 14 QR You can spend all day looking at class profiles but you still need a retake

 

[Likkriue]

Sudan and Eygpt are located in Africa, so you could check the African American category in whatever application materials ask about it. So yes, you would be an URM.

I'd retake the DAT though. Some schools have cutoffs for certain scores, and RC is considered very important by most schools.

Folks from North Africa are actually considered. White. Crazy I know. Literally comes down to how black you look.

 

[deleted696582]

Folks from North Africa are actually considered. White. Crazy I know. Literally comes down to how black you look.

Wow I just read up on how the US Census Bureau categorizes people. Sudan and Egypt are North African countries, so their inhabitants are considered white. Apologies for the misinformation.

According to the US Census Bureau, @MaxwelltheDentist is white based on the info he provided, and is thus not an URM. But ultimately it's the RC score that matters.

 

[deleted696582]

Folks from North Africa are actually considered. White. Crazy I know. Literally comes down to how black you look.

I wonder if a dental school would challenge someone who is North African by heritage, but checked African American on their application?

 

[MaxwelltheDentist]

I wonder if a dental school would challenge someone who is North African by heritage, but checked African American on their application?

BTW I retook my DATs the third time.

 

[wengerout]

URM or not, you need to retake. URM doesn't give a pass for low scores.


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[MaxwelltheDentist]

URM or not, you need to retake. URM doesn't give a pass for low scores.


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15 RC means I need to retake?

 

[wengerout]

15 RC means I need to retake?

Yes.


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[jsm458]

I'm pretty sure you can get permission to take the DAT a fourth time under certain circumstances

 

[Faux]

A car will not bring you happiness, only unnecessary debt.

15 RC means I need to retake?

Yes.


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I think I remember reading about some individuals who applied to howard/meharry with low RC scores and got in. Obviously not ideal though and a big gamble. Who knows though.

I would apply but also plan to it again and send in those scores. I'm sure its incredibly frustrating getting low scores on one or two subjects and being fine with everything else. I pushed back my exam almost 4 months just for QR alone. Everything was ready except for that. Had to relearn a subject I always had trouble with, had to get better with time, had to get better with nerves. Honestly, maybe one or two times in dental school has been as hard as that particular time in my life. So I sympathize with you, I really do.

 

[OntheCusp2016]

I think I remember reading about some individuals who applied to howard/meharry with low RC scores and got in. Obviously not ideal though and a big gamble. Who knows though.

I would apply but also plan to it again and send in those scores. I'm sure its incredibly frustrating getting low scores on one or two subjects and being fine with everything else. I pushed back my exam almost 4 months just for QR alone. Everything was ready except for that. Had to relearn a subject I always had trouble with, had to get better with time, had to get better with nerves. Honestly, maybe one or two times in dental school has been as hard as that particular time in my life. So I sympathize with you, I really do.

Apologies if this is too personal, but may I ask what in dental school was as difficult?

 

[Faux]

Apologies if this is too personal, but may I ask what in dental school was as difficult?

Pouring up diagnostic casts and cross mounting .

Its funny saying that but it was really draining. Two week process, with everyone else fumbling at the start. I did countless casts.

To be fair though, I've had some significant family issues since finals of D1 fall and hasn't really gone away since. So my stress tolerance for school is extremely high now.

 

[TheBigN89]

Oh darn! You aren't actually a URM. Looks like you can't exploit that as an excuse for a poor DAT score.

 

[Craig_Sherwood234]

Don't expect a pass merely on the happenstance of the nationality of your parents.

Regardless, your scores don't even meet the cut-offs at some schools. Retake. If you want to become a healthcare professional, there are no shortcuts. You are subject to the same standards as everyone else.

 

[MaxwelltheDentist]

Don't expect a pass merely on the happenstance of the nationality of your parents.

Regardless, your scores don't even meet the cut-offs at some schools. Retake. If you want to become a healthcare professional, there are no shortcuts. You are subject to the same standards as everyone else.

USC has a cutoff at 15 and so as Florida. I heard that QR does not mean that much.

 

[deleted696582]

@Faux gave some good advice above. I think I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but just because a 15 in RC passes a school's cutoff, it's very unlikely you'll get interviews there, or anywhere other than Howard and Meharry. You are right that people with low QR scores have got in before, but even then, some schools consider QR "somewhat important" according to this survey (Ranking of DAT/Other Selection Criteria by US DS). Most schools consider RC to be "very important".

It's true that Meharry and Howard enroll much larger percentages of African American students compared to other schools, as noted in the 2015 ADEA Guide and this post ("Affirmative Action"-The Myth Behind the Impact on ds Admission.). However, we determined earlier that your heritage technically does not grant you URM status, so you wouldn't have any perceived advantage unless you want to indicate URM and hope schools don't challenge you.

It sounds like you are looking for reasons to apply to all of these schools, so if you want to spend your money on some applications, by all means, go for it. We're all just letting you know that it would be a better use of your time and money retaking the DAT due to the RC score. Best of luck with whatever you choose.