Advice for the applicants who are rushing to get their apps in...

[Doctor McLovin]

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I hardly contribute anything positive in this forum but I wanted to drop some knowledge for the current applicants who are rushing to get their apps in.

APPLYING EARLY IS OVERRATED.

What's more important is having a solid application. If your DAT is 20 or above, then go ahead playa submit your app and be done with it. However, if your DAT is 19 or below, study and retake the god damn test. We all know that the DAT is a content based test, especially the TS portion. If you put in the time, your score will go up. Applying in June is not gonna save you from having sorry ass stats. Your GPA is already done and over with but your DAT, that's all under your control. Applying early certainly helps, but not as much as if you were pro-active and took matters into your own hands by raising your DAT score a point or two. I applied early November and was accepted to the most competitive schools with the exception of Harvard.

I eagerly wait for doc toothache to come in and post a reply with link to his precious late application bs chart, which was made with sources from predents.com Stop misleading people with ridiculous inaccurate and skewed charts. The only thing useful you've ever posted was the facts and numbers from the ADEA book for the people who didn't wanna pay for the thing.

 

[Tsrshorty]

even if you have to retake you can submit early...you dont have to wait till after you take the test to submit your app.

 

[doc toothache]

I hardly contribute anything positive in this forum but I wanted to drop some knowledge for the current applicants who are rushing to get their apps in.

Your record remains intact.

 

[yuppers]

You record remains intact.

 

[nydds25]

OP is true. I studied all summer long and took the DAT sept 1. Aced it and applied mid Sept. Ended up with 15 interviews and multiple ivy acceptances.

 

[adizzle87]

I have to say that I agree with you on what you said about the DAT. There you pretty much are given the freedom to take as much time as you need to kill it....that is much more effective than applying in June with low scores or spending that time to get in 1000 hours of community service....instead you could be learning ways to destroy the DAT. ADCOMs always look for people with personality, but its important to emphasize that they look for people with good stats and good personalities before looking at their lower-stat counterparts....as sad as that may be

 

[Doctor McLovin]

You record remains intact.

I cracked a smile, nice one 👍

 

[Oracle DMD]

if you're on the fence stat wise, apply as early as possible, then retake the dat. so lets say you stats are just a bit low and you apply early, your app is 1 of 1500. apply late and its 1 of 3000 now. almost nothing good can come from applying later that wouldn't have come with an earlier app. if you're a number stud then why are asking for advice on here? grow a pair and apply when ever you get around to it already.

 

[Doctor McLovin]

Applying early and then taking the DAT later would work but only if you've never taken the DAT. If you have taken the DAT, then your app WILL be complete and it WILL be reviewed and you WILL get reject with the 19. So hold off the app for three months, raise that DAT to 21, and you'll be golden.

 

[Oracle DMD]

Applying early and then taking the DAT later would work but only if you've never taken the DAT. If you have taken the DAT, then your app WILL be complete and it WILL be reviewed and you WILL get reject with the 19. So hold off the app for three months, raise that DAT to 21, and you'll be golden.

that's not true at all. if you've taken the DAT and apply now, the school won't even see it till july or august (due to gpa verification needed to complete your app) giving you plenty of time to retake the test and notify the school w/ your updated scores. done and done.

 

[a1pha]

Ehhh.. this sorta does depend on the school too. Some schools like Marquette have awful admissions practices where their aadsas "deadline" is meaningless because they fill their interview slots literally months before. In an ideal world, admissions wouldn't be rolling so schools couldn't do that. I agree it's WAY more advantageous to apply in August-September like I did rather than rushing a half effort application in June but if your goal is getting into a certain school that is heavily biased toward early apps, it might be worth the risk to apply earlier and update your app later.

 

[Kneecoal]

how about we cut this thread down to one post that says "do everything as best you can as fast as you can."

eh?

 

[169745]

I kind of agree. Just looking viusally 20 looks better than 19. It is like breaking into another threshold. It might not technically mean much but the adcoms that are glancing over an app will see what stands out and what doesn't. 20 definitely puts you into a more competitive arena than a 19. The difference between a 21 and 20 isn't as much as the difference between a 19 and a 20 in terms of just the pure number in itself.

 

[jol2008]

Applying early and then taking the DAT later would work but only if you've never taken the DAT. If you have taken the DAT, then your app WILL be complete and it WILL be reviewed and you WILL get reject with the 19. So hold off the app for three months, raise that DAT to 21, and you'll be golden.

Schools require OFFICIAL DAT scores sent to them directly, meaning that if you don't request the scores, even though you have taken the exam, schools will not be able to access your DAT scores. Of course, you can include the unofficial scores in your AADSAS application, but schools will wait to receive your official scores. If you are planning to retake the exam after you submit your application and do not want to receive early rejection based on your first exam, just don't request your official scores sent to schools. Does that make sense?

 

[Irrizistuble]

Schools require OFFICIAL DAT scores sent to them directly, meaning that if you don't request the scores, even though you have taken the exam, schools will not be able to access your DAT scores. Of course, you can include the unofficial scores in your AADSAS application, but schools will wait to receive your official scores. If you are planning to retake the exam after you submit your application and do not want to receive early rejection based on your first exam, just don't request your official scores sent to schools. Does that make sense?

Uh, that sounds like awesome advice. I actually feel enlightened.

 

[sunvalley]

just don't request your official scores sent to schools. Does that make sense?

what do you mean?

 

[jol2008]

what do you mean?

If you are planning to retake the DAT after you submit your application, you can request your official scores after your second DAT. So your application is not denied based on the first set of scores. Besides, you won't have to pay twice to have your scores sent to your designated schools 😀.

 

[miedvied]

how about we cut this thread down to one post that says "do everything as best you can as fast as you can."

eh?

The only post in this thread containing universal truth. 👍



Beyond that, yes, everything is contextual. McLovin is correct that good and late is better than ****ty and early. I will leave it up to the useless people to try and quantify the boundary between "good" and "****ty," and "early" and "late."

 

[BaylorDDS]

This is assuming that your dat will improve. If it goes down or stays the same you are in a worse position than having applied early. So this is a case by case basis.

 

[smileforme31]

i would apply early even if you haven't taken the dats or are going to retake the dats. if you have a 19, the 19 stays with you whether u apply earlly or late. so i would, apply early and take the dat later if you want... like in august. who knows some school might consider you and put you on the side because ur overall app was good and wants to see how well u do on ur 2nd dat.

i really think you should apply early early.....

 

[armorshell]

Well, we wouldn't want anyone on SDN making unfounded statements masquerading as absolutisms or laws.

*cough*

I wanted to make this thread and challenge some of the group thinking that has plagued the SDN Pre-Dental forum. People have made unfounded statements, which was followed by more people quoting them and agreeing with them or repeating them. This has turned these theories into laws and anyone who doesn't follow them into idiots.

 

[doo2]

The DAT scores section is not mandatory in the AADSAS application.
Would it be okay that I leave it blank and submit to AADSAS, send the current scores AA/PAT 20/20 to schools, and then send the updated scores in the case that I do improve?
I just don't want to get turned down already because of my current scores

 

[doc toothache]

The DAT scores section is not mandatory in the AADSAS application.
Would it be okay that I leave it blank and submit to AADSAS, send the current scores AA/PAT 20/20 to schools, and then send the updated scores in the case that I do improve?
I just don't want to get turned down already because of my current scores

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=8239178#post8239178