advice for the next cycle

[june_sp]

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I need some help here..

I have been rejected from 2 schools, landed 1 interview (which I have next week), and still waiting on another school. I honestly think I won't be able to get accepted this cycle, and I need your input as to why you think I was rejected and how I could improve on my application.

applied early Oct
nontrad applicant -many years out of school
24AA 25TS 25PAT
3.8+ cum GPA
Research experience: volunteered as a RA throughout the undergrad, did an independent summer research project for scholarship and was awarded for that
EC: treasurer in an art club, active member of a cultural organization, and members of various other organizations
Volunteer: at a hospital in high school, at a health fair one time, and currently volunteering as a teacher at my church
Work: nearly 5 yrs of dental assisting, 1+ yrs of tutoring high schools kids, waitressing and other retail jobs


I actually called the schools that rejected me to find out why and one of them told me that the time of applying was the major deciding factor. This I understand, but when I had called the other school, he told me he could not tell me the exact reason why I was rejected but he can tell me what they are looking for. He said they were looking for someone with not just a great DAT and GPA but someone who is well rounded, and they also look at the supplemental and letters of recommendation letters, basically the whole application. I am not sure if he was trying to tell me whether I was not a well-rounded applicant. I do feel that I have not achieved anything impressive outside academics, but I do consider myself a well-rounded applicant. Is my self-perception off (although I know I'm only giving you very limited info here)? How do you think I can improve on my application now?

 

[HopefulDMD88]

Your GPA/DAT are stellar; late application is obviously going to hurt you (but you know that).

Also, you say you are "many years out of school". How many is many? Pre-requisite classes can expire (10+ years is around this expiration), and some schools need proof that you can get the high grades currently, not just years ago. Food for thought.

 

[Member902507]

Your stats are great! Good luck with your interview next week and be confident! Don't be nervous or anything, just be nice, calm, confident and collected. They invited you so they obviously like you! Try to talk about how you are unique, yourself, or how your application is more unique than others. Obviously the non-trad app part is good, but let's just say you were the same age as everybody else, what experiences do you have that will set you a part from others? Now, your being out of school for a long time can actually help you because I'm sure you've encountered multiple situations that are far different than other people, especially other people who are still in school. (I'm hoping this makes sense...)

My main point is: show how diverse you are, how there will be no other student like you in their class if they choose to accept you, which essentially makes you a "rare commodity" and more highly coveted. Best of luck, and make sure you go over the interview feedback and you've done THOROUGH research on the school!! I hope you get in to your top choice! 🙂

 

[june_sp]

Your GPA/DAT are stellar; late application is obviously going to hurt you (but you know that).

Also, you say you are "many years out of school". How many is many? Pre-requisite classes can expire (10+ years is around this expiration), and some schools need proof that you can get the high grades currently, not just years ago. Food for thought.

Thanks for the reply. It's been 5 yrs out of undergrad, but I took some graduate level science courses 3 yrs ago. I feel my recent DAT score (Aug '12) was enough to prove that I can still perform well in the academia. But obviously, something is still lacking in my application. I can't figure out exactly what though..

 

[Swoops]

Having similar problems. Lack of response from over 10 schools. My stats aren't nearly as good as yours, but I still would consider myself competitive. I personally think that applying late killed us both. If I have to reapply I will be submitting the first week.

 

[june_sp]

Your stats are great! Good luck with your interview next week and be confident! Don't be nervous or anything, just be nice, calm, confident and collected. They invited you so they obviously like you! Try to talk about how you are unique, yourself, or how your application is more unique than others. Obviously the non-trad app part is good, but let's just say you were the same age as everybody else, what experiences do you have that will set you a part from others? Now, your being out of school for a long time can actually help you because I'm sure you've encountered multiple situations that are far different than other people, especially other people who are still in school. (I'm hoping this makes sense...)

My main point is: show how diverse you are, how there will be no other student like you in their class if they choose to accept you, which essentially makes you a "rare commodity" and more highly coveted. Best of luck, and make sure you go over the interview feedback and you've done THOROUGH research on the school!! I hope you get in to your top choice! 🙂

Thanks for your encouraging words! 😳 I guess at this point it's important for me to focus on the upcoming interview rather than think about the next cycle of application.

 

[june_sp]

Having similar problems. Lack of response from over 10 schools. My stats aren't nearly as good as yours, but I still would consider myself competitive. I personally think that applying late killed us both. If I have to reapply I will be submitting the first week.

Did you try calling those schools?

I didn't think applying at the beginning of Oct was considered that late, but apparently the competitiveness of the applicant pool is not like what I thought it was before. Yeah, if I have to apply again this summer, I'll def apply early. The problem is, I don't know how else I can improve on my application between now and this summer.

Well, I hope you hear from other schools. Best of luck!

 

[Member902507]

Thanks for your encouraging words! 😳 I guess at this point it's important for me to focus on the upcoming interview rather than think about the next cycle of application.

Yes, precisely! The game isn't over yet!!

 

[Swoops]

Did you try calling those schools?

I didn't think applying at the beginning of Oct was considered that late, but apparently the competitiveness of the applicant pool is not like what I thought it was before. Yeah, if I have to apply again this summer, I'll def apply early. The problem is, I don't know how else I can improve on my application between now and this summer.

Well, I hope you hear from other schools. Best of luck!

I have tried calling the schools and they generally say the same thing. That there are a TON of application for them to look over and that this year has been very competitive. That there is still a lot of time left in a very unpredictable process. So be patient with them.

 

[hungrydentist]

I need some help here..

I have been rejected from 2 schools, landed 1 interview (which I have next week), and still waiting on another school. I honestly think I won't be able to get accepted this cycle, and I need your input as to why you think I was rejected and how I could improve on my application.

applied early Oct
nontrad applicant -many years out of school
24AA 25TS 25PAT
3.8+ cum GPA
Research experience: volunteered as a RA throughout the undergrad, did an independent summer research project for scholarship and was awarded for that
EC: treasurer in an art club, active member of a cultural organization, and members of various other organizations
Volunteer: at a hospital in high school, at a health fair one time, and currently volunteering as a teacher at my church
Work: nearly 5 yrs of dental assisting, 1+ yrs of tutoring high schools kids, waitressing and other retail jobs


I actually called the schools that rejected me to find out why and one of them told me that the time of applying was the major deciding factor. This I understand, but when I had called the other school, he told me he could not tell me the exact reason why I was rejected but he can tell me what they are looking for. He said they were looking for someone with not just a great DAT and GPA but someone who is well rounded, and they also look at the supplemental and letters of recommendation letters, basically the whole application. I am not sure if he was trying to tell me whether I was not a well-rounded applicant. I do feel that I have not achieved anything impressive outside academics, but I do consider myself a well-rounded applicant. Is my self-perception off (although I know I'm only giving you very limited info here)? How do you think I can improve on my application now?

Just curious, how many schools did you apply to? Just 4? I'm assuming with those scores you applied mainly top tier schools. If it comes down to it (and of course I hope this will not be the case considering you'll probably kill that interview), why not apply more broadly next cycle, if you haven't done so this cycle?

 

[12Raiders]

i think you should apply early. Also maybe think about taking some more recent courses.

 

[CedarZ4]

Unless OP mentioned it and I missed it since I skimmed the thread, what was your sGPA/BCP? This could be a deciding factor. While a 3.8cGPA is very admirable, if it is not in the science or if OP's sGPA is significantly lower, can be a reason he is not getting more interviews. While a high DAT score does show his ability to perform and knowledge in the sciences, his GPA still plays a big role in his application.