Am I screwed??

[Daheinah]

Hi all!
I discovered this site before I took the DAT (Thank God ) and I wanted to start off saying thank you all for all of your help and guidance during that stressful time!! All of your posts helped so much! Now onto the situation...
I was feeling pretty solid (not really solid) about my stats but then something happened and I was wondering if it will kill my chances. Here are my stats:
Biology major
Cum GPA: 3.9
Science GPA: 3.94
DAT
AA: 20
TS: 20
Bio: 22
OC: 19
GC: 19
RC: 23
QR: 17
PAT 17
I sent in my ADSAAS in July 5 and everything seemed to be going OK...until I got an email from my evaluation committee sponsor saying that he has some suggestions to my personal statement. I read that statement over a 1000 times and had others read it as well before I sent my ADSAAS but now I am really stressed. If my personal statement isn't up to par, am I basically screwed?? I have applied to OHSU (top pick...crossing fingers), UNLV, UCLA, Nebraska, and Colorado. I have shadowed for about 23 hours with my dentist and am adding about 6 hours a week. I am just really worried about that personal statement.
Thanks
Greg

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[jimbomcbean]

Yup. You're toast. I mean you've got weak stats to start out with, add in a botched personal statement and your situation is all but hopeless.

 

[jimbomcbean]

But really, just chill. I'm sure you're statement was fine. You've got great numbers and I bet they barely even look at your statement. It's easy to get stressed out right now, just try not to let it get to you. I would be willing to bet you don't see a single rejection. Everything's gonna be OK.

 

[Daheinah]

Thanks man, I always get ansy when it comes time for waiting, especially something as serious as Dental school admission. One of my pre-dental buddies told me that schools regard the personal statement as important as DAT, GPA, etc. Can a good interview negate a less-than stellar personal statement? I would assume that the personal statement serves to provide a brief glimpse of the person beyond the numbers...or lack thereof.
Thanks!

 

[The Musketeer]

Ya, don't worry about it too much. With your academic scores, it will be difficult for schools to overlook you! There is no right and wrong in a personal statement and the quality of the statement is dependent on the reader. The opinions of your evaluators do not necessary reflect the opinions of the adcoms. Even if your essay is less than perfect, you will definately at interviews to all the schools and you can make them forget about the essay by performing well in the interviews.

Good Luck!

 

[Daheinah]

Whew, that's definitely a stress reliever. Thanks all!

 

[aphistis]

Whew, that's definitely a stress reliever. Thanks all!

Take a deep breath and relax. If you're getting this worked up now, when you've barely started the process, you're going to give yourself an aneurysm when school actually starts.

 

[PERFECT3435]

Take a deep breath and relax. If you're getting this worked up now, when you've barely started the process, you're going to give yourself an aneurysm when school actually starts.

i am the perfect example of that

 

[45540]

well, so long as you have half a personality and can carry a conversation at an interview you should be fine. Not everything on your application can be perfect after all.

 

[PERFECT3435]

Hi all!
I discovered this site before I took the DAT (Thank God ) and I wanted to start off saying thank you all for all of your help and guidance during that stressful time!! All of your posts helped so much! Now onto the situation...
I was feeling pretty solid (not really solid) about my stats but then something happened and I was wondering if it will kill my chances. Here are my stats:
Biology major
Cum GPA: 3.9
Science GPA: 3.94
DAT
AA: 20
TS: 20
Bio: 22
OC: 19
GC: 19
RC: 23
QR: 17
PAT 17
I sent in my ADSAAS in July 5 and everything seemed to be going OK...until I got an email from my evaluation committee sponsor saying that he has some suggestions to my personal statement. I read that statement over a 1000 times and had others read it as well before I sent my ADSAAS but now I am really stressed. If my personal statement isn't up to par, am I basically screwed?? I have applied to OHSU (top pick...crossing fingers), UNLV, UCLA, Nebraska, and Colorado. I have shadowed for about 23 hours with my dentist and am adding about 6 hours a week. I am just really worried about that personal statement.
Thanks
Greg

i thought i always over worried myself.

 

[1FutureDDS]

Bs

 

[Rezdawg]

I love threads like this one...

Just under a 4.0 GPA, 20 AA, and asking if you are screwed....

If a student like you is screwed, that means that there are probably only 50 people in America that get into dental school.

 

[Daheinah]

Not true, my DAT scores are lower than the vast majority of those on this website and my Extra curricular activities aren't exactly stellar. This is not a "I am so smart and I'm going to rub it in..." post. My advisor told me that the PAT and personal statement are two of the most important things in an application and both of those aspects don't stand out in my application. I remember reading that the DAT score must complement the GPA, if it doesn't then the GPA rating is undermined and possible dismissed as grade inflation. These are my primary concerns and I think relatively valid ones as well given what I have been told.

 

[Sprgrover]

Not true, my DAT scores are lower than the vast majority of those on this website and my Extra curricular activities aren't exactly stellar.

The key phrase here is "on this website." Not every pre-dental student stops by SDN and even fewer will post - let alone put up their DAT scores for everyone to comment on. Look at the national average for the DAT, which is 16 or 17 (depending on your source). Your 20 AA is a very solid score. While a 17 PAT is not a wonderfully high score, your glittering prize of a gpa is. Don't forget that the interview is also very, very important. If you have stats blessed from above and yet one of your interviewers has an issue with your attitude, approach to dentistry, inability to look him/her in the eye - whatever - you are likely to be turned down. You do have valid concerns and I certainly don't mean to put you down. Everyone here has the same sort of thoughts - 'was my personal statement good enough,' 'what about such and such a grade,' 'could I have done better?,' 'what did my LOR's say' and so on. If they say otherwise then they are not being honest with themselves. Be confident that your numbers are ahead of the curve and if you feel some areas of your application are not as strong as others then make sure you knock 'em dead in the interview.

 

[Daheinah]

"While a 17 PAT is not a wonderfully high score" "you do have valid concerns and I certainly don't mean to put you down."
I don't see this as a put-down at all, I really do appreciate your honesty. I can see your point though that there are many aspects to the entire application process. Probably the best thing I can do is to focus on that interview and just put the statement all behind.
Thanks!

 

[mwsung]

Hi all!
I discovered this site before I took the DAT (Thank God ) and I wanted to start off saying thank you all for all of your help and guidance during that stressful time!! All of your posts helped so much! Now onto the situation...
I was feeling pretty solid (not really solid) about my stats but then something happened and I was wondering if it will kill my chances. Here are my stats:
Biology major
Cum GPA: 3.9
Science GPA: 3.94
DAT
AA: 20
TS: 20
Bio: 22
OC: 19
GC: 19
RC: 23
QR: 17
PAT 17
I sent in my ADSAAS in July 5 and everything seemed to be going OK...until I got an email from my evaluation committee sponsor saying that he has some suggestions to my personal statement. I read that statement over a 1000 times and had others read it as well before I sent my ADSAAS but now I am really stressed. If my personal statement isn't up to par, am I basically screwed?? I have applied to OHSU (top pick...crossing fingers), UNLV, UCLA, Nebraska, and Colorado. I have shadowed for about 23 hours with my dentist and am adding about 6 hours a week. I am just really worried about that personal statement.
Thanks
Greg

I would love to say that YOU ARE DEFINITELY SCREWED!!!!

 

[Daheinah]

Why would you LOVE to tell me that??

 

[Sprgrover]

Because you really aren't - gentle sarcasm I'm sure.

 

[mwsung]

yes it was gentle sarcasm

Daheinah, you really don't need to worry

trust us

 

[Yah-E]

You know how much undergrad advisors know? NOTHING! If I had a penny everytime my undergrad advisor told me that "I should consider something else besides dental school!" or "with your GPA, you're not going to make it!", then I would be a millionaire now!

PAT and personal statement are not the most important things dental schools look at and that is that! I can almost go as far as PAT of the DAT and personal statement are only supplemental/secondary factors to a lot of dental schools!

With your numbers, your personal statement can be in Chinese, Spanish, or even with Eygptian symbols, you'll still get an interview! Your PAT is at a tick below national's average. You're fine dude.

Good luck in your application process.

 

[Daheinah]

Geez guys, sorry about that. Sometimes I can be a bit slow on the uptake on certain things, sorry mwsung.
You guys are right, I probably shouldn't get my pants all up in a bunch about what my sponsor thinks of my statement. He's a great guy, but he's a statistics professor and he definitely doesn't know as much as all of you when it comes to this process.
What is the national average for the PAT? No wait!! DOn't answer that...I think I'll take a trip up to the lake tomorrow on my day off.

Thanks all!!
Greg