Am i strong enough applicant?

[dentalchick2016]

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Hi all,

Applying this June for admission 2013 and am currently taking a Kaplan Online Anywhere prep course that cost me a LOT of money. I still dont feel like its helping me b/c there just aren't enough tests/quizzes for me to practice with. So needless to say, I dont feel confident for my DAT which is scheduled in March and I've barely had time to prep for it due to working over christmas brk and starting back up my senior spring semester in undergrad.

I'm going to lay out a summary of what will be on my application and i would greatly appreciate it if someone would tell me if I've got the goods enough to be admitted, despite the fact that I haven't even taken the DAt yet.

3.7 overall gpa, 3.6 science,
all prereqs taken, microbiology major
100+ hrs of shadowing
20-30 hrs volunteer (still working on it)
Undergraduate Research on biofilm formations (Plaque!!!)
Lab tech/assistant at orthodontic office 2.5 yrs
Lab tech at Microbiology lab (3 months) had to leave to study for DAT
Mentor for Native American Resiliency through Education and Leadership Program at college
2 Honors Societies
Musical past as private clarinet instructor & was in college marching band and concert band ---manual dexterity
Jewelry making in spare time --- manual dexterity

Feedback appreciated plz and thank you! 🙂

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

You certainly did your research, your entire resume reeks of dental school gunning.

Just nail the DAT and you're pretty much rock solid in my opinion.

 

[dru180]

Yes, of course you are. Just got to do well on the DAT. Check out the DAT discussions page for some helpful tips. This page helped me a lot. It has links to breakdowns of how some of the top DAT performers studied and what they used. GL.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=719712&highlight=21+club

 

[AwesomeTeeth]

The entire Kaplan DAT course is a giant waste of money. Head over to the DAT forum on SDN and you can put together a great study guide for a lot cheaper.

Chads videos
Cliffs AP biology
DAT destroyer
math destroyer
Crack DAT PAT
DAT achiever or top score

Your numbers and ECs look fine. But the DAT is one of, if not the, biggest factor however. If you have that high of a GPA as a microbiology major, the DAT shouldn't be that bad. I wouldnt take it during the semester though because you'll have a bunch of distractions. Study for it hardcore in may+June and take it in early July.

 

[dentalchick2016]

thanks! How low of DAT could I get and still be looked at as worthwhile to AC?
Its knowing all the biology thats killing me. And do you know if DAT achiever is any good?

 

[dentalchick2016]

btw, I've already paid Kaplan the entire cost of my course. $1300! I feel so anxious....and am not handling studying for the DAT very well ...all I think about is how bad its going to turn out and how thats going to blow up the whole operation if I dont score an 18 or 19....I have a hard time scoring 15 =( i'm panicking!!!!!! its the stupid Bio and math section that gets me.

 

[AwesomeTeeth]

btw, I've already paid Kaplan the entire cost of my course. $1300! I feel so anxious....and am not handling studying for the DAT very well ...all I think about is how bad its going to turn out and how thats going to blow up the whole operation if I dont score an 18 or 19....I have a hard time scoring 15 =( i'm panicking!!!!!! its the stupid Bio and math section that gets me.

Demand a refund from Kaplan lol

Read the Cliffs AP biology book and do math destroyer. Then take practice tests with Top score. That's probably the best representation of the real thing.

I would recommend achiever but it might be too much for you and be discouraging.

 

[hellopeople]

btw, I've already paid Kaplan the entire cost of my course. $1300! I feel so anxious....and am not handling studying for the DAT very well ...all I think about is how bad its going to turn out and how thats going to blow up the whole operation if I dont score an 18 or 19....I have a hard time scoring 15 =( i'm panicking!!!!!! its the stupid Bio and math section that gets me.

The actual exam's science sections are more straight forward than with kaplan.
Try DAT Destroyer and math destroyer to pick up speed in math (time the tests) and bring your orgo/chem scores up even further (these are the easiest areas to improve). I didn't study for the bio section, but I have heard good things about cliffs AP bio. Crack DAT PAT is great for the PAT. The Kaplan book is good for an intro into you bio studies, but don't use it alone.

Use topscore to monitor your progress (ie take it like once a week or something), but understand that you need to add a couple/few points to each section to estimate your true score. For example, my last Topscore had me around a 19AA, but my actual DAT had me in the low to mid 20's on all sections.
It underestimates a bit, but if you keep that in mind it can help you keep your cool by letting you see your progress. If you are not progressing, do something different. I found that a certain point, going over concepts was no longer useful, and doing lots of example problems helped more.

As for Kaplan, I honestly thought it was a waste. The book and quizzes are useful though.

 

[Michigunner]

Hi all,

Applying this June for admission 2013 and am currently taking a Kaplan Online Anywhere prep course that cost me a LOT of money. I still dont feel like its helping me b/c there just aren't enough tests/quizzes for me to practice with. So needless to say, I dont feel confident for my DAT which is scheduled in March and I've barely had time to prep for it due to working over christmas brk and starting back up my senior spring semester in undergrad.

I'm going to lay out a summary of what will be on my application and i would greatly appreciate it if someone would tell me if I've got the goods enough to be admitted, despite the fact that I haven't even taken the DAt yet.

3.7 overall gpa, 3.6 science,
all prereqs taken, microbiology major
100+ hrs of shadowing
20-30 hrs volunteer (still working on it)
Undergraduate Research on biofilm formations (Plaque!!!)
Lab tech/assistant at orthodontic office 2.5 yrs
Lab tech at Microbiology lab (3 months) had to leave to study for DAT
Mentor for Native American Resiliency through Education and Leadership Program at college
2 Honors Societies
Musical past as private clarinet instructor & was in college marching band and concert band ---manual dexterity
Jewelry making in spare time --- manual dexterity

Feedback appreciated plz and thank you! 🙂

So far good application. Bring up the volunteer and shadowing hours, score a 20+ (19+ in all sections) on DAT, apply early with solid LOR's and PS, and you will be just fine!

 

[AwesomeTeeth]

So far good application. Bring up the volunteer and shadowing hours, score a 20+ (19+ in all sections) on DAT, apply early with solid LOR's and PS, and you will be just fine!

OP has a enough volunteering and over 100 hours shadowing. She doesnt need to do any more of either one. It would be just a big waste of time when she could be studying. She needs to do well on her DAT, that's the big question mark on her app.

 

[invictusx]

You've got the goods! 🙂