Anyone applying for fall 2003?

[dragonfly9]

Just curious to see what stage y'all are at in the whole quest for dental school thing. I graduated this past May and I am planning to apply for fall 2003. I took this past summer to do the Organic Chem thing and make sure that this is what I want to do with my life. Hopefully there will be some school somewhere that realizes that they want that for me as well

Is everyone else applying to enter right after they finish their undergraduate years or is there anyone else who waited?

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[vixen]

I graduated in May, was rejected for this fall...I'm doing a postbacc right now and reapplying for 2003...keep me posted

 

[Amalgam Man]

DragonFly,
I am on the slow track to dental school. I will graduate this year and will apply in june a year late for 2003. School wasn't a priority this past year due to personal problems going on in my life. I thought all was lost because I let my GPA drop substantially and only had 19/17 on the DAT. However, I retook the DAT this September and did really well. I didn't get a good look at my scores after the test and the test center's printer was broken. But I did see my academic average and it was 23. I'm not exactly sure what I got on everything but I know for sure that every score was over 20. I will probably be applying to UOP, UCLA, Tufts, Columbia, Michigan, Boston, and maybe some others. I am sort of hesitant about school in the east coast due to what happened at the WTC. I never liked to fly before and trips back and forth from east to west coast would just be 5 hours of nervousness. Write back and tell me what your plans are. If you need any info about the DAT I'd be glad to help.

 

[dragonfly9]

Hey AmalgamMan! I am getting nervous about the DAT now that the time has really come for me to plan on scheduling it. I can understand your fears about coming to the east coast, but time and healing may help all of us. I just started working in Boston this summer, and you can imagine how shaken we have been. I haven't really gotten settled yet, but from what I've gathered its a great place to be. I'm also thinking about BU, however, working a block away from the Tufts Dental school has sort of left me wanting atleast a little change of scenery. Good luck with your senior year and keep me posted. My first year off seems to be flying by. Its nice to have the break from school (especially after working my butt off in OChem this summer - what kind of nut starts a class 2 days after she graduates?)

 

[Amalgam Man]

Dragonfly9,

Sounds like the east coast is an interesting place to be. I still might apply to some east coast schools if things seem to be settling down. I just got my copy of my DAT scores back from the ADA and I can finally confirm my scores!! I got a 23 in acad. average and 20 in PAT. My science was also 23 (Bio 21, ochem 26, gchem 23)! Hopefully this makes up for my embarassing GPA. If you need any help or advice with the DAT just email me at [email protected] Good luck in your career choice!

 

[dragonfly9]

Great work on the DAT, Amalgam! I'm awfully nervous about taking it this fall. My GPA definitely leaves something to be desired, but I'm not going to let that stop me from trying! I'm trying to gather as much info as possible about the individual schools, their personalities and their competetiveness (is that even a real word?) Ultimately, I would like to stay east of the Mississippi and out of very large, bustling cities, but I know that I can't be too picky. . .

 

[dragonfly9]

Hey! How many of the 2003ers have already taken the DAT? I'm trying to decide when to schedule it. I'm a little nervous, not only about the exam, but also about what it means. Once you've gone that far, turning back doesn't seem like an option! I used to envy those who were certain about what they wanted to do from the day they were born. Now that I've joined their ranks, I've realized it is just as scary knowing what I'm gonna do!

 

[tinker bell]

i will also apply for 2003. I'm really scared though. I am slowly studying for the dat. I plan to take it sometimes in june. I took it before but I got 19/18 average for science/pat. I hope to improve it to 23/24 so I will have a good chance of getting in. Any feedback from you guys would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ItsGavinC]

I'm currently planning on taking the DAT the final weekend of May.

I haven't begun studying for it yet, but I feel fairly prepared as I stand. I've taken two practice exams in order to gauge my weaknesses, and have scored 19/20 and 22/23.

The Quan. section is my biggest downfall, so I plan on spending quite a large amount of time studying for that section. If I can bring that section up, my academic score would improve quite a bit.

I'm glad to meet others who are beginning to get their feet wet with the application process. Hopefully we can keep each other updated as we travel the long road.

 

[tinker bell]

hello ItsGavinC!
What practice tests did you take? Are you taking any prep course like kaplan, etc?
I took kaplan before but they only allowed me to study for only 3 months. It's not enough to gulf down everything in 3 months. I need longer time than that.
I haven't studied any kind of chemistry and pat yet. Amalgam man did a really good job with the dat.... Hopefully that he will share us some tips........
best of luck with your studying.
Keep me posted
tink

 

[dragonfly9]

I'm super nervous about the DAT! My undergrad GPA was what I like to describe as "marginal" (although many people tell me not to worry, its not as bad as I think). I've taken a couple classes since graduation and have tried to get as much "experience" as possibe and I hope I have proven myself. . .I've used the Kaplan book and CD and the scholarware CD so far. I can't believe how much there is to review! It seems like ages ago that I learned most of the science stuff! Luckily, it doesn't seem like difficult info - just a lot of it. . .

 

[ItsGavinC]

Tinker Bell,

I'll be using the Kaplan Review Notes and Lesson Notes to study, along with the Kaplan CD. I won't be taking the course, however,

For practice exams, I did the one included with the DAT registration book, and also a Kaplan one. I found it beneficial to do these exams before studying, because it gave me a direction in which to go.

As DragonFly9 pointed out, the material isn't difficult, there is just quite a bit of it. Running through the exams cold once or twice will point you in the initial directions that you need to study. After bringing up my low scores, I'll do a gloss over of all the material. It's important to remember that the DAT conceps aren't deep concepts. Knowing and understanding the basic concepts in each area will garnish a high score.

 

[tinker bell]

ItsGavin C!
thanks for your quick response. It seems like all the info that I learned has gone. So, I have to review the kaplan book first before I can do any test. I heard that the scholarware software is good, so I'll try that after i'm done reviewing all of the basic materials.
About the dat registration book, the test in there seems to be decade ago. When I took the real dat, it was much harder than that. I don't think it's a good measurement of your current standing. I don't really know how accurate the kaplan tests are because I took the kaplan course and studied intensively, I got 24/25 when I took the practice kaplan test before I took the real one. So, I don't really know what to trust any more. I just try to study a longer time and more careful this time.
Best of luck with your studying.
tink

 

[ItsGavinC]

Tinker bell,

Your points are good ones. The only *true* way to gauge your performance is to take the test.

I suspected the practice test in the registration book was older (1992, I think?). In that context it would be a false assumption to think that a high score on it woule equal a high score on the real test. In fact, that is probably a bad assumption to make on any practice test.

I do disagree, however, with your statement that practice tests not being "a good measurement of your current standing". I know that you were refering to the registration DAT test -- but I feel that all practice tests are a good measure of my current standing. For me personally, I'll jump at any chance I have to answer science-related questions. Even if the practice exam is much easier, it still poses questions which require correct answers. When it comes to learning this material, practice makes perfect for me, and I'm glad to learn the material any way that I can. Besides, if some practice exams are easier than others, why not practice those ones first to ace them -- thereby solidifying and perfecting concepts in the mind?

Thanks for all your insights!

 

[tinker bell]

ItsGavinC

You are right, if you don't know the subject, it doesn't matter whether the question is hard or easy...
When I mentioned "current standing" I meant the scores that you get on the real dat may not be the same score with the practice tests. From my experience, they asked some questions that were not covered or covered very little in the kaplan review book. So, I didn't do well....Now, I study from my text books, everything....Make sure that I won't miss anything...I can't jeopardize my chance any more.......Some people are very lucky... I know that I'm not. So, I better study hard.
Your method is actually what kaplan recommends, take the practice tests to measure what is still in, and then study from there...I mean, I forgot everything. Since I last studied for the dat was 1999. Everything has completely gone, except the english and math....
good luck with your studying
tink