Apply now or wait?

[ColoradoTeeth]

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I'm sort of at a cross-road in terms of putting an app together now or waiting until next cycle. I'd obviously like to apply this year, but I'm curious if it would almost be detrimental compared to waiting another year to solidify my application. I'm scheduled to take the DAT June 18th, my sGPA and overall are 3.39. I've been working as a medical scribe full-time and really haven't done any shadowing. Would it be worth it to try and apply around September (granted by DAT is good enough and I start shadowing after my DAT through Sept) or should I wait, do more shadowing, and submit next cycle?

 

[Cali20002]

I would build up your app, wait a year, then apply. This will also help you build up a strong personal statement. Given the info you've provided, applying now seems too much like a last ditch effort. Good luck!

 

[mcbnerd]

I would suggest you apply next year. It will give you time to take the DAT and retake if needed. Also, you need to shadow more (preferably general dentists).

**Also September is too late for you

 

[ColoradoTeeth]

Thanks for the feedback! I sort of figured this was the right route to take, I guess I wanted to put out some feelers just in case

 

[FeralisExtremum]

It would largely depend on how well you do on the DAT, but the fact you don't have any shadowing would still be seen as a problem. You will be expected to explain why you are interested in dentistry in your application but absent shadowing or working in a dental office, I'm not sure what experiences you will be able to draw from.

 

[ukrainochka]

Well, you can try to get some shadowing in between now and mid June... there is still a lot of time, many schools don't really expect you to have a huge number of hours. If you do good on the DAT, it will not be too late to apply.. I took my DAT in July, my scores were sent to schools at the end of July, and I had no problem getting early interviews..
I think it would be worth a try to apply this cycle honestly..


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