Applying next June, chance me/edit my school list!

[Dr Dimbsa]

Hey Guys,

I just finished my first semester of senior year (1 more to go!!) and I am applying to dental schools in June which means that I will be taking a year off which I plan to work in a lab, do some more volunteering/shadowing etc. I know my gpa isn't the best...but I do have a clear upward trend as my first two years were eh. During this winter break I'm starting to write my personal statement and am compiling a list of schools. My list below is pretty rough and am open to suggestions on which to remove/add. Thanks for all your inputs!

Overall GPA: 3.4
Science GPA: 3.3
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.3
DAT score (include AA and all sections): 20 AA, 20TS, 22 PAT, 18 BIO, 19 GC, 23 OC, 20 RC, 19 QR
State of Residence: MA

Undergrad Attended: Small liberal arts
Major: Chemistry
Minor: Biology
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 250 hours general dentist, 50 hours oral surgeon
Volunteering Experience: 100 hours dental office, 30 hours food bank, hosted volleyball tournaments with my team for high schoolers or younger kids in an urban area
Employment: Part time research assistant at top medical school for a year (~400 hours), Chemistry lab TA for 2 years, also worked retail for 5 years,
Research: Chemistry/materials research at my school which is related to bone/enamel growth, countless hours probably around 1500, one publication as first author, presentations at a national conference and two smaller conferences
Other Extracurriculars: D3 men's volleyball for 3 years, intramural sports, chem club member
Relevant Honors or Awards: Two honors societies (hold a position for one of them), Dean's list most semesters
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere: Did a 10 week program at a top dental school (have some sort of certificate from it), have good manual dexterity from research working with flies, guitar player
School list:
Tufts
BU
UNE
Western
Roseman
LECOM
AT Still University of Arizona
Midwestern (IL/AZ)
Touro
NYU
Temple
NOVA
UConn
UDM

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[DSchoolorBust202X]

Hey Guys,

I just finished my first semester of senior year (1 more to go!!) and I am applying to dental schools in June which means that I will be taking a year off which I plan to work in a lab, do some more volunteering/shadowing etc. I know my gpa isn't the best...but I do have a clear upward trend as my first two years were eh. During this winter break I'm starting to write my personal statement and am compiling a list of schools. My list below is pretty rough and am open to suggestions on which to remove/add. Thanks for all your inputs!

Overall GPA: 3.4
Science GPA: 3.3
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.3
DAT score (include AA and all sections): 20 AA, 20TS, 22 PAT, 18 BIO, 19 GC, 23 OC, 20 RC, 19 QR
State of Residence: MA

Undergrad Attended: Small liberal arts
Major: Chemistry
Minor: Biology
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 250 hours general dentist, 50 hours oral surgeon
Volunteering Experience: 100 hours dental office, 30 hours food bank, hosted volleyball tournaments with my team for high schoolers or younger kids in an urban area
Employment: Part time research assistant at top medical school for a year (~400 hours), Chemistry lab TA for 2 years, also worked retail for 5 years,
Research: Chemistry/materials research at my school which is related to bone/enamel growth, countless hours probably around 1500, one publication as first author, presentations at a national conference and two smaller conferences
Other Extracurriculars: D3 men's volleyball for 3 years, intramural sports, chem club member
Relevant Honors or Awards: Two honors societies (hold a position for one of them), Dean's list most semesters
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere: Did a 10 week program at a top dental school (have some sort of certificate from it), have good manual dexterity from research working with flies, guitar player
School list:
Tufts
BU
UNE
Western
Roseman
LECOM
AT Still University of Arizona
Midwestern (IL/AZ)
Touro
NYU
Temple
NOVA
UConn
UDM

Your overall app looks great *in my opinion*! Don't be worried about your GPA much. Continue to do well in your classes for sure, but your scores are not too low to warrant acceptances.

Personally, I would throw in some state school that are OOS-friendly because your list is very private school heavy. From personal experience, I had more success with the state schools than the private ones. Good luck!

 

[zToothinator]

I would potentially reconsider UConn. When I interviewed there this past September, they stressed that they look for applicants with high GPAs and DATs to make sure the students coming in can handle the tough science courses the first 1.5 years. At my interview, they said the average GPA was about 3.8 and DAT TS 23. That's not to say you wouldn't be able to get in as there are students that fall below average, but it'll be a challenge.

 

[Dr Dimbsa]

Your overall app looks great *in my opinion*! Don't be worried about your GPA much. Continue to do well in your classes for sure, but your scores are not too low to warrant acceptances.

Personally, I would throw in some state school that are OOS-friendly because your list is very private school heavy. From personal experience, I had more success with the state schools than the private ones. Good luck!

Thanks I’ll definitely look into more OOS friendly state schools!

 

[Dr Dimbsa]

I would potentially reconsider UConn. When I interviewed there this past September, they stressed that they look for applicants with high GPAs and DATs to make sure the students coming in can handle the tough science courses the first 1.5 years. At my interview, they said the average GPA was about 3.8 and DAT TS 23. That's not to say you wouldn't be able to get in as there are students that fall below average, but it'll be a challenge.

Yeah I know UConn is a stretch as they’ve gotten really competitive, but I live really close to the school and love it there so I might apply just to see. But good to know that they really stress grades/gpa, thanks for the advice!

 

[zToothinator]

Yeah I know UConn is a stretch as they’ve gotten really competitive, but I live really close to the school and love it there so I might apply just to see. But good to know that they really stress grades/gpa, thanks for the advice!

Definitely a great school so I understand your desire to go!

 

[miamimami]

List looks good! We have VERY similar stats and I did just fine this cycle! I would add Maryland, maybe USC.
Definitely keep Uconn, people get into their reach schools more than you'd think, including myself. Write yourself a passionate ass personal statement and you'll be just fine!

 

[Dr Dimbsa]

List looks good! We have VERY similar stats and I did just fine this cycle! I would add Maryland, maybe USC.
Definitely keep Uconn, people get into their reach schools more than you'd think, including myself. Write yourself a passionate ass personal statement and you'll be just fine!

That’s so good to hear! I was actually thinking of adding Maryland so thanks for the advice!

 

[MavsFanForLife]

If you are looking for another great school that is in your range, think about Indiana. It is expensive, but if you are willing to go to MWU then I am guessing you would be willing to go to IU. I have very similar stats, and interviewed at IU and really loved the school. Although I ended up choosing UNE, I was really impressed with IU

 

[Dr Dimbsa]

If you are looking for another great school that is in your range, think about Indiana. It is expensive, but if you are willing to go to MWU then I am guessing you would be willing to go to IU. I have very similar stats, and interviewed at IU and really loved the school. Although I ended up choosing UNE, I was really impressed with IU

Yeah I’ve been looking at IU and decided to add it to my list. Why did you decide UNE?

 

[whygodishummusbeloved]

Are you me from the past? I have pretty much the same stats as you and I also went to a small liberal arts college.
But yea, your school list looks very similar to mine (I'm applying this June) so hopefully it'll work out!