Buffalo Dental School Class of 2016! :O (unofficially)

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vicsin

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Today I finally received a letter from Buffalo saying I gained acceptance into their early assurance program and if I keep up with their requirements I will get my official acceptance by Dec. 2011.

So basically I need a 3.7 GPA every semester and overall science GPA of 3.7 every semester.

Also I need to get a 20 on the DAT ...20 for PAT, 20 for AA, and 20 for Reading comp (reading comp seems kind of random)

Seems like I need to really study like hell for the DAT. Planning to take this winter and study 8+ hours a day for a month ;D. I've got Kaplan and I'm def getting top score and I'm thinking crack the PAT. I need to focus on reading I guess but I need to think about what other sources to get/what I'll have time to use. I can attempt the test again in the summer if I have to but I'd rather study my ass off and get the score and party.

Anyway, just wanted to announce cause I'm really excited. I never seem to hear good news and for the first time I got a letter of good news. Hope I can keep up the requirements :S. Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)!

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lol if you maintain those stats you could get into many other dental schools.

but buffalos a great school from what i've read :thumbup:
 
lol if you maintain those stats you could get into many other dental schools.

but buffalos a great school from what i've read :thumbup:

ha that's what i figured so it's kind of like, what's the point of early assurance?

but I visited buffalo and read a lot about it and I like everything about the school and the way they teach and all that. I liked what I saw during the interview. the people who go there seem very close and happy there.

also sometimes people with high stats don't get into a school like buffalo cause they get over 2000 applications and have about 90 spots.
it's def my top choice I think, it is much cheaper than most other dschools!
this is def reason to celebrate though I can't say I made it yet cause those stats are hard to maintain...
 
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congratulations :) hope you get that spot.
 
what is this early assurance thingie polease explain.
 
Is this for real? 20 DAT + 3.7 GPA and you can go somewhere even better than buffalo, maybe even stony.

There's nothing "assuring" about this. If anything, it's just more pressure to perform. Depending on where you go to school, a 3.7 could be very difficult.
 
ha that's what i figured so it's kind of like, what's the point of early assurance?

but I visited buffalo and read a lot about it and I like everything about the school and the way they teach and all that. I liked what I saw during the interview. the people who go there seem very close and happy there.

also sometimes people with high stats don't get into a school like buffalo cause they get over 2000 applications and have about 90 spots.
it's def my top choice I think, it is much cheaper than most other dschools!
this is def reason to celebrate though I can't say I made it yet cause those stats are hard to maintain...

haha I was in that Early program but got a freaking 17 on RC when I took the DAT and even though I did well on the other sections (22AA/23TS, etc) it didn't matter...although you can take it a total of 3 times to stay in the program, I am going to pass and just apply regularly...hope all goes well! But Congrats and maybe I will see you there!
 
Is this for real? 20 DAT + 3.7 GPA and you can go somewhere even better than buffalo, maybe even stony.

There's nothing "assuring" about this. If anything, it's just more pressure to perform. Depending on where you go to school, a 3.7 could be very difficult.

So true.
 

yea it's a BS program that Buff has (attend there as an undergrad) but you're definitely right on that count...maintaining the GPA isn't the hard part at all...it's the DAT scores that you have to worry abt...but it's good in a way I guess because it makes you competitive regardless of the outcome...but no guarantees whatsoever.
 
It's good motivation. If i don't get the score I'm sure I'll be a good enough applicant to get into my second choice Jersey Dental or something. I'm probably gonna apply to 3 schools for safety...
not Stony Brook cause they only have 30 spots or so.
..I suck at RC so who knows if I can do this.
Either way it's exciting for now. Anyone know good prep for the reading section on the DAT?
 
It's good motivation. If i don't get the score I'm sure I'll be a good enough applicant to get into my second choice Jersey Dental or something. I'm probably gonna apply to 3 schools for safety...
not Stony Brook cause they only have 30 spots or so.
..I suck at RC so who knows if I can do this.
Either way it's exciting for now. Anyone know good prep for the reading section on the DAT?

Not trying to be mean or clever or anything, but the best possible prep you can do for any sort of reading comprehension test, whether it be the SAT, MCAT verbal or DAT RC, is to simply read. Your poor performance on these types of tests is due to the fact that you probably never read for pleasure as a child or adolescent. What you need to do is sit down everyday and read the New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, or any other erudite publication. While you read, try to understand the main idea behind the author's words and his/her tone. Do this everyday for a few months and you will have conditioned yourself to read and comprehend at a fast pace. DAT RC will be simple in comparison.

BTW, RC is typically considered by Adcoms to be on the most important, if not the most important, sections of the DAT, as you will be doing a lot of reading in dental school.
 
BTW, RC is typically considered by Adcoms to be on the most important, if not the most important, sections of the DAT, as you will be doing a lot of reading in dental school.

What reading? Do you mean going over powerpoint slides? Cuz we do lots of that.
 
What reading? Do you mean going over powerpoint slides? Cuz we do lots of that.

Do you not keep with the lastest advances/technologies in dentistry? Ever read a journal article? Ever reference a textbook?

Doesn't make a difference. I've heard it from the horse's mouth: RC is one of the most important sections on the DAT.
 
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Don't stress about RC too much. I got a 20 on RC, and I have read less than 10 novels in English language (English is my second language). I would prepare for it by reading scientific journals. Good luck! :D

BTW: U.B. is my first choice and I am applying for this cycle :eek:
 
I do read for pleasure, not scientific articles obviously. But usually when I have to read for class I skim or bs my way through it somehow. Only class I ever read for was intro bio and it was hell. I just crammed reading the entire test material for the week/weekend before the exam, then forgot it all.

I think I am screwed for bio and rc...
and I only have winter break to prepare, I don't really know how I can prepare all this stuff in that amount of time.
 
Do you not keep with the lastest advances/technologies in dentistry? Ever read a journal article? Ever reference a textbook?

Doesn't make a difference. I've heard it from the horse's mouth: RC is one of the most important sections on the DAT.

I know it's an important section. But the skills required in RC aren't ever used in dental school.
 
I do read for pleasure, not scientific articles obviously. But usually when I have to read for class I skim or bs my way through it somehow. Only class I ever read for was intro bio and it was hell. I just crammed reading the entire test material for the week/weekend before the exam, then forgot it all.

I think I am screwed for bio and rc...
and I only have winter break to prepare, I don't really know how I can prepare all this stuff in that amount of time.

I prepared in 4 weeks from scratch...read my DAT breakdown. Hope it helps!
 
I know it's an important section. But the skills required in RC aren't ever used in dental school.

Why, then, do adcoms place such a large emphasis on this section? You really think READING COMPREHENSION is not an important skill in dental school? You're kidding, right? Hell, it's not even a skill, it's a basic fundamental of life.
 
Why, then, do adcoms place such a large emphasis on this section? You really think READING COMPREHENSION is not an important skill in dental school? You're kidding, right? Hell, it's not even a skill, it's a basic fundamental of life.

+100 :thumbup:
 
Why, then, do adcoms place such a large emphasis on this section? You really think READING COMPREHENSION is not an important skill in dental school? You're kidding, right? Hell, it's not even a skill, it's a basic fundamental of life.

I think he means the RC section doesn't exactly test your RC skills. Rather, it tests your ability to match words and scroll up and down rly fast.
 
I think he means the RC section doesn't exactly test your RC skills. Rather, it tests your ability to match words and scroll up and down rly fast.

No, he was saying that reading in general is not important in dental school. I'm sure he woulda've said the same thing concerning the MCAT verbal section (in which the method you described above cannot be used because it requires critical thinking and analysis, not simple "search and destroy") and medical school.

Have you taken the DAT? I promise you, the most effective way to comprehend a passage is to actually read it, not search and destroy. It's really not all matching words. You still have to be able to be able to read and analyze. The people that do well (I'm talking 22+) on tests like SAT verbal or MCAT verbal or even DAT RC are the ones that are fast readers.
 
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I see vary little validity in the RC section of the DAT for a couple of reasons

1. Alot of the material is biology based passages and those with that major have a particular advantage, in other words becomes a knowledge test

2. Do you really believe the way people take the RC portion is how people read or will read in dental school? No people do not study using search and destroy.
 
What I'm saying is that the type of reading style presented in RC isn't remotely reminiscent of the type of reading you do in dental school. Dental school lectures don't present us with technical reading passages. Instead, they give us powerpoint presentations with bullet points, alongside spoken words.
 
RC scores have been proven to be in direct correlation with NBDE scores. that is why dental schools prefer applicants with high RC scores. the higher the NBDE scores that the students at a particular university get, the more appealing that university is to future students
 
Congratss!! I got into Early Assurance as well :), just keep that acceptance letter framed on your wall for motivation and look at it every so often to help keep your focus. I think UB is definitely worth it for the tuition, the clinical education and not to mention the fancy macbook! Good Luck I hope to see you there one day!
 
Congratss!! I got into Early Assurance as well :), just keep that acceptance letter framed on your wall for motivation and look at it every so often to help keep your focus. I think UB is definitely worth it for the tuition, the clinical education and not to mention the fancy macbook! Good Luck I hope to see you there one day!

;)
 
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