Chances for a Late Applicant

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ZinkyZoink

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My Stats:
GPA: Possibly (not calculated by AADSAS yet) 3.5
DAT Scores AA/PAT/QR/RC/TS: 20/19/18/22/20 (Taken 11/04)

I am currently a Dental Hygiene Student (passed national boards, graduating in a month, getting ready to take CalBoards) with about 200 hours of clinic time/dental experience. I was involved in undergraduate research and held some leadership positions in community service programs. Before the hygiene program, I worked full-time for a pharmaceutical company for five years researching a rheumatoid arthritis drug.

I guess my question is, do I have a fighting chance of getting interviews in CA with my weak GPA and average PAT scores? Should I take the DAT again since it's been 3 years? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
 
My Stats:
GPA: Possibly (not calculated by AADSAS yet) 3.5
DAT Scores AA/PAT/QR/RC/TS: 20/19/18/22/20 (Taken 11/04)

I am currently a Dental Hygiene Student (passed national boards, graduating in a month, getting ready to take CalBoards) with about 200 hours of clinic time/dental experience. I was involved in undergraduate research and held some leadership positions in community service programs. Before the hygiene program, I worked full-time for a pharmaceutical company for five years researching a rheumatoid arthritis drug.

I guess my question is, do I have a fighting chance of getting interviews in CA with my weak GPA and average PAT scores? Should I take the DAT again since it's been 3 years? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

i strongly advice you apply as soon as possible, as you are late in the cycle already. From my understanding, you may need to retake the DAT because it has been almost 3 years since you last took it, but you should check with individual schools to make sure.
 
Despite the obsessive consensus on SDN, you are not yet late. If you turned it in now, you'd probably only be slightly later than average.

Most schools don't care much about the PAT and 19 isn't that bad anyway. RC seems to be most important and you did well there. 3.5 GPA is probably fine, assuming you got it at an accredited 4 year university.

I bust my butt finishing that application asap (because you are getting pretty close to what I'd consider late. Plus, it is never to your disadvantage to apply earlier). If you can finish the application before the end of September, you'll have a reasonable shot. I think the DAT is supposed to be good for 3 years, so you should be OK for this cycle. I'd call the schools you like, though -- no point in wasting that money if they won't accept your application.

My Stats:
GPA: Possibly (not calculated by AADSAS yet) 3.5
DAT Scores AA/PAT/QR/RC/TS: 20/19/18/22/20 (Taken 11/04)

I am currently a Dental Hygiene Student (passed national boards, graduating in a month, getting ready to take CalBoards) with about 200 hours of clinic time/dental experience. I was involved in undergraduate research and held some leadership positions in community service programs. Before the hygiene program, I worked full-time for a pharmaceutical company for five years researching a rheumatoid arthritis drug.

I guess my question is, do I have a fighting chance of getting interviews in CA with my weak GPA and average PAT scores? Should I take the DAT again since it's been 3 years? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
 
For all the schools I applied to PAT is the most important. Where did you hear it wasn't?
 
If only it were that simple. The problem is that AADSAS takes 6 weeks to send out your application and ADA takes 4 weeks to send out scores. If you apply at the end of September you have little chance of making first round interviews because your file won't be complete until November. I'm in this crappy situation myself. If you don't get first round interviews then, IMO, you are late.

Despite the obsessive consensus on SDN, you are not yet late. If you turned it in now, you'd probably only be slightly later than average.

Most schools don't care much about the PAT and 19 isn't that bad anyway. RC seems to be most important and you did well there. 3.5 GPA is probably fine, assuming you got it at an accredited 4 year university.

I bust my butt finishing that application asap (because you are getting pretty close to what I'd consider late. Plus, it is never to your disadvantage to apply earlier). If you can finish the application before the end of September, you'll have a reasonable shot. I think the DAT is supposed to be good for 3 years, so you should be OK for this cycle. I'd call the schools you like, though -- no point in wasting that money if they won't accept your application.
 
Thanks for your responses. I'm planning on submitting my application tomorrow morning and taking the DAT during the third week of September.

My last question is . . . do you guys think having gone through a dental hygiene program will help my chances of getting an interview?
 
Thanks for your responses. I'm planning on submitting my application tomorrow morning and taking the DAT during the third week of September.

My last question is . . . do you guys think having gone through a dental hygiene program will help my chances of getting an interview?

Yes
 
If you don't apply until the end of September, you've already missed the first round of interviews. But so what? You'll find on your interviews that the bonus you get for applying early is insanely over exaggerated on SDN.


If only it were that simple. The problem is that AADSAS takes 6 weeks to send out your application and ADA takes 4 weeks to send out scores. If you apply at the end of September you have little chance of making first round interviews because your file won't be complete until November. I'm in this crappy situation myself. If you don't get first round interviews then, IMO, you are late.
 
My app got sent on 12/13/97 and I got in to UCLA. My GPA was lower than yours (3.4), but had higher DAT scores -- 24AA. Your dental hygiene studies should have a positive impact on your application. You already have hands-on experience treating patients so you know that the chosen career is right for you. You've got basic knowledge that other students will need to catch up to you on. You've developed interpersonal skills necessary for proper patient communication. And you probably have a ton of anecdotes that highlight what makes you an excellent hygienist, which is the same qualities that will make you an excellent dentist. Your personal statement is where all of these things need to be highlighted in an interesting, flowing, well-thought out message. Good luck!
 
if u took ur dat in 2004..i think you will have to retake it...
 
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