Chances in the upcoming cycle

[stormingorman17]

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Hi guys/gals,
I'm a Senior Biology Major, Sociology Minor at a public university. I will be graduating this May with about a 3.47 Total GPA and 3.37 Sciences GPA (from my calculations after midterms). I worked a couple days a week during school for about 1.5-2 years, which is why my GPA suffered sometimes. I only have 2 C's in college, one being Physiology (C) and the other Physics 2 (C+). However, I've been a Teaching Assistant for a Forensic Osteology course (learned a lot about teeth, from anatomy to diseases), Teaching Assistant in a Cell Biology Lab, Research Assistant for a Bioacoustics Lab (unrelated to dentistry, but I got it to count as Biology credits) and a Research Assistant for a Sociology professor (surveying Juvenile Justice). I have about 60 hours of shadowing total, 50 of those being general Dentists and the other 10 being a mix between Endodontists and an Oral Oncologist. I was just accepted into a Dental Internship Program in Nepal for 6 weeks (end of May to mid July) this summer, so I'll have a decent amount of hours after that. I know not all international hours can be counted though, does anyone have any more information regarding that? I was accepted to my university's PreHealth Committee this week, so I have my personal statement finished and 4 solid LOR's. I just recently applied to take the DAT in the middle of May so that I'll have my scores when I apply as soon as the cycle opens up, in order to increase my chances of getting in. Is there anything else I need to be doing and how do I look thus far as a candidate? Right now I've got my eye on schools like Temple, Colorado and Oregon, and I'm really hoping they're within reach. Thanks in advance.

 

[TeethAreMyThing]

I think your experience will definitely help you, and your GPAs should be fine depending on your DAT. My advice would be to go into the DAT really well prepared and kill it. Shoot for more shadowing hours (in addition to the Nepal program) and I think you have a great shot. Have someone proofread your PS and apply as early as you feel comfortable with your application. Good luck!

 

[stormingorman17]

I think your experience will definitely help you, and your GPAs should be fine depending on your DAT. My advice would be to go into the DAT really well prepared and kill it. Shoot for more shadowing hours (in addition to the Nepal program) and I think you have a great shot. Have someone proofread your PS and apply as early as you feel comfortable with your application. Good luck!

First off, thanks for the response man! Second, say I get an average score or a little below what the schools I'm applying to are asking for, is it still better to send the application in right away? I know I can take it again but how does that work? Do they wait until I take it again with a respectable score or do I stay on top of the rolling admissions curve and they accept my scores as they come in? Also, I plan on shadowing and volunteering when I get back in the summer and in the fall. I had a friend who writes for our school's newspaper help me write and edit my PS as well as a couple other friends read it over, so I'm all set with that.

 

[TeethAreMyThing]

No problem! I only took the DAT once, and it was just before submitting my application, so I am not very familiar with that process. I still think it would be best to apply earlier, but maybe someone else can offer more or a different perspective. I forgot to mention above, I would advise you to apply somewhat broadly. I only applied to 5 schools, interviewed at 3, and have been accepted to 1 so far despite a rather late application. I think that applying more broadly and earlier would have been in my best interest, so I think it would probably hold true in your case too. Feel free to ask anything else that comes to mind.

 

[stormingorman17]

No problem! I only took the DAT once, and it was just before submitting my application, so I am not very familiar with that process. I still think it would be best to apply earlier, but maybe someone else can offer more or a different perspective. I forgot to mention above, I would advise you to apply somewhat broadly. I only applied to 5 schools, interviewed at 3, and have been accepted to 1 so far despite a rather late application. I think that applying more broadly and earlier would have been in my best interest, so I think it would probably hold true in your case too. Feel free to ask anything else that comes to mind.

I will definitely be applying to a couple more schools, depending on my DAT as well, but those are just my top 3 at the moment. I will definitely ask if anything else comes up, also congrats on the acceptance!

 

[BK165]

is it still better to send the application in right away? I know I can take it again but how does that work? Do they wait until I take it again with a respectable score or do I stay on top of the rolling admissions curve and they accept my scores as they come in?

If you intend to wait a bit to take the DAT (like June 15th for example), make sure you complete and submit the rest of the AADSAS application right when it comes out and indicate on the application that your future test date is for later on. This way, your application will be processed (takes a few weeks to process and verify your GPA). Your application will be sent to all of your designated schools, but your schools will not look at your application until your DAT scores are received. Technically, the sooner you take the DAT, the sooner you may get interviews. However, if you feel you could use a few more weeks before taking your DAT, postponing would be better, especially since you won't be home for the majority of the summer.