chances

[ratran]

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hey guys, so iv applied to 19 schools. I feel my personal statement is great, my dad and grandad were both dentists, I got a 21 AA 22PAT 23 TS. I have 2000 hrs of experience as I worked at the clinic and plenty of shadowing hours. My only problem is my gpa which is 3.1. I didnt get in last cycle so this year I switched from Life Science to Biology and also am one course away from getting a psychology minor. I am wondering what I can do to improve my chances of getting in and if there is anyone out there in a similar situation to me. Also, having been a soccer player my entire life i am suffering from a hip impingement that has caused me to stop playing for the last two years. I know this may sound like an excuse, but try going from going to the gym 3-4 times a week and soccer 2-3 times a week to NOTHING and I am sure you would feel a little depressed. Do you think they would take this as an excuse or this a legitimate explanation as to why some of my marks suffered

 

[Daydream46]

hey guys, so iv applied to 19 schools. I feel my personal statement is great, my dad and grandad were both dentists, I got a 21 AA 22PAT 23 TS. I have 2000 hrs of experience as I worked at the clinic and plenty of shadowing hours. My only problem is my gpa which is 3.1. I didnt get in last cycle so this year I switched from Life Science to Biology and also am one course away from getting a psychology minor. I am wondering what I can do to improve my chances of getting in and if there is anyone out there in a similar situation to me. Also, having been a soccer player my entire life i am suffering from a hip impingement that has caused me to stop playing for the last two years. I know this may sound like an excuse, but try going from going to the gym 3-4 times a week and soccer 2-3 times a week to NOTHING and I am sure you would feel a little depressed. Do you think they would take this as an excuse or this a legitimate explanation as to why some of my marks suffered

All I can do is speculate... but I think your DAT is great, and I think that gives you a shot...

but what is you science GPA and what is your BCP?

Also, what have you changed since last cycle? Did you have that same DAT score and not get in? Did you have a lower GPA?

 

[DrReo]

hey guys, so iv applied to 19 schools. I feel my personal statement is great, my dad and grandad were both dentists, I got a 21 AA 22PAT 23 TS. I have 2000 hrs of experience as I worked at the clinic and plenty of shadowing hours. My only problem is my gpa which is 3.1. I didnt get in last cycle so this year I switched from Life Science to Biology and also am one course away from getting a psychology minor. I am wondering what I can do to improve my chances of getting in and if there is anyone out there in a similar situation to me. Also, having been a soccer player my entire life i am suffering from a hip impingement that has caused me to stop playing for the last two years. I know this may sound like an excuse, but try going from going to the gym 3-4 times a week and soccer 2-3 times a week to NOTHING and I am sure you would feel a little depressed. Do you think they would take this as an excuse or this a legitimate explanation as to why some of my marks suffered

Take responsibility for your actions. Soccer is not a justifiable reason for poor academic performance. I ran out of money playing blackjack so my GPA suffered significantly.

The psych minor will not help or be noted in AADSAS, FYI.

 

[lizzieloves]

I think you have a chance, but there were some good points that were brought up before about how you have improved since last cycle. as far as the soccer injury, I don't think that's a good excuse. sorry, good luck though 🙂

 

[uncbestyet]

I'm certainly not an adcom but your GPA is definitely your weakness.

You should take upper level courses from a four year institution (biology/biochem related) to improve your weakness. Some people choose a masters program / while others choose a continuing studies program. I think the adcoms will want to see a trend that you can handle the DS workload/have good work ethic. I would talk to the admiss. dean at the school you like most - about the best approach to pull up your GPA/show improved work ethic (although this is not the best time of the year-but doesn't hurt to shoot him/her an email)

In my opinion this is what all schools want:

Good GPA - shows intelligence(compared to classmates)/work ethic
Good DAT - shows intelligence (compared to other applicants)
Shadowing - shows knowledge of dentistry field/daily life
Volunteering - shows that you have seen the need for indigent care

 

[ratran]

bcp is 3.15 and science is 3.1

i have decided to do an independent study project alongside a dentist on temporomandibular joint dysfunction syndrome. next semester im doing it on oral cancer.

since last year il be having an improved dat score. it was 21AA 21 PAT 21 TS last time to 21 22 23 this time. unfortunately i let myself down and didnt improve on the AA.

basically the only thing i can think of is take upper biology courses and rip the heck out of them. i also refuse to believe the psych minor wont help. psych is one of the hardest courses in my school and has definitely helped me understand the way people interact which helps me in rapport building. anyways, im thinking of retaking the dat if that is my last ditch option. i know i have posted this before, but i already have all my notes completely prepared for science. by improving on math and reading which i got 17 on both i would give myself a much greater chance no?

my question is that if i took it again lets say end of january. i would finish my fall courses and right through the break and the start of next term i would study for the dat. is that too late? would the schools even look?

 

[USCbiograd]

hey guys, so iv applied to 19 schools. I feel my personal statement is great, my dad and grandad were both dentists, I got a 21 AA 22PAT 23 TS. I have 2000 hrs of experience as I worked at the clinic and plenty of shadowing hours. My only problem is my gpa which is 3.1. I didnt get in last cycle so this year I switched from Life Science to Biology and also am one course away from getting a psychology minor. I am wondering what I can do to improve my chances of getting in and if there is anyone out there in a similar situation to me. Also, having been a soccer player my entire life i am suffering from a hip impingement that has caused me to stop playing for the last two years. I know this may sound like an excuse, but try going from going to the gym 3-4 times a week and soccer 2-3 times a week to NOTHING and I am sure you would feel a little depressed. Do you think they would take this as an excuse or this a legitimate explanation as to why some of my marks suffered

Did you get any interviews last cycle? If so, it may be that your interview skills are not as sharp as they need to be. Also, your DAT is great and although your GPA is low you still should be able to gain admission to a dental school. Worst case scenario, you finish your bachelors and need to do a post-bac to show that you are capable of maintaining a good GPA.