DAT above avg, but should I retake?

[WhereIsTheCalcium]

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[FeralisExtremum]

The GPA (as you're aware) is below average but it sounds like you will have an upward trend, which will be looked at favorably. I would say the DAT is roughly average for an accepted student. Retaking the DAT is an option but I'm not sure it's worthwhile unless you're really confident you could increase your scores significantly to make up for the GPA a bit.

Taking summer classes and raising the GPA would be a lot more difficult, since even after you take those courses, they'd still need some time to be processed and updated through AADSAS and that will be after most schools have begun looking at your application. As far as I'm aware you can only use one academic update which opens some time in November and closes in February - so to include the Fall courses as well you'd have to wait for the end of the semester, which is honestly pretty late into the cycle for it to change much in terms of how your GPA would be looked at.

 

[DAT Destroyer]

Hey SDN,

I'm currently preparing my application for the upcoming 2018 cycle. My current stat breakdown is as follows. Note: I am leaving some information out to ensure anonymity in the EC section.

GPA: 3.31
Upward trend since freshman year. No gpa below 3.0 for any semester. 1 C in a bio lab section.

DAT PAT/QR/RC/Bio/GChem/OChem/TS/AA: 20/18/21/21/22/19/21/20

Some Extracurricular and Activities

• Founder and President of Free Tutoring Service for homeless and underprivileged students in the local area. I volunteer 3 times a week after classes.
• Member of Academic Misconduct Council. Help decide university guidelines on cheating. Determine consequences for alleged violators. Educate peers to not cheat.
• Vice-Chair for non-profit business organization. Find challenges within the community and create solutions through entrepreneurial methods.
• Martial Arts Practitioner for more than 13 years. Gained a Black Belt after 10 years of dedication. Teach and lead classes.
• Volunteering at 2 different local dental clinics.
• EMS volunteering for Football games.
• Shadow multiple dental offices private and free clinics.

Work Experience

• Pharmacy Technician - I know it's not really related to dental but it definitely helped me build up my bedside manner and patient communication skills. I would consider the experience extremely important since I was able to narrow my focus on what I was looking for in a medical related career
• Florist Assistant
• NCAA Athlete Monitor for University Athletic Dept. - I make sure our athletes main eligibility to play by ensuring they meet regulations.

So the biggest weakness with my application is my GPA. My sGPA is, unfortunately, only slightly higher than my oGPA. I have 3 Semesters left before I graduate and am in good standing to graduate with a high GPA >3.9 if not a 4.0 this semester. I've calculated my GPA including the results at the end of this semester and could reach above 3.40 before I apply. Would this be enough to have a standing shot at my state school in the Midwest or should I retake and aim for a 22+ to offset my low GPA? I want to apply this semester regardless of either plan to get experience for the app cycle.

Right now, I am conflicted between 2 different plans. The first is to dedicate the entire summer towards DAT prep. If I were to retake, my plan is to start on my PAT practice ASAP and schedule my test for July, so that I can update my application early on. This would be about double the study time than what I allocated myself for the first attempt [About 4 weeks]. I would have little time to study during this semester since my schedule is extremely busy with class/work/volunteering/EC.

The other option is to take summer classes for my science section to boost my GPA. Granted the GPA boost won't be significant ,however it could definitely help if I were to update my application after the end of Fall 2018 semester, my GPA could bump up above 3.5.

Thoughts SDN? Should I retake DAT or take classes? How do I stand as an applicant?

You DAT scores are nice and consistent. My question is, if you retook the DAT do you feel you could bring those scores up substantially? You always run the risk of scoring lower.

Nancy

 

[tyjacobs]

Hey SDN,

I'm currently preparing my application for the upcoming 2018 cycle. My current stat breakdown is as follows. Note: I am leaving some information out to ensure anonymity in the EC section.

GPA: 3.31
Upward trend since freshman year. No gpa below 3.0 for any semester. 1 C in a bio lab section.

DAT PAT/QR/RC/Bio/GChem/OChem/TS/AA: 20/18/21/21/22/19/21/20

Some Extracurricular and Activities

• Founder and President of Free Tutoring Service for homeless and underprivileged students in the local area. I volunteer 3 times a week after classes.
• Member of Academic Misconduct Council. Help decide university guidelines on cheating. Determine consequences for alleged violators. Educate peers to not cheat.
• Vice-Chair for non-profit business organization. Find challenges within the community and create solutions through entrepreneurial methods.
• Martial Arts Practitioner for more than 13 years. Gained a Black Belt after 10 years of dedication. Teach and lead classes.
• Volunteering at 2 different local dental clinics.
• EMS volunteering for Football games.
• Shadow multiple dental offices private and free clinics.

Work Experience

• Pharmacy Technician - I know it's not really related to dental but it definitely helped me build up my bedside manner and patient communication skills. I would consider the experience extremely important since I was able to narrow my focus on what I was looking for in a medical related career
• Florist Assistant
• NCAA Athlete Monitor for University Athletic Dept. - I make sure our athletes main eligibility to play by ensuring they meet regulations.

So the biggest weakness with my application is my GPA. My sGPA is, unfortunately, only slightly higher than my oGPA. I have 3 Semesters left before I graduate and am in good standing to graduate with a high GPA >3.9 if not a 4.0 this semester. I've calculated my GPA including the results at the end of this semester and could reach above 3.40 before I apply. Would this be enough to have a standing shot at my state school in the Midwest or should I retake and aim for a 22+ to offset my low GPA? I want to apply this semester regardless of either plan to get experience for the app cycle.

Right now, I am conflicted between 2 different plans. The first is to dedicate the entire summer towards DAT prep. If I were to retake, my plan is to start on my PAT practice ASAP and schedule my test for July, so that I can update my application early on. This would be about double the study time than what I allocated myself for the first attempt [About 4 weeks]. I would have little time to study during this semester since my schedule is extremely busy with class/work/volunteering/EC.

The other option is to take summer classes for my science section to boost my GPA. Granted the GPA boost won't be significant ,however it could definitely help if I were to update my application after the end of Fall 2018 semester, my GPA could bump up above 3.5.

Thoughts SDN? Should I retake DAT or take classes? How do I stand as an applicant?

is the 3.31 GPA your science GPA or your overall GPA?

If not, what is your science GPA and your BCP GPA?

 

[WhereIsTheCalcium]

@FeralisExtremum @orgoman22 @tyjacobs
Today i'm swamped with work, class and volunteering. Thank you so much for the responses, I will post once today everything is finished for the day.

 

[Stanelz]

Your stats seem decent on paper except for the GPA being slightly low. You have to look at it from a macro POV that you are competing with tons of people with 3.5+ GPA's. Were you pre-pharm at some point because that job is a red flag to adcoms and I would not dwell on it much in your app or PS.

Also as an NCAA monitor were you one of the people that watched other people pee in a cup? just curious lolol