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- Mar 28, 2017
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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?
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?