DAT disaster

[aphistis]

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Originally posted by ItsGavinC
If you have NO public school to apply to and have average/below-average grades, then anything less than a 20 IS application suicide.

Sorry, Gavin, I'm with the peanut gallery on this one.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Private school, below average grades, and DAT scores below 20?

You guys have got to be kidding me. That application simply isn't going to have lots of success.

I don't know MANY private schools where a 2.8 and an 18/17 is going to get you much love.

Some of this comes from my personal experiences. Last year, with my Marquette interview, Mr. Trecek told me that unless I had 20+ scores on my DAT, I shouldn't be waiting by the mailbox for anything nice from them--and I had a 3.4 GPA!!

Just realistic.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Originally posted by Ecks
NYU is very forgiving for lower stats. That is NOT application suicide.

So is that the basis for your argument? One school? The vast majority of applicants would want to apply to more than one school to better their odds.

Nobody (not even I!) ever said it couldn't be done, I'm just offering a realistic viewpoint. Those students (like me!) who don't have a public state school to apply to, get stuck having to pull better scores than some of the other applicants. I'm not making excuses for it, that's just the way it is!

When posting stats/acceptances/etc. on SDN, we should all make a point of mentioning our states of residence. It really is two completely different admissions games being played out there.

 

[aphistis]

Originally posted by ItsGavinC
Private school, below average grades, and DAT scores below 20?

You guys have got to be kidding me. That application simply isn't going to have lots of success.

I don't know MANY private schools where a 2.8 and an 18/17 is going to get you much love.

Just realistic.

2.8 isn't even close to an average GPA. I think it goes without saying that a fair-to-middlin' DAT won't compensate for a severely compromised GPA. And yes, I've helped interview several applicants whose GPA's did not stand out from the pack and whose DATs were even less remarkable. That information, combined with an awareness of the more-or-less level playing field IUSD awards all interviewees and a knowledge of where IUSD stands in terms of admissions difficulty, lets me assert with some confidence that "application suicide" doesn't even enter the picture.

Now, having said all that, let me say that a "suicidal application" and a "marginal to fair application" may well have the same outcome. "Suicide," to me, implies a near-0% chance of acceptance. If you intended differently, all of the above becomes irrelevant. If not, I stand by it.

 

[ItsGavinC]

For the masses:

I just wanted to drop a quick note letting everybody know that there isn't anything personal with me and my posts. I'm more of a realist now than ever (as I think many people are after actually matriculating).

The fact is that there are only several of us who are in dental school and still post in the pre-dent forum. Take it for what it's worth. You can call it crappy posting, or valuable wisdom, or something in between.

My bottom line is that I essentially see 95% of the people looking at the glass as half full. It doesn't hurt to have 5% of the people saying it's half empty.

Heaven forbid some of you find out that the admissions game isn't all its cracked up to be--and I'm not speaking strictly about acceptances. Wait until you have the "luxury" of assisting with interviews at your schools next year, or when you and your other DS1 friends from around the nation get together and discussion applications and admissions.

I've been a valid contributor here for over 3 years, and plan on sticking around for much longer.

Props to everybody (even the newbies) 🙂

 

[ItsGavinC]

Originally posted by aphistis

"Suicide," to me, implies a near-0% chance of acceptance. If you intended differently, all of the above becomes irrelevant. If not, I stand by it.

For that I apologize. My reference was that it drastically cripples the applicant's odds of being accepted.

Read: eliminating the applicant's life-lines (GPA, DAT, LORs, ECs) slowly and surely.

 

[Bickle]

Originally posted by ItsGavinC
So is that the basis for your argument? One school? The vast majority of applicants would want to apply to more than one school to better their odds.

BU and Temple are a few more.

 

[ItsGavinC]

For what it's worth, Arizona had really low DAT scores last year as well.

 

[ShawnOne]

I don't know MANY private schools where a 2.8 and an 18/17 is going to get you much love.

I think the 2.8 and 18/17 DAT will hurt you more with PUBLIC schools rather than private. For sure thats the case in California at least.

In Cali, those stats are absolute suicide for public schools, and pretty much suicide for private also (i am not sure about Loma Linda).

 

[ItsGavinC]

I think those Cali schools are a bit different, simply because of the HUGE amount of applicants they get.

 

[Rezdawg]

Point of the story...Im screwed.

I definitely feel discouraged as a result of the high grades on this board mixed with the fact that people tell me that Im not going anywhere unless I have 20+ across the board. Its a combination of the two that have me scared, worried, and anxious about what the next couple months will have in store for me.

 

[boboli_chef]

Am I the only one here who wishes they hadn't read this thread? It all started only minutes ago when....

(dramatic recreation)

b_c: 😎 "Hmm, what's this thread that's been on top for days that I've been ignoring? Let's have a look..."
(five minutes later)
b_c: "Oh no, I'm screwed, too!" 🙁

FIN

Just like any other site on the Net, SDN portrays a gross misrepresentation of the applicant pool due to a small, distorted sample size. The moral of this story: shut up and complete your applications (or interviews, or daily mailbox rounds)! 😎

 

[ItsGavinC]

Originally posted by Rezdawg
Point of the story...Im screwed.

I definitely feel discouraged as a result of the high grades on this board mixed with the fact that people tell me that Im not going anywhere unless I have 20+ across the board.

You aren't screwed. I don't know your personal situation, and therefore don't recall your entire application "package".

What is your GPA like? Do you have an upward trend? What are your DAT scores? What state are you a resident of? What schools did you apply to? How early did you apply?

ALL of these things come into play.

 

[wimmcs]

Originally posted by Dentaldream

 

[Rezdawg]

Originally posted by ItsGavinC
You aren't screwed. I don't know your personal situation, and therefore don't recall your entire application "package".

What is your GPA like? Do you have an upward trend? What are your DAT scores? What state are you a resident of? What schools did you apply to? How early did you apply?

ALL of these things come into play.

overall gpa: 3.0

Freshman year, I had a 2.2. Over the next 3 years, I averaged about a 3.2 gpa, so I was only able to hit the 3.0 mark.

Science GPA: 3.1

Dat scores: 19/17/18

From Texas. Application was submitted on Oct. 6th.

BU or NYU is all Im asking for....😳

 

[Dr.BadVibes]

dont worry dude.....

We got similar stats but I have a 20 DAT......my 20 DAT and your 19 DAT is no difference in my opinion and your higher science GPA makes a big diff in your favour!

and i have interviews at NYU and BU.....so you got no prob.....the interviews will come my son....they will come

You may have some early CHristmas presents, cause my invites came last week and I submitted Sept. 8, so you are looking at a month from now, but dont count on it cause of the hectic holidays, but for sure shall hear something by January........hope it makes you feel better!

 

[ItsGavinC]

If BU or NYU are all you are looking for, then you'll probably find some success.

I'm not at all familiar with how they fill their classes, so who knows when you'll get interviews/acceptance, but for those schools your numbers look swell.

 

[predentchick]

Gavin... um thats interesting that Marquette told you to not wait for anything from them unless you have a 20. My best friend (a white male) is going there this year and he got in with a 16/16 DAT and a 3.1 GPA. (he got his acceptance in January). So it is possible. (I'm sure there are plenty more out there like him). I do agree with you that those who have 20/20's need not to hold their breath!😉

 

[mard]

if you don't mind, could you tell us what your friend's state of residence is?

 

[predentchick]

Utah