DAT DONE - 7/24. Any thoughts on what to do with my life?

[Zhopik]

---

Members do not see this ad.

So I am a reapplicant, and I took the DAT in 6/06, and just re-took is yesterday. I am enrolled in a post-bacc, but haven't started class yet, and thus do not have a cushy post-bacc GPA. My undergrad GPA's according to AADSAS are :
cum: 3.32
sci: 2.98

I submitted my AADSAS app at the end of May this year.

Here are my DAT scores:
1st Time/2nd Time
PAT 15/ 17
QR 17/ 15
RC 21/ 18
Bio 20/ 20
GChem 19/ 19
OChem 17/ 19
TS 19/ 19
AA 19/ 18

I feel like a complete failure, and that I will not be accepted anywhere. I have always wanted to be a dentist (other than my princess phase and movie star phase), and cannot imagine doing anything else. So, essentially I feel like my life is over . . .

btw, if anyone has any questions about the test, I will be more than happy to answer them, if you want the opinion of an obvious idiot.

 

[Regmata]

Do well in the post-bacc and you will be ok. If you don't get lucky this cycle, make sure you get in next cycle with that "cushy" post-bacc gpa

 

[youngmc27]

Keep hope alive. Sometimes it takes more than one try to get in. Kick but in your classes this year and you will get in. 😀

 

[denticus]

Apparently, no school on this planet gives a flippidy-crap...well...maybe a flippidy, but definetly not a flippidy-crap about either your PAT score or your Quant scores which luckily you didn't do so hot on. I know people on SDN who were honest enough to admit that they got 13's and 14's on Quant and not only got interviews but were also accepted into dental schools. I can say the same for people who have gotten poor PAT scores. You did respectable on your RC which is looked at with a lot of weight and you did fairly well in all your sciences so, all and all, I think you still have a shot this year so long as your GPA/sGPA don't look like a freak show. Don't stress! Don't get discouraged! As long as you work hard and improve your app. continually I'm sure you'll get in somewhere. Good luck with everything.

 

[midwestboy]

Don't lose hope! Like you said, this is something that you have worked hard at your whole life. This is another barrier that you have to and will overcome. Keep the faith!!!

 

[uesider]

Definitely do not lose hope... a 19 TS is nothing to be ashamed of!!! Keep in mind there are THOUSANDS of students applying who do not visit SDN or post their scores, therefore you may think you did horrible, but you are probably just comparing yourself to people who did well enough to want to post their scores on a message board. I've learned that it's VERY easy to become discouraged by visiting this site (although there is tons of useful information as well.)

As for the test, how did you prepare? Looks like the math got harder. How many chem calculations would you say you did?

Best of luck and don't lose hope 🙂

 

[OceanBlue]

Your DAT scores for the second time are not bad; however, you definitely need to pull your science GPA up. Don't worry about your QR...it's fine!

So I am a reapplicant, and I took the DAT in 6/06, and just re-took is yesterday. I am enrolled in a post-bacc, but haven't started class yet, and thus do not have a cushy post-bacc GPA. My undergrad GPA's according to AADSAS are :
cum: 3.32
sci: 2.98

I submitted my AADSAS app at the end of May this year.

Here are my DAT scores:
1st Time/2nd Time
PAT 15/ 17
QR 17/ 15
RC 21/ 18
Bio 20/ 20
GChem 19/ 19
OChem 17/ 19
TS 19/ 19
AA 19/ 18

I feel like a complete failure, and that I will not be accepted anywhere. I have always wanted to be a dentist (other than my princess phase and movie star phase), and cannot imagine doing anything else. So, essentially I feel like my life is over . . .

btw, if anyone has any questions about the test, I will be more than happy to answer them, if you want the opinion of an obvious idiot.

 

[Zhopik]

Hi Everybody!

Thank you all very much for the kind and encouraging words. I really appreciate it, and am working on trying to get through things. It's so strange to feel mediocre when you always thought you were special. I know most people go through that when they hit college, but I didnt, and I guess its really hitting me because I feel like this is my thing, so it just sucks. I havent given up yet, and still have a flicker of hope 😳

As for the test: I feel like my brain is trying to block out the experience, but I will do my best.

BIO: During the test, I felt like I was doing great, like I was getting lots of questions right, and that they were familiar. I would say it was a combo of Destroyer and Achiever, but the concepts I got from Destroyer seem to stand out more. Yes, there were some left field weirdo questions (Dolly, some weird sperm disease or treatment question, lab technique with solutions that I didnt know). People say that Bio is way off and crazy, but I feel that Destroyer was spot on with many concepts, and made me able to APPLY instead of just answer the same exact question. The weirdo questions were there, and there's nothing to do but take your best guess unless you're lucky and know the specific random facts that you get on your test.

GChem: I think that it was about 50/50 calcs and theory. Whatever calcs there were, they weren't of the complex super time-consuming type, however, they were of the takes you a minute to get what they're talking about type. Destroyer for theory, and knowledge, Achiever/Topscore for practice.

OChem: this was my weak spot in the sciences going in. Ochem and I are not miscible substances, hahahahaha lame I know . Destroyer is really a Godsend for people like me who just dont get it, who just dont see it, who just cant do it. Yeah, I didnt get like a 24 on it like other Destroyer fans, but I raised my score by 2 points, and for me and Ochem, thats a victory. Its what everyone says on here, know the SN1, SN2, E1, E2, know the road maps, and you'll be fine. My problem was that my brain was overloaded, I started studying a while ago, and when it came closer to the test, I felt like the more info I stuffed into my head, the more came dribbling out of my ears. By the time I felt that I had conquered one part of the test, I had forgotten all the stuff for the part I had learned before this one.

PAT: Thank you Achiever! I know my PAT still sucks, but its not a 15 anymore! and thats due to achiever. Everything else is bull****. I just wish the Achiever guy made it a little more user friendly like Topscore where you can retake tests, erase answers, etc etc. The pattern folding was easier on the actual DAT, and everything else was about equally as hard as Achiever.

RC: people beware, the second passage will be longer than the first!!! Last year, when I got the 21 in RC, I skimmed the passage, then just did the question search method, and it was great, I got a 21. This year, that would have been impossible, and I did the read (not skim) fast, and take quick notes by paragraph. That was helpful, but time becomes your enemy, and you still have to look for answers. RC is/was my forte, I am great at writing papers, reading, I was and English tutor for 3 years at UC Davis. Its my thing, I can just do it, and do it well. Here, the combo of confusing questions, weird answer choices, zero time, and dry erase boards that smear ur notes, just puts all odds against you. There was at least 1 tone question per passage, along with lots of specific questions with mixed up reworded answers.

QR: people, I simply ran out of time. I got caught up with a few calcs in the beginning, and it just totally threw me off, and I had to just pick random answer choices for like the last 15 questions. It sucked. I wouldnt say it was that difficult. Destroyer and Achiever will prep you for the kind of stuff you will see, but obviously every problem is different, and again time is your worst enemy.

Anyway, good luck to everyone! Hope all goes well for you!!!!!!

 

[xdianaax]

Keep your head up!!! Determination will get you there! Good luck!🙂

 

[zebrafish]

Hey I feel your pain!!! I am also a re-app. and I re-took my DAT today and just wanted to crawl in a hole after. I studied as hard as I possibly could yet it just didn't cut the mustard. I too am enrolled in a post-bacc but haven't started yet. Here are my stats-
BCP:3.44
Science: 3.49
Cum:3.31 This is with an upward trend in the last 3 years since I am a non-traditional student and I have between a 3.4 -4.0 every semester since coming back to school.

DAT
PA-17/18
QR-14/12 I suck at math no matter how much I practice. It has been 15yrs since I had an algebra course and the no calculator thing is ridiculous!
ReadingComp 19/17😡
Bio-17/17
Genchem-16/17
Orgo-17/19
TS-17/18
AA17/16
I too want to cry. I don't mean to highjack your thread, but I thought that since I'm in the same boat that I too could get some advice. I have sacrificed so much in my marriage and life, including leaving my job and giving up my house, to go back to school to become a dentist. Last year I applied with a 3.0 Cum gpa and got waitlisted (still am), and I thought this time I would rock the DAT and get in. All I want to do is become a dentist. Now I feel like there may be no hope for me.

 

[Regmata]

Zebra...How are you preparing for the DAT? Kaplan course, books?

 

[zebrafish]

Zebra...How are you preparing for the DAT? Kaplan course, books?

I took the Kaplan on-line and then the in class course. I think they need to up-date the material they teach because there were a lot of things on the exam that the Kaplan course didn't touch on.

 

[msu08]

13 or 14 on the quant???? was this like 15 years ago??? i feel like anything less than an 18 isn't even acceptable. not that i did that hot on my DAT, i'm just saying those scores seem low to have been accepted by dental schools.

 

[Regmata]

I took the Kaplan on-line and then the in class course. I think they need to up-date the material they teach because there were a lot of things on the exam that the Kaplan course didn't touch on.

I took the test last year and I primarily used Kaplan. I thought the class itself was next to useless, but the books were helpful. You do need to supplement them with other DAT books and your own books from school because there is some misinformation in them. However, there is enough info there to do well. For me, I went over every test, every chapter and every quiz extensively...until I couldnt really do it anymore. It worked.

The math section wasn't fun for me either, when I took the DAT, I hadnt had a math course in 12 years. You just have to grunt through that. I found the explanantion of the answers most useful.

Reading comp, I didn't really use the Kaplan method. Moreorless, I just scanned the paragraphs for key words.

Is your problem with test taking strategies or content? I know a lot of people get flustered on a question and spend too much time on it. My advice is always to put the answer that makes the most sense, mark it and come back if you have time.

Anyways, I am sure I have not told you anything you didn't know...can you take the Kaplan course again? I think they gaurantee your scores...couldnt hurt to ask if you can enroll next round for free.