DAT done today! 3/28/11

[Buiii]

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PAT: 20
QR: 18
RC: 17 🙁
BIO: 20
GC:23
OC:25

TS:22 AA:21

My number one choice is UOP. I know they weight PAT heavily, is 20 high enough? Also, should I retake the DAT b/c of my low RC score? My GPA is 2.82 and I plan on doing a post-bacc or special masters program.

 

[amh137]

This is from the UOP website. "Although our general minimum acceptable score is 17 on all scales, competitive scores this year were 20 and higher. If your scores are significantly lower than our class averages, you should retake the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) before September."

It also says that the average score for RC was a 21 for the incoming class. I don't think you need to retake, but it might be a bit hard to get into UOP if it's your 1st choice. I think the main thing you need to do is focus on raising your GPA.

 

[molar3]

retake your DAT and do a postbacc immediatley
the only thing below a 20 on your DAT should be quantitative reasoning section.

 

[invictusx]

retake your DAT and do a postbacc immediatley
the only thing below a 20 on your DAT should be quantitative reasoning section.

I'm not sure if that's completely true. There are many, many, many exceptions to this.

 

[molar3]

i mean well yea obvi,
im just saying for this particular person. with their lower gpa they need to have a great DAT and anything below a 20 is not great. & what school really cares for qr / weighs it as heavily as all the other sections?

 

[dentalWorks]

PAT: 20
QR: 18
RC: 17 🙁
BIO: 20
GC:23
OC:25

TS:22 AA:21

My number one choice is UOP. I know they weight PAT heavily, is 20 high enough? Also, should I retake the DAT b/c of my low RC score? My GPA is 2.82 and I plan on doing a post-bacc or special masters program.

Your DAT is fine... your problem however is that 2.8 GPA, thats gonna give you a hard time landing interviews at most schools you apply to.

 

[wired202808]

guys he has a 21.. he's clearly a smart dude! just have to take some postbacc classes to raise that GPA... although the only red flag I see is either a lack of motivation, hard life circumstances, or some super hard major! nothing else can explain such a low UGPA.

 

[duvaldentist]

guys he has a 21.. he's clearly a smart dude! just have to take some postbacc classes to raise that GPA... although the only red flag I see is either a lack of motivation, hard life circumstances, or some super hard major! nothing else can explain such a low UGPA.

Hey wired202808 or anyone else that can answer this... I see under the part were you said red flag you stated "hard life circumstances". Im somewhat in the same boat, my GPA isnt quite as low and i have yet to take the DAT but i have been studying religiously for the past 2 months and plan to wait untill i feel i have masterd absolutly everything i can before i take it. With that being said i plan to smash the DAT with hopefully a 23AA or better but my question is what is considerd a "hard life experiance" and how much do dental schools take that into consideration?

Sorry to post a question on your thread Buiii but congrats on your completion of the DAT... My advice as already stated is boost that GPA, but from what i can tell you already realize that. So focus on your postbac and im sure youl be fine 😉

 

[dentalWorks]

Hey wired202808 or anyone else that can answer this... I see under the part were you said red flag you stated "hard life circumstances". Im somewhat in the same boat, my GPA isnt quite as low and i have yet to take the DAT but i have been studying religiously for the past 2 months and plan to wait untill i feel i have masterd absolutly everything i can before i take it. With that being said i plan to smash the DAT with hopefully a 23AA or better but my question is what is considerd a "hard life experiance" and how much do dental schools take that into consideration?

Sorry to post a question on your thread Buiii but congrats on your completion of the DAT... My advice as already stated is boost that GPA, but from what i can tell you already realize that. So focus on your postbac and im sure youl be fine 😉

IMO

Anything that is outside of your control: can be major sickness, injury, close family member with a serious health complication, etc etc.

Things that are NOT OKAY to be considered are:
-my pet died
-my gf that I've been dating since high school broke up with me
-I am A.D.D

 

[recyrb]

IMO

Anything that is outside of your control: can be major sickness, injury, close family member with a serious health complication, etc etc.

Things that are NOT OKAY to be considered are:
-my pet died
-my gf that I've been dating since high school broke up with me
-I am A.D.D

If you do have a reasonable excuse, how and when do you demonstrate that to your schools?

 

[addis4ever]

Hey Buiii,
great scores! Those scores really prove them that you are competitive as anyone else and I believe a 2nd chance is always not far away for someone who shows determination and hard work, which you have. I believe your personal statement has to stand out as well. Let the school of your choice hear from you. Let them know your name so you won't be just any applicant. Show them that you really want this (you've already done so by your DAT) and more and you should be fine. Believe me, they'd rather have an applicant who's worked hard and who really want this rather than the regular.
Can you give us a breakdown please...any Topscore scores or study materials? Thanx.

 

[321931]

PAT: 20
QR: 18
RC: 17 🙁
BIO: 20
GC:23
OC:25

TS:22 AA:21

My number one choice is UOP. I know they weight PAT heavily, is 20 high enough? Also, should I retake the DAT b/c of my low RC score? My GPA is 2.82 and I plan on doing a post-bacc or special masters program.

1)Excellent scores.

2)Regarding your GPA, you are in the correct mindset for taking a post-bac and or special master's program. It will most definitely help, especially if you have a 4.0 post-grad education.

3)Regarding your #1 choice, the RC maybe a cause for concern. When I interviewed/visited UoP, one thing I learned is that they like ~20 on each section. If not ~20, then at least 18+. Of course, QR can be discounted due to noone caring about QR. If I were you, I would call UoP and ask whether you will be competitive with those DAT scores. If it is your number one school, I would do everything to make myself competitive for it. That means pulling up your RC/GPA and visiting the school etc.

Anyways killer AA/TS good job!

 

[Buiii]

Hey Buiii,
great scores! Those scores really prove them that you are competitive as anyone else and I believe a 2nd chance is always not far away for someone who shows determination and hard work, which you have. I believe your personal statement has to stand out as well. Let the school of your choice hear from you. Let them know your name so you won't be just any applicant. Show them that you really want this (you've already done so by your DAT) and more and you should be fine. Believe me, they'd rather have an applicant who's worked hard and who really want this rather than the regular.
Can you give us a breakdown please...any Topscore scores or study materials? Thanx.

In college I learned a lot, but I never had the motivation to put in the extra effort to get good grades because I was not planning on pursuing more school after undergrad. Now that I have graduated and decided I want to go to dental school, I have been doing research full-time at UCLA Dental school and have been studying for the DAT the past 5 months. I know I can get 4.0 GPA in any masters or post-bacc program I do. I have always have been able to get As when I put in the extra effort. Here is my study break down:

As you can tell, I didnt do any practicing with RC. I don't know if practicing would have helped, but maybe. Study materials used (did not take any DAT course): Kaplan Blue Book, DAT Destroyer, DAT Math Destroyer, Cliffs AP Biology, Princeton MCAT Biology Review, Barrons DAT Prep, DAT Achiever, CrackDATPAT, Chads Videos. Out of all the materials, the must have ones are KBB, DAT Destroyer, DAT Math Destroyer, Cliffs Bio, CrackDATPAT, and Chads Videos. Chads Videos was a very good starting point, in order to build a solid base before you start studying anything in the sciences. If you can master all the materials I studied, you will get my score, easy as that. I was getting 24-25s on CrackDATPAT, but on the real DAT I think what got me was Keyhole because the real DAT emphasizes more on sizes rather than shape, which I was not expecting.

 

[youknowthedrill]

If you do have a reasonable excuse, how and when do you demonstrate that to your schools?

Upward trend in GPA, try to meet w/schools before applying and establish a relationship, and your personal statement.

 

[jazane08]

Awesome scores! Your TS makes up for the RC, but you made the cut off so I think you're fine