Dat Done Today

[mantraman1010]

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Well it didn't go over too well, I forgot everything I studied in the process of getting a new appointment due to the blackout. I ended up with an 18AA 17TS and 15PAT. I really do not want to take it again, but it looks like I'm gonna have to. I have a 3.8 GPA with about a 3.6 sGPA. Do Texas schools look at GPA or DAT more heavily? Got plenty of shadowing hours about 100 with an general dentist, ortho, endo, and oral surgeon. I've even been in the operating room at MD Anderson and rotated 50+ hours with a reconstructive surgeon and oral surgeon who performed jaw reconstructive surgery for cancer patients. I've volunteered about 60+ hours in the ER and Neurosensory Dept at the Methodist Hospital. I'm apart of three national honor socities on campus and have 30+ hours of general community service. I worked with a oil gas flow company for a couple months and even got to work on some of the offshore gas rigs. That is just my background, so what do you guys think?

 

[snapple59]

Raise your DAT AA score to around 19 or 20. You may need to improve your PAT score to 17. If you write a super essay, you should be able to get a few interviews, and apply early as possible like in June or July

 

[USCbiograd]

If I were you, I would definetly re-take the DAT. Unfortunately, schools tend to weigh DAT scores very heavily and low scores can seriously reduce your chances of being admitted.

 

[drteeth]

Honestly, I dont think you need a 20 but I do think you would need to take the DATs again. You have to bring the PAT up to about 17 and try to keep your academic at 18 and you should be fine. Your background sounds incredible and very favorable.
PS - Destroyer is the way to go!

 

[DDSDakoo]

honestly,
with all the stuff u got going on, GPA and volunteering. if u graduated from some place like UT, or A&M (state feeder schools), I would go ahead and email the schools/deans and let them know ur situation (gpa and dat and volunteer work etc) IF THEY tell u to re-take, then re-take cause your GPA is pretty solid.

the reason i say this is I have a friend from A&M, GPA was 3.7, got a 17 on the DAT (dont know about PAT) and he got into to UT San Antonio Dental Branch. PPL do get in with 17's, but its a bit of a risk. Everyone is different. but u should email em to find out!
gluck!

 

[busupshot83]

Well it didn't go over too well, I forgot everything I studied in the process of getting a new appointment due to the blackout. I ended up with an 18AA 17TS and 15PAT. I really do not want to take it again, but it looks like I'm gonna have to. I have a 3.8 GPA with about a 3.6 sGPA. Do Texas schools look at GPA or DAT more heavily? Got plenty of shadowing hours about 100 with an general dentist, ortho, endo, and oral surgeon. I've even been in the operating room at MD Anderson and rotated 50+ hours with a reconstructive surgeon and oral surgeon who performed jaw reconstructive surgery for cancer patients. I've volunteered about 60+ hours in the ER and Neurosensory Dept at the Methodist Hospital. I'm apart of three national honor socities on campus and have 30+ hours of general community service. I worked with a oil gas flow company for a couple months and even got to work on some of the offshore gas rigs. That is just my background, so what do you guys think?

First off, not everyone performs well on standarized tests, so don't sweat it. Your DAT may seem "low," but you also have to remember not to get caught up comparing your stats to everyone on this forum. I've been a member on this site for a long time now, and I've observed a general trend: usually the most ambitious students lurk SDN, and therefore, the stats floating around here are usually heavily inflated. Furthermore, your GPA is great, and so are your extracurriculars. True, most schools weigh the DAT as a large factor in admissions, but according to www.predents.com, there are more than a few that seem to have lower DAT standards:

#42 Creighton 18.45
#43 SIU 18.4
#44 Marquette 18.35
#45 Tufts 18.22
#46 UMKC 18.1
#47 UNLV 18.07
#48 Kentucky 18
#49 Louisville 18
#50 Tennessee 18
#51 Indiana 17.8
#52 Mississippi 17.4
#53 WVU 17
#54 Howard 16
#55 Meharry 16

Obviously, your safest bet is to re-take the DAT, and score higher. However, make sure you assess whether or not you can score higher. Ask yourself: "did I study to my full potential?" If you honestly believe that you did study to your maximum ability, then proceed with caution: you may risk dropping in DAT score your second time around. We have similar GPAs, and personally, if I scored similar to you on the DAT, I would probably just apply and see what happens. In the end, it is your call 😎. Hope that helps.

 

[diane07]

I'm not on an Admissions Committee, so I'm not saying I know what they want.

But personally, I would think that the GPA is equally as important if not more so than the DAT. My reasoning is that the DAT is a one time test. Whereas a good GPA shows that you can handle the sciences over the long haul. Which to me, would be a good indicator as to whether or not someone could handle the rigors of dental school over the long haul as well.

I'm just trying to give you some encouragement that at least you have a very competitive GPA. And fixing a DAT is a lot easier than fixing a GPA!

 

[busupshot83]

I'm not on an Admissions Committee, so I'm not saying I know what they want.

But personally, I would think that the GPA is equally as important if not more so than the DAT. My reasoning is that the DAT is a one time test. Whereas a good GPA shows that you can handle the sciences over the long haul. Which to me, would be a good indicator as to whether or not someone could handle the rigors of dental school over the long haul as well.

I'm just trying to give you some encouragement that at least you have a very competitive GPA. And fixing a DAT is a lot easier than fixing a GPA!

I agree with you. Unfortunately, many schools do not see it this way. They are often faced with the problem: Given a group of students with different majors from different institutions, how do we bring balance in deciding who is "more qualified?" The answer is the DAT, and that is probably why it is weighed so high. Again, I say just apply and see what happens.

 

[diane07]

busupshot83 - I should clarify what I meant.

Obviously students with "different majors from different institutions" are hard to compare. What I was thinking in terms of the GPA, was the science pre-requisites and upper level division sciences.

Schools do notice whether or not you've shown the ability to handle the sciences. Many schools will outright say on their websites that they give preferance to applicants who've completed upper level division sciences. That's why I was thinking that perhaps schools do give a signifcant amount of weight to the GPA (science, that is) But who knows . . . Admissions is a funny thing.

My point to the origional poster was that since he had a competitive science GPA, that at least is in his favor.

But of course, both GPA and DAT are important! I'm definitely not knocking the DAT! 🙂

 

[busupshot83]

busupshot83 - I should clarify what I meant.

Obviously students with "different majors from different institutions" are hard to compare. What I was thinking in terms of the GPA, was the science pre-requisites and upper level division sciences.

Schools do notice whether or not you've shown the ability to handle the sciences. Many schools will outright say on their websites that they give preferance to applicants who've completed upper level division sciences. That's why I was thinking that perhaps schools do give a signifcant amount of weight to the GPA (science, that is) But who knows . . . Admissions is a funny thing.

My point to the origional poster was that since he had a competitive science GPA, that at least is in his favor.

But of course, both GPA and DAT are important! I'm definitely not knocking the DAT! 🙂

You're 100% correct... you can't take away his hard-earned GPA!

 

[Courtesy]

Retake it! Your GPA is good, but try to get at least 17 in PAT section.

 

[RozhonDDS]

your cutting it close, but you might be able to get away with those scores, apply EARLY, and if you retake it just try to get atleast a 17 or 18 on the PAT. GL

 

[BLEND]

Contact each school you are looking at and ask. It may not be fun to sacrifice 3 months of your life to study again, but after you do it (again) and get into school, it will all be worth it. Hang in there. It does seem like someone like you with your GPA and experience should get in instead of someone that has no clue about the dental field and 0 experience, but the DAT is more of a "weeding" tool in my opinion. Who can hang in there and study, stay in during weekends, and put in many hours re-learning chem, bio, the PAT section... the list goes on. It is all worth it in the long run : )