DAT score that "guarentees" admission?

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ItsaGreatDay

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Hey all, I'm sure there is a thread about this somewhere, but I have yet to find it...
Any idea of what DAT score would "guarantee" an admission to UMD as in instate student? (I know there's no real guarantee, as there are a lot of other factors, such as PS, LOR, interview, etc) I'm a non-traditional RDH with a bachelors taking my prereqs now, and plan to take the DAT in June. I have 4.0 so far with my undergrad and prereqs, however I'm still working and plan to do so until the start of Dschool, b/c I have a family to help support; I won't have the luxury of studying 8hrs a day to prep for the DAT for several weeks- along those same lines, I only plan to apply to UMD, b/c it's a commutable distance. Moving is not an option (my kids are 8,6, and 2). I am getting very nervous a/b my chances though, as I read about everyone applying to 7-15 schools, and some people not even getting an interview, let alone admission. Is it completely unrealistic to apply to 1 school and expect things to work out? What kind of DAT score would I have to achieve to make me stand a chance?
Thanks for the input!
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There is no such DAT score that guarantees or even close to guarantee you into dental school. There are a very few people on SDN that I've seen being successful after applying to only one school. Many people nowadays apply to 10+ schools and quite a good amount still do not make it in.
 
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It is tough to put all your eggs into that basket. UMD gets ~2500 applications for ~100 spots. Odds are not great with that. Your GPA is awesome but the DAT is the other half of that part of the application note to mention the personal statement, letters of rec... Given that you are up to snuff I think getting a 21+ should give you a good shot at getting an interview..... But as you said there is no such thing as a guarantee.
 
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ItsaGreatDay said:
Hey all, I'm sure there is a thread about this somewhere, but I have yet to find it...
Any idea of what DAT score would "guarantee" an admission to UMD as in instate student? (I know there's no real guarantee, as there are a lot of other factors, such as PS, LOR, interview, etc) I'm a non-traditional RDH with a bachelors taking my prereqs now, and plan to take the DAT in June. I have 4.0 so far with my undergrad and prereqs, however I'm still working and plan to do so until the start of Dschool, b/c I have a family to help support; I won't have the luxury of studying 8hrs a day to prep for the DAT for several weeks- along those same lines, I only plan to apply to UMD, b/c it's a commutable distance. Moving is not an option (my kids are 8,6, and 2). I am getting very nervous a/b my chances though, as I read about everyone applying to 7-15 schools, and some people not even getting an interview, let alone admission. Is it completely unrealistic to apply to 1 school and expect things to work out? What kind of DAT score would I have to achieve to make me stand a chance?
Thanks for the input!
Click to expand...

There are no guarantees of course, but with a 4.0 GPA and good DAT score you have a excellent chance for an interview at UMD. As others have stated most students apply to more than 1 school and that is always recommended.

Your focus should be on keeping your 4.0 GPA and studying for the DAT with a goal of achieving at least 20 TS/AA.

IMO, If a student applies to 15 schools and doesn't get an interview it has to be because of a low GPA or DAT Score.

Make sure you have an excellent personal statement, sometimes that can be the difference in an interview invite or not. I am sure you have an interesting story because you have children and are a non traditional student.

Wishing you the best..Nancy
 
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I'm in a similar boat. As far as not having time to study for the DAT and being a non-traditional student. I somehow need to juggle shadowing, volunteer hours, studying hours, part-time job hours, my husband 's work hours , baby care ( we don't have a nanny or baby sitter), sharing a car and I have no idea where to begin. Ideally, I would like to get into Ohio State University because of the commute but I know that my chances are slim with only applying to one school. I've done okay with my undergrad cGPA of around 3.45 and sGPA 3.5. I was not doing great in my first 2 years then I decided to get my act together and finished with almost all A's in the last 2 years. Unfortunately, I was not involved in any extracurricular activities during college which I'm sure hurts my chances. Do you guys have any advice for me? What I need to do to get in this cycle? I have not taken the DAT yet and I'm struggling to find the hours to study.
 
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predentalmom said:
I'm in a similar boat. As far as not having time to study for the DAT and being a non-traditional student. I somehow need to juggle shadowing, volunteer hours, studying hours, part-time job hours, my husband 's work hours , baby care ( we don't have a nanny or baby sitter), sharing a car and I have no idea where to begin. Ideally, I would like to get into Ohio State University because of the commute but I know that my chances are slim with only applying to one school. I've done okay with my undergrad cGPA of around 3.45 and sGPA 3.5. I was not doing great in my first 2 years then I decided to get my act together and finished with almost all A's in the last 2 years. Unfortunately, I was not involved in any extracurricular activities during college which I'm sure hurts my chances. Do you guys have any advice for me? What I need to do to get in this cycle? I have not taken the DAT yet and I'm struggling to find the hours to study.
Click to expand...
I definitely understand how life can get with a family. One thing you need to remember is that your application is looked at as a whole. Some parts carry more weight than others but all are considered important by dental schools. That being said, from my own experience with admissions faculty, shadowing is one thing you need to get done because it helps tell them that you have spent a day in the shoes of a dentist and have an idea of what life is really like. The other is that since your GPA is decent, but not stellar you need to do well on the DAT to help show them your improvement. Volunteer hours and extracurriculars are important but unless you are looking at a school like ASDOH where they expect high numbers I would focus on shadowing and the DAT. Finding time to study can be a struggle but it is something you will need to do not only to succeed on the DAT but also in dental school as most have at least 1 test a week if not more. This is of course just my two cents, others may have better advise for you. Good luck on your studies and application.
 
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predentalmom said:
I'm in a similar boat. As far as not having time to study for the DAT and being a non-traditional student. I somehow need to juggle shadowing, volunteer hours, studying hours, part-time job hours, my husband 's work hours , baby care ( we don't have a nanny or baby sitter), sharing a car and I have no idea where to begin. Ideally, I would like to get into Ohio State University because of the commute but I know that my chances are slim with only applying to one school. I've done okay with my undergrad cGPA of around 3.45 and sGPA 3.5. I was not doing great in my first 2 years then I decided to get my act together and finished with almost all A's in the last 2 years. Unfortunately, I was not involved in any extracurricular activities during college which I'm sure hurts my chances. Do you guys have any advice for me? What I need to do to get in this cycle? I have not taken the DAT yet and I'm struggling to find the hours to study.
Click to expand...

Idk about you, but I was planning on taking the DAT mid June, so that I could dedicate time I now have to spend on classes to strictly DAT study time once my classes end the beginning of May (still won't be 8hrs a day, but it will be a huge improvement over 2hrs/week!)... I plan to start the application as soon as it opens in June, so that other portions can be ready to go prior to the DAT score coming in. Does anyone think having the DAT score a bit delayed will hurt interview chances? I figure delaying it by a few weeks will significantly help my score.
 
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orgoman22 said:
There are no guarantees of course, but with a 4.0 GPA and good DAT score you have a excellent chance for an interview at UMD. As others have stated most students apply to more than 1 school and that is always recommended.

Your focus should be on keeping your 4.0 GPA and studying for the DAT with a goal of achieving at least 20 TS/AA.

IMO, If a student applies to 15 schools and doesn't get an interview it has to be because of a low GPA or DAT Score.

Make sure you have an excellent personal statement, sometimes that can be the difference in an interview invite or not. I am sure you have an interesting story because you have children and are a non traditional student.

Wishing you the best..Nancy
Click to expand...
I really appreciate it!
 
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predentalmom said:
I'm in a similar boat. As far as not having time to study for the DAT and being a non-traditional student. I somehow need to juggle shadowing, volunteer hours, studying hours, part-time job hours, my husband 's work hours , baby care ( we don't have a nanny or baby sitter), sharing a car and I have no idea where to begin. Ideally, I would like to get into Ohio State University because of the commute but I know that my chances are slim with only applying to one school. I've done okay with my undergrad cGPA of around 3.45 and sGPA 3.5. I was not doing great in my first 2 years then I decided to get my act together and finished with almost all A's in the last 2 years. Unfortunately, I was not involved in any extracurricular activities during college which I'm sure hurts my chances. Do you guys have any advice for me? What I need to do to get in this cycle? I have not taken the DAT yet and I'm struggling to find the hours to study.
Click to expand...
Being a parent and a applicant is tuff. I'm a stay at home father and had to find the time to shadow, volunteer, and study for the DAT around my daughter's schedule. Don't stress too much about absent extracurriculars. I am a non traditional applicant and literally did no extracurricular activities during college and I had no issues getting interviews. Academically you did better than me as well and I managed to get accepted to two schools this cycle. My advice to you is to score as high as possible on the DAT. I truly believe this will set you apart from most applicants if you can do well on it and write a good personal statement. Think about it for a minute, most applicants are young and probably never had responsibilities such as work and caring for children. You have some real world experience that a majority of applicants don't have. Schools will take that into consideration when looking at your application. Applicants like you and I are at a somewhat disadvantage when it comes to the DAT, all I can say is DON'T give up!
 
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osker246 said:
Being a parent and a applicant is tuff. I'm a stay at home father and had to find the time to shadow, volunteer, and study for the DAT around my daughter's schedule. Don't stress too much about absent extracurriculars. I am a non traditional applicant and literally did no extracurricular activities during college and I had no issues getting interviews. Academically you did better than me as well and I managed to get accepted to two schools this cycle. My advice to you is to score as high as possible on the DAT. I truly believe this will set you apart from most applicants if you can do well on it and write a good personal statement. Think about it for a minute, most applicants are young and probably never had responsibilities such as work and caring for children. You have some real world experience that a majority of applicants don't have. Schools will take that into consideration when looking at your application. Applicants like you and I are at a somewhat disadvantage when it comes to the DAT, all I can say is DON'T give up!
Click to expand...


Thank you so much for your reply. I truly appreciate your input. I definitely feel much better than I did last night. I will try my hardest with the DAT and see where that takes me. Thanks again!
 
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ItsaGreatDay said:
Idk about you, but I was planning on taking the DAT mid June, so that I could dedicate time I now have to spend on classes to strictly DAT study time once my classes end the beginning of May (still won't be 8hrs a day, but it will be a huge improvement over 2hrs/week!)... I plan to start the application as soon as it opens in June, so that other portions can be ready to go prior to the DAT score coming in. Does anyone think having the DAT score a bit delayed will hurt interview chances? I figure delaying it by a few weeks will significantly help my score.
Click to expand...

I would say wait and have a better score but that is just my opinion.
 
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Bingwen said:
I definitely understand how life can get with a family. One thing you need to remember is that your application is looked at as a whole. Some parts carry more weight than others but all are considered important by dental schools. That being said, from my own experience with admissions faculty, shadowing is one thing you need to get done because it helps tell them that you have spent a day in the shoes of a dentist and have an idea of what life is really like. The other is that since your GPA is decent, but not stellar you need to do well on the DAT to help show them your improvement. Volunteer hours and extracurriculars are important but unless you are looking at a school like ASDOH where they expect high numbers I would focus on shadowing and the DAT. Finding time to study can be a struggle but it is something you will need to do not only to succeed on the DAT but also in dental school as most have at least 1 test a week if not more. This is of course just my two cents, others may have better advise for you. Good luck on your studies and application.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your advice! I would probably agree with the shadowing. I do volunteer work at a dental clinic but I only go once a month so I'm not completely oblivious to the life of a dentist 🙂. I just have to suck it up and do my best.
 
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