DAT Taken Advice

[clseller50]

GPA of 3.7

PAT 16
Bio 20
GChem 22
Ochem 21
RC 20


What do you guys think?

Thanks.

 

[Intent]

You did really good on the most important section I think you're scores are fine. Some schools don't care about PAT or MATH. Math is the most useless score I think, and PAT I hear depends on the school. Sciences are great though and reading is on point. I wouldn't retake

 

[clseller50]

Intent, thank for your quick response. It's always reassuring to get positive impartial opinion from people here than from friends and loved ones.

Here's hoping and submitting my supplementals.

 

[bpester]

I would absolutely retake the DAT. The PAT is one of the most vital sections of the DAT if not the most important. Understanding how you perceive things in 3D is critical to a dentist's success in dental school and his career. IF you can't visual simple things like these how will you analyze the more complicated procedures. In general, schools will not even look at you if you have scores below a 17. You have a critical score of 16 on the PAT which is a major problem and will most likely be cut in the first round. I would do a retake as soon as possible to get that PAT score AT LEAST 2 points higher. Your Math is also a red flag but as mentioned above not as important. Still you need this score up a point to at LEAST a 17

Do you have any solid statistics to back up anything that you just said?

 

[supergenius310]

There are people with 14-15 AAs that get into dental school...I wouldn't sweat those scores that much...besides PAT and QR are generally the sections that are the least important from what I've seen.

 

[Janeausten]

I feel like your scores are fine, but some schools have a cutoff of 17 per section. If you weed out those particular schools, you are golden. Of course some schools make exceptions to their rules, as well.

 

[yandillo]

😱

I would absolutely retake the DAT. The PAT is one of the most vital sections of the DAT if not the most important. Understanding how you perceive things in 3D is critical to a dentist's success in dental school and his career. IF you can't visual simple things like these how will you analyze the more complicated procedures. In general, schools will not even look at you if you have scores below a 17. You have a critical score of 16 on the PAT which is a major problem and will most likely be cut in the first round. I would do a retake as soon as possible to get that PAT score AT LEAST 2 points higher. Your Math is also a red flag but as mentioned above not as important. Still you need this score up a point to at LEAST a 17

@Getatme1537 Like we say in Spanish: Permíteme carcajearme hahahahaha WHERE in the world did you hear this: "Understanding how you perceive things in 3D is critical to a dentist's success in dental school and his career. IF you can't visual simple things like these how will you analyze the more complicated procedures." Talking by the perspective of someone that studied already 4 years of dental school in a foreign country...someone that did twice as much non common, and regular dental procedures than ANY resident in a residency program in the United Sates ( due to the fact that health care is free and ppl don't have to worry to pay back and students can do the unimaginable )..... I CAN TELL you that your statement is ABSOLUTELY wrong. Have u heard abt Cerec by Sirona?????..Here is a lil of info so u can give more accurate info and advice next time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l13iu363eEI
Computers do all 3D work for you...Even my grandma understands a 3D model nowadays. .....and regarding Black's cavity and all the every day procedures in a dental office, by your 3rd year, after practicing , practicing and getting home and practicing more.....even someone with a High School diploma can master it. Being a dentist is mucchhhhh mucchhhh more than to simply "visual things in 3D" like u said. You'll realize this one day!!! Being human and treating your patients as patients and not as CLIENTS is what makes a dentist successful.
Now @Clseller50, Getatme1537 said something that can be right. Schools do give some importance to this section.....but many of my friends that are already in dental school got a 17 and got in without any problem. They had stellar sciences scores just as you!! I would call the schools and ask for your 16..... but don't let anyone discourage you with comments taken as a fact that are not more than speculations !!! Peace out

 

[Jokrino]

I would absolutely retake the DAT. The PAT is one of the most vital sections of the DAT if not the most important. Understanding how you perceive things in 3D is critical to a dentist's success in dental school and his career. IF you can't visual simple things like these how will you analyze the more complicated procedures. In general, schools will not even look at you if you have scores below a 17. You have a critical score of 16 on the PAT which is a major problem and will most likely be cut in the first round. I would do a retake as soon as possible to get that PAT score AT LEAST 2 points higher. Your Math is also a red flag but as mentioned above not as important. Still you need this score up a point to at LEAST a 17

Don't listen to anything he said here....

You did well. nice job. Apply..

 

[Eastcoast24]

I would absolutely retake the DAT. The PAT is one of the most vital sections of the DAT if not the most important. Understanding how you perceive things in 3D is critical to a dentist's success in dental school and his career. IF you can't visual simple things like these how will you analyze the more complicated procedures. In general, schools will not even look at you if you have scores below a 17. You have a critical score of 16 on the PAT which is a major problem and will most likely be cut in the first round. I would do a retake as soon as possible to get that PAT score AT LEAST 2 points higher. Your Math is also a red flag but as mentioned above not as important. Still you need this score up a point to at LEAST a 17

His name says it all. Don't listen to this *****.

 

[Minion]

Congrats on the scores! How was the biology section? Was there tough plants and diversity questions ?

 

[saintguitar]

I would actually agree with Getatme1537 that PAT IS indeed one of the more heavily valued sections on DAT. With that said, it does not hurt to apply and see if any school will "look the other way" since you have a pretty solid GPA and rest of the DAT scores.

Good Luck.

 

[yandillo]

:troll:

For those of you that believe I have no idea what I'm talking about, I have talked to those in admissions at Temple and Penn, along with Pittsburgh. I am passing down what I have been told down from the head honcho's who are on the admissions committee and are successful dentists themselves. @ Yandillo. You studied outside of the USA, enough said. The US has far superior medical and dental expertise compared to the rest of the country. Why do you think one cannot practice medicine or dentistry in the US if they did not go to school in the US....They're CLEARLY NOT QUALIFIED. I am not trying to be mean or antagonize, but trying to place a realistic aspect on here besides saying bulls.hit on how great you did even though your scores do not represent that. I would apply to school's in your state and to those who have a very high out of state acceptance rate. @Eastcoast24 if I am such a ***** I wonder why I got an interview to UCONN? hmmmm

@Getatme1537 I am amazed with your knowledge about dentistry and its laws in US. I would like to invite you ONCE AGAIN to do just a "little" research before giving statements based on speculations. No one can practice Med or Dentistry in US because then instead of having lights in every street we would have a private dental office....and you know what happen with that issue...prices go down etc etc etc.Of course anyone outside the US can't practice here,,,,in the same way that a dentist from here has to follow the laws from any country they want to practice in. I HONESTLY laughed with this: "They are clearly not qualified." I'm just gonna give you a lil of info. I know 45-50 years old dentists from my country that came here, learned English in 1-2 years, passed NBDE1, got accepted in an Advance Standing Program in top Universities in this country, some of the ones u talked abt previously btw, and graduated with a beast GPA (2 of them TOP of the class) I won't give you names cause their profiles of course are public in a google search and that's not my intention. You were not mean at all with your statement, just showed me some ignorance, that's all. Where in the world did u read that my scores do not represent how well I did in my country. My lowest score was an 18 in RC for obvious reasons. In one thing you were correct : that I have a really really really really impeccable Gpa in dental school, and for the adcoms to see that those scores were not a casualty I have prepared a 5 mins video of me performing surgeries that not even a R3 OMFS student is allowed to perform yet in this country, a country that has as you well said "far superior medical and dental expertise compared to the rest of the countries". While you will show them in you interviews an example of "activities requiring hand-eye coordination such as cross-stitching, sewing,
art, crafts, playing musical instruments, auto repair, etc etc" I will show them things that they cannot teach because there are not enough patients with those complicated cases and they have to tell the students this is how it looks in a book or in a video, Sorry that's the reality....I'm not speculating AT ALL.
Medicine and Dentistry are the same here, in China, England, Spain, Argentina and Alaska and so on.....US is the best country in the world, that's why I'm here, and because I have the freedom I didn't have in my country....... Thank you for your advice abt applying to state schools, but It seems that we have a similar taste according to dental programs. I applied to the schools with the best clinical programs. I did call Temple as well. They told me that they can't see why I won't get an interview with them if I have that background, gpa and DAT scores. I haven't proofread any of this so Sorry for any mistakes!!!! @Clseller50..... don't get discouraged,,,,you are gonna make it this year!!!! :troll:

 

[aznriptide859]

The US has far superior medical and dental expertise compared to the rest of the country.

I'm sorry, I cannot get over how hilariously incorrect this is. I wasn't aware other countries didn't exist on this planet.

 

[clseller50]

Thank you all for your comments,support and suggestions.

@ Minion
The bio section was random as expected but it's one of my favorite subjects so that helped. I believe there were plant stuff. It's best to cover all your basis. I started with the Kaplan book as a foundation but as most know Kaplan BB lacks so much the nity grity details on this section. I marked all over the bio section of KBB whenever I reviewed additional details from ferralis notes, YouTube videos on plant stuff, or other sources.
All the best. I'm sure you will conquer it.

 

[JustinX8]

Good stuff, I also suffer from a low PAT, your scores are great tho, just call schools ahead and ask if they care about PAT. It's good if you have manual dexterity hobbies as well, that way you can show them that you don't have spazz hands like some people

 

[gn4]

depends on the school. Your scores are good.

 

[clseller50]

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to return to this thread and provide Future D1's an update.

With my scores, I received 4 Interviews and 3 Offers with 1 Waitlist. If your EC's are strong along with life experiences you can share (demonstrated in Personal Statements), there certainly is a chance for schools to call you in and find out more. Dentistry is more than just 'stats', it is a field where Admissions wants to see compassion, maturity and your ability/potential to give back as a student and future Dentist.

Good luck to all future applicants!

 

[ziggy1104]

Congrats!! Posts like these keep us all going!


quote="clseller50, post: 14928387, member: 554012"]Hello Everyone,

I wanted to return to this thread and provide Future D1's an update.

With my scores, I received 4 Interviews and 3 Offers with 1 Waitlist. If your EC's are strong along with life experiences you can share (demonstrated in Personal Statements), there certainly is a chance for schools to call you in and find out more. Dentistry is more than just 'stats', it is a field where Admissions wants to see compassion, maturity and your ability/potential to give back as a student and future Dentist.

Good luck to all future applicants![/quote]