Did not get accepted this cycle with 21AA and 3.4 gpa, need advice

[magicdock]

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Hello everyone I'm writing this because I'm in dire need of some advice on where to go from my current situation:

I'm 22 years old and recently graduated with a 3.4 gpa in Biomedical science and I have a 21AA on my DATs (18 PAT, 21 RC, 24OC, 21TS)

I only applied to the 3 schools in my state this cycle (UF, lecom and nova) and received interviews from all 3. This boosted my confidence thinking that if I just be myself in the interviews, i will probably get into a school regardless of having ZERO volunteering hours or any real extracurriculars besides 100 hours of shadowing a general dentist and working part time. On the other hand, I just got a job as a tutor at Huntington Learning center on top of working at a restaurant since I am now out of school.

I was wrong. My overconfidence led me to get 3.0 GPAs my last 2 semesters (downward trend). I got rejected from UF and lecom and am waitlisted as a "high hold" candidate at NOVA. It isn't looking too bright for me this cycle so I want to ask for advice ahead of time. Should I:


A) do a ton of volunteer work and more shadowing along with working my 2 jobs and apply this next cycle?

B) apply to a postbac program and raise my gpa along with doing ECs and then apply 2 cycles from now (or 1)?

 

[magicdock]

yes its a hard to decide between the 2+ i know :\

 

[shonster460]

I think your stats will get you in a school if you apply to more programs. Postbacc would help but waiting 2 cycles seems like a bit much. I would go with option A.

I could be wrong but your application cycle suggests that extracurriculars are not the issue. You sent three apps and got three interviews but have no acceptances (yet). Look into how you can improve your interview skills. Being yourself is good advice, but there honestly is some 'fake it till you make it' aspects of interviews. Being confident about entering dentistry and displaying that to your interviewer goes a long way.

 

[Weakfart]

A. Backing up what Shonster said.

Apply to more schools, buff those ECs and you'll find somewhere. You probably could've gotten somewhere if you applied to more schools

 

[dienepredent]

Also it would help to call them at Nova and show interest. I don't think all hope is lost. But I would boost your ECs in the meantime and get ready to reapply.

 

[Greyangel6]

I think you should still work on volunteer hours while taking classes and working. Your priorities should be post-bac>work>volunteer. Get that GPA up a little, work to pay for expenses, and volunteer here and there. You don't need to do 12 hours of volunteering in one day, 2-3 hours should be good, and do it consistently and they add up.

Also, try to be humble about your stats and don't overestimate your confidence. Most importantly, apply broadly. I read somewhere in this forum (anyone care to correct or post a link?) that if your stats are great then you apply to 8-10 schools, if your stats are average, then go for 10-12, if your stats are a little under requirements/that school's average accepted students' stat, then apply around 15-16. And work on your interviewing skills because how an applicant dresses/performs at interviews can play a part in getting you in.

I had 20Bio / 20RC / 20PAT / 20QR / 22GC / 24OC / 21TS / 21AA and 3.93 oGPA and 3.95 sGPA and I was still applying broadly (within my means) because I don't want to take any chances. Good luck! ^^