Do I have Any Chance?

[BigRedPreDental]

Hey Guys,

Please let me know if I have any chance at dental school.

EXTRACURRICULARS: practically none. I have done piano, taught lessons, played for church as a paid job, written and published a few pieces. I also did some volunteering in a dental clinic. I guess you could call that shadowing.

DAT: (this is probably my biggest advantage)
PAT :26
QR:24
RC:24
Bio:28
GChem:26
Ochem:25
TS:24
AA:25

GPA: 3.8, however I only took around 60 credits so far (pre-reqs, immunology, histology, virology, microbiology, and biochemistry), so I am hoping to get in without my Bachelor's

OTHER: two 1st-author scientific publications

So... I see my main disadvantage is dentistry experience/volunteering. How bad is that?

What are my chances for University of Florida (instate)? Ivy Leagues? Other state schools?

or should I just spend my next two years volunteering....

Thanks so much!

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[doc toothache]

Book smart and common sense are sometimes inversely proportional.

 

[IsaacYankem]

Hey Guys,


So... I see my main disadvantage is dentistry experience/volunteering. How bad is that?

Thanks so much!

You're applying next cycle I presume? Get some shadowing done this spring, most schools require at least 40 hours, 100 hours is usually the standard. Add that piece, and I think you should have several offers of admission. Good luck

 

[Dr.PetesAFDDS]

Book smart and common sense are sometimes inversely proportional.

Doc toothache always says it right.

 

[lwen5]

Book smart and common sense are sometimes inversely proportional.

ouch.

 

[Bottle]

How in the hell playing piano and publishing stuff is "practically none " EC?

 

[Gaucho4Life]

Book smart and common sense are sometimes inversely proportional.

^
Most schools require a degree also. I would suggest finishing your degree, volunteer concurrently, and then apply next year so you can matriculate the fall after you graduate.

 

[Papasmurf1234]

With those scores, you should be doing extracurriculars for the next 10 years before you apply

 

[BigRedPreDental]

"How in the hell playing piano and publishing stuff is "practically none " EC?"
It seems pretty unrelated, so I thought dental schools would hardly care. Is this piano thing of mine sufficient for dental school, assuming I do some more shadowing this semester?

"With those scores, you should be doing extracurriculars for the next 10 years before you apply"
You were being sarcastic, right?

Ok guys, what are some ideas for extra curriculars? "Do what u love" Yea, I already did with piano. Now what are some ECs that look good on an application?

 

[HdK]

sometimes i wonder if these kinds of "do i have a chance" people are bragging about their ridiculous stats. Have you ever seen REAL do i have a chance posts? Search them up and then put up ur stats that will just about blow any of them out of the water. Have some common sense, or some tact. if by some TINY chance ur actually clueless and have no common sense whatsoever, yeah, ur pretty good to go.

 

[BigRedPreDental]

HdK, I'm not sure what you're trying to say. I have excellent GPA/DAT, but lower ECs. I am trying to figure out if I should go ahead and spend several hundred dollars applying, or just give it another year to focus on ECs.

 

[Illfavor]

You have virtually no chance this year. As you may have noticed, invites start going out next Monday. Next year, you'll have some chance, but it will be very difficult without a bachelor's, no matter how impressive your stats are.

Shadowing is important. You need to increase your exposure to the field. Medicine-related ECs are always good, but the goal is to prove you're a well-rounded, mature adult.

 

[obeserabbit]

You have virtually no chance this year. As you may have noticed, invites start going out next Monday. Next year, you'll have some chance, but it will be very difficult without a bachelor's, no matter how impressive your stats are.

Shadowing is important. You need to increase your exposure to the field. Medicine-related ECs are always good, but the goal is to prove you're a well-rounded, mature adult.

I agree with this. Apply in 7 months and during that time, do more shadowing/volunteering/maintaining your GPA

 

[BigRedPreDental]

obeserabbit, thank you for your input. So, what else can I do to strengthen my application besides more shadowing? I was thinking of starting an organization regarding homeless dental care... since homelessness if a big problem in my area.

 

[morning92]

Your DAT and GPA are lovely, those'll do well. Piano is a good extracurricular, but you'll want a few to talk about. Start finding a few more things to show fine motor skills on that and you'll be just fine on that front as well. You'll need 100 hours of shadowing outright in order to get in at most places. I'd also recommend at least 30 hours of volunteerism in a hospital or clinical setting. Then you'll be competitive on all fronts and will just need a solid personal statement to be all set.

Homeless dental care is a good idea and kind of sweet, but I somehow doubt that seven months is going to be enough to do anything of value. You could spread awareness, I guess, but you couldn't really do anything about the lacking dental care. I'd instead focus on nonprofits and official free dental events. These are known and documented, so it'll be easier for dental schools to assess what you've done.

That said, your attitude could use some work. "Stfu" doesn't exactly scream professionalism.

 

[y3nd0]

I normally don't like bashing others, but honestly, I'm sort of with HdK on this. It's obviously way too late in the cycle to consider applying, no matter what the stats, unless you have money to burn. Plenty wise to wait until next cycle, which isn't too far away if you think about it. 7 months is plenty of time to beef up your EC's and shadowing. Do a handful of shadowing, get some volunteer positions in a dental clinic (not as an observer, but someone that actually does something), and maybe help out at a local homeless shelter. That should suffice. You can shoot for the stars and start that homeless care center you were talking about, it would definitely be impressive, but if you're planning on applying next cycle, you should plan accordingly.

Also, matriculating without a Bachelor's is very rare, getting accepted without a Bachelor's is not. Hoards of people apply their third year of uni and get accepted.

 

[BigRedPreDental]

Ok, thanks everyone. I'll look to apply in around 7 months, and I'll pick up some volunteering and shadowing. What types of things do most Harvard/Columbia/Penn dental students do to get in?

 

[y3nd0]

Ok, thanks everyone. I'll look to apply in around 7 months, and I'll pick up some volunteering and shadowing. What types of things do most Harvard/Columbia/Penn dental students do to get in?

Those are all big research schools.

 

[Conflagration]

As for the programs, the cheaper, the better(within reason, make sure that joker's accredited).

Your plan of attack should be:

1. Take a chill pill.
2. Maintain your GPA.
3. Repeat Step 1.
4. Get shadowing hours in between now and June 2014.
5. Apply.
6. Repeat Step 1 x 1,000
7. Enjoy leafing through your acceptance letters.

You have an enviable position! Enjoy it.

 

[BigRedPreDental]

haha thanks Conflagration I will take a few chill pills!

 

[jdye]

I don't think it matters if you start a club or are just a member. I don't have great stats or amazing DAT's, but (as predicted by my pre-health committee) I got interviews because I was highly involved in the school and it showed in my letter of recs. As long as you actually care and get involved, you should be fine. I was a resident assistant and drum major (marching band), both showed that I was a leader, organized, a team player, and affected others in a positive manner. These traits were clear when I had Letters of Recs that went beyond "He's a good kid who never missed a meeting and came to events." Obviously I'm not telling you to do what I did, but get involved in something you care about and something that will help YOU to grow. Also remember, it's not all about volunteering to help others, but also learning from the experience (leadership, community, etc). If you do this, you can even pick from these experiences/EC's during interviews.

Also, from a realistic perspective, I don't know how much you could really do to help homeless get dental care at this point in your career. No offense, but I feel like anything you could do in that club wouldn't make an impact on anyone and I believe dental schools look beyond the title.