This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Jdental__

Full Member
5+ Year Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2016
Messages
20
Reaction score
2
Hello!

im a predental student graduated just this past semester of Fall 2017.

DAT score:

Bio 14/18
Orgo 20/19
Chem 22/20
PAT 15/17
MATH 18/17
Reading 18/16
aa: 18/18
science average: 18/19

overall avergage 3.4
science average: roughly 2.7/2.8

i know my DAT isnt amazing. i know my sciecnce avergae isnt either.

e.c/shadowing/volunteer:
shadowed 3 dentists. EMS Volunteer (2 years). medical brigader. two school clubs.

i have a gap year. i dont know what to do to be honest.

i dont want to take thedat for the third time and be under pressure and end up doing worse.
im thinking about a year one masters program..but i dont want to do that and put in money if i can do something else to better my chances of getting in.

should i do masters? dental assisting job? what can help my application?

I applied for next cycle to only 5 schools. got rejected from all. i applied in october though..very late i know.

any advice for what i should do for this gap year would help

im from jersey..any good master programs thats one year and not too expensive ??

Members don't see this ad.
 
My opinion is that you need to show schools that you can handle science courses. Your sgpa and dat paired together is probably not enough even with a masters. I would advise to study really hard and improve your dat and also go for a masters
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Definitely do both a masters and take the DAT again! You need to improve that sgpa nd aim for at least a 20 to be competitive
 
Hello!

im a predental student graduated just this past semester of Fall 2017.

DAT score:

Bio 14/18
Orgo 20/19
Chem 22/20
PAT 15/17
MATH 18/17
Reading 18/16
aa: 18/18
science average: 18/19

overall avergage 3.4
science average: roughly 2.7/2.8

i know my DAT isnt amazing. i know my sciecnce avergae isnt either.

e.c/shadowing/volunteer:
shadowed 3 dentists. EMS Volunteer (2 years). medical brigader. two school clubs.

i have a gap year. i dont know what to do to be honest.

i dont want to take thedat for the third time and be under pressure and end up doing worse.
im thinking about a year one masters program..but i dont want to do that and put in money if i can do something else to better my chances of getting in.

should i do masters? dental assisting job? what can help my application?

I applied for next cycle to only 5 schools. got rejected from all. i applied in october though..very late i know.

any advice for what i should do for this gap year would help

im from jersey..any good master programs thats one year and not too expensive ??

You should definitely retake DAT. 18 is just not high enough even with an above average GPA. Take science upper divs in a post-bacc or do one year master's because 2.7/2.8 sGPA is too low. You should do a post-bacc or master's that is tailored towards pre-dents because you will have the opportunities to buff up dental-related ECs.

Lastly, Rutgers Newark BMS Dental Scholar program and Rowen BMS are both great one year master's programs in New Jersey that aren't too expensive. Rutgers Newark BMS is more recognized but Rowen BMS is slightly easier from what I have heard. You should be able to get into both with your GPA and DAT. Study for DAT now (aim for 20+) and take it before your master's, then ace your one year master's 2018-2019. Apply June 1st 2019 to 15+ schools and you will be getting a lot of interviews.

Good luck!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
You should definitely retake DAT. 18 is just not high enough even with an above average GPA. Take science upper divs in a post-bacc or do one year master's because 2.7/2.8 sGPA is too low. You should do a post-bacc or master's that is tailored towards pre-dents because you will have the opportunities to buff up dental-related ECs.

Lastly, Rutgers Newark BMS Dental Scholar program and Rowen BMS are both great one year master's programs in New Jersey that aren't too expensive. Rutgers Newark BMS is more recognized but Rowen BMS is slightly easier from what I have heard. You should be able to get into both with your GPA and DAT. Study for DAT now (aim for 20+) and take it before your master's, then ace your one year master's 2018-2019. Apply June 1st 2019 to 15+ schools and you will be getting a lot of interviews.

Good luck!
Thank you for your reply.

i dont want to take my DAT again tbh. i took it twice! i crack under pressure and knowing its my third time? i feel likei would be extremeley nervous and do even worse.


do you think if i stick with masters ill be okay?
do you think i'd have a chance without retaking the dat and do well in a masters?
i know a few people who got in with my dat score....higher gpa tho and applied early (barely any e.c activities)
 
Thank you for your reply.

i dont want to take my DAT again tbh. i took it twice! i crack under pressure and knowing its my third time? i feel likei would be extremeley nervous and do even worse.


do you think if i stick with masters ill be okay?
do you think i'd have a chance without retaking the dat and do well in a masters?
i know a few people who got in with my dat score....higher gpa tho and applied early (barely any e.c activities)

There are always people that will get in with lower scores than you, but that doesn’t mean you will. Im going to be blunt, an 18 AA and 19 TS is not going to get you far, even if you apply broadly. Take the test again and study for a longer time. If you crack under pressure, find ways to relax and focus. Take full length practice exams and know your material well so that you feel confident instead of nervous. In my opinion, you should aim for a 20-21 to even be a competitive applicant
 
I agree with everyone else above. Retake the DAT and enroll in a masters program for the 2018-2019 year.

You should open lines of communication with Dental schools ASAP so you can inform them of your current situation. Adcoms will give you better guidance than most people on sdn, as we will not know your situation to the level an Adcom would.

Best of luck!
 
If you’re nervous for the exam, I’m not sure that would translate well as a dentist. Find what’s causing those nerves and target that so you can retake the exam calmly. Everyone here is giving you the best advice specific to your situation.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I would recommend taking the DAT only after the masters program
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Get that’s sGPA above 3.2 or do a SMP and get your DAT above 20.
 
I agree with everyone else above. Retake the DAT and enroll in a masters program for the 2018-2019 year.

You should open lines of communication with Dental schools ASAP so you can inform them of your current situation. Adcoms will give you better guidance than most people on sdn, as we will not know your situation to the level an Adcom would.

Best of luck!
What’s ADCOM? & you mean to email dental schools informing them of what i should do?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Hello!

im a predental student graduated just this past semester of Fall 2017.

DAT score:

Bio 14/18
Orgo 20/19
Chem 22/20
PAT 15/17
MATH 18/17
Reading 18/16
aa: 18/18
science average: 18/19

overall avergage 3.4
science average: roughly 2.7/2.8

i know my DAT isnt amazing. i know my sciecnce avergae isnt either.

e.c/shadowing/volunteer:
shadowed 3 dentists. EMS Volunteer (2 years). medical brigader. two school clubs.

i have a gap year. i dont know what to do to be honest.

i dont want to take thedat for the third time and be under pressure and end up doing worse.
im thinking about a year one masters program..but i dont want to do that and put in money if i can do something else to better my chances of getting in.

should i do masters? dental assisting job? what can help my application?

I applied for next cycle to only 5 schools. got rejected from all. i applied in october though..very late i know.

any advice for what i should do for this gap year would help

im from jersey..any good master programs thats one year and not too expensive ??

I would like to say that most if not everyone is trying to say what we think in the nicest way possible. You are uncompetitive because your stats are well below average. Your gpa kind of correlates with your dat and that is not a good thing. You need to prove to the schools that you can do well in a more intense setting. You have nice ec's but they dont make up for those stats. While there are people that get in with your stats do you want to put yourself in a position where you are attempting to be that one in a thousand? Makes no sense sorry. Retake your dat and do a masters. You will prove to schools you can succeed if you have a good masters and a 21+ on your dat. At this point in time you have not proven that. Think about it this way: why would an adcom look at your app if they have 1000 apps that are the same as yours but with better stats? We are trying to help you and this is the best help possible.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Definitely Masters or a Post bacc and since you'll be taking time off anyway, I'd redo the DAT. Its going to be a lot of work and you should make sure you are dedicated to this before you move on. Remember there are TONS of career paths and you can do well in plenty others. But if you know this is the one you want to do most, then keep that motivation with you and start your journey
 
Thank you for your reply.

i dont want to take my DAT again tbh. i took it twice! i crack under pressure and knowing its my third time? i feel likei would be extremeley nervous and do even worse.


do you think if i stick with masters ill be okay?
do you think i'd have a chance without retaking the dat and do well in a masters?
i know a few people who got in with my dat score....higher gpa tho and applied early (barely any e.c activities)

I just want to give you some insight from someone with similar grades/DAT as you. I just got accepted on Dec 1 to one of my top schools and I had a 17 AA and an 18AA DAT, 3.27 GPA. I remember reading things on this forum when people say "18 AA will get you no where even with a high GPA". It clearly can get you somewhere so dont let it get you down, I worked super hard on my application & got it in within the first week of june and I got in somewhere! This was my first time applying also, I am a senior in college at a small liberal arts school in VA. You can do it!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I just want to give you some insight from someone with similar grades/DAT as you. I just got accepted on Dec 1 to one of my top schools and I had a 17 AA and an 18AA DAT, 3.27 GPA. I remember reading things on this forum when people say "18 AA will get you no where even with a high GPA". It clearly can get you somewhere so dont let it get you down, I worked super hard on my application & got it in within the first week of june and I got in somewhere! This was my first time applying also, I am a senior in college at a small liberal arts school in VA. You can do it!

You had circumstances that were quite different as you had many more ec's. Also no one said not to apply, we just said that it may help OP to retake and do masters. We don't know what the adcoms want or look for. We just give our educated opinion based upon prior knowledge of different people applying with those stats. If OP wants to takw the 2 thousand dollar+ extra year risk then go for it. Just know that there is a very strong chance that OP will be rejected by all the schools that OP applies to. Its a little bit misleading to say to apply when you were one of the few, not the majority.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
I just want to give you some insight from someone with similar grades/DAT as you. I just got accepted on Dec 1 to one of my top schools and I had a 17 AA and an 18AA DAT, 3.27 GPA. I remember reading things on this forum when people say "18 AA will get you no where even with a high GPA". It clearly can get you somewhere so dont let it get you down, I worked super hard on my application & got it in within the first week of june and I got in somewhere! This was my first time applying also, I am a senior in college at a small liberal arts school in VA. You can do it!

This is the exception, not the rule. How many schools did you apply to and how many interviewed/accepted you? In order for OP to maximize their chances, a masters and a retake are recommended. Of course, OP should know that all of the advice on this thread should be taken with a grain of salt, as nobody except for ADCOMs themselves actually knows how students are selected.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Last year, I had a 2.75 BCP and 3.03 overall gpa with an 18 AA 17 TS, and got 0 interviews.. this year I brought my BCP up to a 2.97 and got a 22 AA 23 TS on the DAT and had 2 interviews **accepted to MOSDOH.. I would highly suggest retaking the DAT it will help tremendously and also really raising that sGPA, not much different than what others have said but I was in a similar situation so I thought this would give more insight, it’s very difficult to get in with a low GPA you NEED to do well on the DAT to make up for it or you won’t even get a look. Just my 2 cents. But hey if you set your mind to it you can do it! I’m a terrible test taker and never thought I could score as high as I did but I studied for like 6 months and really dedicated myself to it. You got this
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
Master, unfortunately.. Your GPA and DAT scores are below average. I were you I would do 1 year master, and retake the DAT. Good luck! I believe in you!
 
I just want to give you some insight from someone with similar grades/DAT as you. I just got accepted on Dec 1 to one of my top schools and I had a 17 AA and an 18AA DAT, 3.27 GPA. I remember reading things on this forum when people say "18 AA will get you no where even with a high GPA". It clearly can get you somewhere so dont let it get you down, I worked super hard on my application & got it in within the first week of june and I got in somewhere! This was my first time applying also, I am a senior in college at a small liberal arts school in VA. You can do it!
thats awesome! congrats...u didnt retake the DAT ??? or any extra science courses? i feel like i didnt get anything because i did apply super late, i applied in september/october.

do you think i shouldnt take a masters?
 
thats awesome! congrats...u didnt retake the DAT ??? or any extra science courses? i feel like i didnt get anything because i did apply super late, i applied in september/october.

do you think i shouldnt take a masters?

I think applying in June is a BIG FACTOR. I did retake the DAT, first time I had a 17AA/19 PAT second time I had a 18AA/20PAT/17Science. I cant tell you to take a masters or not....but if you already have to take a gap year, I would assume you would be better off getting a masters or doing a post-bacc program, but also doing tons of clinical hours might work. I dont have any experience with masters vs no masters so sorry I am not of more help!
 
Did you get into schools after you took the DAT the second time.

@NJdental95 I had about a 2.9sGPA, a 3.3gpa, 20 TS (20 in every science category), 19 PAT, 18AA because I had a 14 QR. I didn't get into any schools or any interviews and I applied to ten schools. I graduated in May 2017 and am currently in my second semester at Rutgers MBS in Piscataway. I probably should have done the Newark one because that is where the dental school is. I would not recommend the Masters at Piscataway/New Brunswick it is SO UNORGANIZED but I am not sure if the Newark one is unorganized too. And in order to do very well in a Masters you have to do it in two years and not one. I am doing it in one and I am probably going to get all Bs and whether or not that will help me, I have no idea but I did it and have learned a lot and can't look back now.
 
Top