Getting into dental school....

[JCLewis90]

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Ok.. So I'm just trying to figure out what to do to better my chances of getting into dental school.

I graduated with a BS in Biology last May.
My overall GPA was 3.855 and my Science GPA was 3.7something.
I've got several hundred hours of shadowing experience
I've worked at two different Oral Surgery practices.. I've been at my current job for a year now. I assist the doctors, sterilize instruments, set up trays, work up patients and get their medical histories, etc..
The only volunteer service I've really done is with my band.. Benefit concerts which we received no pay for.

The only thing is my DAT score. I took the DAT in 2011 and made a 17/17. I studied harder than I've ever studied in my life for 3 months and took it again this past October.. Made an 18/17. Talk about depressing. I don't know what it is about the test. Maybe I'm just not the best at those kinds of tests.

Anyway.. I applied to MUSC and interviewed this past November. I thought the interviews went great.. but I didn't get accepted 🙁

So...I'm planning on studying hard for the DAT AGAIN. This time I want to focus more on the PAT and my time management on the test.

It's really discouraging getting rejected, but I'm going to keep trying until I make it happen. What do you guys think I should do to increase my chances? Thanks!

 

[UCSFx2017]

You used 3 months to study for the DAT?

Is that 3.8 or 3.7 from taking upper-level Biology and Chemistry courses (not soft science)?

Did you go to a community college before?

How many credits per semester have you been taking on average?

Your DAT is the only thing holding you back. It is questionable when a high GPA is not paired with an equally competitive DAT. If I were on the committee, I would be questioning "Why didn't this student who has been relatively overachieving in undergraduate courses suddenly stop putting in as much effort on the DATs or did this student take a bunch of science fluff courses or is this undergraduate school known for severe grade inflation?"

 

[JCLewis90]

You used 3 months to study for the DAT?

Is that 3.8 or 3.7 from taking upper-level Biology and Chemistry courses (not soft science)?

Did you go to a community college before?

Your DAT is the only thing holding you back. It is questionable when a high GPA is not paired with an equally competitive DAT.

I was a Bio major and Chem minor. So I took tons of bio classes. Gen chems, O-chems, and biochem. No community college. University. I'm not sure why the DAT gets me

 

[JCLewis90]

Well the DAT is purely rote-memorization and regurgitation...3-months of dedicated and planned out studying should have gotten you a much higher score.

I would revise your DAT study schedule. Use the advice in the DAT discussion board.

Yea I was thinking of using that 8 week schedule from one of the threads on here. It would probably take longer than 8 weeks though.

 

[UCSFx2017]

I was a Bio major and Chem minor. So I took tons of bio classes. Gen chems, O-chems, and biochem. No community college. University. I'm not sure why the DAT gets me

Well the DAT is purely rote-memorization and regurgitation...3-months of dedicated and planned out studying should have gotten you a much higher score.

I would revise your DAT study schedule. Use the advice in the DAT discussion board.

The breadth and commitment of your volunteering hours are severely lacking. You should be shadowing general dentists, not specialists.

Post your study schedule and I'm sure many of us are willing to give you input in the DAT Discussion board.

 

[JCLewis90]

Well the DAT is purely rote-memorization and regurgitation...3-months of dedicated and planned out studying should have gotten you a much higher score.

I would revise your DAT study schedule. Use the advice in the DAT discussion board.

The breadth and commitment of your volunteering hours are severely lacking. You should be shadowing general dentists, not specialists.

Post your study schedule and I'm sure many of us are willing to give you input in the DAT Discussion board.

What kind of volunteer work do they look for exactly?

 

[JCLewis90]

Better question to ask is "What do I value in this world and how can I contribute to improving it? Or what lack do I find in this world and how can I fill it?"

Dental schools really don't care what kind of volunteering you do. This part of the application is a chance to show who you are and what you value. I guess you could hit two birds with one stone by volunteering at a dental clinic, dental outreach event, or hospital and use that as both volunteering and shadowing.

Good advice, man. Thanks a lot. I appreciate it

 

[UCSFx2017]

What kind of volunteer work do they look for exactly?

Better question to ask is "What do I value in this world and how can I contribute to improving it? Or what lack do I find in this world and how can I fill it?"

Dental schools really don't care what kind of volunteering you do. This part of the application is a chance to show who you are and what you value. I guess you could hit two birds with one stone by volunteering at a dental clinic, dental outreach event, or hospital and use that as both volunteering and shadowing.

Some people are still like newborn infants or narcissistic high schoolers and their world-view is all me, me, me. You should realize that your life is not more important than another person's. You should realize that you are expected to fit in and function within a society. It doesn't matter how smart you are if you don't have a good heart because you will not make a good contributor (or doctor) of society.

 

[Azrael]

It's probably your DAT considering everything else. Personally I think 3 months is too long of a time to study, but maybe that's just me. I studied 6 weeks 6 hours a day, and more so the final week before the test.

For volunteering maybe do things that puts yourself closer into the action (e.g red cross, a hospital,service trips etc.). Charity concerts are obviously for a great cause but in the end you're just playing an instrument.