GPA/DAT score advice

Started by toothirty
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toothirty

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7+ Year Member
I took the DAT at the beginning of August and got a 21/20/22 AA/TS/PAT. I plan on graduating from college with a gpa around 3.4 and applying during the 2015 cycle. I know that my GPA is a little on the low side, but I'm wondering if anyone has any insight into whether my DAT scores are high enough to make up for that when I apply to schools next year. I made some C+'s freshman and sophomore year that have proven close to impossible to escape. My grades have been primarily As and B+s since, and I know an upward trend is supposedly the better scenario, but I'm still afraid that I have screwed myself over. Any advice is appreciated!
 
I should also mention that in the classes where I got those C+s, like Gen Chem, I scored a 23 on the DAT. I go to a large state university where introductory science classes are large and curved, and I just didn't take them as seriously as I should have at first.
 
Assuming that your extracurriculars are at least average, you will get in somewhere for sure. If you don't get in anywhere, it wasn't because of your GPA/DAT.
 
Looks good! I wouldn't retake the DAT and if you have another year of classes, ace them. Good luck 🙂
 
I am actually waiting to apply in the next cycle so that I can get everything in as soon as possible - I am a senior and will graduate in the spring with a BS in biology. I am just worried because I know dental school is getting more and more competitive. Do you have any advice on where I should apply with my stats? I am from NC.
 
You're fine! Based on what I've seen in these forums, you're not in any trouble. Awesome job pulling the GPA up.


Just make sure you apply early to help you even more.

toothirty said:
I took the DAT at the beginning of August and got a 21/20/22 AA/TS/PAT. I plan on graduating from college with a gpa around 3.4 and applying during the 2015 cycle. I know that my GPA is a little on the low side, but I'm wondering if anyone has any insight into whether my DAT scores are high enough to make up for that when I apply to schools next year. I made some C+'s freshman and sophomore year that have proven close to impossible to escape. My grades have been primarily As and B+s since, and I know an upward trend is supposedly the better scenario, but I'm still afraid that I have screwed myself over. Any advice is appreciated!
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toothirty said:
I am actually waiting to apply in the next cycle so that I can get everything in as soon as possible - I am a senior and will graduate in the spring with a BS in biology. I am just worried because I know dental school is getting more and more competitive. Do you have any advice on where I should apply with my stats? I am from NC.
Click to expand...
well first off, you are in serious luck that you're from NC. NC schools accept almost NOBODY from OOS. My suggestion would be to apply to both UNC and ECU. Next, if you get the adea guide to dental schools, the online book is like $10 I think, then they will give you everything you need to know. Just skip down to the second half of the book and compare all of the schools. I would start by looking for ones with high OOS acceptance rates, and then amongst those start comparing DAT and GPAs

You are in really good shape, just try to ACE your classes as best as possible and you will be good
 
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