GPA question

[rose0826]

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I am appling to dental school this year and am wondering if I am competitive. I graduated from undergrad with a 3.2 and science GPA of 3.3 from a very competitive university and I am currently finishing up my masters degree in epidemiology with a 3.6. Is this competitive and does it make me more competitive with a masters?
Finally I am considering taking the DAT again I currently have a 17?
Should I retake?

 

[37dunnee]

rose0826,

I am currently a 4th year dental student at Indiana University School of Dentistry. I would not be too discouraged with your undergrad GPA. While the average GPA for admissions seem to increase yearly, as long as you have a "reasonable" undergrad GPA you should be fine. Also, with your masters in epidemiology and a 3.6 GPA to boot, you have shown that you can handle the academic load of dental school. As for the DAT scores, I think that 17 is at or slightly below the average for most accepted applicants. Also, it's important to look at the breakdown of your DAT scores (academic vs. perceptual). While most schools would not eliminate you from the applicant pool based on an average DAT of 17, I would strongly encourage you to re-take the exam. You are not penalized for taking the exam more than once. I have a classmate who took the exam 3x until he got an average of 19 academic and 18 perceptual. He's doing great and looking forward to graduation in May 2001. Good luck in your application processs.

 

[smiledoc2004]

I must agree with 37dunnee in that you should seriously consider retaking the DAT. There are so many factors involved in the admissions process though, that you might be ok with a 17 (maybe). If you have a lot of exerience, leadership, good communication skills, etc. your chances are higher. Your PAT must be high...20 or above. Your situation is also shaped by what school you wish to attend. If you're not looking to get into a top 10 school, then hey. You must remember that you app. will be placed in a lower priority pile in the admissions office with lower DAT scores. Good luck!

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Your talent is God's gift to you.
What you do with it is your gift back to God.
--Leo Buscaglia

[This message has been edited by smiledoc2004 (edited 07-27-2000).]

 

[wuwu81]

My situation is just the opposite of rose0826. 😳 my GPA is around 2.6 while my DAT avg score is 20 with a PAT score of 22. I have over 600 hrs of dental experience. As the days go on and it gets closer and closer to the end of the application cycle I worry more and more. Is there anything that I could do to help my application for this cycle? Or should I just wait this one through and be better prepared next cycle?

 

[Utes]

You may want to check the under 3.0 thread, i'm sure you could find good information there.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=28491&highlight=3.0

Also, each application cycle gets more and more competitive, so if you want to compare numbers, make sure you're looking at recent class (ie, not 5-6 years ago).

Good luck