HELP and ADVICE PLZZZZZ

[Talib]

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Hello guys,
I am an international student from Iraq and I have been in the US since 2005. I started dentistry in the University of Baghdad/Iraq in 2002 and I had to leave my school before the start of the 3rd year because of the war situation. It was really unfortunate because I studied hard for it and I just lost everything in one day. I transferred to the University of Iowa and because of the differences in the education system I couldn’t just transfer to dental school and finish from the 3rd year hear. I had to do my undergrad in UI although what I took in dental school back home for 2 years got transferred toward my undergrad credits. Therefore I had to take 61 hrs in UI in order to get my BA. I finished with Honors in Biology and with a 3.33 Cumulative and 3.34 Science. I have many upper classes from dental school like histology, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and also some dental specific classes like dental anatomy, dental material and prsothodontics. I have volunteer hours at the hospital, short dental experience at a dental clinic, and work experience full time couple of months at a patient education institute. Also, I am a very active board member of UI Arab Students Association and I am thinking about starting the Iraqi Student Association next fall. I took DAT twice and here are my score:
1st time 2nd time:
PAT 18 20
QR 17 15
RC 18 20
Bio 16 17
OC 18 20
GC 16 19
AA 17 18
TS 17 19
I applied to around 45 dental schools twice in the last 4 years and I did not get a single interview. I decided to start the Masters of Public health program (MPH) at UI and I will be done with it in Spring 2010. I have 3.67 in MPH so far and I will be able to raise my GPA next fall hopefully (have three classes left and a practicum).
I got really depressed and frustrated last year from the applying process and not getting accepted anywhere and I was in a bad shape mentally and physically. The Stress took me down and I felt that I lost hope so I tried to be away from it for a while and to concentrate on the MPH program. I feel now that I am in a very good shape mentally and I am starting to study for DAT soon. I hope it will be my last time taking it because probably this will be my last time applying to dental schools.
I am starting to study on june 1st for 6 weeks and I will be taking the exam between july 15th-20th. I have been working on my sleeping schedule for the last 3 weeks and working out a lot to put me in a good mood. I counted on Kaplan before and I felt it was not good enough at all. I am buying Crack DAT the royal version, Topscorer, and DAT destroyer this time and planning about putting 8-10 hrs a day for 6 weeks.
I am working on my study plan for the next 2 days. Any advice about what schools to apply to, how to study for DAT, study strategies, resources, or anything would be greatly greatly appreciated.
Sorry for the long post but I wanted to share my story so you know the pressure I am under and get advice from you guys,
Thanks,
T

 

[Kneecoal]

everything you mentioned sounds good, and with all that studying you plan on you should be able to bring that dat score up. one thing i noticed was that the only thing you didn't mention was your personal statement. maybe that needs some tweaking? also, i don't know what month you applied both of those times, but get your app in as close to june 1 as possible! good luck!

 

[WilsonJing]

Talib, you are the man. I understand its been frustrating applying to dental schools. But its gonna be that much sweeter when you get in. I feel you are a very determined person. With that quality you will get through the obstacles that life throws at you. Keep up the good work and let us know how you do on your DATs in June.

 

[barney74]

Hello guys,
I am an international student from Iraq and I have been in the US since 2005. I started dentistry in the University of Baghdad/Iraq in 2002 and I had to leave my school before the start of the 3rd year because of the war situation. It was really unfortunate because I studied hard for it and I just lost everything in one day. I transferred to the University of Iowa and because of the differences in the education system I couldn’t just transfer to dental school and finish from the 3rd year hear. I had to do my undergrad in UI although what I took in dental school back home for 2 years got transferred toward my undergrad credits. Therefore I had to take 61 hrs in UI in order to get my BA. I finished with Honors in Biology and with a 3.33 Cumulative and 3.34 Science. I have many upper classes from dental school like histology, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and also some dental specific classes like dental anatomy, dental material and prsothodontics. I have volunteer hours at the hospital, short dental experience at a dental clinic, and work experience full time couple of months at a patient education institute. Also, I am a very active board member of UI Arab Students Association and I am thinking about starting the Iraqi Student Association next fall. I took DAT twice and here are my score:
1st time 2nd time:
PAT 18 20
QR 17 15
RC 18 20
Bio 16 17
OC 18 20
GC 16 19
AA 17 18
TS 17 19
I applied to around 45 dental schools twice in the last 4 years and I did not get a single interview. I decided to start the Masters of Public health program (MPH) at UI and I will be done with it in Spring 2010. I have 3.67 in MPH so far and I will be able to raise my GPA next fall hopefully (have three classes left and a practicum).
I got really depressed and frustrated last year from the applying process and not getting accepted anywhere and I was in a bad shape mentally and physically. The Stress took me down and I felt that I lost hope so I tried to be away from it for a while and to concentrate on the MPH program. I feel now that I am in a very good shape mentally and I am starting to study for DAT soon. I hope it will be my last time taking it because probably this will be my last time applying to dental schools.
I am starting to study on june 1st for 6 weeks and I will be taking the exam between july 15th-20th. I have been working on my sleeping schedule for the last 3 weeks and working out a lot to put me in a good mood. I counted on Kaplan before and I felt it was not good enough at all. I am buying Crack DAT the royal version, Topscorer, and DAT destroyer this time and planning about putting 8-10 hrs a day for 6 weeks.
I am working on my study plan for the next 2 days. Any advice about what schools to apply to, how to study for DAT, study strategies, resources, or anything would be greatly greatly appreciated.
Sorry for the long post but I wanted to share my story so you know the pressure I am under and get advice from you guys,
Thanks,
T

Hi Talib Shlonek?

I think you would find more answers to your questions if you look in the "Pre-Dental thread" because this thread is for foreign trained dentists applying for an advanced standing program which is an accelerated program that takes 2-3 years depending on the school and has different acceptance criteria, and don't mention that you are an international otherwise they may redirect you to this thread again.
keep up the good work buddy and never lose hope. All of us have gone through tough times especially during the war and after that and are struggling to get accepted somewhere just keep the spirit high and good luck.👍

 

[dentisttobeDMD]

I understand your frustration. It's sad you had to leave your country because of the war situation. But don't give up on your dream of becoming a dentist. just be patient and everything will turn out just right. i'm also starting to study for DAT for about 2 months. i searched alot on this forum and found that the best study matrials that worked for most people are these: kaplan blue book: (but don't rely too much on it...it only gives you the basics you need to know...but you need to practice a lot from other sources. they say kaplan is good for general chemistry and organic chemistry concepts), DAT destroyer: heard it was very good for the sciences. know it thoroughly. It's a bunch of questions that's very good practice for the sciences and math. Cliffs AP biology: a lot of people here say it was excellent for the biology section. Know it thoroughly. Topscore Pro: they say it's very good practice because it has 3 tests with a total of about 840 questions. it helps you with the timing issue and stamina. Crack DAT PAT: everyone saying it's the best source for the PAT setion.

These are the sources I will be using. DAT destroyer is very expensive, but you can search on this forum to see if someone will sell it to you for a cheaper price. That's what I did. You can borrow Kaplan blue book at a local library. You can buy Cliffs AP bio from amazon for a cheap price...around 8 dollars.

I dont know how you applied to 45 schools and didn't get into any of them. this is weird. contact the schools and see why you were rejected. also, maybe you were missing some parts of the application. make sure you apply early and have all parts of the application. also, try to see an advisor and tell them about your situation with applying...maybe they can help.

I hope this helps. Good luck studying!

 

[dentisttobeDMD]

hey talib, make sure you apply as early as possible for the fall 2010 cycle. you said you will finish your MPH in spring 2010...i suggest you apply to dental school now and you can finish your MPH later. search online about dental schools, and their application procedures. the most important thing is to apply VERY EARLY!! Make sure you're applying the correct way through the AADSAS. make sure you have all the requirements...most schools want 3 recommendation letters from science professors, and a good personal statemetn. For fall 2010 cycle, the AADSAS application becomes available June 1. Try to have everything ready and send your application on June 1 or close to June 1. You can send your DAT scores later. Also, study well for the DAT. you said you will go for 6 weeks...make sure it's enought time to study well...know your stuff thoroughly. if 6 weeks isn't enough go for 2 months. (by the way, your curent DAT scores are not bad...they're average). for your personal statement, I suggest you write about your experience coming here and how you're determined about dentistry and how you stayed after your dream and persevered...also talk about your volunteer and work experiences in dental clinics. look onine on how to write a dentistry personal statement. also look on ADA website. just search online andyou will find many things. you're a very compassionate and determined person and i hope you reach your dreams. good luck with everything!! and tell us how things turn out. Best of luck!!