How big of an advantage for early applicants?

[tpwelie34]

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Hey guys, I am debating whether to study for the DAT and take it next quarter while I take classes ( I will try to take only 1 upper div science class to lighten the load) or to study for it full-time during the summer and focus all of my attention on it. I know that if I take the first route, next quarter will be tremendously stressful for me. The second route will be much less stressful because I wouldn't have to worry about both school + the DAT the same time.

I prefer the second route but I heard that early applicants receive an advantage over later applicants. If I take the second route, I will most likely take the DAT during late Jul or early August. Can you guys tell me how much of an advantage I would have if I take the DAT during this school year and apply early in comparison to taking it late july/early august and applying right afterwards?

Thank you!

 

[qhorse]

Hey guys, I am debating whether to study for the DAT and take it next quarter while I take classes ( I will try to take only 1 upper div science class to lighten the load) or to study for it full-time during the summer and focus all of my attention on it. I know that if I take the first route, next quarter will be tremendously stressful for me. The second route will be much less stressful because I wouldn't have to worry about both school + the DAT the same time.

I prefer the second route but I heard that early applicants receive an advantage over later applicants. If I take the second route, I will most likely take the DAT during late Jul or early August. Can you guys tell me how much of an advantage I would have if I take the DAT during this school year and apply early in comparison to taking it late july/early august and applying right afterwards?

Thank you!

This honestly depends on your stats. If you are an amazing applicant with a high GPA, and then you take the time to do really well on your DAT and score high, taking a later DAT score won't really do much.... If you are a more average applicant, then it is a bit better to take earlier.... Just reallly depends on your grades, shadowing, extracurriculars.

ALSO, something to take into account is, are you getting a committee letter done or are you getting individual letter of recs?

In my case, although I submitted at the end of the July and had an Aug mailing date, my committee letter wasn't even up until Aug 25, so that put a bit of a delay on me getting interviews (except from a few schools).

 

[SLOBrule]

Apply early. You can submit your application before taking the DAT. If you feel like you won't be ready until July or August, send in your AADSAS and then take your test. The score will be sent directly after you complete it.

In regards to your LOE/LORs, I suggest approaching your instructors 6 months in advance. Give them a heads up early January, and tell them it needs to be complete by the 1st week of May. This way if they haven't done it by then, they will have 4 more weeks to do it before AADSAS goes up next cycle. Good Luck!

 

[doc toothache]

Would you sacrifice your grades to apply early?

 

[tpwelie34]

At the moment, my GPA is 3.6 (hoping to bring it up to 3.7 by the end of this year). You guys can check out the rest of my stats on my predent profile. My dream schools are USC/UCLA/UCSF/UOP/ and Tufts. I already have 2 LOR's (1 from my bio research professor and 1 from my dentist). I am waiting for my ochem professor to finish writing my LOR so that I can have three total soon. Do you guys think that applying early with perhaps a lower DAT score is better for my situation than applying later with a higher DAT score?

 

[seattlesun]

Take the DAT in the summer if you plan to take it once. By prepping in the summer you get good grades during the school and score higher on the DAT.
If you think you might need a second examination, keep in mind that you can take it after minimum of 3 months after your initial exam, also keep in mind that some school do not accept DAT taken after Oct 31. So in this case the latest you can take your initial (and hopefully only) DAT is July 31.

So, my personal recommendation is that you can take your DAT before July 31, but after submitting your application. That way AADSAS can start your appl processing. So, by the time your transcripts get verified by AADSAS which can take about 6 weeks, you may be well on your way prepping and taking the DAT.

If you want to do something during the school year, then work on your essays, have them ready for early June. That way you don't have to work so much on the application at the same time with prepping for the DAT.

Also, continue with your research, and/or maybe find some community service that is not dental related to work on (I guess the animal shelter work may fit in this category). I personally was asked in two occasions, on a supplemental, and in an interview what non-dental comm service was I involved with. Or you may do chem or bio peer TA or tutoring, that will prep you for DAT at least partially.

 

[Msmouth]

At the moment, my GPA is 3.6 (hoping to bring it up to 3.7 by the end of this year). You guys can check out the rest of my stats on my predent profile. My dream schools are USC/UCLA/UCSF/UOP/ and Tufts. I already have 2 LOR's (1 from my bio research professor and 1 from my dentist). I am waiting for my ochem professor to finish writing my LOR so that I can have three total soon. Do you guys think that applying early with perhaps a lower DAT score is better for my situation than applying later with a higher DAT score?

I'm in the same boat as you, but I decided to take the DAT in early August. I will send my completed application in June so that all they are waiting for is my scores. I just can't see studying for the DAT while I'm taking a full course load and the last thing I want is to have to retake it because of that.

I'm not sure who to ask for LOR at this point. I'm a new transfer student and the professors are elusive for the most part. I've met with my advisors and so far my Bio lab professor knows me best, but I'm not so sure the lab professor is the best person to ask for a LOR.

 

[tpwelie34]

Thanks for the replies. I am currently applying to be a Supplemental Instruction leader (basically tutoring position) for the introductory biology or chemistry courses here at my university next quarter. I guess I will take the DAT during the summer so that I can focus on my GPA and the other parts of the application first and then focus on the DAT by itself.

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

This honestly depends on your stats. If you are an amazing applicant with a high GPA, and then you take the time to do really well on your DAT and score high, taking a later DAT score won't really do much.... If you are a more average applicant, then it is a bit better to take earlier.... Just reallly depends on your grades, shadowing, extracurriculars.

ALSO, something to take into account is, are you getting a committee letter done or are you getting individual letter of recs?

In my case, although I submitted at the end of the July and had an Aug mailing date, my committee letter wasn't even up until Aug 25, so that put a bit of a delay on me getting interviews (except from a few schools).

I ditched my committee letter so that I could make the 2nd batch.

I would try to loosely study the natural sciences during the fall of your junior year... then go hardcore during winter break and just finish it right before your break ends or a week into the spring semester (I'm assuming that you won't have a midterm yet unless you have a crazy prof )

 

[seattlesun]

I'm not sure who to ask for LOR at this point. I'm a new transfer student and the professors are elusive for the most part. I've met with my advisors and so far my Bio lab professor knows me best, but I'm not so sure the lab professor is the best person to ask for a LOR.

Wondering if a LOR from a prof from where you transferred would do the trick? Ask a pre-health advisor at your school.

Also, some schools are specific about wanting a letter from a lecture prof, not lab prof. I would say get one from the bio lab prof and send it directly to schools that do not specify lecture, because it would probably be a more personal letter. And put a lecture prof on the AADSAS application.

 

[MrAvicii]

its a fact, early applicants (even some with worse scores) are reviewed earlier and get earlier interviews.

if i could do it all over again, i would do my best to take the DAT pre June and apply June 1st.

 

[KTMBASEBALLDAWG]

I'll put it like this. Last year I got my app in late... even though there was an extremely valid reason. I got it finalized in early october and I received 0 interviews last year. Much less acceptances. I have a 21 AA and a 3.3 GPA from a major university. Almost same application stats this year and I have received 7 interview invites. You tell me how important applying early is. This year I applied early June. Made 100% sure of that.

 

[doc toothache]

its a fact, early applicants (even some with worse scores) are reviewed earlier and get earlier interviews.
if i could do it all over again, i would do my best to take the DAT pre June and apply June 1st.

And, of course, you have incontrovertible evidence.

 

[MrAvicii]

And, of course, you have incontrovertible evidence.

dude we argue about this all the time lol let it go. see predents (for 2012, 2011, 2010.) combining all the years together gives you statistically significant data points. early applicants get earky interviews and often in places where they dont belong.

 

[doc toothache]

dude we argue about this all the time lol let it go. see predents (for 2012, 2011, 2010.) combining all the years together gives you statistically significant data points. early applicants get earky interviews and often in places where they dont belong.

And, of course, you did just that.

 

[peanutb123]

This is what i wrote for last year. If you look at aadsas, ada or adea pdf docs you will find the supporting evidence for my statistics.
copy and paste

HOW late are you if that's your question?

No one can tell you exactly. But i will tell you how late are you approximately.

For 2k10 class there were ~11k apps. who applied.
for 2k09 class there were ~11k apps. who applied.

According to ADEA there were ~7400 applicants who opened an account with them in
From june03 to june 30th

Out of these lets say ~70% applied in the same month thats ~5k app.'s submitted.

according to ADEA avg. app. applies about 10 schools.

that means they sent out about ~50,000+ applications...

So realistically excluding all the state schools which Strictly accepts only instate would be like 45 schools. So each one of those schools might have received ~1000+ apps.

then you can go from here onwards on calc. your odds at a particular schools depending on private, instate, residence, etc...

 

[MrAvicii]

And, of course, you did just that.

well what advantage do you see in applying late, besides getting a lot of post dec interviews and fighting for left over. 😎

 

[peanutb123]

dude we argue about this all the time lol let it go. see predents (for 2012, 2011, 2010.) combining all the years together gives you statistically significant data points. early applicants get earky interviews and often in places where they dont belong.

predents data makes up less than 6-7% of the complete app pool. which some people do make fake ones to discourage others to applying to that specific schools.

You cannot rely on that little data to make predictions. Only the schools with rolling admissions(which majority of them are) its better to apply early. I rather be #100 or even 400 than to be some where in 2000 just because i could not get all my stuff withing first 20 days when the app cycle opens.

Just b/c you apply early does not mean you will get in with lesser scores, they still have to meet the average scores requirement. But applying early will put your application on close to the top.

 

[MrAvicii]

predents data makes up less than 6-7% of the complete app pool. which some people do make fake ones to discourage others to applying to that specific schools.

You cannot rely on that little data to make predictions. Only the schools with rolling admissions(which majority of them are) its better to apply early. I rather be #100 or even 400 than to be some where in 2000 just because i could not get all my stuff withing first 20 days when the app cycle opens.

Just b/c you apply early does not mean you will get in with lesser scores, they still have to meet the average scores requirement. But applying early will put your application on close to the top.

predents data doesnt have to be the full 100%, if you know anything about statistics, sample sizes as a little as 30 are considered statistically significant. (how do you think all the polls are done? Do they call every single household in America?) You can use the applicants data from 2012, 2011, and 2010 for example and see enough of a trend.

I also see no logic in arguing against this, facts are facts... early applicants get early interviews. Yes a person with a 2.5 GPA and a 15 DAT will not make the cut, even if they apply June 1st, but there are enough examples of 3.4s and 3.5s with 19s and 18s that are getting interviews at schools where they "statistically" have no business interviewing at. In my mind anyone who's saying there is no advantage is a gunner who doesn't want competition.

I see enough people who applied early, get the early interviews (including worthy applicants.) There is no logic that can make someone want to apply November 1st vs. June 1st. And you dont really need any data to prove that.

 

[A6project]

This is what i wrote for last year. If you look at aadsas, ada or adea pdf docs you will find the supporting evidence for my statistics.
copy and paste

HOW late are you if that's your question?

No one can tell you exactly. But i will tell you how late are you approximately.

For 2k10 class there were ~11k apps. who applied.
for 2k09 class there were ~11k apps. who applied.

According to ADEA there were ~7400 applicants who opened an account with them in
From june03 to june 30th

Out of these lets say ~70% applied in the same month thats ~5k app.'s submitted.

according to ADEA avg. app. applies about 10 schools.

that means they sent out about ~50,000+ applications...

So realistically excluding all the state schools which Strictly accepts only instate would be like 45 schools. So each one of those schools might have received ~1000+ apps.

then you can go from here onwards on calc. your odds at a particular schools depending on private, instate, residence, etc...

then for post-dec interviews, you have to be be amazing both academically and extracurricular-ly to be invited???

what are chances of average applicants getting post-dec interviews? slim to none probably. .. right?

 

[MrAvicii]

then for post-dec interviews, you have to be be amazing both academically and extracurricular-ly to be invited???

what are chances of average applicants getting post-dec interviews? slim to none probably. .. right?

😀 👍 im telling you man... seems like peepz are telling other peepz to be patient... but in the meantime they are taking their seats... lol

gotta love those gunners!

 

[A6project]

😀 👍 im telling you man... seems like peepz are telling other peepz to be patient... but in the meantime they are taking their seats... lol

gotta love those gunners!

lol u looks like u have a quite number of invites .. ...congrats! i don't think i can have a piece of mind till I hear back from schools in AZ.
They either have no love for me or love to tease looool

 

[NguyenDDS]

Applying EARLY has great benefits 🙂 It certainly won't harm you, while a late application CAN. If it's within your power, by all means apply early and make sure it's a good quality application at the same time 🙂 I believe I am living proof and an example of how an early applicant is more beneficial than a late applicant. MWU wouldn't have given me a chance if I was late... just a feeling 🙂

 

[MrAvicii]

lol u looks like u have a quite number of invites .. ...congrats! i don't think i can have a piece of mind till I hear back from schools in AZ.
They have no love for me or they love to tease looool

yes I am blessed, I can't complain i do hope it works out for you! def best of luck!

 

[MrAvicii]

Applying EARLY has great benefits 🙂 It certainly won't harm you, while a late application CAN. If it's within your power, by all means apply early and make sure it's a good quality application at the same time 🙂 I believe I am living proof and an example of how an early applicant is more beneficial than a late applicant. MWU wouldn't have given me a chance if I was late... just a feeling 🙂

Ms Nguyen you were definitely in mind when I was writing the thread and I did want to point you out. but you know the old rap game... haters gonna hate... i guess you should have applied November 1st because it doesnt really matter when you apply. 🙄

 

[A6project]

Ms Nguyen you were definitely in mind when I was writing the thread and I did want to point you out. but you know the old rap game... haters gonna hate... i guess you should have applied November 1st because it doesnt really matter when you apply. 🙄

thank u sir.

ps when i saw your name, fade into darkness was on my mind 😀

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

of course applying early is better.

who wouldn't want to be accepted early?

most schools send out more acceptances pre-dec. decipher that as you wish.

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

Would you sacrifice your grades to apply early?

or sacrifice your grades when you apply late. last i checked june was in the summer.. late app season inside the classroom..

 

[NguyenDDS]

Ms Nguyen you were definitely in mind when I was writing the thread and I did want to point you out. but you know the old rap game... haters gonna hate... i guess you should have applied November 1st because it doesnt really matter when you apply. 🙄

😀 That thought scares me...I'd be in a REALLY bad situation if I DID apply November 1st Anyhow, good luck everyone! 🙂

 

[peanutb123]

😀 👍 im telling you man... seems like peepz are telling other peepz to be patient... but in the meantime they are taking their seats... lol

gotta love those gunners!

predents data doesnt have to be the full 100%, if you know anything about statistics, sample sizes as a little as 30 are considered statistically significant. (how do you think all the polls are done? Do they call every single household in America?) You can use the applicants data from 2012, 2011, and 2010 for example and see enough of a trend.

I also see no logic in arguing against this, facts are facts... early applicants get early interviews. Yes a person with a 2.5 GPA and a 15 DAT will not make the cut, even if they apply June 1st, but there are enough examples of 3.4s and 3.5s with 19s and 18s that are getting interviews at schools where they "statistically" have no business interviewing at. In my mind anyone who's saying there is no advantage is a gunner who doesn't want competition.

I see enough people who applied early, get the early interviews (including worthy applicants.) There is no logic that can make someone want to apply November 1st vs. June 1st. And you dont really need any data to prove that.

First thing first,
I am already in dental school.

Second thing like I said predents does not resemble significant data to be making decision upon. There are fake accounts to discourage people from applying to certain schools, inflated scores, & duplicate accounts.

Like you said people who get 17,18,19 or sometimes even 20 do not like to post their scores on predents. Its like you want to take pool of poorest people in america by picking people living in 30 mansions in the Beverly hills. having said that, i wouldnt be taking stabs at someone who went though it last year.

Post December interviews are very competitive to get, they most likely be given to exceptional individuals with something that pops out on their application. that does not mean others wont, but remember by December most schools are like 2/3 full.

 

[tpwelie34]

My situation involves completing my application by sending in my DAT scores sometime early August, not late like October. Do you guys still strongly think that I should strive to complete my DAT before June 1st, even if it means that my score will probably be lower than if I dedicated a good 5-7 weeks of solely DAT study during the summer with consideration to my stats (in my predent profile)?

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

My situation involves completing my application by sending in my DAT scores sometime early August, not late like October. Do you guys still strongly think that I should strive to complete my DAT before June 1st, even if it means that my score will probably be lower than if I dedicated a good 5-7 weeks of solely DAT study during the summer with consideration to my stats (in my predent profile)?

apply early june and take the DAT before August.. dont take it until you are ready otherwise you will be making a big mistake.

 

[tpwelie34]

apply early june and take the DAT before August.. dont take it until you are ready otherwise you will be making a big mistake.

So I should apply early june (without my DAT taken yet) and study during the summer and then send in my DAt scores later when they are completed? At my school, spring quarter actually ends on June 15th so if I start studying right away for 7 weeks without the stress of school, I can take the DAT by the end of July. Does this sound like a good idea or is it strongly recommended that I study for the DAT during my winter break (3weeks) into winter quarter and take it next quarter?

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

So I should apply early june (without my DAT taken yet) and study during the summer and then send in my DAt scores later when they are completed? At my school, spring quarter actually ends on June 15th so if I start studying right away for 7 weeks without the stress of school, I can take the DAT by the end of July. Does this sound like a good idea or is it strongly recommended that I study for the DAT during my winter break (3weeks) into winter quarter and take it next quarter?

yes, apply early june and take the DAT before school starts up again. no need to take the dat too early unless ur ready of course. get the app in early is more important. and yes u can send app without dat scores.

 

[journeybegins]

I'll put it like this. Last year I got my app in late... even though there was an extremely valid reason. I got it finalized in early october and I received 0 interviews last year. Much less acceptances. I have a 21 AA and a 3.3 GPA from a major university. Almost same application stats this year and I have received 7 interview invites. You tell me how important applying early is. This year I applied early June. Made 100% sure of that.

That really scares me.

I applied early in June, but just took my DATs late in early October. Sighh..

tpwelie34,

I think taking it in August is fine. It looks like you have a competitive GPA, so that's good. As for DAT scores, you should try to do well or the best you can.

In retrospect, if I could do it over again, I would actually take it before June 1st, simply because then, you can retake it if you need to. If you take it in the summer, perhaps you will do well and you won't need to retake. However, if you didn't do so well, you'd have to wait 3 more months, which further delays your application!

Studying the DATs with full-time classes is quite difficult. I've tried it.

It's up to you. But August is not really late. It's in the middle. Someone from my school took hers at the end of July and still got pre-December interviews. So, you should be fine.


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Another thing that I might add is... I'm not an admissions officer or anything, but I assume that while interviews are super important to get, your scores still need to prove you deserve an acceptance. So, not everyone that gets interviews pre-December gets an acceptance.

Take everything with a grain of salt 🙂

 

[MrAvicii]

First thing first,
I am already in dental school.

Second thing like I said predents does not resemble significant data to be making decision upon. There are fake accounts to discourage people from applying to certain schools, inflated scores, & duplicate accounts.

Like you said people who get 17,18,19 or sometimes even 20 do not like to post their scores on predents. Its like you want to take pool of poorest people in america by picking people living in 30 mansions in the Beverly hills. having said that, i wouldnt be taking stabs at someone who went though it last year.

Post December interviews are very competitive to get, they most likely be given to exceptional individuals with something that pops out on their application. that does not mean others wont, but remember by December most schools are like 2/3 full.

ok so again, you're proving my point that it makes sense to apply early. 👍 why apply late? whats the advantange?

 

[doc toothache]

predents data doesnt have to be the full 100%, if you know anything about statistics, sample sizes as a little as 30 are considered statistically significant. (how do you think all the polls are done? Do they call every single household in America?) You can use the applicants data from 2012, 2011, and 2010 for example and see enough of a trend.

And in this case there is an apparent understanding of statistics. The size of the sample has never been a problem, but the fact that predents does not represent a random sample of the population is. No one is disputing an advantage of applying "early" vs "late", provided the applicants do/can deliver the goods. The beef is with the concept of "first come first served" for which there little or no evidence. Lets keep in mind that "rolling admission" starts after Dec 1 and refers to the methodology used to select additional applicants to fill the class. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence in predents/otherwise to suggest that those with late interviews/acceptances do not necessary have high stats.

 

[MrAvicii]

And in this case there is an apparent understanding of statistics. The size of the sample has never been a problem, but the fact that predents does not represent a random sample of the population is. No one is disputing an advantage of applying "early" vs "late", provided the applicants do/can deliver the goods. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence in predents/otherwise to suggest that those with late interviews/acceptances do not necessary have high stats.

yes the sample size of predents is self selected and the fact that its self reported can lead to errors/lies. All in all my point still stands, you should apply as early as possible and June 1 is still better than November 1. You dont really need numbers to tell you the obvious.

Whats the point of minimizing your chances? but it seems you are fixated on arguing with me rather than acknowledge the fact that one should apply as early as possibe.

 

[BobLoblawDDS]

... but it seems you are fixated on arguing with me rather than acknowledge the fact that one should apply as early as possibe.

He just did acknowledge it.

And he's arguing with you because you make brash comments. You used Pre-Dents as evidence of your claim that applying early is good. Then you accused someone of knowing nothing about statistics. No one's arguing that applying early is probably a good thing; Doc Toothache just agreed with you. He's just saying that you can't use Pre-Dents as a reason to believe it.

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

😀 👍 im telling you man... seems like peepz are telling other peepz to be patient... but in the meantime they are taking their seats... lol

gotta love those gunners!

Oh no!
The gunners are coming!
The gunners are coming!

 

[rainman1646]

My situation involves completing my application by sending in my DAT scores sometime early August, not late like October. Do you guys still strongly think that I should strive to complete my DAT before June 1st, even if it means that my score will probably be lower than if I dedicated a good 5-7 weeks of solely DAT study during the summer with consideration to my stats (in my predent profile)?

I was in the same situation this year. I had no time to take the DAT before June because I was still taking pre-reqs as a non-traditional returning student. Instead of trying to cram DAT studying in the middle of Ochem, Biochem, and Physics classes, I decided to wait until after the Spring semester.

Long story (kinda) short, I applied the first week of June, and took the DAT in mid-July after about 6-7 weeks of intense studying (that's all I did in this time). Happy to say I have 7 pre-Dec interviews!

Yes, you can do it - my suggestion would be to apply early and take the DAT before August. My DAT only took a week and a half to go out to the schools, which was not too long after my app was processed by AADSAS.

Good luck!

 

[tpwelie34]

That really scares me.

I applied early in June, but just took my DATs late in early October. Sighh..

tpwelie34,

I think taking it in August is fine. It looks like you have a competitive GPA, so that's good. As for DAT scores, you should try to do well or the best you can.

In retrospect, if I could do it over again, I would actually take it before June 1st, simply because then, you can retake it if you need to. If you take it in the summer, perhaps you will do well and you won't need to retake. However, if you didn't do so well, you'd have to wait 3 more months, which further delays your application!

Studying the DATs with full-time classes is quite difficult. I've tried it.

It's up to you. But August is not really late. It's in the middle. Someone from my school took hers at the end of July and still got pre-December interviews. So, you should be fine.


----

Another thing that I might add is... I'm not an admissions officer or anything, but I assume that while interviews are super important to get, your scores still need to prove you deserve an acceptance. So, not everyone that gets interviews pre-December gets an acceptance.

Take everything with a grain of salt 🙂

Thanks for your reply. Although taking the DAT in early August to complete my application is okay, do you think that my chances of netting interviews/acceptances to my top schools (UCLA/UCSF/USC/UOP/Tufts) would be higher if I study for the DAT during my winter break into my winter quarter (I will try to take a very light course load) with a slightly lower score in comparison to taking it in early August with a higher score? I am planning to take the DAT once only. Would my chances of netting interviews/acceptances to my top schools be lowered even with a slightly higher DAT score if I take the DAT early August?

 

[benzatone]

Why do you assume you'd do worse on your DAT in August than in January?

Honestly, if you're studying for related material for your finals this semester, you already have 2-3 weeks studying right there. Another 2-3 weeks and you should be good on all of the material (assuming you have gotten through all of the science classes that are tested on the DAT).

That's just my opinion though. All depends on how you study and if you like the comfort of additional time.

 

[TheIceCreamTruk]

Thanks for your reply. Although taking the DAT in early August to complete my application is okay, do you think that my chances of netting interviews/acceptances to my top schools (UCLA/UCSF/USC/UOP/Tufts) would be higher if I study for the DAT during my winter break into my winter quarter (I will try to take a very light course load) with a slightly lower score in comparison to taking it in early August with a higher score? I am planning to take the DAT once only. Would my chances of netting interviews/acceptances to my top schools be lowered even with a slightly higher DAT score if I take the DAT early August?

it's definitely a tough situation but i would just strap down for winter break and study study study. i don't know how long your winter break is but maybe continue pushing through a little into your winter quarter and then just take it. it'll be hard/stressful and you'll be pushing yourself quite a bit but i think you could pull out a really good score (maybe even better than if you just took the 7-8 weeks). and then you get your application in early and let the interviews start rolling in. many of the people i know who've scored 22-23+ took only 4-5 weeks of intense/shoot yourself in the head studying.

i guess it depends on what conditions you work well under. i personally work well under stress so if you do, i would highly suggest you just bite the bullet and study like crazy during winter break into your winter quarter. for the schools you listed, you'll definitely want your app both solid and submitted early. and plus, if you submit early, you'll save yourself a lot of stress when september/october rolls around and early applicants are getting interviews while the later applicants are pulling their hair out and taking their frustrations out on each other on sdn(assuming you get interviews as well).

yeah, it's a tough choice but you're probably not dumb if you're applying to dental school so i would just bring on the pain and take it early. you'd be surprised how the stress empowers you 🙂

 

[tpwelie34]

it's definitely a tough situation but i would just strap down for winter break and study study study. i don't know how long your winter break is but maybe continue pushing through a little into your winter quarter and then just take it. it'll be hard/stressful and you'll be pushing yourself quite a bit but i think you could pull out a really good score (maybe even better than if you just took the 7-8 weeks). and then you get your application in early and let the interviews start rolling in. many of the people i know who've scored 22-23+ took only 4-5 weeks of intense/shoot yourself in the head studying.

i guess it depends on what conditions you work well under. i personally work well under stress so if you do, i would highly suggest you just bite the bullet and study like crazy during winter break into your winter quarter. for the schools you listed, you'll definitely want your app both solid and submitted early. and plus, if you submit early, you'll save yourself a lot of stress when september/october rolls around and early applicants are getting interviews while the later applicants are pulling their hair out and taking their frustrations out on each other on sdn(assuming you get interviews as well).

yeah, it's a tough choice but you're probably not dumb if you're applying to dental school so i would just bring on the pain and take it early. you'd be surprised how the stress empowers you 🙂

Thanks a lot for your reply. That is what I am leaning towards at the moment since I want to do everything I can to make my application the best that it can be. I will try to study like a madman during winterbreak (3weeks) and into winter quarter but hopefully it will be a good decision. Also, do dental schools mind if I only take one upper div science class +2 nonscience classes next quarter so that I can study for the DAT?

 

[TheIceCreamTruk]

Thanks a lot for your reply. That is what I am leaning towards at the moment since I want to do everything I can to make my application the best that it can be. I will try to study like a madman during winterbreak (3weeks) and into winter quarter but hopefully it will be a good decision. Also, do dental schools mind if I only take one upper div science class +2 nonscience classes next quarter so that I can study for the DAT?

yeah that's good to hear. just to give you perspective, i took about 3 weeks to study for my dat and did pretty well. so if you really don't want to study into your classes, i think it's definitely possible for you to cram it in and get that score. but again, depends on how you feel.

and with respect to the upper div science class deal, i think as long as you take a full course load you're fine

 

[peanutb123]

ok so again, you're proving my point that it makes sense to apply early. 👍 why apply late? whats the advantange?

No one is arguing about applying early. Everyone should.

We are just trying to suggest you that, that the way you look at predents and piloting "scientific points" is going going to support any thing that you claim. like i said and doc toohache said, the data is very unreliable.

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

Thanks a lot for your reply. That is what I am leaning towards at the moment since I want to do everything I can to make my application the best that it can be. I will try to study like a madman during winterbreak (3weeks) and into winter quarter but hopefully it will be a good decision. Also, do dental schools mind if I only take one upper div science class +2 nonscience classes next quarter so that I can study for the DAT?

imo, that will not look good. You want to finish off as strong as you can with a schedule that shows d schools that you can handle rigorous courses (i.e. 17+ hours with mostly science classes). Im willing to bet most ppl can't study for 3 weeks for this test and come out with a halfway decent score. You want to get the highest score possible. Why risk getting a low score and then suffering a low gpa your last semester before applying just b/c you wanted to get your scores in stupid early? This will not benefit you. You can take the DAT late July and get all pre-december interviews believe me.

You also do not wanna take this beast a second time. Study for it good the first time so you can finally put it behind you.

 

[MrAvicii]

He just did acknowledge it.

And he's arguing with you because you make brash comments. You used Pre-Dents as evidence of your claim that applying early is good. Then you accused someone of knowing nothing about statistics. No one's arguing that applying early is probably a good thing; Doc Toothache just agreed with you. He's just saying that you can't use Pre-Dents as a reason to believe it.

its pure logic that makes this a valid statement, there are enough threads and evidence out there. i dont think i need to write a thesis paper on this. but hey some people love to argue. but thanks for chiming it! hey at least you got your "fair" NYU interview 🙂 its good you didnt have to ask for it.

 

[MrAvicii]

Oh no!
The gunners are coming!
The gunners are coming!

the gunners are already here, too bad for nice people that actually contribute to their fellow predents.