I don't want to retake DAT but...

[ucla2134]

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this health advisor at my school (UCLA) says i have no chance for dental schools whasoever 😕😕😕. She told me that my math score is too low (14) and that i should retake it.


I was so confused since everybody on SDN here told me that schools are lenient on QR score!
I don't know whether she gave me a sincere advice or she just hates me.

I tried to avoid to apply to schools that have cut off.

Do you guys think i'll be ok?

p.s. My stats are on profile link predent. I have 3.6 GPA, TS=25,AA=22,PAT=19

 

[DrKumar43210]

this health advisor at my school (UCLA) says i have no chance for dental schools whasoever 😕😕😕. She told me that my math score is too low (14) and that i should retake it.


I was so confused since everybody on SDN here told me that schools are lenient on QR score!
I don't know whether she gave me a sincere advice or she just hates me.

I tried to avoid to apply to schools that have cut off.

Do you guys think i'll be ok?

p.s. My stats are on profile link predent. I have 3.6 GPA, TS=25,AA=22,PAT=19

How did you decide what schools to apply to? I have no idea how to find schools without cutoffs. I would sign up to retake it and if you hear from any of the schools you can cancel your appointment. This is just a suggestion.

 

[liriano]

Hmmm....I don't know about that. Your TS is out of this world, and I think your stats are great. I don't think that most schools would turn away an applicant with your stats - though I have heard the Cali schools are a bit hardcore. I'm in a similar boat, and I feel that I will get in somewhere my stats even with the low QR. I think the person you consulted is wrong!

 

[ZzZzSleepyhead]

Wow, I would still go ahead and apply..

 

[Kneecoal]

to be honest i've never found my predent advisors to be of any help whatsoever...

 

[Lurchdubious]

I would think you can still get in.

 

[Persevere13]

just re-take it.

 

[carbide]

With all your other DAT scores being pretty baller and a 3.6 from UCLA I wouldn't sweat it. QR is probably the most overlooked section by adcoms imo...I haven't had to do any real math in dent school soooo... just saying. even with a 14 QR your AA is good.

 

[spearmint]

This is a tough call. I know some schools do have a cut-off...I think 15 or 16? So, if you want to increase your chances of acceptance than it may be wise to re-take it. Since you did so well in your other sections, I'm sure you will still do well in them the second time. Just practice more on QR and work on timing.

 

[Mrbubbles]

don't retake. ur gpa is fine. UCLA ADCOMS favor alumni (ur gpa is ok..they like 3.7 higher + research)..

that 14..i got a 14 in QR, TS 22, AA 20.. and i had 8 interviews.. (didn't get a ucla one cuz i had no research and my gpa is only a 3.4).. but other than that..don't risk retaking and having ur AWESOME scores go down.. just apply early. that means, everything should be in already. good luck

 

[sixkiller]

How much math does a dentist need?

Schools only report AA and PAT....


hmmm..............

 

[Andre3k]

I'm 100% sure you will get in every where with those scores. Who cares about the QR section anyway, that section is really ridiculous. Definitely DO NOT retake.

Oh and pre-health advisers are useless.

 

[Stephie3]

dude, one piece of advice for you: FIRE YOUR ADVISOR!

meh the top schools like columbia have AA averages of like 21...which your AA exceeds.

a 25 TS is aMAZING..people would kill for that score. you'll get in. who cares about the QR section. when you get a 22 AA and a 25 TS, a QR score is trivial. just watch out for schools with hardcore strict cutoffs in each section. some schools only have cutoffs for AA and TS and it just varies

when you get accepted to harvard, go back to your advisor and tell them they're fired.

 

[Dentgirl09]

My pre-med advisor told me I shouldn't apply because my grades and scores weren't good enough.

I went on SDN and everyone told me to apply. ( i had just discovered SDN looking around for some info about average stats and such).
Then I talked to family adn said they would support me financially even if it was a risk.

I applied and got into 3 schools. now that is definitely better tahn no schools.

DO WHAT YOU WANT. and retake it in teh process if you are really concerned.
but you are WAY better off than me and most peopel!

 

[sfrice80]

YOUR ADVISOR IS AN IDIOT! I think she just hates you, to tell you that there is no chance you'll get in is ridiculous! If you had another low section other then QR, I would say, ya, its probably a good idea to re-take but your other scores are excellent. I think schools are much more willing to overlook a low QR when the rest of your DAT is great and your gpa is solid. I think you'll be perfectly fine. I would not re-take if I were you. I would also stop taking advice from your pre-dental advisor! We had an absolutely excellent pre-dental advisor at our school but then she could only take pre-med students because of the volume, now our new pre-dental advisor is a lazy idiot! Its sad that they advise on people's future!

 

[testnein]

Dude your adviser is a jerk. I would bet my left arm that you get in. 25 total DAT happens only to about 500 or so people in America. If all your other EC and such stuff look ok then no worries, just sit back and wait for all those acceptance letters.

 

[beeho]

you definitely have shots of getting in at certain schools that don't have the QR minimum requirement. i say proceed!

 

[bruinbruin2009]

hey there bruin
i understand what your advisor talking about. Imagine that we have to share health advisor with premed and most of them are more knowledgable with med school admission compare to dental school. I got 3.5 and 22 but reading 17. The advisor told me that i have no chance of getting in to UCLA🙁
Yea, they are so blunt and brutal!
You definitely get in!
Good luck

 

[nze82]

this health advisor at my school (UCLA) says i have no chance for dental schools whasoever 😕😕😕. She told me that my math score is too low (14) and that i should retake it.


I was so confused since everybody on SDN here told me that schools are lenient on QR score!
I don't know whether she gave me a sincere advice or she just hates me.

I tried to avoid to apply to schools that have cut off.

Do you guys think i'll be ok?

p.s. My stats are on profile link predent. I have 3.6 GPA, TS=25,AA=22,PAT=19

Go to the UCLA School of Dentistry and see if you can make an appointment with their admission coordinator "Noemi Benitez." Take a copy of your unofficial scores and ask her about your low QR. I've spoken with admission coordinators and they have told me that as long as your QR score is not too low, provided that you have competitive scores in other sections, the schools is willing to overlook your QR score. Now, the question is how low?
I have a 17 QR score and almost every school I called told me it's not a problem, because all my other scores were 21+. But they also told me that when the QR score is too low it raises some major red flags. So, what you want to do is to call them, and see if your 14 is considered "too low."

Good Luck👍

 

[nze82]

hey there bruin
i understand what your advisor talking about. Imagine that we have to share health advisor with premed and most of them are more knowledgable with med school admission compare to dental school. I got 3.5 and 21 but reading 17. The advisor told me that i have no chance of getting in to UCLA🙁
Yea, they are so blunt and brutal!
You definitely get in!
Good luck

Your situation is somewhat different. You're struggling with your RC score, which is extremely important. If you read through UCLA's Dental School website, you'll see that they have specifically mentioned that they want a high RC score. The QR score, on the other hand, is not nearly as important.
So, your 17 RC score will probably hurt you much more than his/her QR score will ever hurt him/her (Not trying to burst your bubble here! I'm just stating the facts...sorry).

 

[irishgurl]

How much math does a dentist need?

Schools only report AA and PAT....


hmmm..............

The dentist I shadow told me you don't even use math as a dentist. He thinks the math section on the DAT is stupid

 

[Blarelli]

The dentist I shadow told me you don't even use math as a dentist. He thinks the math section on the DAT is stupid

I don't think it is stupid. It may not be necessary in your field, but math is an excellent indicator of overall intelligence. Now to avoid a flame war, I am not saying a low QR score means you are an idiot. I'm just saying that the guy that aced Calc 1, 2, and 3 is most definitely not an idiot.

As for the OP, look for schools that have a QR cut off. If they don't list one, call the schools up directly and ask. Your other scores are fantastic, so I don't see a good reason to retake. You just might not be able to get in to a few schools that have a higher QR standard.

 

[sfrice80]

I don't think it is stupid. It may not be necessary in your field, but math is an excellent indicator of overall intelligence. Now to avoid a flame war, I am not saying a low QR score means you are an idiot. I'm just saying that the guy that aced Calc 1, 2, and 3 is most definitely not an idiot.

As for the OP, look for schools that have a QR cut off. If they don't list one, call the schools up directly and ask. Your other scores are fantastic, so I don't see a good reason to retake. You just might not be able to get in to a few schools that have a higher QR standard.

Hahaha I aced Trig and Calc 1 and got a 16 on the DAT! Where does that rank me in the intelligence category? Plus, intelligence is such a debatable term, what is intelligence to one person isnt to another. Some math geek who is just killer in math but has zero personal skills is not intelligent to me. I would use smart but its only specific to math. To say math is an indicator of overall intelligence is ridiculous if you ask me. Im saying this in the nicest way possible and I dont want a war on here either!🙂

 

[Ramy]

just a question, if you did end up retaking the DAT what is the concequence. If you do worse do they take that into big consideration or do they look at the best scores only?

 

[UCfan]

In my opinion your situation is difficult to evaluate. Your science scores are excellent. In other words one of the best I had seen this year. Your academic average is excellent too (because of your powerful science sections). I am not sure you can get into schools with cut off. As NZE82 says low QR can be underestimated with other high scores. The big question is the definition of low. Is 17-16 the limitation or 14? Just talk to schools you will apply. If UCLA is your dream school, go talk to them about your situation. If some schools apply strict cut off, you may not be able to get an interview. If I were you, I do not retake DAT (because these scores will probably (99 percent) put you into DS). If you think that you can do better, then you can retake. However some retakers lower their scores. This may apply to you too (especially your science sections). Good luck!

 

[sfrice80]

just a question, if you did end up retaking the DAT what is the concequence. If you do worse do they take that into big consideration or do they look at the best scores only?

They see all the times you took them but only take your newest scores into consideration so if you re-take, its always somewhat of a gamble, depending on your situation.

 

[fldnstrm]

My brother in law will be attending UCLA this fall got a 15 in QR. You never know? I would still try and apply, especially with you other scores being so high.

 

[bennijai]

It will be hard to get those AA and TS again, I say apply, a 14 in QR may hurt you but how can you overlook those insane stats for TS and a 22AA even with a 14 in QR.