in Need of Advice

[PaliRN95]

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Hello fellow sdners,

So I am a non traditional pre dent and plan on applying this cycle. I am a Registered Nurse that graduated from a very well known university in my state (UIC) in 2016 with my BSN. I have a gpa of 3.52, science gpa of 3.6 and a DAT of 19 AA 21 PAT. I have over 200 hours of shadowing two dentists. I was involved in the pre dental club at school and multiple organizations in the nursing college. I started tutoring organic chemistry in February and My total volunteer service hours add up to about 400-500 with one volunteer experience being a medical mission trip to greece. skills: I speak 3 languages, i'm a martial artist with a black belt and I am medically trained with multiple certifcates. Work history: I am an RN now and I used to teach mixed martial arts and self defense back when I was in school for 2 years (kids and adults). That's a brief overview of my app. Due to me having to work full time and finish my remaining pre requisite courses I find it hard to possibly retake the DAT. So is there anything else I can do to strengthen myself as an applicant for now? Will I even get looked at by schools with these stats ? I appreciate any advice I can get.

 

[887194]

Hello, to answer your first question, there is always something you can do - write a solid PS, continue gaining experience in the field. I feel you have a unique experience and offer a unique perspective and having the experience of being a nurse will help you (Assuming you worked in the field). That being said, the average applicant who gets into DS is scoring around a 20AA paired with a 3.55cGPA. People do get in with an 18AA; you do have a shot but I would still recommend re-taking the DAT as odds aren't in your favor. Can you get in? Yea, there is a chance if you apply wisely but you won't know until you go through the cycle.

 

[PaliRN95]

Hello, to answer your first question, there is always something you can do - write a solid PS, continue gaining experience in the field. I feel you have a unique experience and offer a unique perspective and having the experience of being a nurse will help you (Assuming you worked in the field). That being said, the average applicant who gets into DS is scoring around a 20AA paired with a 3.55cGPA. People do get in with an 18AA; you do have a shot but I would still recommend re-taking the DAT as odds aren't in your favor. Can you get in? Yea, there is a chance if you apply wisely but you won't know until you go through the cycle.

Thank you!

 

[whatisit350]

Hello fellow sdners,

So I am a non traditional pre dent and plan on applying this cycle. I am a Registered Nurse that graduated from a very well known university in my state (UIC) in 2016 with my BSN. I have a gpa of 3.52, science gpa of 3.6 and a DAT of 18 AA 18TS 21 PAT. I have over 200 hours of shadowing two dentists. I was involved in the pre dental club at school and multiple organizations in the nursing college. I started tutoring organic chemistry in February and My total volunteer service hours add up to about 400-500 with one volunteer experience being a medical mission trip to greece. skills: I speak 3 languages, i'm a martial artist with a black belt and I am medically trained with multiple certifcates. Work history: I am an RN now and I used to teach mixed martial arts and self defense back when I was in school for 2 years (kids and adults). That's a brief overview of my app. Due to me having to work full time and finish my remaining pre requisite courses I find it hard to possibly retake the DAT. So is there anything else I can do to strengthen myself as an applicant for now? Will I even get looked at by schools with these stats ? I appreciate any advice I can get.

Hey there. From one RN to another, I can relate to your struggles. Thankfully, I was accepted to dental school this cycle, and we have roughly the same EC stats; however our gpa and dat scores are swapped. I had a poor gpa and a pretty good DAT. Honestly the best piece of advice I could give is to retake the DAT. A great personal statement will no doubt help as well. But I think a solid DAT score is more important. I was working 3-12's a week in the Neuro ICU as a new grad nurse (graduated in Aug 2016) while trying to study at the same time. Eventually I figured out that this was just not enough studying time. So I quit my job to study full time. That really made the difference in my score. Then I picked up another nursing job after I finished the test. If it's possible, I would recommend you to do the same.

 

[PaliRN95]

Hey there. From one RN to another, I can relate to your struggles. Thankfully, I was accepted to dental school this cycle, and we have roughly the same EC stats; however our gpa and dat scores are swapped. I had a poor gpa and a pretty good DAT. Honestly the best piece of advice I could give is to retake the DAT. A great personal statement will no doubt help as well. But I think a solid DAT score is more important. I was working 3-12's a week in the Neuro ICU as a new grad nurse (graduated in Aug 2016) while trying to study at the same time. Eventually I figured out that this was just not enough studying time. So I quit my job to study full time. That really made the difference in my score. Then I picked up another nursing job after I finished the test. If it's possible, I would recommend you to do the same.

I really wish I could retake the DAT right now, but I just don't think I'm in a good place for it with work and classes. I'm really relying on my grades, EC's and personal statement to hopefully get me some interviews. those 3 12's really do just take a toll on a person. I'll definitely retake it if I don't get anything this cycle. Thank you so much for the advice I appreciate it.