Is there any hope left

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pawkinlot

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I was wondering if there is any hope left for me. I have a 3.42 cum, and a 3.2 science gpa. I got 20 AA, 20 TS, 19 PAT on the DAT. I submitted my application in middle August, but I didnt take the DAT until the END of September.. So the majority of schools didnt have everything until october/middle october. I applied to 15 schools. I was rejected from midwestern (probably because I filled out the secondary app way to quickly), rejected from Louisville (because I found out two weeks ago they never got my secondary app fee which I sent in august!), and was placed on continuing review from Buffalo (which rejected me yesterday). So of the 15 schools three are out. I haven't heard anything from the rest as far as rejections go, and have received no interviews to this point. I was even able to fill out the disadvantaged section on my application (low income, abusive parent, constantly moving). What is it that I am lacking? It cant be just a 'late application' date, because I just met someone at my school (UW) who got an interview here a few weeks ago who applied later than me, and has a lower GPA and DAT scores... so what am I doing wrong?


I applied to a wide variety of schools (from UW, UoP, Howard, NYU, to Columbia)..

thanks.
 
Also, assuming I dont get in this cycle, and have to apply again next cycle, should I retake my DAT then? I know I was at the 87 percentile..but that seems to not be enough does it?
 
Two examples you have given us suggest that you may be a little irresponsible. Would any other aspects of your application reflect this assumption, or are Midwestern and Louisville just coincidences? Your scores seem to be competitive.
 
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My stats, application times, and DAT test date are very similar to yours. I hadn't heard anything from all but two schools, so I gave them all a call. A few schools never responded to my messages, but many of them called back and said I was no longer being considered (no indication of those conclusions on AADSAS though). Not necessarily what I wanted to hear, but at least it was some kind of response rather than "application complete". I would strongly encourage you to give them a call. Good luck on UW though - their message says they will get back to you within two business days, but they're dreaming. I've been waiting for over a month for a response to my two messages.
 
Personally, I don't think that it is your DAT scores. As you stated in your post, you know an individual who got interviewed with lower GPA and DAT. I believe that it might be your ECs and/or LORs. You might also want to take a look at the essays that you wrote. I believe that schools, especially UW and UCSF, look beyond an applicant's GPA and DAT. That is the reason why UW makes you write two essays and UCSF makes you write 7.

I think that schools, which you listed, are still interviewing, so I wish you luck.

Also, assuming I dont get in this cycle, and have to apply again next cycle, should I retake my DAT then? I know I was at the 87 percentile..but that seems to not be enough does it?
 
Two examples you have given us suggest that you may be a little irresponsible. Would any other aspects of your application reflect this assumption, or are Midwestern and Louisville just coincidences? Your scores seem to be competitive.

I am not sure as to what happened with Louisville, I emailed schools a few weeks ago and Louisville responded with saying they never received my fee, and the lady said it wouldn't be very advisable to send it now since they have everything figured out for the most part..

as far as midwestern goes, I really had no desire to go there, and after taking my DAT I felt that I had a strong chance of getting into a school I had a preference for, but I only applied there at the advise of my dad who encouraged me to.

The rest of my application was not rushed and I took plenty of time filling it out and going over it.
 
Personally, I don't think that it is your DAT scores. As you stated in your post, you know an individual who got interviewed with lower GPA and DAT. I believe that it might be your ECs and/or LORs. You might also want to take a look at the essays that you wrote. I believe that schools, especially UW and UCSF, look beyond an applicant's GPA and DAT. That is the reason why UW makes you write two essays and UCSF makes you write 7.

I think that schools, which you listed, are still interviewing, so I wish you luck.

It could be, I am not sure what would be considered 'enough' for EC's... I have volunteer (at a hospital for about 50 hours, adopt a highway, and boys and girls club volunteer 20 hours), and then I have shadowing of a dentist 100 hours, an oral surgeon 5 hours, and another dentist about 15 hours...

For my letters I had four (chem, ochem, biology and a dentist). My ochem letter was from a strong professor (harvard phd) but it may not have been that personable, but the other 3 I thought would have been good if not at least decent
 
I go to UW as well. My stats are pretty similar to yours. My app didn't get mailed til early October. I've heard 2 rejections, and 2 interviews so far (just did it at UW). UW says they still have spots left. They're one of the fairest schools in terms of late interviewees. I do agree with the other posters that UW loves all the extras - volunteering, research etc. Did Forrest write your letter? I worked for him for a year and he also wrote me one lol!!
 
i wouldnt freak out too hardcore if i were you... it sounds like your scores are competetive along with your ec's... you can never tell with your letters but from all the conversations i had with my writers they pretty much all gave me the impression they like to help their students so i doubt anyone wrote anything negative... your gpa's are right around the averages of several schools... so my guess is that they just havent got around to you yet

for instance im going to siu and i was accepted on dec1 and as far as i have heard they just went through their second round of offers like 5 days ago

honestly i would put my money on your stats... and thats that they are probably good enough to get in given published stats... i know at my siu interview they mentioned they have let a person in the day after orientation started... just remember every school is going to shoot for the students with the most outrageous credentials and thats not nearly as many students as spots available.... just be patient and if by some chance you dont get in for some reason try to take a step back and look at your stuff critically without bias and rework the weak points.. i know a girl who got in on her fifth try... 5 years later or not she's still going to have a dr. in front of her name
 
Stats alone don't really mean much. If you're sitting here with a 3.8 and a 23 AA and not getting interviews then we have a problem. It really is about YOU as a whole package. Is your personal statement focus and fun to read, your leadership experience, your Ex curricular activities, and your letters of rec; are they strong? Yes you have decent GPA and DAT, but how's the rest of your package?
 
I go to UW as well. My stats are pretty similar to yours. My app didn't get mailed til early October. I've heard 2 rejections, and 2 interviews so far (just did it at UW). UW says they still have spots left. They're one of the fairest schools in terms of late interviewees. I do agree with the other posters that UW loves all the extras - volunteering, research etc. Did Forrest write your letter? I worked for him for a year and he also wrote me one lol!!


Thanks for all of your input. Yeah, Forrest wrote my letter. I dont think UW is going to give me an interview though, because they never even sent me a secondary application.. I guess waiting is all I can do at this point.. :xf::scared:
 
SDN'ers
It cant be just a 'late application' date, because I just met someone at my school (UW) who got an interview here a few weeks ago who applied later than me, and has a lower GPA and DAT scores... so what am I doing wrong?


I applied to a wide variety of schools (from UW, UoP, Howard, NYU, to Columbia)..

thanks.

Submitting in September is considered late by most schools. Its important to not mistake the few exceptions as the rule. Your stats and ECs look solid so I believe if there are spots left at the large private schools, you'd be a competitive candidate for them.
 
Submitting in September is considered late by most schools. Its important to not mistake the few exceptions as the rule. Your stats and ECs look solid so I believe if there are spots left at the large private schools, you'd be a competitive candidate for them.


I didn't want to take them as the 'rule' I was just getting down and thinking that if someone applied later than me, with lower gpa/scores why would me applying even earlier make much of a difference next cycle, I think I was just feeling down 😕
 
I think you still have a shot to get into A DENTAL SCHOOL; but I would start prep stuff for the next cycle just in case. Now, as a re applicant, you must improve your application with say non-dental community service, advanced courses and possibly retaking DAT. As a former UW student, I suggest massive research for UW, UCLA, UCSF, STONY BROOK. Just to let you know, you are very late and it matters. I submitted in October, and just got interviews from a few schools, even though my stats were realllllllly good. Some schools like NYU and UOP or BU which accept mediocre to weak applications ( my friends with 3.1 and 19 DATs got in !) have not even procesed my application. 😱
 
I think you still have a shot to get into A DENTAL SCHOOL; but I would start prep stuff for the next cycle just in case. Now, as a re applicant, you must improve your application with say non-dental community service, advanced courses and possibly retaking DAT. As a former UW student, I suggest massive research for UW, UCLA, UCSF, STONY BROOK. Just to let you know, you are very late and it matters. I submitted in October, and just got interviews from a few schools, even though my stats were realllllllly good. Some schools like NYU and UOP or BU which accept mediocre to weak applications ( my friends with 3.1 and 19 DATs got in !) have not even procesed my application. 😱

I dont mind retaking the DAT (I am planning on it should I not get in this cycle), I just feel like I lucked out on reading comp and that I got articles which I already knew (one was about mRNA, I barley read the articles and got a 22), so thats the only thing that scares me. I will start to look for research positions.... thanks!
 
I think you still have a shot to get into A DENTAL SCHOOL; but I would start prep stuff for the next cycle just in case. Now, as a re applicant, you must improve your application with say non-dental community service, advanced courses and possibly retaking DAT. As a former UW student, I suggest massive research for UW, UCLA, UCSF, STONY BROOK. Just to let you know, you are very late and it matters. I submitted in October, and just got interviews from a few schools, even though my stats were realllllllly good. Some schools like NYU and UOP or BU which accept mediocre to weak applications ( my friends with 3.1 and 19 DATs got in !) have not even procesed my application. 😱
I would be careful what you say, that is extremely ignorant. Who are you to determine what a week application is? GPA and DAT scores are not the only thing dental schools look at. Just a caution...
 
I would be careful what you say, that is extremely ignorant. Who are you to determine what a week application is? GPA and DAT scores are not the only thing dental schools look at. Just a caution...

Thanks there Spud. For a moment I thought he was talking about me. 😀
 
Like it or not, 3.1 and 19 are not considered good any more , we are talking about 2009 cycle not 1999 !! I dont have anything against those schools, it's just how it is. They accept in that range, Harvard and UCLA etc ... accept applicants with better stats, deal with it !
 
In the end, it is your call; you can improve your application or just submit with the same stuff. I thought that I will not get in this cycle, so I talked to a lot of advisers and told you what they told me. I hope that I did not offend any body.
 
Like it or not, 3.1 and 19 are not considered good any more , we are talking about 2009 cycle not 1999 !! I dont have anything against those schools, it's just how it is. They accept in that range, Harvard and UCLA etc ... accept applicants with better stats, deal with it !

I'm sorry, but that's crass and uncalled for. You're hella out-of-line there, pal. Now go read what you just posted.

When you say "It's just how it is" that 3.1 and 19 are considered no good, and then attribute it to "weak applicants" belonging to certain schools, and then to "deal with it"...
...Woah, sounds over-the-top, juvenile, and screams of insecurity. :luck:

That's now how you really think, is it?
 
The wording may have been a little harsh, but I understand what Gaussian is saying, not necessarily agreeing with every word used. It is true that even with stats like mine, dentists I've shadowed have told me that is not good enough :/

Despite this, let's not derail this thread. The OP has more of a competitive advantage than our hypothetical applicant. Good luck!!!
 
Like it or not, 3.1 and 19 are not considered good any more , we are talking about 2009 cycle not 1999 !! I dont have anything against those schools, it's just how it is. They accept in that range, Harvard and UCLA etc ... accept applicants with better stats, deal with it !
You are citing one example and extrapolating it to a whole school! I would say a person with a 3.1 and a 19 is less competitive but, repeating my last post, DAT and GPA aren't everything in determining whether an application is "weak". I have a 3.6 and a 22/20/20 and didn't hear anything from BU, UOP, or NYU and I applied at the end of June. I just assumed I wasn't what they were looking for because DAT and GPA aren't everything! Does Harvard or UCLA produce better dentists than BU, UOP or NYU? From what I have read in several posts the opposite is true (not that I believe everything I read on SDN). Anyways I don't want to hijack this thread any longer from the OP. My opinion is that your DAT score is fine. Improve your EC's and apply earlier in the next cycle if you don't get in this year. Good luck!
 
spud daddy, guys, I totally agree with what you are saying. I personally know how hard it is to end up with 3.0 in UW, UC schools, and many other good public school. But, unfortunately, certain dental schools want to say they are better than others by accepting applicants with high stats. That does not mean anything. It is much easier to get 3.9 in Western NoWhere university than 3.4 in UW, but dental schools dont care which school you went! I just think that we give accurate info to others. A REAPPLICANT MUST IMPROVE HIS OR HER APPLICATION FOR THE SECOND TIME TO MAKE AN STATEMENT: I IMPROVED MY APPLICATION THIS TIME
 
spud daddy, guys, I totally agree with what you are saying. I personally know how hard it is to end up with 3.0 in UW, UC schools, and many other good public school. But, unfortunately, certain dental schools want to say they are better than others by accepting applicants with high stats. That does not mean anything. It is much easier to get 3.9 in Western NoWhere university than 3.4 in UW, but dental schools dont care which school you went! I just think that we give accurate info to others. A REAPPLICANT MUST IMPROVE HIS OR HER APPLICATION FOR THE SECOND TIME TO MAKE AN STATEMENT: I IMPROVED MY APPLICATION THIS TIME


Thanks, I know what you are saying/coming from. I dont mind where I go.. I like UW because of the price, but at the end of the day I just want to be a dentist. Whether its from Howard, Harvard, or anywhere.
 
I was even able to fill out the disadvantaged section on my application (low income, abusive parent, constantly moving). What is it that I am lacking?

How was your personal statement letter? Anything like Midwestern's secondary?
 
I really hope that you get in this cycle; note that there will be many spots available after may first. But, setting gpa and DAT aside, ifffff you decided to apply next year, volunteer at Harbor view, a dental clinic, and a few advanced courses will help a lot. Also, go to UW dental school and talk to them, ask questions and kinda let them know that you are willing to go there next year. GOOD LUCK MY FRIEND🙂
 
I really hope that you get in this cycle; note that there will be many spots available after may first. But, setting gpa and DAT aside, ifffff you decided to apply next year, volunteer at Harbor view, a dental clinic, and a few advanced courses will help a lot. Also, go to UW dental school and talk to them, ask questions and kinda let them know that you are willing to go there next year. GOOD LUCK MY FRIEND🙂


I actually FINALLY got a call back from UW. They didnt know why I never got a secondary... she sent it to me today, so I am working on that and intend to turn it in tomorrow. She said they are still doing a few interviews... Hopefully I can become one of those invited for one..:xf:
 
How was your personal statement letter? Anything like Midwestern's secondary?

I thought my personal statement was pretty good. I talked about how I like the way the dental field is evolving and utilizing new technological advances and incorporating them into dentistry (like cerec machines).. I talked about how the important fascinating things to me are helping people and technology, and how dentistry will allow me to unite the two. I also talked about my desire to help people who dont have the means to get basic dental care (especially in other places like my home area of Pakistan, where your dentist is a guy with pliers)...


At least I felt like it was genuine, well thought out, and creative, idk about the dental schools though 😳
 
I just wanted to say thanks for all of your input, and that FINALLY today I got my first interview invite (I sure hope it wont be my only one) to NYU via email 😀
 
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