I've gotta do something before I reapply. Any suggestion?

[joonkimdds]

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If someone asks me what I have done to improve my application from last year, I can't just say I spent the whole year studying for DAT.

I think I need to find a job or do something, but it's very hard to find a job at dental office. I sent resume to over 30 different dental offices, but none of them called me.

Is it ok to work at places that are not related to dentistry?
and what if I don't work but shadow or volunteer more hours? Would it still count as improvement or something repeated?

With my 3.7 GPA from undergraduate, I don't think I have to worry about taking classes to improve my GPA. However, do you guys think it's an wise idea to take masters program or accelerated masters program to be productive and to think of back up plan? Or should I just focus on DAT and not waste my time on taking classes and study for classes not related to DAT?

 

[dmd87]

rewrite the DAT, break 20 and ur golden.

 

[vlct0ria]

Study for the DAT, and volunteer or work...doesn't HAVE to be dental-related (as long as you are confident that you have enough experience). I would say work since you're out of school and save up some $$...or just volunteer and that's one more thing to put on your app for next cycle. And it probably couldn't hurt to edit your PS before reapplying too...good luck Joon! 👍

 

[wantVCUdental]

Hey Joon, I don't think DAT was your weakness, you got interviewed, that means you made through the filtering stages.
I would just work and apply again next year and really prepare for your interviews
If anything that's where you didn't shine.
Good luck and btw, this cycle is far from over (for those who have interviewed).

 

[joonkimdds]

Hey Joon, I don't think DAT was your weakness, you got interviewed, that means you made through the filtering stages.
I would just work and apply again next year and really prepare for your interviews
If anything that's where you didn't shine.
Good luck and btw, this cycle is far from over (for those who have interviewed).

Is it true? Once we get an interview, do they not care about our DAT scores anymore or do they talk about our DAT scores during their meeting and choose an applicants with higher DAT?

 

[Erhatstil]

if i were you, i wouldn't retake dat. the only thing i would consider would be a graduate class or two next fall just to stay in the "academic circle" but thats just me. you have a 3.7 and 19/19/23 and have had interviews so i wouldn't mess with the dat. just have your app in at beginning of june and you should be good.

 

[joonkimdds]

if i were you, i wouldn't retake dat. the only thing i would consider would be a graduate class or two next fall just to stay in the "academic circle" but thats just me. you have a 3.7 and 19/19/23 and have had interviews so i wouldn't mess with the dat. just have your app in at beginning of june and you should be good.

If I retake and get 20/20/20 meaning my PAT got lower but science went higher, does it look better or worse compared to 19/19/23?

I am studying science all again so I can do better on science section but I am not sure if I can get 23 or higher on PAT again because 23 on PAT is not easy.

 

[FutureDent020]

The only thing about your DAT that stands out is that 17 in RC. You're other scores are fine. I agree with the above posters though. A 19 DAT is competitive, as long as you have strong credentials, LOR's, and personal statement to back it up. So the DAT doesn't appear to be your main problem. Did you have anyone evaluate your personal statement, like a healthcare advisor?
When did you submit your application?
And they do care about DAT scores after your interview.

 

[adizzle87]

When did your application become complete, that could be the culprit.

 

[somethinpositiv]

When did your application become complete, that could be the culprit.

I'd bet that you applied late. Apply early June next cycle.

You don't absolutely have to retake the DAT, but I would, trying for a 20+ and especially a higher RC. I do believe that a majority of schools will view a 20/20/20 better than a 19/19/23.

Work on your interviewing skills by doing more mock interviews and thorough research of SDN interview feedback.

Also, consider applying to more schools. Take UMDNJ and Howard off your list of schools. Then you could add any or all of the following schools: USC, Indiana, Detroit-Mercy, Pittsburgh, Michigan, Tufts, BU.

As far as what else to do, you don't really need to do much else. If you can get 100 shadowing hours that would be a plus. Maybe get a job not related to dentistry to save up money for D-school. Also, do some volunteering once a week, either dental related or not. Also, you could do some sort of dental mission trip to a Central American country.

 

[JMU DUKES]

This guy obviously applied early enough (last summer) if he had an interview at VCU in september. That was the 2nd week of interviewing at that school. Applying late isn't his problem. You need to beef up your experience section, but volunteering more, go on a mission trip, something to increase your dental experience and desire. You GPA is fantastic and your DAT is fine for your instate school. Just try to get your name more visible and email the admission guy and show that you are truly interested and have a passion for dentistry.

 

[ucla2134]

you have a lot of time now, why don't retake it, score a 22+, guaranteed a spot to dental school 2011.

But it is still too early in this cycle, so keep your hope up

 

[THINKOFMYFUTURE]

So many people, so clueless, so eager to give their two-cents of abysmally horrendous advice. Woe to the ones who seek help on these boards nowadays.

JoonkimDDS, RETAKE THE DAT, GET A 22, GET IN DENTAL SCHOOL.

I'll try to keep it simple; I don't have time to fend off every individual infectious disease-ridden mis-info in this thread.

1.) 3.7GPA + 21+DAT, + blablablablabla EC = Dental School

A 19 is too low now. It was enough 5 cycles ago. If you haven't noticed, almost everyone in the past 2 years here asking "why did I get rejected" have either: a sub 3.3 GPA, or less than 20DAT, or both, in general. Anyone who says a 19 is good, you take their poison, they will kill you. For they are either justifying their own hopeless wait at this point, or they just don't care about you.

But you're JoonkimDDS, and you've got a 3.7, with a 22 or higher DAT, damn! You've just sealed the deal on dental school.

2.) The interview DOES NOT mean nothing else is considered!

I don't know why or how this dumb myth is so prevalent nowadays. Most schools, if not all, use a point system where they rank an applicant based on their entire file: GPA,DAT,EXTRA,INTERVIEW,STATEMENT
therefore, following a successful interview, all of your file still matters!!!

For example, a person with a 3.0/22 may have gotten an interview offer at some school. Now, assume he nails the interview and gets a 3/3 possible points. Is he guaranteed admissions now? Of course not. If a 3.7er with a 22 comes along in the same pile, scores a 3 on the interview, but since his GPA scale will be higher than the 3.0 fellow, (To those yelling "but, but, extracurriculars!" Read below.) the 3.7er gets in, not the other guy. It works like this, though on a larger scale.

Then why don't schools just not interview those who most likely won't make the cut off the bat? Simple, no one can ever exactly tell a years' applicant pool...it would be unethical to outright reject without an interview just from numbers alone (within the obvious limits). Also, it can be advantageous for a school to flaunt their "interview/accepted" ratios.

3. ) Extras. Depends on what you really have, but let me just say, this is sort of the icing on the cake. It's bad if you have none. Let me go ahead and say, it will be more important if your numbers are on the low side. But it's still not a complete equalizer! Remember the hard factors always count more, as it should, since this is a better indicator of you handling the curriculum. You're lucky it's only the 19DAT that's holding you back and that's it. That being said, you better get 22+ if you do retake the DAT now. Pardon me for being blunt, but you got no time to **** around anymore. Also, prepare and take it as soon as possible, so, if you end up needing to, you can work hard on the rest of your stuff.

How many times do you see low stat people with super extracurriculars and eye-popping volunteer work that don't get in? How many times do you see people with high 3's and 99% DAT scores and EC's
so simple it seems they didn't even bother to list em' that have a wallpaper of acceptances in their profile? And how many people with just enough scores, just enough EC's have three or two or just a single precious acceptance?

Who would you rather be? For my purposes, I'd rather be a dental student than the Napoloeon of extracurricular activities, or Hippocrates of volunteer work.

Don't be distracted by non-sense here or anywhere. There are those who stand above the average - the heroes of the masses. Each leader arose out of their individual hardships. They had to put up a fight. But you must remember that they didn't just fight hard - most average people fight everyday - just as hard - what they did was fight smart.

If you, or anyone in this boat, is serious about getting into dental school. Take a moment to sit down, and work up a strategy. Be sagacious in asking for and giving advice. Your future is too important to be mislead by haphazard, post-count paddders or serial-posters on an internet forum, who just have nothing better to do.

A Golden strategy will get you there. For this, you must use your brain - better than the average people use theirs.

 

[anschutz1913]

So many people, so clueless, so eager to give their two-cents of abysmally horrendous advice. Woe to the ones who seek help on these boards nowadays.

JoonkimDDS, RETAKE THE DAT, GET A 22, GET IN DENTAL SCHOOL.

I'll try to keep it simple; I don't have time to fend off every individual infectious disease-ridden mis-info in this thread.

1.) 3.7GPA + 21+DAT, + blablablablabla EC = Dental School

A 19 is too low now. It was enough 5 cycles ago. If you haven't noticed, almost everyone in the past 2 years here asking "why did I get rejected" have either: a sub 3.3 GPA, or less than 20DAT, or both, in general. Anyone who says a 19 is good, you take their poison, they will kill you. For they are either justifying their own hopeless wait at this point, or they just don't care about you.

But you're JoonkimDDS, and you've got a 3.7, with a 22 or higher DAT, damn! You've just sealed the deal on dental school.

2.) The interview DOES NOT mean nothing else is considered!

I don't know why or how this dumb myth is so prevalent nowadays. Most schools, if not all, use a point system where they rank an applicant based on their entire file: GPA,DAT,EXTRA,INTERVIEW,STATEMENT
therefore, following a successful interview, all of your file still matters!!!

For example, a person with a 3.0/22 may have gotten an interview offer at some school. Now, assume he nails the interview and gets a 3/3 possible points. Is he guaranteed admissions now? Of course not. If a 3.7er with a 22 comes along in the same pile, scores a 3 on the interview, but since his GPA scale will be higher than the 3.0 fellow, (To those yelling "but, but, extracurriculars!" Read below.) the 3.7er gets in, not the other guy. It works like this, though on a larger scale.

Then why don't schools just not interview those who most likely won't make the cut off the bat? Simple, no one can ever exactly tell a years' applicant pool...it would be unethical to outright reject without an interview just from numbers alone (within the obvious limits). Also, it can be advantageous for a school to flaunt their "interview/accepted" ratios.

3. ) Extras. Depends on what you really have, but let me just say, this is sort of the icing on the cake. It's bad if you have none. Let me go ahead and say, it will be more important if your numbers are on the low side. But it's still not a complete equalizer! Remember the hard factors always count more, as it should, since this is a better indicator of you handling the curriculum. You're lucky it's only the 19DAT that's holding you back and that's it. That being said, you better get 22+ if you do retake the DAT now. Pardon me for being blunt, but you got no time to **** around anymore. Also, prepare and take it as soon as possible, so, if you end up needing to, you can work hard on the rest of your stuff.

How many times do you see low stat people with super extracurriculars and eye-popping volunteer work that don't get in? How many times do you see people with high 3's and 99% DAT scores and EC's
so simple it seems they didn't even bother to list em' that have a wallpaper of acceptances in their profile? And how many people with just enough scores, just enough EC's have three or two or just a single precious acceptance?

Who would you rather be? For my purposes, I'd rather be a dental student than the Napoloeon of extracurricular activities, or Hippocrates of volunteer work.

Don't be distracted by non-sense here or anywhere. There are those who stand above the average - the heroes of the masses. Each leader arose out of their individual hardships. They had to put up a fight. But you must remember that they didn't just fight hard - most average people fight everyday - just as hard - what they did was fight smart.

If you, or anyone in this boat, is serious about getting into dental school. Take a moment to sit down, and work up a strategy. Be sagacious in asking for and giving advice. Your future is too important to be mislead by haphazard, post-count paddders or serial-posters on an internet forum, who just have nothing better to do.

A Golden strategy will get you there. For this, you must use your brain - better than the average people use theirs.

If I were u i would soak up every word here like a sponge...

I guess Im the only 3.7 with a 19 DAT to get 5 offers....

 

[somethinpositiv]

JoonkimDDS, RETAKE THE DAT, GET A 22, GET IN DENTAL SCHOOL.

But you're JoonkimDDS, and you've got a 3.7, with a 22 or higher DAT, damn! You've just sealed the deal on dental school.

You're lucky it's only the 19DAT that's holding you back and that's it. That being said, you better get 22+ if you do retake the DAT now.

ThinkOfMyFuture, that was a very good post, and I agree with a majority of the stuff you said. The only thing I don't agree with is a 22+. That's not very realistic for someone with a 19 AA to jump to 22+. 22 is what, top 5% of all scores? If 40% of people who apply for dental school get accepted somewhere, than 90% of people who got accepted did not have a 22+ AA LOL.

Last years Matriculating dental students had a 19.5 AA average on the DAT. That means a fair amount of people got in with 19. OP has a high GPA, he has a chance with 19, but I think a 20+ DAT would be good enough to secure an acceptance (22+ is not realistic).

OP, if you do get a 22+ though (easier said than done), than you're pretty much a shoe-in at UoP and Columbia, with a great chance at Penn as well.

 

[Erhatstil]

So many people, so clueless, so eager to give their two-cents of abysmally horrendous advice. Woe to the ones who seek help on these boards nowadays.

JoonkimDDS, RETAKE THE DAT, GET A 22, GET IN DENTAL SCHOOL.

I'll try to keep it simple; I don't have time to fend off every individual infectious disease-ridden mis-info in this thread.

1.) 3.7GPA + 21+DAT, + blablablablabla EC = Dental School

A 19 is too low now. It was enough 5 cycles ago. If you haven't noticed, almost everyone in the past 2 years here asking "why did I get rejected" have either: a sub 3.3 GPA, or less than 20DAT, or both, in general. Anyone who says a 19 is good, you take their poison, they will kill you. For they are either justifying their own hopeless wait at this point, or they just don't care about you.

But you're JoonkimDDS, and you've got a 3.7, with a 22 or higher DAT, damn! You've just sealed the deal on dental school.

2.) The interview DOES NOT mean nothing else is considered!

I don't know why or how this dumb myth is so prevalent nowadays. Most schools, if not all, use a point system where they rank an applicant based on their entire file: GPA,DAT,EXTRA,INTERVIEW,STATEMENT
therefore, following a successful interview, all of your file still matters!!!

For example, a person with a 3.0/22 may have gotten an interview offer at some school. Now, assume he nails the interview and gets a 3/3 possible points. Is he guaranteed admissions now? Of course not. If a 3.7er with a 22 comes along in the same pile, scores a 3 on the interview, but since his GPA scale will be higher than the 3.0 fellow, (To those yelling "but, but, extracurriculars!" Read below.) the 3.7er gets in, not the other guy. It works like this, though on a larger scale.

Then why don't schools just not interview those who most likely won't make the cut off the bat? Simple, no one can ever exactly tell a years' applicant pool...it would be unethical to outright reject without an interview just from numbers alone (within the obvious limits). Also, it can be advantageous for a school to flaunt their "interview/accepted" ratios.

3. ) Extras. Depends on what you really have, but let me just say, this is sort of the icing on the cake. It's bad if you have none. Let me go ahead and say, it will be more important if your numbers are on the low side. But it's still not a complete equalizer! Remember the hard factors always count more, as it should, since this is a better indicator of you handling the curriculum. You're lucky it's only the 19DAT that's holding you back and that's it. That being said, you better get 22+ if you do retake the DAT now. Pardon me for being blunt, but you got no time to **** around anymore. Also, prepare and take it as soon as possible, so, if you end up needing to, you can work hard on the rest of your stuff.

How many times do you see low stat people with super extracurriculars and eye-popping volunteer work that don't get in? How many times do you see people with high 3's and 99% DAT scores and EC's
so simple it seems they didn't even bother to list em' that have a wallpaper of acceptances in their profile? And how many people with just enough scores, just enough EC's have three or two or just a single precious acceptance?

Who would you rather be? For my purposes, I'd rather be a dental student than the Napoloeon of extracurricular activities, or Hippocrates of volunteer work.

Don't be distracted by non-sense here or anywhere. There are those who stand above the average - the heroes of the masses. Each leader arose out of their individual hardships. They had to put up a fight. But you must remember that they didn't just fight hard - most average people fight everyday - just as hard - what they did was fight smart.

If you, or anyone in this boat, is serious about getting into dental school. Take a moment to sit down, and work up a strategy. Be sagacious in asking for and giving advice. Your future is too important to be mislead by haphazard, post-count paddders or serial-posters on an internet forum, who just have nothing better to do.

A Golden strategy will get you there. For this, you must use your brain - better than the average people use theirs.

looks like you have it all figured out. and ill be sure to stop padding my posts. one question first, don't you think if it were that easy to get a 22+ on the dat, everyone would do it? the reason people don't recommend a retake is because its not worth the risk and time of pulling off a similar or worse score, especially when he had 3 interviews this cycle.

 

[adizzle87]

So many people, so clueless, so eager to give their two-cents of abysmally horrendous advice. Woe to the ones who seek help on these boards nowadays.

JoonkimDDS, RETAKE THE DAT, GET A 22, GET IN DENTAL SCHOOL.

I'll try to keep it simple; I don't have time to fend off every individual infectious disease-ridden mis-info in this thread.

1.) 3.7GPA + 21+DAT, + blablablablabla EC = Dental School

A 19 is too low now. It was enough 5 cycles ago. If you haven't noticed, almost everyone in the past 2 years here asking "why did I get rejected" have either: a sub 3.3 GPA, or less than 20DAT, or both, in general. Anyone who says a 19 is good, you take their poison, they will kill you. For they are either justifying their own hopeless wait at this point, or they just don't care about you.

But you're JoonkimDDS, and you've got a 3.7, with a 22 or higher DAT, damn! You've just sealed the deal on dental school.

2.) The interview DOES NOT mean nothing else is considered!

I don't know why or how this dumb myth is so prevalent nowadays. Most schools, if not all, use a point system where they rank an applicant based on their entire file: GPA,DAT,EXTRA,INTERVIEW,STATEMENT
therefore, following a successful interview, all of your file still matters!!!

For example, a person with a 3.0/22 may have gotten an interview offer at some school. Now, assume he nails the interview and gets a 3/3 possible points. Is he guaranteed admissions now? Of course not. If a 3.7er with a 22 comes along in the same pile, scores a 3 on the interview, but since his GPA scale will be higher than the 3.0 fellow, (To those yelling "but, but, extracurriculars!" Read below.) the 3.7er gets in, not the other guy. It works like this, though on a larger scale.

Then why don't schools just not interview those who most likely won't make the cut off the bat? Simple, no one can ever exactly tell a years' applicant pool...it would be unethical to outright reject without an interview just from numbers alone (within the obvious limits). Also, it can be advantageous for a school to flaunt their "interview/accepted" ratios.

3. ) Extras. Depends on what you really have, but let me just say, this is sort of the icing on the cake. It's bad if you have none. Let me go ahead and say, it will be more important if your numbers are on the low side. But it's still not a complete equalizer! Remember the hard factors always count more, as it should, since this is a better indicator of you handling the curriculum. You're lucky it's only the 19DAT that's holding you back and that's it. That being said, you better get 22+ if you do retake the DAT now. Pardon me for being blunt, but you got no time to **** around anymore. Also, prepare and take it as soon as possible, so, if you end up needing to, you can work hard on the rest of your stuff.

How many times do you see low stat people with super extracurriculars and eye-popping volunteer work that don't get in? How many times do you see people with high 3's and 99% DAT scores and EC's
so simple it seems they didn't even bother to list em' that have a wallpaper of acceptances in their profile? And how many people with just enough scores, just enough EC's have three or two or just a single precious acceptance?

Who would you rather be? For my purposes, I'd rather be a dental student than the Napoloeon of extracurricular activities, or Hippocrates of volunteer work.

Don't be distracted by non-sense here or anywhere. There are those who stand above the average - the heroes of the masses. Each leader arose out of their individual hardships. They had to put up a fight. But you must remember that they didn't just fight hard - most average people fight everyday - just as hard - what they did was fight smart.

If you, or anyone in this boat, is serious about getting into dental school. Take a moment to sit down, and work up a strategy. Be sagacious in asking for and giving advice. Your future is too important to be mislead by haphazard, post-count paddders or serial-posters on an internet forum, who just have nothing better to do.

A Golden strategy will get you there. For this, you must use your brain - better than the average people use theirs.

Sounds like someone needs to chill out a bit. At any rate I would strongly agree with #3, #2 is true for most schools but probably not all, but personally I think 22 is overkill and is not neccesary. I think if you're at 3.7/19, academics isn't a hurdle the applicant has to overcome.

OP interviewed at schools that are known to be pretty generous with handing out interviews but not so much with acceptances. This has happened before to people with good stats (e.g. v1ctoria, strong applicant but it just so happened the schools she interviewed at didn't hand out acceptances to most interviewees). It's not always the applicant's fault, sometimes the ADCOMs felt they weren't what they were looking for. Just saying...

 

[FutureDent020]

A 19 is too low now. It was enough 5 cycles ago.

Wrong. 20+ is more competitive, obviously. But what you have said here is wrong.

I think everyone knows what you are suggesting in regards to higher DAT scores nowadays, and you are right, it is better to apply with a 20+. But to say a 19 is too low, is incorrect. Predents. com shows plenty of students getting in with 19's and it only represents a small sample of students. And I understand that referencing predents.com comes with doubt, due to possibly false stats, but it's more valid than a personal opinion.

 

[adizzle87]

Wrong. 20+ is more competitive, obviously. But what you have said here is wrong.

I think everyone knows what you are suggesting in regards to higher DAT scores nowadays, and you are right, it is better to apply with a 20+. But to say a 19 is too low, is incorrect. Predents. com shows plenty of students getting in with 19's and it only represents a small sample of students. And I understand that referencing predents.com comes with doubt, due to possibly false stats, but it's more valid than a personal opinion.

👍 +1

 

[doc toothache]

Since you had interviews wouldn't it be wiser to ask the ds in question how to improve your appeal?

 

[Nyamaluda]

I applied last year and did not get in, this past year I retook my DAT, moved to Guatemala for awhile and worked at a dental clinic down there, and now work as a dental assistant... my advice... move out of the country for a year and teach and try to learn another language. The school's i've interviewed at have loved the fact i can speak multiple languages.... and traveling is great... so why not? I've been accepted at all the schools i've interviewed at this year, and the things that they like the most is my interest in rural communities around the world and the language thing... so if you don't get in.... consider it! good luck!

 

[NCarolinaDent]

My suggestions for bolstering. I barely had a 3.0 undergraduate GPA and I got in my top two choices by doing these things the second time I applied

1.) If you have a relationship with a dentist, talk to him/her about who does their lab work. Work a couple hours a week doing this in addition to assisting/shadowing. If you can't get in with a dentist look up a dental lab in the phonebook and go to them directly.

2.) Get a 20+ AA.

3.) Volunteer in a dental clinic for the underserved.

4.) Pick something else not related to dentistry to volunteer in that involves working with people.

If you can do these things, get your applications completed before August, and can interview well, then YOU WILL BE IN DENTAL SCHOOL the next time around with your grades.