Late application. What are my chances?

[SMDoc]

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Hi All, I've been lurking on the forums like many, and haven't posted much. I've been in the med and pharmacy forums for a while, but until a few weeks ago, I started exploring dentistry. I thought I wanted to be a dentist in high school, and then thought about medicine, and followed by pharmacy. After shadowing over summer, I realized that I am not actually interested in pharmacy.

Nonetheless, I have letters of rec and I just took the DAT this morning. The golden question is what are my chances?

I have a 3.7 GPA, with a science GPA ~3.3. My DAT scores are as follows:

PAT 14
QR 16
RC 20
Bio 18
GC 16
OC 16
TS 17
AA 17

I thought these scores weren't bad with 3 weeks of studying. I have fairly strong ECs and I have just started shadowing. It will probably be mid-November when get my last LOR from the dentist I shadow. I am worried that might be a bit late due to rolling admissions at most schools.

I am also from a rural Western state, so I will be applying with WICHE preference. Do you guys think I have a chance this cycle?

 

[dmdluffy]

Hi All, I've been lurking on the forums like many, and haven't posted much. I've been in the med and pharmacy forums for a while, but until a few weeks ago, I started exploring dentistry. I thought I wanted to be a dentist in high school, and then thought about medicine, and followed by pharmacy. After shadowing over summer, I realized that I am not actually interested in pharmacy.

Nonetheless, I have letters of rec and I just took the DAT this morning. The golden question is what are my chances?

I have a 3.7 GPA, with a science GPA ~3.3. My DAT scores are as follows:

PAT 14
QR 16
RC 20
Bio 18
GC 16
OC 16
TS 17
AA 17

I thought these scores weren't bad with 3 weeks of studying. I have fairly strong ECs and I have just started shadowing. It will probably be mid-November when get my last LOR from the dentist I shadow. I am worried that might be a bit late due to rolling admissions at most schools.

I am also from a rural Western state, so I will be applying with WICHE preference. Do you guys think I have a chance this cycle?

How many hours of shadowing do you have for dentistry? Scores are fine because you have a good GPA. The PAT might be an issue because it could be below cut offs from certain schools. It's late in the cycle to get things rolling but you have a chance. You're disadvantage compared to others who applied early but I don't think that means it'll be impossible to get in. GL and hope this helps!

 

[MrAvicii]

Hi All, I've been lurking on the forums like many, and haven't posted much. I've been in the med and pharmacy forums for a while, but until a few weeks ago, I started exploring dentistry. I thought I wanted to be a dentist in high school, and then thought about medicine, and followed by pharmacy. After shadowing over summer, I realized that I am not actually interested in pharmacy.

Nonetheless, I have letters of rec and I just took the DAT this morning. The golden question is what are my chances?

I have a 3.7 GPA, with a science GPA ~3.3. My DAT scores are as follows:

PAT 14
QR 16
RC 20
Bio 18
GC 16
OC 16
TS 17
AA 17

I thought these scores weren't bad with 3 weeks of studying. I have fairly strong ECs and I have just started shadowing. It will probably be mid-November when get my last LOR from the dentist I shadow. I am worried that might be a bit late due to rolling admissions at most schools.

I am also from a rural Western state, so I will be applying with WICHE preference. Do you guys think I have a chance this cycle?

a 3.3 sGPA has to have a higher DAT score and the PAT is too low for most schools. You should look into retaking, I dont know if you will be competitive enough with the DAT scores to be admitted.

 

[ChapelHillT]

a 3.3 sgpa has to have a higher dat score and the pat is too low for most schools. You should look into retaking, i dont know if you will be competitive enough with the dat scores to be admitted.

+1

 

[SMDoc]

Unfortunately, the PAT was an epic fail this morning. The angle ranking was .... unexpected-they were all so similar. I still haven't figured the folding problems as well 😕.

Nonetheless, I am still going to to apply. You never know what will happen.

If I don't get in; I will most likely do an informal/formal postbacc/SMP, retake the DAT, and get a lot of shadowing in. I am confident I can get a 20+ if I actually study (not three weeks of studying in between homework assignments )

 

[katwoman1688]

I would retake that DAT - even with your GPA - its great, but some schools have minimum DAT scores in sections; and a "competitive" DAT score is seen as 19. A 19 is competitive for those who have very good GPAs too - for people with lower GPAs both science and overall you need a 20+. And similarly as others said PAT - and yeah I know how you feel, the PAT angle ranking of the real test is a kick in the butt. Gotta just do a ton of PAT practice (Crack the pat is good) - I am in the boat that I don't have the gpa so I needed those DAT scores. I had spoken with admissions officers and she had told me my original scores of AA/TS/PAT 19/19/19 were only going to fly if i had a good GPA, and so I retook the DAT to get AA/TS/PAT 22/21/24.

Good luck! I would apply next cycle if I were you! Or retake that DAT before Dec

 

[MrAvicii]

Unfortunately, the PAT was an epic fail this morning. The angle ranking was .... unexpected-they were all so similar. I still haven't figured the folding problems as well 😕.

Nonetheless, I am still going to to apply. You never know what will happen.

If I don't get in; I will most likely do an informal/formal postbacc/SMP, retake the DAT, and get a lot of shadowing in. I am confident I can get a 20+ if I actually study (not three weeks of studying in between homework assignments )

ok good luck, i suggest looking at websites of each school you're interested in to see if they have a minimum. Most schools have a minimum for PAT usually at least 16, if you are below the minimum then they will automatically reject you (and keep all the $$$$ you gave them.) So thats one thing you should do before applying, find schools w/o minimums.

check this guy out, he applied last year to 13 schools, got 1 interview, got rejected from that school and is now reapplying in 2012. He applied really early (June) and has one interview with BU.

http://predents.com/index.php?page=user&action=cycle_change_input&user_id=10145&cycle_change=2012

The other thing against you besides the low PAT and sGPA score is time. Most people already have interviews and if you apply now, your app will not be reviewed until November. All in all, time is against you, but if you have extra cash to spend to try, then you could do that. But I do want to be honest that your chances for a 2012 acceptance is very slim (just keep that mind.) otherwise I wish you good luck!

 

[SeattleRDH]

You will likely not get in this cycle. You should retake the DAT for sure. You could fill out an app and have it mailed to one school to have your GPAs calculated. That will get them carried over when you apply next cycle. If you do, make sure you dont have your LORs sent directly to AADSAS because they won't get carried over. Keep shadowing and try to write an outstanding PS. They are going to want to know: "Why dentistry? Why not medicine or pharmacy."

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

Unfortunately, the PAT was an epic fail this morning. The angle ranking was .... unexpected-they were all so similar. I still haven't figured the folding problems as well 😕.

Nonetheless, I am still going to to apply. You never know what will happen.

If I don't get in; I will most likely do an informal/formal postbacc/SMP, retake the DAT, and get a lot of shadowing in. I am confident I can get a 20+ if I actually study (not three weeks of studying in between homework assignments )

You can't exactly hand your patient a half-assed crown and reassure them that you could have done better if you had spent more time prepping it.

Similarly you can't just send d-schools a sub par DAT score and expect them to understand that you could've done better if you had spent more time studying. They could care less. Show them. Don't just tell them.

Retake it and apply next cycle.

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

Hi All, I've been lurking on the forums like many, and haven't posted much. I've been in the med and pharmacy forums for a while, but until a few weeks ago, I started exploring dentistry. I thought I wanted to be a dentist in high school, and then thought about medicine, and followed by pharmacy. After shadowing over summer, I realized that I am not actually interested in pharmacy.

Nonetheless, I have letters of rec and I just took the DAT this morning. The golden question is what are my chances?

I have a 3.7 GPA, with a science GPA ~3.3. My DAT scores are as follows:

PAT 14
QR 16
RC 20
Bio 18
GC 16
OC 16
TS 17
AA 17

I thought these scores weren't bad with 3 weeks of studying. I have fairly strong ECs and I have just started shadowing. It will probably be mid-November when get my last LOR from the dentist I shadow. I am worried that might be a bit late due to rolling admissions at most schools.

I am also from a rural Western state, so I will be applying with WICHE preference. Do you guys think I have a chance this cycle?

Dude, you wouldn't even stand a chance if you applied June 1st.

That PAT mark is terrible and showed your lack of dedication and preparation. They don't know if you studied for 3 years or 3 weeks, they only see the score. Anything 16 and under will give red flags to your file, and you managed to score 16 and under in 4/6 subjects.

If you are serious about dentistry, study hard this time and kill the DAT if you want to get into dental school for next cycle.

 

[SMDoc]

Dude, you wouldn't even stand a chance if you applied June 1st.

That PAT mark is terrible and showed your lack of dedication and preparation. They don't know if you studied for 3 years or 3 weeks, they only see the score. Anything 16 and under will give red flags to your file, and you managed to score 16 and under in 4/6 subjects.

If you are serious about dentistry, study hard this time and kill the DAT if you want to get into dental school for next cycle.

Ok guys, I get the message that my chances are none to less this cycle. Many thanks to those who gave constructive criticism. 👍

 

[PreDent321]

Yeah you got no chance bro. I wouldn't touch you with a 10 ft. pole. Plus, the fact that you just started shadowing during this app cycle shows a huge red flag about your interest and commitment to dentistry. Save your money and apply next year after you retake DAT and have a whole year of shadowing under your belt.

 

[katwoman1688]

I would take the year get shadowing or if you want, find a job as a dental assistant or if you can find a student internship as an assistant thats even better (thats what I did). That way your not just watching but your really immersing yourself in the dentistry and you learn SO much from the vocabulary, treatment, one on one interactions with patients. This was the best experience I had because it confirmed I was in the right field, it prepared me for dental school and the ins of running a private practice! And I come from a family of dentists (literally mom,dad,sis) but it wasn't until I found a position in an office on my own, took it into my own hands, that I really grew passionate for the field. It's cool you tried other fields but just prove your dedication and you'll be good to go - and if I were you check out the SDN posts regarding the DAT, it'll help you wonders. Don't be discouraged how bluntly people are saying things in this post - I think its mostly cause, we're all stressed ab our own apps and also we've done a ton of work to get here/did the research, to know what DAT scores are considered competitive etc. Good luck!

 

[AllahIsGreater]

If you are a minority, you are in. If not take everyone else's advice, and try again next year. Best of Luck.

 

[dapplicant]

If you are a minority, you are in. If not take everyone else's advice, and try again next year. Best of Luck.

agreed