Losing hope but still hopeful!!!

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crackdat

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Hello SDNers. The story of my life is that i took DATs for the first time back in june and scored:
PAT 18
QR 15
RC 18
Bio 19
GC 17
Orgo 16
TS 18
AA 17

I applied asap to schools and submitted my AADSAS application and all neccessary transcripts by June 10th. I then realized that i needed to do better in the sciences and jump that QR to atleast 17. So i retook my DAT again on September 21st and got:
June 23rd September 21
PAT 18 PAT 17
QR 15 QR 17
RC 18 RC 17 (Floating Bridges)
Bio 19 Bio 18
GC 17 GC 19
Orgo 16 Orgo 20:D
TS 18 TS 19
AA 17 AA 18

I improved a little bit on my DAT score and submitted the scores asap. My gpa is 3.4 overall and 3.2 Scgpa and 3.65 non science. I have taken some hardcore classes in biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, anatomy, physiology, microbiology and have all A's. I have a year's worth on research experience in Clinical Exercise Physiology and over 300 hrs of shadowing a dentist. I have also volunteered in underserved villages of south India in dental and medical organization for a month during my summer vacation. I have quite a lot of talent especially in Billiards and Tennis and also a decent car mechanic. I have had leadership roles in student organizations at my university and also a regular charity donor to orphans in South Africa.

I have graduated in december of 2008 with a BSc in Biology degree and have been working as a part-time accountant and a full time receptionist at a medical clinic since August of 2009. I am also taking a course in Exercise Physiology currently at a univeristy to keep in touch with schooling and continue shadowing my dentist once a week. I have applied to about 14 schools and have received no interviews yet from any schools but rejections from Midwestern, Marquette,Michigan, ASDOH, Temple and Louisville.
I was very hopeful that i will get in somewhere but it seems like I am living with a false hope that i have a chance of getting in this cycle.

In addition to above schools, I have applied to NYU, tufts, USC, Western ,UIC, SIU, UDM, and Creighton and have not received any interview offers:(

Do you guys think that i should probably do a post baccalaurette(is that how it is spelled?) program to increase my gpa or I was thinking of taking cell biology and histology next semester to increase my gpa. Or should i just give up hope and apply again in june? What do you guys think please let me know!

Also I heard that Midwestern is opeing a dental school in Downers Grove, Illinois. and will be accepting application this june! That is like right in my backyard! Can anybody confirm this???

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!!! And thank you to all you great ppl who help in times of desperation!
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Last edited:
Id study really hard for the next coupla months and retake the DAT in June again... with your stats aim for at least an average of 20 for everything. Not to be a downer but if you got all your materials in by June and havent heard anything yet I wouldnt bet much on this cycle.
 
I agree with dmoney. You have some great EC's but your DAT scores are a little low especially with your GPA. Study hard and shoot for a 20+ on the DAT and apply early again and I think you will have a better chance. Good luck! And yes, midwestern is opening a dental school in Downers Grove.
 
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crackdat said:
Hello SDNers. The story of my life is that i took DATs for the first time back in june and scored:
PAT 18
QR 15
RC 18
Bio 19
GC 17
Orgo 16
TS 18
AA 17

I applied asap to schools and submitted my AADSAS application and all neccessary transcripts by June 10th. I then realized that i needed to do better in the sciences and jump that QR to atleast 17. So i retook my DAT again on September 21st and got:
June 23rd September 21
PAT 18 PAT 17
QR 15 QR 17
RC 18 RC 17 (Floating Bridges)
Bio 19 Bio 18
GC 17 GC 19
Orgo 16 Orgo 20:D
TS 18 TS 19
AA 17 AA 18

I improved a little bit on my DAT score and submitted the scores asap. My gpa is 3.4 overall and 3.2 Scgpa and 3.65 non science. I have taken some hardcore classes in biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, anatomy, physiology, microbiology and have all A's. I have a year's worth on research experience in Clinical Exercise Physiology and over 300 hrs of shadowing a dentist. I have also volunteered in underserved villages of south India in dental and medical organization for a month during my summer vacation. I have quite a lot of talent especially in Billiards and Tennis and also a decent car mechanic. I have had leadership roles in student organizations at my university and also a regular charity donor to orphans in South Africa.

I have graduated in december of 2008 with a BSc in Biology degree and have been working as a part-time accountant and a full time receptionist at a medical clinic since August of 2009. I am also taking a course in Exercise Physiology currently at a univeristy to keep in touch with schooling and continue shadowing my dentist once a week. I have applied to about 14 schools and have received no interviews yet from any schools but rejections from Midwestern, Marquette,Michigan, ASDOH, Temple and Louisville.
I was very hopeful that i will get in somewhere but it seems like I am living with a false hope that i have a chance of getting in this cycle.

In addition to above schools, I have applied to NYU, tufts, USC, Western ,UIC, SIU, UDM, and Creighton and have not received any interview offers:(

Do you guys think that i should probably do a post baccalaurette(is that how it is spelled?) program to increase my gpa or I was thinking of taking cell biology and histology next semester to increase my gpa. Or should i just give up hope and apply again in june? What do you guys think please let me know!

Also I heard that Midwestern is opeing a dental school in Downers Grove, Illinois. and will be accepting application this june! That is like right in my backyard! Can anybody confirm this???

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!!! And thank you to all you great ppl who help in times of desperation!
Click to expand...

I am not questioning your integrity of EC's. I never said this before on SDN but i know how Your sh** works... and most people know about it too... Most your EC's looks fake as hell(NOT LEGIT)... and these people at admissions have so much experience they can sense BS when they see it.... :smuggrin: If someone has hard time figuring it out... the op knows what i am talking about.
 
crackdat said:
a regular charity donor to orphans in South Africa.
Click to expand...

Why do you list this like an EC? Things like monetary donations should be kept to oneself, not listed to try to impress people imo. Back to the topic though....I think your DAT scores are holding you back. If you get at least a 20 and apply & submit early next cycle to lots of schools I'm sure you will get in somewhere.
 
Its all about the DATs. I was in a similar position to you last last year. Study from now until early summer, re-take the DATs in june, and have all of your applications sent out by July. Aim for 20's on everything. DAT Destroyer helped me get the scores I needed my second time around. I highly recommend it. Forget about this cycle and keep your head up high. Best of luck. :thumbup:
 
You have managed to accumulate all the misconceptions possible. The time to realize that a 17 is a bit on the low side should have been way before you even took the DAT. Yours is a classical example supporting the suggestion that overkillings the shadowing hours, volunteering overseas, and the purported manual dexterity from billiards, tennis and car mechanics is not a reliable substitute for good stats. It would appear that you might be better served by dropping your attempt to "keep in touch with schooling" and shadowing and concentrate on improving your gpa via a bonafide program and taking the DAT more seriously than you have.
 
I was trying to aim for atleast a 19+ AA the second time around but was shocked when i saw my scores in PAT and RC. I just do not know how to improve those scores especially RC. For pat i bought the CDP and worked at it but my score actually got lowered. As for the reading comprehension i tried search and destroy but didnt seem to work well on the actual dat. As for my extra curriculars, ppl that are doubting it, well what can i say? It is what it is! but yeah probably not such a great idea to list charity as extra curriculars..i was just trying to show em that I am involved in charitable organizations for future reference. But i have decided to cut my hours at work from full time to part time and study for the last time for the DAT and take it in june. I am willing to put out all i can for this third time and hope i get 20+. I am really concerned about PAT and RC though. I just do not know how to increase those scores? Any suggestions would be really helpful. And yea DAT destroyer is the bomb for orgo! its what helped me acheive a 20 on orgo. As far as the sciences i think i can get a 20+ but the god damn RC, PAT and Math i need some mucho mucho help and a great strategy.
As for increasing my GPA i really can not afford full time school since i am already in 30000 dollars loan and 10000 cc loan. I am basically working to pay off my loans and my bills and i make 13 dollars an hour! so going back to school full time would be hard.
So what i was thinking is that if I could really increase my DAT score to 20+ do you think it will outweigh my somewhat low gpa???
 
with a 20+ and that gpa you should be fine. Just apply to 10+ schools.
 
Remember this 3rd time is basically your last shot. Make sure you take the DAT when you are ready. I think I took the same test as you DAT as I had the same RC passage on bridges and was like wtf? The only thing really holding you back is the PAT in my opinion. If you look at schools students are accepted with 17avgs. The overall accepted DAT average for most schools is like 18.5. Do some research with the ADA Dental School book and apply to the right school don't just click on every school you feel like applying to. Apply to those where your stats would work. I feel you on raiding your GPA and not being able to afford school. In terms of EC make sure you are consistent with an institution you volunteer at. I would suggest maybe a public health clinic either med or dental related. As advice on what programs to use to help you with your DAT I did Kaplan and I bought the Crack the PAT. I also used Top Score the month before I took the DAT. THis one is 3 full exams and what I did once I finished kaplan and crack the pat was to study focusing on my weakness for 2 weeks then I took test 1. After those results for the following week I studied what I did worse on then took the second and repeated for 2 weeks then took the 3rd about 4 days before my DAT. Scores improved as I went and my final score was comparable with the final test. Good Luck
 
Thank you for the comments and advice...I will definitely try to increase my score to 20+. Its gonna be one pain in the ass but thinking of what i will be going through in the first two years at dental school this is not that bad! wish me luck!!!
 
I think the reason (and this is just my opinion of course) is that you have taken some heavy science courses and I quote "biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, anatomy, physiology, microbiology and have all A's"

But, when they look at your two TS's, you got 18 and 19 which in my opinion with those type of classes, you shoulda hit 20+ easily.

So my opinion is, sit down and work hard again for a 3rd DAT. You gotta remember, pretty much all dental schools will allow you to have 3 DAT takes, so it is within your right to explore this option and try it again for a 3rd time. Best of luck to you, Im sure you'll come out on top

If you can get a 20AA along with 20TS, consider youself invited to many schools next time around

Good luck
 
u've got to aim higher than 20's. As far as midwestern goes, I don't think its any time soon. I think it will be open 2012 from what i heard.
 
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It is getting harder each year.
Don't take your third DAT until you are confident that you will get 20+

I found reading the Economist and/or American Scientific helped me with the RC. As for the PAT I liked Exam crackers. There are tricks to get better scores on the PAT (which I found out after I took the DAT), and they usually go over this in Kaplan review sessions. I also found that they give you study tests which could help. I am not a big supporter of paying $1800 dollars to be taught by a undergrad student, but at this point you need to pull out all the stops.

Also make sure you have a strong personal statement, and 2ndaries. I have seen good GPA and DATs fall for want of a good personal statement.
 
Thank you guys for the tips! I am going to start this monday with a strict schedule where I will manage my work, school and DAT prep. and ohh yea definitely strattera every morning. Although i dont have ADHD but a very low dose of strattera is quite been working efficiently as far as concentration goes. But yea i will definitely get these journals and magazines and start speed reading them everyday and try to contemplate as well. Please have all the tips coming! thnx y'all
 
crackdat said:
Thank you guys for the tips! I am going to start this monday with a strict schedule where I will manage my work, school and DAT prep. and ohh yea definitely strattera every morning. Although i dont have ADHD but a very low dose of strattera is quite been working efficiently as far as concentration goes. But yea i will definitely get these journals and magazines and start speed reading them everyday and try to contemplate as well. Please have all the tips coming! thnx y'all
Click to expand...

strattera...
:thumbdown:
 
Polarmolardmd said:
hehehe, ur funny... NOOOT i said aim for higher than 20's . i didn't mention to get 30's.
Click to expand...


Like my mom adviced me few days ago for the retake of DAT.."you should aim for 200% and then you will get 100% in exams" im like wtf?

But i know what she meant!
 
Oral said:
You need to lighten up
Click to expand...

lol...try an sense my jocular attitude over the internet...high school wrestling left me with the shakes from adderal for about 2 years hahaha
 
Hey, I have about the same GPA as you, but I did good in DAT...I got accepted by December...so work hard for DAT!!!
 
hey thanks for the bump! yea i started studying and starting next week i cut my work hours to part time <20 per week from full time so i can maximize my DAT prep. Also thinkn of buying math destroyer, CDP 10 test version, topscore and dat acheiver. I already have DAT destroyer. Its kinda boring to read and reread the same material for the third time but gotta put some ass-glue and stick to it. ALso i was wondering as far as LORs go, should i use the same ones from last year cuz i know i had really good LORs cause the professors knew me very well. I still have a copy of sealed LORs in my room and i was thinking of submitting those to aadsas one more time this june. Does that sound ok or should i ask for new LORs????
 
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