lots of frustration

[ncdentaldream]

Hi everyone. Congratulations to those of you with acceptances. It is bitter to read through these threads while I don't have any interview invite till this moment. I took my DAT on 09/22 and submitted the application back in June. I have 3.8 cGPA/3.83 sGPA and 19/21/21 on DAT (I only got 17 on RC and QR). I have been working in a dental office for over 3 years and some other volunteer activities. Yes I know I took my DAT a bit late, and yes, I know a 17 in RC doesn't look good. I feel really depressed with 2 rejections and no interview out of 12 schools. I applied to USC and NYU and thought I might have a chance there. But so far, I haven't heard anything from them neither. What should I do? Do I still have a chance this cycle? or I should start preparing to retake DAT for next cycle? Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Lopyswine]

Hi everyone. Congratulations to those of you with acceptances. It is bitter to read through these threads while I don't have any interview invite till this moment. I took my DAT on 09/22 and submitted the application back in June. I have 3.8 cGPA/3.83 sGPA and 19/21/21 on DAT (I only got 17 on RC and QR). I have been working in a dental office for over 3 years and some other volunteer activities. Yes I know I took my DAT a bit late, and yes, I know a 17 in RC doesn't look good. I feel really depressed with 2 rejections and no interview out of 12 schools. I applied to USC and NYU and thought I might have a chance there. But so far, I haven't heard anything from them neither. What should I do? Do I still have a chance this cycle? or I should start preparing to retake DAT for next cycle? Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks.

you applied to schools you don't have the numbers for.

UCLA, UOP, ASDOH, PENN, and UCSF. Also loma linda is a religious school. Did you submit the letter from a member of the clergy?

You'll probably get in somewhere but you should of applied to some schools with lower averages.

 

[TeamGuo]

I agree with Lopyswine, you applied to top schools where your DAT scores might not be competitive and I think you might of got unlucky a bit.

 

[IhaveUFOpics]

I think you'll get a chance to interview at a few places this cycle. If you don't get in I don't think you need to take the DAT again, just get your stuff in early. It'll make a huge difference.

 

[needa20]

I would not retake the DAT

 

[cherr1pop]

Yea, your GPA is good but your DAT is really below the average for most of the schools you applied to. You also did take the DAT pretty late. Since all the UCs are pretty competitive, it would have been better for you if you ddin't apply to the UCs and instead applied to lower private schools in other states. You might end up hearing back from USC or NYU but it might be for a waitlist/alternate spot. Starting to study for the DAT again and improving your application wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

[prydA]

you might have a below par DAT but your GPA is far above par. i think the reason you might not have gotten interviews is because you applied so late. i think you will for sure pick up some 2nd/3rd round interviews, and if not, restudy for the DAT and take it next cycle. get above a 20ish on everything and you're solid

 

[ncdentaldream]

I submitted my application well before I took the DAT. I guess I would have applied to other schools if I did the DAT first. I expected to do better on RC and QR, but I did not. (The QR is really surprising because I get A+ in all of my math classes and did better than this on practice tests).
Does anyone know whether USC and NYU are still sending out interview invites? It seems like USC has been really slow on invites for a while.

 

[somethinpositiv]

I took my DAT on 09/22

That's your problem.. that's very late for your application to be complete, especially the (arguably) most important piece. Many schools already made their minds up about people and extended interviews at that point.

 

[somethinpositiv]

you applied to schools you don't have the numbers for.

UCLA, UOP, ASDOH, PENN, and UCSF. Also loma linda is a religious school. Did you submit the letter from a member of the clergy?

You'll probably get in somewhere but you should of applied to some schools with lower averages.

Add UCONN to that list. And CASE is very particular about individual sections, I think the 17 RC kept you out of there, and perhaps is the main weakness in your application. RC score is directly correlated with Board Scores more than any other section, and schools know this.

I think you still might hear from USC, NYU, and perhaps UNLV, so all is not lost. You have many notable exceptions in your choice of schools though. If you do have to reapply though, add the following schools: Midwestern, Western U, Temple, Boston, Tufts, Louisville, Indiana, Tennessee, Buffalo, Nova.

 

[Aceofspades]

Add UCONN to that list. And CASE is very particular about individual sections, I think the 17 RC kept you out of there, and perhaps is the main weakness in your application. RC score is directly correlated with Board Scores more than any other section, and schools know this.

I think you still might hear from USC, NYU, and perhaps UNLV, so all is not lost. You have many notable exceptions in your choice of schools though. If you do have to reapply though, add the following schools: Midwestern, Western U, Temple, Boston, Tufts, Louisville, Indiana, Tennessee, Buffalo, Nova.

Bull. People get in with low (although 17 is pretty low) RC scores all the time. Especially with all the people this year getting some tough passages.

 

[joonkimdds]

I say 19 is enough.

 

[ncdentaldream]

Thank you for all your replies. So I really can't get in this cycle (I hope I do), do you think I should retake the DAT for that 17, or just apply on June 1st? I wouldn't want to retake if it is not necessary.

 

[peerless218]

Don't worry about it, GPA and DAT they're like 50 50% for most schools. UCLA and UCSF's GPA are like 3.6ish and their DATS are 21s and 22s average. If you have high GPA and slightly below the average DAT, I think you're still good. One thing though, do you have ANY leadership positions, dental schools WANT LEADERS. I dont know how many times I've heard that statement from Deans all over the country. You can have 4.0s and 22 on the DAT, if you're not a leader, you decreased your chance of getting in by that much. I know a few people who got into UCLA AND UCSF from my school with lower GPAs and DAT scores than you. For example, a 3.68 and a 19 on the DAT for UCLA 1st round.

Yes schools like UOP values DAT more than anytthing, but hey...you still have a pretty good score. Really dont know how you got a 21 on your AA because you got 17s on both RC and QR, that probably means you aced your science sections. Well, if you did, how did you only get a 19 on TS?? That just doesn't make sense.

 

[Lopyswine]

Bull. People get in with low (although 17 is pretty low) RC scores all the time. Especially with all the people this year getting some tough passages.

yet another predent that knows all. Any other info you'd like to spout of as the truth that your basing solely on your experiences?

By the way, the DAT has not gotten harder over the years to blame the passage for a bad RC score is hilarious.

 

[Aceofspades]

yet another predent that knows all. Any other info you'd like to spout of as the truth that your basing solely on your experiences?

By the way, the DAT has not gotten harder over the years to blame the passage for a bad RC score is hilarious.

The statement that people have gotten into dental school with a 17 RC is not an opinion, it is a fact. I personally know people who have. In addition you can check out predents.com and see 17 RC's with acceptances. Oh, and what makes you the know it all of dental school entrance and DAT statistics?

 

[somethinpositiv]

The statement that people have gotten into dental school with a 17 RC is not an opinion, it is a fact. I personally know people who have. In addition you can check out predents.com and see 17 RC's with acceptances. Oh, and what makes you the know it all of dental school entrance and DAT statistics?

According to predents.com (all cycles):

94 total applicants were accepted with RC 17 and below. (3.18% of total applicants)

1177 total applicants were accepted with RC over 17.

take that information as you may.

 

[AllSmiles009]

You're DAT is decent and your Gpa is great. I would think it's because you're application was a little late for the pre-Dec 1 interviews. I would wait to see if you get a call since schools will still be interviewing because their deadlines are mostly Jan-Feb. If for some reason you didn't get in, maybe contact the schools to see what you can do better (if they suggest you re-take the exam or apply earlier). 12 schools is a lot so wait to see! Hang in there! Best of luck to you!!

 

[Jellybean84]

i got into U of Mich and ASDOH with a 17 RC/19AA. there is hope! you have a very good chance getting in this cycle if you interview well. stay positive good luck

 

[Flossy13]

i know someone with 4 acceptances and a 15 RC...

1 single aspect like that on ur app wont make or break you.

 

[dimisam]

Yeah, I think you're calling it a little too early if you've only heard from 2/12 schools. I did my DAT on 10/27 and decided to apply for this cycle for the hell of it (submitted my AADSAS on 11/15) since I called up a lot of schools and they said that even I wasn't too late to apply since they hadn't made most of their selections yet. Penn told me applying in December would be considered late (I did undergrad @ Penn but I didn't apply to Penn dental for this cycle). I spoke to the Columbia Dental director of admissions and he told me to apply as well but not to delay for much longer. I am still aware that applying late puts me at a distinct disadvantage, but I decided to apply anyway because I did pretty well on my DATs: AA:23 TS:24 PAT:19. I applied to 8 schools: UPitt, Tufts, Columbia, UOP, BU, USC, NYU and Temple. I picked these, because I felt they were a good mix of schools. About taking DATs late, just going on an anecdote, my Kaplan tutor was a 3rd year Penn Dental student and he said he did his DAT in either October or November (I forget which) in his app cycle. That is even later than you so I think you should wait it out. Good Luck!

 

[ncdentaldream]

Thank you guys for all your support. To Dimisam: your DAT is way better than mine, you will of cause, have a much better chance. Anyways, I'll try to stay calm and not to check my e-mail 100 times a day! (but it's really hard)

 

[Andrew324]

You can check my predents for my information.