Low Stat Applicant - WAMC?

[Dentistani720]

Overall GPA: 3.4
Science GPA: 3.1
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.1
DAT score (include AA and all sections):

• PAT 18
• QR 23
• RC 24
• BIO 21
• GC 19
• OC 17
• ----
• TS 19
• AA 21

State of Residence: Michigan
Undergrad Attended: Mich State Uni
Major: Neuroscience
Minority? No - South Asian
Reapplicant? No - First time
Nontrad? No - traditional

Shadowing Experience: 100+ with a gen dentist
Volunteering Experience:

• 150 with refugees
• 500 with youth group
• 150 at a 3rd world clinic

Employment:

• 600 at operating room assistant
• 200 at psych ward

Research: Only minor volunteering at a lab : 50 hours
LOR type and strength: Two science profs, one dentist, one other faculty, one volunteering
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: No red flags
School list:

(MI 01) University of Detroit Mercy

(MI 02) University of Michigan

(DC 01) Howard University

(UT 01) Roseman University

(MA 03) Tufts University

(IL 01) Midwestern University

(ME 01) University of New England

(MO 01) A.T. Still University

(AZ 02) Midwestern University (AZ)

(MD 01) University of Maryland

(MA 01) Boston University

(PA 01) Temple, The Maurice H. Kornberg

(AZ 01) A.T. Still University of Arizona

(NY 02) New York University

(LA 01) Louisiana State University (New Orleans)

(NY 04) Touro - New York Medical College

(TN 01) Meharry Medical College

(OH 01) Case Western Reserve University

(CA 05) Western University

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[macsak]

Overall GPA: 3.4
Science GPA: 3.1
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.1
DAT score (include AA and all sections):

• PAT 18
• QR 23
• RC 24
• BIO 21
• GC 19
• OC 17
• ----
• TS 19
• AA 21

State of Residence: Michigan
Undergrad Attended: Mich State Uni
Major: Neuroscience
Minority? No - South Asian
Reapplicant? No - First time
Nontrad? No - traditional

Shadowing Experience: 100+ with a gen dentist
Volunteering Experience:

• 150 with refugees
• 500 with youth group
• 150 at a 3rd world clinic

Employment:

• 600 at operating room assistant
• 200 at psych ward

Research: Only minor volunteering at a lab : 50 hours
LOR type and strength: Two science profs, one dentist, one other faculty, one volunteering
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: No red flags
School list:

(MI 01) University of Detroit Mercy

(MI 02) University of Michigan

(DC 01) Howard University

(UT 01) Roseman University

(MA 03) Tufts University

(IL 01) Midwestern University

(ME 01) University of New England

(MO 01) A.T. Still University

(AZ 02) Midwestern University (AZ)

(MD 01) University of Maryland

(MA 01) Boston University

(PA 01) Temple, The Maurice H. Kornberg

(AZ 01) A.T. Still University of Arizona

(NY 02) New York University

(LA 01) Louisiana State University (New Orleans)

(NY 04) Touro - New York Medical College

(TN 01) Meharry Medical College

(OH 01) Case Western Reserve University

(CA 05) Western University

have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any d school?

 

[macsak]

have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any d school?

why LSU?

 

[Dentistani720]

have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any d school?

Not with any dental schools or their programs in specific no

 

[Dentistani720]

why LSU?

Not too far off from GPA range as well as being fair towards OOS applicants

 

[macsak]

Not too far off from GPA range as well as being fair towards OOS applicants

why maryland?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Why Howard? Why Roseman? ... you have a lot of issues with this list as it appears you are just picking on stats. That's not how the schools will decide to choose you for interviews, and the lack of detail makes it extremely difficult to see if you have a shot. But that said, you probably already know your GPA is below par, and the lack of detail of your experiences leads me to suspect you're just treating your application transactionally (i.e., checking the boxes).

You have more hours in medicine than in a dental environment. Your disclosed research hours are minimal. You have no activities on campus. There is nothing that suggests you have fine manual dexterity.

 

[Ryxndek]

I have to agree that I think, and this is common with a lot of applicants, that you've picked schools strictly off your stats outside of a schools mission. Which to me is more of a "Shotgun" method that could yield low results and have a high cost.

A better method would be to focus on a region near you as well as schools where you fit their mission. I applied to some research-heavy schools because I had a lot of research experience, whereas someone who has more volunteer work may try to apply to schools who's mission has outreach in their state.

I agree that LSU, Howard, Roseman, Meharry: I'm not seeing much fit. LSU while you say is "friendly" to OOS, I sorta disagree. Looking at LSU's ADEA student guide for CO '26, they took 11 OOS students, and none of them came from the Midwest... So your chances are extremely slim applying there. Howard/Meharry mainly focuses on HBCU students, and again, takes very few Midwest students. Howard had 5 Midwest students in their CO '26 and Maharry had 7.

Your best bet is to apply to schools near Michigan: UDM, Michigan, Indiana, MW-Illinois, Minnesota, Creighton, Case Western, Marquette, Etc where you're more likely to be accepted being from the same region. You could also focus on the East coast like you have: Tufts, Boston, NYU, Touro, Temple which have taken midwest students too

Also, as a side note, you're limited to only 4 letters on AADSAS and you can't pick and choose which letters go where. I would focus on 2 sci, 1 volunteer and then either the dentist or faculty. Surprisingly, not as many schools require a dentist LOR, so you could have them send it to each individual school that requires it as schools are able to accept LOR's outside of AADSAS as long as it comes directly from the recipient and not you. You just have to ask the schools before having them sent.

 

[Dentistani720]

Why Howard? Why Roseman? ... you have a lot of issues with this list as it appears you are just picking on stats. That's not how the schools will decide to choose you for interviews, and the lack of detail makes it extremely difficult to see if you have a shot. But that said, you probably already know your GPA is below par, and the lack of detail of your experiences leads me to suspect you're just treating your application transactionally (i.e., checking the boxes).

You have more hours in medicine than in a dental environment. Your disclosed research hours are minimal. You have no activities on campus. There is nothing that suggests you have fine manual dexterity.

what would you suggest? I thought stats were one of the most important things to consider. If I fall within their mission (lets say volunteering) but am out of their stats range, do I have more of a chance than someone with less of a volunteering focus but actually within the schools range?

(Also yes I apologize, I have a lot of volunteering hours, long term, in third world countries etc, leadership roles on campus etc but did not include them though I should have)

 

[Dentistani720]

I have to agree that I think, and this is common with a lot of applicants, that you've picked schools strictly off your stats outside of a schools mission. Which to me is more of a "Shotgun" method that could yield low results and have a high cost.

A better method would be to focus on a region near you as well as schools where you fit their mission. I applied to some research-heavy schools because I had a lot of research experience, whereas someone who has more volunteer work may try to apply to schools who's mission has outreach in their state.

I agree that LSU, Howard, Roseman, Meharry: I'm not seeing much fit. LSU while you say is "friendly" to OOS, I sorta disagree. Looking at LSU's ADEA student guide for CO '26, they took 11 OOS students, and none of them came from the Midwest... So your chances are extremely slim applying there. Howard/Meharry mainly focuses on HBCU students, and again, takes very few Midwest students. Howard had 5 Midwest students in their CO '26 and Maharry had 7.

Your best bet is to apply to schools near Michigan: UDM, Michigan, Indiana, MW-Illinois, Minnesota, Creighton, Case Western, Marquette, Etc where you're more likely to be accepted being from the same region. You could also focus on the East coast like you have: Tufts, Boston, NYU, Touro, Temple which have taken midwest students too

Also, as a side note, you're limited to only 4 letters on AADSAS and you can't pick and choose which letters go where. I would focus on 2 sci, 1 volunteer and then either the dentist or faculty. Surprisingly, not as many schools require a dentist LOR, so you could have them send it to each individual school that requires it as schools are able to accept LOR's outside of AADSAS as long as it comes directly from the recipient and not you. You just have to ask the schools before having them sent.

Yes I definitely did - I never knew that schools would value someone who's volunteering (lets say thats what they focus on) more than their stats range. Is this what you're implying? Or should I focus on stats first as I did, but then also shorten it to even fewer schools based on the missions.

I will definitely look into schools bordering MI, but the reason I took off the ones that I did were because I was a little too out of their range. Yes I had the neighboring advantage, but in my mind If I was out of their stats I should take it off altogether.

 

[Ryxndek]

Yes I definitely did - I never knew that schools would value someone who's volunteering (lets say thats what they focus on) more than their stats range. Is this what you're implying? Or should I focus on stats first as I did, but then also shorten it to even fewer schools based on the missions.

I will definitely look into schools bordering MI, but the reason I took off the ones that I did were because I was a little too out of their range. Yes I had the neighboring advantage, but in my mind If I was out of their stats I should take it off altogether.

It's not necessarily all about stats as everyone thinks. Schools have an average but statistically, some will fall below and some will be above the mean. So while you might be within range of a school you also might want to look at their 5th-95th percentile scores to get a better idea of where you fall with their class range. If you're near their 5th percentile for applicants, then it might not be worth your time to apply vs if you're closer to their 50th percentile or higher. Schools also want to build a class of students that makes it well rounded. Maybe they want a handful of students who focus on research, a handful of students who focus on student outreach, some students who want to pursue leadership, or education, etc. So you want to try and have a hook/connection to a school to also get their attention.

I think for starters you can focus on stats but you also want to make sure that you are applying to schools that take students from the Midwest. A lot of southern schools, LSU, Georgia, Tennesee, and Mississippi, will take students that surround the states rather than students from further away. Schools want to educate students who are more likely to stay in the state and practice. That's why a lot of state schools accept a lot of In-State applicants, or rather, students surrounding the state because they're more likely to stay after graduation. Rather than someone who lives in, let's say Wyoming, and trying to go to Florida (Unless they have family there or other major connections to the state).

I would still consider schools closer to MI than LSU or Meharry since statically you're more likely to get an interview/attend as schools closer to you favor students regionally close to them. Admissions can be weird, but applying to schools closest to you seems to get applicants interviews and acceptances. Now if there's a school you've always wanted to attend, like Columbia or UCLA, and while not necessarily in your favor regionally or stats wise, as long as you understand that then it's okay to apply. You also want to make sure you have a mix of safety, target, and reach schools.

For your stats you probably want to apply to 12-15 schools to try and maximize your chances of getting into the cheapest school you can that's closest to your home or where you feel most comfortable.

 

[Dentistani720]

It's not necessarily all about stats as everyone thinks. Schools have an average but statistically, some will fall below and some will be above the average. So while you might be within range of a school you also might want to look at their 5th-95th percentile scores to get a better idea of where you fall with their class range. If you're near their 5th percentile for applicants, then it might not be worth your time to apply vs if you're closer to their 50th percentile or higher. Schools also want to build a class of students that makes it well rounded. Maybe they want a handful of students who focus on research, a handful of students who focus on student outreach, some students who want to pursue leadership, or education, etc. So you want to try and have a hook/connection to a school to also get their attention.

I think for starters you can focus on stats but you also want to make sure that you are applying to schools that take students from the Midwest. A lot of southern schools, LSU, Georgia, Tennesee, and Mississippi, will take students that surround the states rather than students from further away. Schools want to educate students who are more likely to stay in the state and practice. That's why a lot of state schools accept a lot of In-State applicants, or rather, students surrounding the state because they're more likely to stay after graduation. Rather than someone who lives in, let's say Wyoming, and trying to go to Florida (Unless they have family there or other major connections to the state).

I would still consider schools closer to MI than LSU or Meharry since statically you're more likely to get an interview/attend as schools closer to you favor students regionally close to them. Admissions can be weird, but applying to schools closest to you seems to get applicants interviews and acceptances. Now if there's a school you've always wanted to attend, like Columbia or UCLA, and while not necessarily in your favor regionally or stats wise, as long as you understand that then it's okay to apply. You also want to make sure you have a mix of safety, target, and reach schools.

For your stats you probably want to apply to 12-15 schools to try and maximize your chances of getting into the cheapest school you can that's closest to your home or where you feel most comfortable.

Honestly theres so much advice about DAT prep and hour accumulation, that there hasn't been a lot said about actually compiling a school list. As such there isn't a lot I know. I appreciate your advice and ill definitely tweak my list accordingly. If theres anything else you can share I'm all ears!

 

[Ryxndek]

Honestly theres so much advice about DAT prep and hour accumulation, that there hasn't been a lot said about actually compiling a school list. As such there isn't a lot I know. I appreciate your advice and ill definitely tweak my list accordingly. If theres anything else you can share I'm all ears!

I agree! I’ve learned a lot from SDN and totally understand where you’re coming from. My list when I applied also wasn’t the best and I’ve learned from that. If I could go back and change some things on my list I certainly would.

Your school list is incredibly important as it will dictate your success in the cycle. Wish you best of luck! You can always PM me if you have any other questions. I’m more than happy to help!

 

[macsak]

It's not necessarily all about stats as everyone thinks. Schools have an average but statistically, some will fall below and some will be above the average. So while you might be within range of a school you also might want to look at their 5th-95th percentile scores to get a better idea of where you fall with their class range. If you're near their 5th percentile for applicants, then it might not be worth your time to apply vs if you're closer to their 50th percentile or higher. Schools also want to build a class of students that makes it well rounded. Maybe they want a handful of students who focus on research, a handful of students who focus on student outreach, some students who want to pursue leadership, or education, etc. So you want to try and have a hook/connection to a school to also get their attention.

I think for starters you can focus on stats but you also want to make sure that you are applying to schools that take students from the Midwest. A lot of southern schools, LSU, Georgia, Tennesee, and Mississippi, will take students that surround the states rather than students from further away. Schools want to educate students who are more likely to stay in the state and practice. That's why a lot of state schools accept a lot of In-State applicants, or rather, students surrounding the state because they're more likely to stay after graduation. Rather than someone who lives in, let's say Wyoming, and trying to go to Florida (Unless they have family there or other major connections to the state).

I would still consider schools closer to MI than LSU or Meharry since statically you're more likely to get an interview/attend as schools closer to you favor students regionally close to them. Admissions can be weird, but applying to schools closest to you seems to get applicants interviews and acceptances. Now if there's a school you've always wanted to attend, like Columbia or UCLA, and while not necessarily in your favor regionally or stats wise, as long as you understand that then it's okay to apply. You also want to make sure you have a mix of safety, target, and reach schools.

For your stats you probably want to apply to 12-15 schools to try and maximize your chances of getting into the cheapest school you can that's closest to your home or where you feel most comfortable.

this is one of the best posts on this forum in a while...

 

[macsak]

Honestly theres so much advice about DAT prep and hour accumulation, that there hasn't been a lot said about actually compiling a school list. As such there isn't a lot I know. I appreciate your advice and ill definitely tweak my list accordingly. If theres anything else you can share I'm all ears!

there are a few videos on youtube that cover this, but not many put it as succinctly as ryxn just did...