Been contemplating about writing this thread for the past few months. This is probably for someone who is in a situation where they don't know if they should be applying for this cycle due to lower GPA and/or lower DAT score.
I just want to get this out of my chest because I was in your shoes 2 years ago. I actually decided NOT to apply after reading many posts on SDN telling people not to apply if they have low stats AND applying too late into the cycle. The general consensus here is that if you have a lower gpa in combination with a lower DAT, you should wait till you retake your DAT then apply to have higher chances of getting in. Not saying this is wrong, it is definitely true that you can get more interviews with good stats. However, I would say, even if you have an average DAT score (~19) and an average to lower end GPA (~3.2), you should still apply. I would also go as far into saying that even if you're kinda late into the cycle (I didn't complete my applications until late September), you should still apply. I ended up receiving 2 interviews and accepted to the one that I attended as a first time applicant. Though I did have few years of experience working in a dental office as I have been working part time throughout college, I don't know if that part of my application made that big of a difference for me.
So if you're like me, having a lower GPA and a lower DAT but contemplating if you should apply, please start your application right now. If dentistry is what you truly want to do, I believe that the schools can see it from your overall application, not just your grades.
Best of luck in this cycle!
I just want to get this out of my chest because I was in your shoes 2 years ago. I actually decided NOT to apply after reading many posts on SDN telling people not to apply if they have low stats AND applying too late into the cycle. The general consensus here is that if you have a lower gpa in combination with a lower DAT, you should wait till you retake your DAT then apply to have higher chances of getting in. Not saying this is wrong, it is definitely true that you can get more interviews with good stats. However, I would say, even if you have an average DAT score (~19) and an average to lower end GPA (~3.2), you should still apply. I would also go as far into saying that even if you're kinda late into the cycle (I didn't complete my applications until late September), you should still apply. I ended up receiving 2 interviews and accepted to the one that I attended as a first time applicant. Though I did have few years of experience working in a dental office as I have been working part time throughout college, I don't know if that part of my application made that big of a difference for me.
So if you're like me, having a lower GPA and a lower DAT but contemplating if you should apply, please start your application right now. If dentistry is what you truly want to do, I believe that the schools can see it from your overall application, not just your grades.
Best of luck in this cycle!