MCATs and DATs

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bananayumboat said:
so can i send in MCAT scores as well as DAT scores if i did well on them (33), maybe they might like the fact that im took them?

Definitely! I would also suggest sending in your personal essays for medical school to the dental schools as well--the ADCOMS love reading "why I want to be a doctor" essays.
 
vandy_yankee said:
Definitely! I would also suggest sending in your personal essays for medical school to the dental schools as well--the ADCOMS love reading "why I want to be a doctor" essays.


I think this guy hit it on the nose.... HELL NO don't send them. Yes you may be proud of them, but all you will be doing is backing yourself into a corner and you will find yourself having to explain why you are now at the dental schools door step and not the med schools.

Send your DAT only.
-C
 
For some reason I just thought of the comedian Carlos Mencia. You guys have to check out his show on Comedy Central, I think 10 pm on Wed.

I read the post and there is this slogan he has:

You're retaaaaarded!!!

Sorry had to say it!

Keep the scores seperate.
 
bananayumboat said:
so can i send in MCAT scores as well as DAT scores if i did well on them (33), maybe they might like the fact that im took them?

I would never do that! Dental schools are just going think you are a pre med student who couldn't cut it. Dental school admissions want students who are not indecisve. They want applicants who are sure of themselves!
 
Some people say that June 1st is the most highly submitted day for AADSAS applications...I'm convinced it's the week following the MCAT scores being released.

There is nothing impressive about a 33 MCAT for dental schools...If you want to be a physician, work harder and go to med school.
 
not to hijack the thread, but this got me thinking: what about sending in your SAT scores if they were great? I mean they look at them if you're in a 7-year program.... just a thought.
 
mlle said:
not to hijack the thread, but this got me thinking: what about sending in your SAT scores if they were great? I mean they look at them if you're in a 7-year program.... just a thought.

Your kidding right?

First... If you are in a 7 year program they already know your SAT scores... You were admitted into the program based on the scores, therefore sending them again is pointless.

Second.... THE ONLY THINGS YOU SEND ARE WHAT THEY ASK FOR!!!

That means, NO MCAT, NO SAT, NO family photos, NO cookies.

There is something to be said about FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS.

You guys need to tighten up a little bit.

-C
 
i see no benefit in sending MCAT scores.. the adcom will perceive that you are interested in medicine, and applying to dental as a fallback.

did you do well on your DAT's? cause that's the only relevant score for dental admissions.
 
SuperC said:
Your kidding right?

First... If you are in a 7 year program they already know your SAT scores... You were admitted into the program based on the scores, therefore sending them again is pointless.

Second.... THE ONLY THINGS YOU SEND ARE WHAT THEY ASK FOR!!!

That means, NO MCAT, NO SAT, NO family photos, NO cookies.

There is something to be said about FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS.

You guys need to tighten up a little bit.

-C


i'm not in the program, i'm a regular applicant. yea, you're right. I guess I just never got to use my SAT score for anything since I trasferred into a US college from north of the border... so they were completely useless. oh well. thanks for indulging me with an answer tho, C.
 
It depends. Maybe you took the MCAT and the DAT before you really knew much about either profession. If you've already discovered that dentistry is right for you, taking the MCAT doesn't "look bad" on your application. Getting a 33 on the MCAT is something to be proud of. There's no reason to hide it in my opinion.
 
Tche said:
It depends. Maybe you took the MCAT and the DAT before you really knew much about either profession. If you've already discovered that dentistry is right for you, taking the MCAT doesn't "look bad" on your application. Getting a 33 on the MCAT is something to be proud of. There's no reason to hide it in my opinion.

but sending in a score that has no relevance to dental school is pointless.
 
Really, the MCAT covers every subject covered on the DAT exept for the PAT. Plus it has physics. Also, the MCAT is a better test of how well someone can solve problems and analyze information quickly and concisely.
 
vandy_yankee said:
Definitely! I would also suggest sending in your personal essays for medical school to the dental schools as well--the ADCOMS love reading "why I want to be a doctor" essays.


word up 👍
 
Tche said:
It depends. Maybe you took the MCAT and the DAT before you really knew much about either profession. If you've already discovered that dentistry is right for you, taking the MCAT doesn't "look bad" on your application. Getting a 33 on the MCAT is something to be proud of. There's no reason to hide it in my opinion.

If you have figured out that dentistry is right for you, then what does the MCAT matter? What does that have to do w/ getting into dental school? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Tche said:
Really, the MCAT covers every subject covered on the DAT exept for the PAT. Plus it has physics. Also, the MCAT is a better test of how well someone can solve problems and analyze information quickly and concisely.

I would avoid even going there.


This is really pretty simple.

If you want to be and MD, take the MCAT.

If you want to be a DDS/DMD, take the DAT.

If you want to be rejected instantly from Med School, send in your DAT scores.

If you want to be rejected instantly from Dent School, send in your MCAT scores.

If you want to be rejected instanly from both, take the dat just incase you don't get into med school or take the mcat just incase you don't get into dent school.
 
seriously, green's right. i mean how would you even explain sending them in? If I were them, I'd probably think you were applying to med and dental school and were too careless to get things straight and send the med schools the mcat scores. don't do it.

'nuff said on this topic.
 
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Who cares? What are you trying to say? If you did well on the mcat you are even more qualified than someone who did well on the dat for dental school? Sounds to me like the only thing you would be qualified for is an instant rejection. Try that though and see how it goes.

If you feel the need to prance and dance about your mcat scores then you probably had it right the first time. Be an MD.
 
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Tche said:
Duhhh, you're only going to D-school with a good DAT score. I never said the DAT is easy. Don't take it so personally. The fact remains that the MCAT sucks worse.

Showing your acheivements is something you're going to need to do to get into d-school. Get over it.

i'm not saying that the mcat's aren't tough.. but the fact is that the adcom looks negatively on those applicants who apply to dental school as a fallback. why do you want to introduce this idea to them? keep your ego to yourself.
 
We're just talking about taking the MCAT. It's just a test, doesn't mean you actually applied to medical school. There are plenty of dentists and d-students out there who have taken the MCAT and later found that dentistry is for them.
 
bananayumboat said:
so can i send in MCAT scores as well as DAT scores if i did well on them (33), maybe they might like the fact that im took them?

Yeah dude brilliant idea :idea: , mention your MCAT scores in your personal statement. That'll really give the adcoms a "hard on" for you. hehehe
 
Bananayumboat, if you are committed to dentistry and know that practicing dentistry is for you, then you will be a good applicant. You will do what it takes to get into dental school. Mentioning your outstanding MCAT scores on the AADSAS application won't destroy you if you explain why you are pursuing dentistry now.
 
Have you tried it?
 
Yeah, I am going to dental school this fall and took the MCAT before I really knew much about medicine or dentistry. I explained in my application and interviews my reasons for being interested in medicine and why dentistry won out for me in the end. I don't regret taking the MCAT or hide that I once was a "pre-med".
 
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Tche said:
Yeah, I am going to dental school this fall and took the MCAT before I really knew much about medicine or dentistry. I explained in my application and interviews my reasons for being interested in medicine and why dentistry won out for me in the end. I don't regret taking the MCAT or hide that I once was a "pre-med".

That's two completely different things though, you're twisting things a bit. There is nothing wrong with explaining why medicine was not for you and why dentistry is. However, I think it would be potentially dangerous to mention things specific to medicine in which you did well in and try to use that as an arguement as to why you should get into dental school.

No one is argueing that it is not ok to have taken the mcat or to have been a pre-medy at one time, heck I was too. What everyone has said over and over again is that the MCAT has nothing to do w/ getting into dental school (and we are talking about getting into dental school, not OMFS). Why even waste time talking about it when you could spend the time telling them how great you are in something more along the lines of dentistry? To me it makes about as much sense as including your time shadowing a pediatrician on your dent app along w/ the time you shadowed w/ dentists/specialists.
 
I would mention shadowing done in any healthcare setting. The more experiences you have gained from the better. I shadowed doctors in hospitals for a year and surely mentioned that on my application under "shadowing experience". Banana, the more diversity in your application the better. Dental schools are only getting more competitive, so anything to set you apart from the crowd is a plus.
 
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No MCAT. Talked to a pediatrician, anesthesiologist, general md, general surgeon, and ER doc (who is starting his plastic surgery res), and husband of another anesthesiologist, and that was enough to scare me away from med. Taking the DAT next spring.
 
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