My chances?

[youngchol1]

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Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum but have been working on and preparing myself for dental school for a minute now. I'm living in Korea presently but planning to apply to schools this summer/fall and move back in the late fall in time to prepare for interviews. I just flew to Guam this weekend and took the DAT and my scores were

PA - 18
QR - 15
RC - 21
BIO - 20
GC - 21
OC - 16
TS - 19
AA - 19
CUM GPA - 3.43
Science GPA - 3.41

In addition, my EC are:
- 100 hrs of experience working in dental clinic as volunteer
- Organized several clothing drives in college for homeless shelters
- Honor society
- Participated in a trip to rural and underserved areas to shadow and assist dentists

This was my second time taking them and although I improved my Bio and gen chem scores, my Organic and QR dropped from 19s...Are my scores good enough to get acceptances? I would love some feedback regarding this. My life's been kinda hectic and crazy the past 1-2 years so I'm really hoping this 2nd time around will be good enough to get in.

Also, a question regarding application timeline. Generally you can apply to schools as early as mid-summer, and then you hear back about interviews Nov-Dec is that correct? When are the actual interviews generally? Is there a thread that kind of outlines the general timeline of it all? I need to start planning on moving home...

 

[AggieDDS]

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum but have been working on and preparing myself for dental school for a minute now. I'm living in Korea presently but planning to apply to schools this summer/fall and move back in the late fall in time to prepare for interviews.

I mean this in a non-racist way:

Is there some kind of cultural affinity for dentistry among Koreans? It seems a lot of Koreans I know are Pre-Dents (of course this is anecdotal evidence, hence why I am asking you).

Thanks

 

[Heretotalk]

I think...

Subpar DAT score,
ok GPA
mediocre EC

prolly 1 or 2 interviews/ maybe no acceptance.

Get a 20 average DAT and do more intern/ volunteering

 

[youngchol1]

So the DAT score isn't competitive? Looking around here on some of the other threads I was thinking it will at least get me into some schools, albeit not the Ivys...

 

[Waitlisted2009]

Your scores are fine

 

[tjdent]

Apply smart and you'll probably get an interview or two. Apply early and not to the ultra-competitive schools. Also, check and make sure the schools u apply to dont have minimum requirements for certain DAT sections.

 

[oreoson]

I second what tjdent said, apply smart.
Some schools have cutoff for certain sections in DAT (normally 18), and your QR and OC might hold you back. You might wanna do some research before applying.

 

[ZenoVT]

apply very early and maaayybbeee retake DAT?

 

[GDwood]

I tutor this high school kid and his mom told me she wants her son to go to med school if not dental school if not pharmacy.... lol
Later, i asked him why he wants to go to med school and his reply was "i don't know"
it is very true most korean parents want their kids to be doctors, dentists, or lawyers.. nothing wrong with that but it is just that kids are kinda forced to be someone they've never considered before

 

[TeamGuo]

You should retake it for the last time and try to improve your TS scores. Your bio and chm are excellent but OC may hurt you. This doesn't throw your app. away but since your gpa is just average, it might be hard to land interviews with your stats.

Fastest way to improve your standing would be retaking the DAT and applying early. And of course, performing well during your interviews.

Good luck

 

[dajo13]

i think you need to improve your DAT and your GPA to be competetive, especially if you're an international student, which i'm assuming you are? i'm an international student, and my DATs were a bit higher than yours and my GPA was around 3.8 but i only got three interviews. since it's probably too late to drastically improve your GPA, i would recommend you work your butt off and retake the DATs, and shoot for around 20 for both AA and PAT. unless you do that i don't think your chances will be too good this year. i'm not saying you won't get in, but like a lot of people said, with your current scores you would have to apply to the right schools and get a little lucky.

as for the application timeline, you can start applying in the middle of the summer. for those with higher GPA/DAT scores, the first interview invites get sent out as early as september but interviews take place all the way till april. hope this helps, good luck!

 

[Sajitude]

I applied as a foreign student and have to say your scores are not the most competitive with your immigration status. That's not to say you won't get in but you may have to make yourself more competitive. You are fighting for 1 or 2 seats per school unlike citizen applicants. You have to get rid of the 15 in your DATs and try to boost your GPA.

Also don't be afraid to call you top 3 schools on a weekly basis just asking questions. It helps when they see how eager you are to attend their school.

I have a lot of experience applying as a foreign student and it's not fun. Feel free to message me directly with specific questions.

 

[bigasianpianist]

You should retake it for the last time and try to improve your TS scores. Your bio and chm are excellent but OC may hurt you. This doesn't throw your app. away but since your gpa is just average, it might be hard to land interviews with your stats.

Fastest way to improve your standing would be retaking the DAT and applying early. And of course, performing well during your interviews.

Good luck

yeah i agree with teamguo here. How much studying did you do for your second time around? I don't mean to burst your bubble or anything, but applying is progressively getting more competitive. If its possible, try to increase your PAT and RC for sure though. I applied kinda late (in October) to 12 schools and i got 3 interviews. ALthough i didn't get into the schools i interviewed at....they all told me that its because i applied late. So if you're planning on applying for d.s this cycle, apply as EARLY as possible MAY 15th (i learned this the hard way). gl

 

[youngchol1]

Actually I am a US citizen and am only living in Korea for the past year due to some familial circumstances. In that case, do you think it's OK despite the low OC and QR? Taking the DAT again requires me to fly again either home or to Guam, and my work in Korea really doesn't allow much vacation time...
Thanks for all the feedback.