Need Advice Please! (DAT, Applying, Chances)

[DMD the Dream]

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Hello everyone, this is my first post after reading countless threads/posts from this forum.

I wanted to kind of seek some advice on what I should do in terms of taking the DAT and applying to Dental school this summer. I'll give a little back story on my situation/stats:
Undergrad GPA: 3.39 - science GPA I believe is around the same
Masters GPA SO FAR (MBS): 3.7
Shadowing: 200 hours general dentists, 50 hours Pediatric dentist, 30 hours ortho
Volunteering: ~200 hours volunteering in a nonprofit foundation providing children with dental care
First time DAT was not too good 19 AA 18TS (did really bad in Bio - 16 ) Note:that was 2 years ago

I realized what I was doing in the past was simply not enough during undergrad, I spent most of my years trying to climb out of a hole, GPA was at about 2.7/2.8 if I recall correctly until I started to focus/mature more and at least got it to a 3.39

I have my heart set on applying this upcoming cycle but I know that I need retake the DAT but it is a little hard to balance volunteering, grad school, and studying for the DAT. I initially wanted to take it at the end of MAY so it would be done by the time the cycle opens but I feel like I might be rushing it so I decided early June might be best. I am not sure if it is recommended to take the DAT when the cycle opens or if I can submit my application before I take my DAT.

Basically I would appreciate any kind of feedback I can obtain from this community in terms of when to take the DAT,chances of getting into dental school, if there is anything else I could do to increase my chances.

PS. I forgot to ask if I should get committee letter from my undergrad because they don't have those in my current grad school, it is a little tough to forge relationships here because each course has several professors lecturing.

Thank you guys for any feedback possible!!!!

 

[OrphanageCaretaker]

Your EC's and shadowing hours are great, your gpa is very good considering you raised it by ~ .6 with a masters program. I'd say if you score 20's or higher on your DAT and apply correctly - wide net, 10-12 schools - including your state schools and having some ABS courses done - you should be able to land quite a few interviews and then an acceptance.

 

[BioForLife]

Most things look very good, including your improved GPA (even your undergrad GPA isn't bad) and your EC's. The DAT score is a little concerning though, simply because 16 in any section is below the cutoff for some schools. Even if you have incredible stats, if any sections on your DAT are below 17, some schools may not consider you for interview or will give you a condition acceptance with the condition that you improve your scores. If you're set on applying for this cycle, you could call the schools you're interested in applying to and seeing if this is an issue.

 

[DMD the Dream]

Most things look very good, including your improved GPA (even your undergrad GPA isn't bad) and your EC's. The DAT score is a little concerning though, simply because 16 in any section is below the cutoff for some schools. Even if you have incredible stats, if any sections on your DAT are below 17, some schools may not consider you for interview or will give you a condition acceptance with the condition that you improve your scores. If you're set on applying for this cycle, you could call the schools you're interested in applying to and seeing if this is an issue.

That is why I was planning on taking the DAT again this summer but I am unsure about if me taking it in mid june would be a problem with my application. Looking back I know for a fact that I was not fully prepared to take the DAT when I did and I should have waited but I will not make the same mistake twice.

 

[DMD the Dream]

Your EC's and shadowing hours are great, your gpa is very good considering you raised it by ~ .6 with a masters program. I'd say if you score 20's or higher on your DAT and apply correctly - wide net, 10-12 schools - including your state schools and having some ABS courses done - you should be able to land quite a few interviews and then an acceptance.

What do you mean by ABS courses? And do you think that doing a master would give me a push? I'm trying to improve from all the mistake I have made in my past and I could only assume go through grad school was one way of doing it.

 

[OrphanageCaretaker]

What do you mean by ABS courses? And do you think that doing a master would give me a push? I'm trying to improve from all the mistake I have made in my past and I could only assume go through grad school was one way of doing it.

ABS as in Additional Biological Sciences, eg: Microbiology, Physiology, Anatomy, Histology, Cell Biology, Genetics. Some schools have additional science course requirements and knocking them out would allow you to apply to a broader range of schools. Yes, doing a masters will give you a push, a hefty one. It shows that you messed up before and you are willing to improve and chase after dental school. Upward trend my friend. That's the same boat I'm in, I screwed around in CC, then whenever I transferred, I started off with less than a 3.0gpa, now I'm pulling in 3.5's bare minimum every semester with 15 units each semester to show I am willing to learn. At this rate, my sGPA should be a 3.5/3.6 come application period, but nothing is for certain. You're following the correct steps, just nail the DAT, fill out the application and hit the enter button during the first batch and then sit back and remain nervous until December 1. Best of luck.

 

[pannekm12]

You've really done a lot so far especially with the volunteering hours and improving your GPA.

However, I think it's to the point now where scoring better on the DAT outweighs gaining more hours volunteering.

Yes you can submit your application before you take the DAT (I took mine June 25th, and it didn't hinder me).

A future interview/personal statement tip, let it be known about your volunteering and if you have a desire to continue volunteering/mission work. Some schools hold that very highly (I did this).

 

[DMD the Dream]

Seriously thank you so much for all the feedback guys!

 

[sumin5924]

So what will you do if you get into a DDS program?

 

[DMD the Dream]

So what will you do if you get into a DDS program?

Because of my username?

 

[DMD the Dream]

So what will you do if you get into a DDS program?

To be honest...I had no idea what to put as my username and I lack creativity so that kinda just popped into my head lol