newbie to sdn... DAT 5/21/12 Retake?

[Dent22519]

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Hi all! I'm new to sdn and was wondering if I could get some advice on whether or not I should retake this. I know there are a million of these threads on here, so I really do appreciate your opinions/advice!

PAT 20
QR 20
RC 22
Bio 18
GC 20
OC 21
TS 20
AA 20

I'm worried about Bio being a bit low. That and I have a cGPA of 3.2 and sGPA of 3.0 (top 30 university, but i know that's not much of an excuse). I was really hoping to offset my gpa with my DAT, and I didn't go in feeling very confident. I have about 90 hours shadowing, volunteering, ECs, research, and a couple of other things. A slight problem is that I wouldn't be able to retake till August 21, although I plan on applying early and wide. So my main question is, given my gpa, should I retake DAT?

Thanks bunches in advance! 🙂

 

[circa86]

most will say you're fine, but if it makes you feel better go ahead and retake. it won't be worth it if you get anything below a 22+ with your gpa

 

[JonLee]

I would say not to retake, but that's just my opinion.

I know some med schools take into account where you went to undergrad by adding a few gpa points to ivy league and other known difficult schools.

Not sure if they do it in dental schools, but I imagine that a 3.0 at an Ivy league is not judged equally as a 3.0 at some small university in the middle of no where.

 

[road2dmd]

Hi all! I'm new to sdn and was wondering if I could get some advice on whether or not I should retake this. I know there are a million of these threads on here, so I really do appreciate your opinions/advice!

PAT 20
QR 20
RC 22
Bio 18
GC 20
OC 21
TS 20
AA 20

I'm worried about Bio being a bit low. That and I have a cGPA of 3.2 and sGPA of 3.0 (ivy league, but i know that's not much of an excuse). I was really hoping to offset my gpa with my DAT, and I didn't go in feeling very confident. I have about 90 hours shadowing, volunteering, ECs, research, and a couple of other things. A slight problem is that I wouldn't be able to retake till August 21, although I plan on applying early and wide. So my main question is, given my gpa, should I retake DAT?

Thanks bunches in advance! 🙂

How do you feel about your scores? Gut feeling? I had similar GPA's going into last years cycle, and got a 22AA 21TS 24PAT (second time around). The first set of dat scores I had were 19's so definitely lower than yours but I re-took it because I didn't want to wait another year in case they overlooked me b/c they didn't think I was competitive.
If you feel comfortable and confident that your extracurriculars, LORs, research and resume in general is in good shape...maybe don't re-take it. OR call admissions offices and ask them, I did and they gave me an honest answer and thats why I retook it. Some offices asked me to get a 20+, so when I came out with the 22,21,24, 4 interviews rolled in. how do you interview? That will also be a factor.

If you do decide to re-take it, remember, it takes the same amount of work plus some more to push your scores to the next level while not letting any of your scores drop. Focus on your weaknesses but don't let your strengths slip, b/c admissions officers will compare your scores! good luck! If you have any more questions let me know, doing an ask anything on my blog right now.

 

[Dent22519]

Thanks for the encouragement circa86, JonLee!

@ road2dmd, just took a peek at your blog, and it's pretty fantastic! I was pretty much in the same boat. I didn't make the decision to go for dentistry till late. I've been out of school for a little bit and decided to do the Kaplan course because I wanted a bit more structure. I kind of regret not getting Destroyer, but if I do retake I know that I would definitely get it. I do think I can raise my scores a couple of points using different material.

My gut feeling tells me I won't be getting many interviews based on gpa and dat alone. I was really disheartened when I got my scores back because I do feel like I need my dat to balance out the bad gpa. I do feel confident about the rest of my application and I interview well (or at least I think I do..) I'm just worried about adcoms overlooking me because I don't look competitive. I think I'll follow your advice and call the schools I'm interested in to get their input. Thanks!!! 😛