No Acceptances :( Advice?

[T14dan]

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Hey Guys(and Gals).
Unfortunately, I did not get accepted this year.
My stats are
3.2 GPA Biochemistry Major (does not include post bacc)
20DAT North Carolina Resident (top choices are ECU and UNC)
3.67 PostBacc taking Microbiology, Immunology, Developmental Biology, Animal Physiology, Virology, Ecology, Cell Biology, Medical Terminology.
These post bacc classes were NOT included on my resume for last year, nor the aforementioned GPA. I would LOVE to get a masters in zoology or animal sciences because I have a strong passion for animal science and animal well being. I do want the main thrust career to focus on owning and operating a dental practice so as to help PEOPLE, but I will plan on donating some of my time and money into environmental conservation and animals rights. So, my question is this:
In your opinion, is a masters degree in some field of animal biology/zoology too tangential for dental schools to take seriously? Would I be better off just finding a lab tech job until next cycle?

 

[niv3k]

Did you get interviews? Your stats aren't bad, gpa a little low but still. What are your ECs? Shadowing hours? Volunteering? Work experience?

 

[StumpMT]

When did you apply?

 

[T14dan]

Did you get interviews? Your stats aren't bad, gpa a little low but still. What are your ECs? Shadowing hours? Volunteering? Work experience?

EC's: Club Tennis President, Two Time Tennis State Champion, Regional Ping Pong Tournament Competitor, SCUBA diver, Research in Inorganic Chemistry culminating in Publication in the Journal Of Inorganic Chemistry
Volunteering: Free Dental Clinic in Charlotte, NC 60 hours. Shadowing General Dentist in Charlotte, NC 80 hours. Habitat for Humanity 40 hours
Work Experience: Industrial Silicones Research and Development for Healthcare and Moldmaking Applications(1 year) Tennis Teaching 7+ years (Still Working as a Private Contractor)

No Interviews. Applied to 13 schools. No criminal record or red flags of that nature. I did mention that I had health issues during the second semester of junior and throughout senior year in college that brought my GPA down from a 3.5 to a 3.2 and put a few C's on my transcript. I hoped that my performance in Post Bacc Classes would alleviate fear that I had not recovered.

Also, I should mention that I got my application in during the last week it was due and did not get approved as a NC resident until February for ECU.

 

[dp93]

EC's: Club Tennis President, Two Time Tennis State Champion, Regional Ping Pong Tournament Competitor, SCUBA diver, Research in Inorganic Chemistry culminating in Publication in the Journal Of Inorganic Chemistry
Volunteering: Free Dental Clinic in Charlotte, NC 60 hours. Shadowing General Dentist in Charlotte, NC 80 hours. Habitat for Humanity 40 hours
Work Experience: Industrial Silicones Research and Development for Healthcare and Moldmaking Applications(1 year) Tennis Teaching 7+ years (Still Working as a Private Contractor)

No Interviews. Applied to 13 schools. No criminal record or red flags of that nature. I did mention that I had health issues during the second semester of junior and throughout senior year in college that brought my GPA down from a 3.5 to a 3.2 and put a few C's on my transcript. I hoped that my performance in Post Bacc Classes would alleviate fear that I had not recovered.

Also, I should mention that I got my application in during the last week it was due and did not get approved as a NC resident until February for ECU.

i guess you answered your own question.

 

[TourdeTeeth]

If you apply early, as in June, then you should be fine. You have decent extra-curriculars, though depending on the school you might need more shadowing and volunteering hours.

If you want to do zoology then I wouldn't mention it in your application. I personally think it's great that you want to do that, but someone on the ADCOM could see it and say "Oh, this person doesn't really want to be a dentist because they want to do animal work too". You honestly never know what ADCOMs are thinking. If you decide to mention it, just be careful as to not make it sound like you're only doing dentistry for the paycheck.

What you really should do is call the Admissions Office at the schools that rejected you and set up an appointment to discuss why you were rejected. Most schools are very nice and willing to do this. Then you can ask your questions and get advice from people who actually make these decisions. SDN is great, but most of us have never served on an ADCOM so we're mostly just guessing.

 

[T14dan]

i guess you answered your own question.

I will get my application in during the first week of June this time. I can't see why it matters when you get your application in as long as you don't MISS the deadline, but everyone has blasted me for this. Do you really think it was THAT detrimental to my chances?

 

[deadragonz]

I will get my application in during the first week of June this time. I can't see why it matters when you get your application in as long as you don't MISS the deadline, but everyone has blasted me for this. Do you really think it was THAT detrimental to my chances?

Have you heard of a thing or two about "rolling admissions" ?!😵

 

[T14dan]

Yeah, I'm an idiot. I know. I just don't want to assume I'm already good enough and it was just the timeliness of my application that kept me out. I'd rather assume I missed it by a mile, so now I have 1 year to do everything possible to make myself a better candidate.

 

[BabyShades]

Hey Guys(and Gals).
Unfortunately, I did not get accepted this year.
My stats are
3.2 GPA Biochemistry Major (does not include post bacc)
20DAT North Carolina Resident (top choices are ECU and UNC)
3.67 PostBacc taking Microbiology, Immunology, Developmental Biology, Animal Physiology, Virology, Ecology, Cell Biology, Medical Terminology.
These post bacc classes were NOT included on my resume for last year, nor the aforementioned GPA. I would LOVE to get a masters in zoology or animal sciences because I have a strong passion for animal science and animal well being. I do want the main thrust career to focus on owning and operating a dental practice so as to help PEOPLE, but I will plan on donating some of my time and money into environmental conservation and animals rights. So, my question is this:
In your opinion, is a masters degree in some field of animal biology/zoology too tangential for dental schools to take seriously? Would I be better off just finding a lab tech job until next cycle?

Why not a veterinarian ? They can own their own practice too.

 

[T14dan]

Why not a veterinarian ? They can own their own practice too.

I shadowed a Vet. It was too depressing for me to see animals suffer. Also, I have heard that veterinary school is nearly impossible to be admitted to. They make low salaries and have tough jobs when people won't pay to help their pets. Imagine yourself in a situation where you can't pay for your kid's college because all your clients would rather just euthanize their pet rather than pay a couple hundred dollars for medication or treatment.
I would rather divert 15-20k each year of my income as a dentist to support conservation or help raise awareness for ethical animal treatment(not peta though). That way I get to help people and animals.

 

[I want to go to there]

Your GPA is a bit low for both undergraduate and post-bac. So, you need to retake the DAT and get a better score on it to improve your chances. Save the money for masters(won't really help that much) and just work hard on DAT to get like 22+, shadow more, and apply early.

 

[T14dan]

Your GPA is a bit low for both undergraduate and post-bac. So, you need to retake the DAT and get a better score on it to improve your chances. Save the money for masters(won't really help that much) and just work hard on DAT to get like 22+, shadow more, and apply early.

I have had a lot of other people (pre-health advisor included) tell me to stick with a 20 and not take the re-take the DAT, but I am torn on the issue. I appreciate the advice!

 

[I want to go to there]

I have had a lot of other people (pre-health advisor included) tell me to stick with a 20 and not take the re-take the DAT, but I am torn on the issue. I appreciate the advice!

20 is good enough for people with like 3.5+ GPA. Your academics are lacking and you already know this from this year's application cycle. I applied late like you did, but I still got 6 interviews.

 

[krdeuce]

How late did you apply? Like exact date

 

[T14dan]

How late did you apply? Like exact date

December 1st.

 

[niv3k]

I don't think your DAT score is low enough to merit a retake? Your gpa is a little low though but I mean you could just take post bacc classes to raise it a little.

And also I straight up told the ADCOMs that I was pre med, went to nursing, didn't like it and so I withdrew and I thought about what I wanted to do. I narrowed my decisions down to vet school and dental school and that I didn't like vet because they have to put animals down but other than that I do think that what they do is really interesting. The putting animals down tho, not something I wanted to do. I love animals myself, I had volunteer experience in conservation parks, and had they asked about that I would have just said that I believe in being green, I think it's important to at least care a little bit about where you'll live in the future. I told someone about how I told them I thought of vet school and dental school and they were shocked but I mean come on, you're deciding about what career you want to enter for the rest of your life. Also, it's not wrong to be interested in what other professions do, **** if you're entering dentistry, I hope you're interested in ANY and ALL aspects of medicine because, in a way, that's what dentistry is too. What you want to divert your time to outside of work (volunteer, etc) is up to you. Just make sure the reason why you want to enter dentistry in the first place is for the right reason. Yes I told them I had considered vet school but the reason why I wanted to get into dentistry was legit enough for them.

I really don't think you need to go off and get a masters.. That's me though.. The reason why you didn't get any interviews may just be because you applied pretty late. Wait for them to reject you, call each of the schools back, ask what more you could do to improve yourself next cycle, and see what they say. If they recommend a masters or a DAT retake then there you go. Most of the time they'll tell you what you did wrong or what you could do, they like that you're willing to take the initiative to become a better applicant for them.

****, I got a rejection email this cycle, called them back and asked what I could do. They reviewed my application and said they don't know how they missed me but invited me to a late interview and I got accepted that following week. The dean even told me upfront in an interview he was going to try to get me in. Make sure you call back if they send you a rejection, you'll get some answers there.

 

[krdeuce]

December 1st.

You don't have to improve anything but this then, honestly. Your stats are good enough to get in, you just applied when most schools were already almost full

 

[Sweet_Tooth]

I don't think your DAT score is low enough to merit a retake? Your gpa is a little low though but I mean you could just take post bacc classes to raise it a little.

And also I straight up told the ADCOMs that I was pre med, went to nursing, didn't like it and so I withdrew and I thought about what I wanted to do. I narrowed my decisions down to vet school and dental school and that I didn't like vet because they have to put animals down but other than that I do think that what they do is really interesting. The putting animals down tho, not something I wanted to do. I love animals myself, I had volunteer experience in conservation parks, and had they asked about that I would have just said that I believe in being green, I think it's important to at least care a little bit about where you'll live in the future. I told someone about how I told them I thought of vet school and dental school and they were shocked but I mean come on, you're deciding about what career you want to enter for the rest of your life. Also, it's not wrong to be interested in what other professions do, **** if you're entering dentistry, I hope you're interested in ANY and ALL aspects of medicine because, in a way, that's what dentistry is too. What you want to divert your time to outside of work (volunteer, etc) is up to you. Just make sure the reason why you want to enter dentistry in the first place is for the right reason. Yes I told them I had considered vet school but the reason why I wanted to get into dentistry was legit enough for them.

I really don't think you need to go off and get a masters.. That's me though.. The reason why you didn't get any interviews may just be because you applied pretty late. Wait for them to reject you, call each of the schools back, ask what more you could do to improve yourself next cycle, and see what they say. If they recommend a masters or a DAT retake then there you go. Most of the time they'll tell you what you did wrong or what you could do, they like that you're willing to take the initiative to become a better applicant for them.

****, I got a rejection email this cycle, called them back and asked what I could do. They reviewed my application and said they don't know how they missed me but invited me to a late interview and I got accepted that following week. The dean even told me upfront in an interview he was going to try to get me in. Make sure you call back if they send you a rejection, you'll get some answers there.

That's crazy, I didn't realize it was possible to reverse a rejection decision! Point noted for when I'll be applying

 

[barunling]

Your stats aren't bad, gpa a little low but still.

 

[Sissi Romy]

Did you actually received a rejection letter from each school? It's still early yet. You should write an email ("letter of intent") to each of the school that has not sent you a rejection letter and emphasize your post bac work, etc. Make your case while the schools are still dealing with applicants dropping them for other schools this week. Make your case strongly. I think your application was late in the cycle but hopefully they will dig your app out and give you a second look. I think there will be lots of movements at the private schools (hopefully you applied to some of them) these coming weeks, you might eke out an interview and possibly, an acceptance. Don't give up yet unless all the schools you applied to have formally rejected you. I have 5 more schools that still state on AADSAS "Application under review". And like @niv3k mentions, also send an email to the schools that actually rejected you, but asking them how you could improve your application this coming year. I have seen acceptances as late as May 21 (Maryland) in previous years, and Case Western just barely sent out interview invites to a friend of mine this last week.