No Good News

[ElCid]

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Okay, so its january and I have recieved two rejections so far out of the five schools I applied to. Boston (interviewed) and Temple (no interview). I had an interview at MUSC, but wont hear anything back until the end of Jan. I still havent heard anything from Pitt or UoP (no interview invites yet no rejection letters). Im pretty worried. BU was kind of a safety school and I got rejected - much to my suprise actually. MUSC is my first choice but if I didnt get in to BU, then I fear I probably wont get into MUSC🙁

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to improve my chances of getting in to MUSC (or anywhere) at this stage in the game? Is it too late to apply to other schools? My DAT was low (17/17/18, although I got a 24 in reading comp) and thats probably what is killing me - can/should I take it again this year?

This really sucks. If I dont get in to dental school then I am in a bind. I am an Army reserve officer and if I dont get in this year then I will probably be going to the middle east for at least a year. The Army isnt sending me now because they apparently want me as an active duty dentist more than just a 2LT reservist, but if I dont get in then I obviously wont be able to go through the application cycle again next year if im in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Its an ugly situation. Please share your advice, suggestions, and words of encouragement. I sure could use it right about now.

 

[ecdoesit]

It aint a bad thing to serve your country, seriously.
Why else do you want to sign up for military?

What's your GPA? 5 Schools are probably not enough. You should apply to more school if you really want to get into dental school next year. On your DAT, your science score should be high. Some school dont really care about high RC score that much.

 

[ItsGavinC]

You are living proof that:

a) so called "average" DAT scores don't work for everybody. In fact, they probably only work for only a minimal percentage and

b) schools applied to should be seriously considered. The admissions game is very complex and highly ridiculous at times. More than one "safety" school should be applied to. I'd personally apply to 3, as well as 4 good chance schools, and 3 reach schools.

But all hope isn't lost, you can certainly apply to more schools now, although you are getting late in the game. If this is the decision that you've made, then you really need to jump on it and get your scores and info to those schools. Fill out those secondaries as fast as they come in (same day turn-around if possible).

I know you'll be a fabulous dentist, so don't give up on it even if you don't get in this year. At that point you can view this year as a learning process, and you should be able to maximize your returns if you do indeed have to apply another year.

Keep your head up!

 

[ElCid]

Thanks for the advice (keep it coming🙂 )

How do I apply to more schools at this point? Do I need to go back through AADSAS?

Also, I would gladly go serve my country for as long as Im needed. Thats why Im in the Army Reserve. Im just concerned about my future AFTER. Getting deployed in the middle of trying to sort out my entire future just throws a huge wrench in the mechanics of it all. I couldnt go through the application process while I was gone and that would put me back ANOTHER year when I got back. (I was just whining, sorry).

 

[Bickle]

To add extra schools, you do need to go through AADSAS again. If you are going to do it, do it soon. January is considered a little late in the application cycle.

 

[hardingsk]

It might be too late, but University of Louisville is one of the schools I applied and was accepted to. I also have average DAT scores, but a high RC score (23). When I interviewed at Louisville, they told me that they put a lot of emphasis on the RC score because it shows you can gather info from what you've read, and they will teach you the rest, etc... I am not from KY either, but Louisville lets in a lot of out of staters. Good luck!

 

[comatose]

PMed you El Cid.