Nothing is impossible...

[Zevir]

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Right? Well I'm hoping the experts here on SDN can help me out. I've been lurking here for a couple weeks and I finally decided to ask something I've been worried about.

I just finished my 2nd year at UGA and just finished slacking off too. I was dealing with immense personal issues (not a good excuse but it's my reason why) for my first two years of college that caused me to not put in a lot of effort in my classes. Now I can reach about a 3.0 sGPA/oGPA by next application cycle (in summer 2014 for fall 2015). I can easily make As in my classes with some effort. I plan on taking DAT in January of 2014. My question to you guys is do you think a DAT of 23/24+ in all categories will help me have a decent chance of getting in? I know I'm capable of that kind of score due to how I've done before on such exams (ACT/SAT). With the assumption I make that decent of a DAT score and I have my GPAs above 2.75, do I have a chance at the next cycle? Do you have any recommendations for schools that would take a low GPA, high DAT student? Or should I just wait for the summer after I graduate to apply?

Thanks for your help SDN and if you need any clarification or have any questions let me know. I'll take all advice into consideration as I'm determined (finally) to get into DS no matter what it takes.

 

[123987]

I'm in the same boat looking for advice as well,

Facts:
Male, Asian American (Born in the US parents are from Afghanistan), 26, Government and International Degree with a 3.2 gpa (I worked all throughout undergrad), I plan on going back to get the prereq's done while working full time for the Smithsonian and I will shoot for no less than 3.5 sgpa, I want at least a 21+ on the DAT's plus I will be starting a part-time volunteer position at a dental office this month.

I want to apply in June 1st, 2014 (the very first day it opens), the school I want to go to is, VCU mainly, but I am open to Maryland, UoP, Temple, NYU but i really want to get into VCU. I am a VA resident and have lived here for almost my whole life (i was born in Jersey).

Question:
With that record and projections, how competitive am I, and would you think VCU might accept me?

Thanks!

 

[emorypredent]

I think you should aim for a higher DAT/take more classes to raise your gpa. Assuming you went to GMU (random guess), this is especially true dice they frequently have higher GPAs than some schools like UVA.


I hope I do not come under fire for this, but when filling out AADSAS leave race blank. Self-identifying as Asian won't help you.

 

[Zevir]

I think you should aim for a higher DAT/take more classes to raise your gpa. Assuming you went to GMU (random guess), this is especially true dice they frequently have higher GPAs than some schools like UVA.


I hope I do not come under fire for this, but when filling out AADSAS leave race blank. Self-identifying as Asian won't help you.

Where did this come from? I don't know how it's related to my post.

EDIT: Oh I see. I didn't realize I got threadjacked. Lol.

 

[emorypredent]

Sorry I am on my phone and completely missed your post. I think it's too early to tell for you. You still have half your college career left and your DAT. Essentially over 50% of your application is a blank slate. Obviously, if you get a 4.0 the next 2 yrs and a 24 DAT you'll have an EXCELLENT chance. So just do your best and stay focused.

 

[123987]

Sorry if i threadjacked you..haha...i posted a thread and no one replied..lol

 

[jmh018]

Really focus on your GPA. Planning to score 23/24+ in all sections without any practice showing you may score that high is a little lofty of a goal. That would put you in like the 99+ percentile of dental applicants, not an unintelligent group. ACT/SAT are not necessarily an indicator.

So the answer is yes that would be a big help but not even remotely something to plan on until you have practice under your belt indicating you might score that high.

Good luck

 

[Glimmer1991]

Right? Well I'm hoping the experts here on SDN can help me out. I've been lurking here for a couple weeks and I finally decided to ask something I've been worried about.

I just finished my 2nd year at UGA and just finished slacking off too. I was dealing with immense personal issues (not a good excuse but it's my reason why) for my first two years of college that caused me to not put in a lot of effort in my classes. Now I can reach about a 3.0 sGPA/oGPA by next application cycle (in summer 2014 for fall 2015). I can easily make As in my classes with some effort. I plan on taking DAT in January of 2014. My question to you guys is do you think a DAT of 23/24+ in all categories will help me have a decent chance of getting in? I know I'm capable of that kind of score due to how I've done before on such exams (ACT/SAT). With the assumption I make that decent of a DAT score and I have my GPAs above 2.75, do I have a chance at the next cycle? Do you have any recommendations for schools that would take a low GPA, high DAT student? Or should I just wait for the summer after I graduate to apply?

The threadjack REALLY confused me at first. I know you're new, 123987, but that's some seriously bad etiquette, homie! 🙂

To the OP, I'm going to give you my honest thoughts. If you were actually able to accomplish what you're predicting--24+ on every section--I absolutely think schools would give you a shot. However, this is a VERY lofty goal. I mean, seriously. You're aiming for near perfection on every single portion of the test, as missing 1-2 questions in a section can knock a person all the way down to a 26 sometimes. This is something to strive for, obviously, but not something to expect. There is a bit of luck involved with this test, as you may or may not get a version that is as well-suited as possible to what you've learned. And some of the sections may be incredibly difficult. You comment on your SAT scores, so here's this: I scored a 750 writing/780 reading on the SAT. On the DAT, I had an INCREDIBLY hard RC section and it ended up being my lowest score (a 21). I scored a 710 on the math section of the SAT, and also ended up with a 21 on the QR section. I rocked the sciences and the PAT, though, so there's that. I'm just trying to say that your SAT performance won't dictate your performance here... it all depends on the test you get.

Luckily, though, even if you can't accomplish those scores, I don't think hope is lost. Take lots of upper-level sciences this year and make As in EVERYTHING. Get your GPA up as high as possible. Make sure you're involved and volunteer. So long as your GPA is above average, I think you can do it. It may take two application cycles in case something doesn't work the first time, but that's pretty common. Your goal of attending dental school is definitely still within reach. I think you will need a GPA of at least a 3.2, though. Get it up there before trying. It's true that people with 3.0s get in, but I think they have other areas of their applications that are just absolutely stellar.

I hope this helps and that it wasn't too harsh! 🙂 I didn't mean it to be, but we all know that stuff sometimes sounds a bit "meaner" in writing than we mean for it to. Also, when it comes time to you to prepare for the DAT, make sure you check the links in my signature. Best of luck to you!

 

[doc toothache]

I just finished my 2nd year at UGA and just finished slacking off too. I was dealing with immense personal issues (not a good excuse but it's my reason why) for my first two years of college that caused me to not put in a lot of effort in my classes. Now I can reach about a 3.0 sGPA/oGPA by next application cycle (in summer 2014 for fall 2015). I can easily make As in my classes with some effort. I plan on taking DAT in January of 2014. My question to you guys is do you think a DAT of 23/24+ in all categories will help me have a decent chance of getting in? I know I'm capable of that kind of score due to how I've done before on such exams (ACT/SAT). With the assumption I make that decent of a DAT score and I have my GPAs above 2.75, do I have a chance at the next cycle? Do you have any recommendations for schools that would take a low GPA, high DAT student? Or should I just wait for the summer after I graduate to apply?

While it is possible to go from the bottom 3% of enrollees with a gpa below 2.75 to the top 0.7% of applicants with DAT scores of 24(+), shouldn't you at least wait for predictions until you have accomplished all those lofty metrics?

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=901073