Hey bud,
I am not saying Pacific WILL give you an interview just because you have a high DAT of like....99% tile and just because you visited the school. I am just saying what Pacific would LIKE to see on your DAT scores that's all. It's not BS, they really do look at your DAT that way. Now under the surface, I don't know how they actually DO calculate DAT sections but I can tell you if you took your DAT multiple times, they mix and match the best scores from each sections.
Every setion is imporant except QR being not as important. Plenty of my classmates got like a 14, 15, 16 on their QR and some of them never even hit the 20 mark on the PAT. However, MOST of us do have a 20 or above on the AA that I promise you. Ya ya..we're not being competitive, just like a casual conversation over dinner among classmates.
It's the overall package what the school is looking for. Again, I was told by the recruiter. My school likes high DAT, UPWARD trend in your GPA, and we really really like leaderships and community services.
Plenty of people go visit Pacific and tell them it's their #1. I did that, a good number of my classmates did that, my buddy who's applying right now did that(worked for him,) some of my other friends did that. It worked for some of us and did not for the others. I don't know what the admissions is looking for really and like the other person pointed out...ya I dont know and I'll admit to that. I can only tell you what can increase your CHANCES of being selected based on what I was told and learned that's all. I never promised or guaranteed some of you guys anything.
Hey Peerless, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called your solid advice BS. I've been on SDN for a couple of years and I've appreciated watching your journey getting into Pacific off the waitlist and hearing your advice. Everything you've said is true, I'm just another predental applicant who thinks Pacific is the bomb (I was offended by that urbandictionary entry too) and I was hoping to get an interview there because I thought I'd done everything right. And I'm anxious for Dec. 1st like everyone else, so I have nothing else to do but get on SDN to rant about whatever bugs me at the time.
That being said, I still think that there are two ways to get in to Pacific.
First is to follow your advice: do well on all the sections of the DAT, let the school know it's your number one school, and have an overall well balanced application (decent GPA, service, leadership, etc.). This might get you an acceptance, but maybe not. Even though these are the things that Pacific cares about, it doesn't guarantee an interview. I'm sorry if I've come off as jerk or that I think I deserve an interview.
However, I still hold that the more sure way to get into Pacific is through an alumni connection. I only know three people at my school that have interviewed at UoP this year. One's father went there, another's big brother went there (and graduated top of his class 2 years ago), and the last one purposefully made a connection with an alumni. All three have good applications, but so do all my friends who didn't get interviews.
I totally agree that the alumni connection is important anywhere, but it's more important at Pacific for two reasons:
1. Because UoP interviews a smaller number of people (aka, if you've been interviewed pre Dec 1st, you're pretty much in), the alumni effect gets magnified. If UoP interviewed 500 people, it wouldn't matter as much if your alumni connection got your foot in the door. But at Pacific interview=acceptance 99% of the time (direct quote from an admissions staff), and alumni connection=pre Dec interview, so therefore alumni connection = acceptance. So now take into consideration that Pacific interviews less than many schools, and therefore many of those precious preDec spots are take up by applicant with connections.
2. Because UoP students love their school so much, they are more likely to encourage their relatives/friends to go there as well. They're one big family and so these connections mean so much more.
If all this rambling seems pointless, I'm sorry. But what I'm trying to get at is this: If you really want to be sure you'll get into Pacific, find yourself a good connection. Make sure you do well on the DAT and other areas, but none of that will guarantee an acceptance. I'm not saying you can't get in without a connection, I'm just saying the odds are stacked against you.
And again, no disrespect for you (Peerless), UoP, or Dugoni. I admire everything about Pacific and would love to go there.
