Preparing over the summer before senior year

[dleodyddlek]

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I somehow came up with this plan.

I'm a junior with 3.62 GPA and I have a few EC on club activities, research and few more things.

Since I lack shadowing experience (only about 10hrs a year ago), volunteer work, and haven't started studying for DAT, I might send app this end of May while taking my first DAT around the same time and then as the summer starts, study for DAT intensively, start shadowing or volunteer work at private dental office to add upto 50+ or more hours and get a LOR from dentist. Then I retake DAT at the end of Aug or beginning of Sep and send the new scores in.

Will it work? If I send the new scores in, does that gurantee that the committee will look through my app over again? Will it be too late by then? and do I get a chance to update my shadowing and volunteer hours up with the app? I'm confused 🙁

What do you guys think?

 

[zdlamkin8195]

I hope it works because I'm going to be doing the same thing lol...

 

[blankguy]

You are cutting it close. It will work but your application won't be complete until you've done the shadowing and taken the DAT. I retook my DAT late aug and proceeded to land two interviews pre dec1st. The LOR will be processed as part of your application so that could hold up your application from being complete.

 

[wigglytooth]

I somehow came up with this plan.

I'm a junior with 3.62 GPA and I have a few EC on club activities, research and few more things.

Since I lack shadowing experience (only about 10hrs a year ago), volunteer work, and haven't started studying for DAT, I might send app this end of May while taking my first DAT around the same time and then as the summer starts, study for DAT intensively, start shadowing or volunteer work at private dental office to add upto 50+ or more hours and get a LOR from dentist. Then I retake DAT at the end of Aug or beginning of Sep and send the new scores in.

Will it work? If I send the new scores in, does that gurantee that the committee will look through my app over again? Will it be too late by then? and do I get a chance to update my shadowing and volunteer hours up with the app? I'm confused 🙁

What do you guys think?

1. You can send your app out before taking the DAT. I wouldn't rush studying for the DAT, and I definitely wouldn't "plan" on taking it again. The ADCOMs will be able to see both of your scores, and for the most part, do not "mix and match" your scores to give you the best scores. Just do well the first time and you save yourself a ton of aggravation. That said, a midpoint (like Mid-June) might be good, if you want some time to take it over just in case. I think that will give you a retake date of about mid-august.

2. I suggest shadowing and studying at the same time. It gave me the light at the end of the tunnel while studying for the DAT. You can shadow every week for 3-5 hours and really rack up hours. Same with volunteering. And you're not cutting much out of your study time if you do it consistently and spaced out this way.

3. LOR from the dentist is good, but they won't know you if you shadow only a few weeks with them. Get the LORs you need from people that know you already, and then send in the extra LOR later if you think it would help. You also don't want to overdo it with sending LORs, so be wary of that. You can prove you did your shadowing by talking about it during your interview (aka. Interviewer: Why do you want to be a dentist? You: Main initial reasons, and btw I had this great experience with Dr. Tooth over the summer...etc)

4. You can put all of your planned stuff on AADSAS so that committees know when you're thinking of taking the DAT and your projection of how much shadowing/volunteering you'll be doing.

 

[CMistry]

4. You can put all of your planned stuff on AADSAS so that committees know when you're thinking of taking the DAT and your projection of how much shadowing/volunteering you'll be doing.

You can? I recall it saying that the volunteering must be done by time of application. Also there is NO update window for volunteering / shadowing, only for Fall semester grades.

-Cyrus

 

[1992Corolla]

You can? I recall it saying that the volunteering must be done by time of application. Also there is NO update window for volunteering / shadowing, only for Fall semester grades.

-Cyrus

So put in the box th future dates of planned event. They will get the picture that you will be doing this work. Bring a letter from the dentist and if they bring it up during the interview you can bust it out.

These are minor things compared to your GPA/DAT

 

[wigglytooth]

You can? I recall it saying that the volunteering must be done by time of application. Also there is NO update window for volunteering / shadowing, only for Fall semester grades.

-Cyrus

yeah...for example, the summer i applied i knew i was going to volunteer once a week for around 4 hours a week at a dental clinic. i submitted in june before all the hours was done. so i wrote june-aug. and then i estimated my total hours. no one gave me any fuss about doing that.