Pretty depressed.. screwed for this cycle?

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I have been a lurker for about 2 years, getting a ton of info from SDN. I did not do well in college when I was younger and took some time off to work. I decided to go back to school and pursue dentistry. I applied on the first day of the cycle, and my app is ready for the 7/2 mailing. My AADSAS total gpa is 2.8x, with a BCP of 3.3, and sgpa of 3.0. My recent college gpa which has the highest amount of credits by far (about 100 in 2 years) is 3.5. I applied to 20 schools.

I finally took the DAT last week, and I studied my ass off for it 12 hours a day for a month, 6 hours a day for the month before, and whenever I could find time for 3 months prior to that. For each section i was unsure of approx. 10% of the questions, because I didn't understand what was being asked or had never heard of anything about the topic in relation to the question. It sounds weird, but I have specific examples however I will not post them due to the rules of the exam.

My scores were:
PAT: 20
QR: 18
RC: 20
OC: 18
GC: 18
BIO: 19
TS: 18
AA: 19

The optimistic part of me is thinking, well, "they're all 18 and over and well rounded, close together.. that looks good" The pessimistic side of me just opened up about 15 tabs in firefox with all the SDN scores from the past few days, and 90% were 20 AA or over, the rest 19.

I was thinking of retaking, but the earliest I can retake is the middle of September which really kills me. It would have been much easier to study hardcore for another 4-6 weeks than to wait 90 days. Plus, it'll also be later in the application cycle.

I have several questions, which I would REALLY appreciate input on:

1. If I were lucky enough to get interviews in the first round (app going out 7/2), could I expect to be notified about them before the beginning of September? I can study and prepare for the retake, but if I get a decent number of interviews.. whatever I decide that is at the time.. I may choose not to retake it.

2. If I decide to retake it, and since my app is going out soon which has everything with it, is there any way to have another look taken? If my app isn't strong enough because of my DAT scores now, if I retake the DAT in September, would I be able to have it reconsidered for the same cycle? I know at that point it is already later into the cycle, but I'll take any consideration I can get.

I feel that my personal statement is strong, EC's pretty good however no research, and there is a strong upward trend in gpa. I really wanted my DAT AA/TS to be a 20 minimum. Also, my AA of 19 was in the 85.x percentile, so it could have been one of the more difficult versions. Too bad that isn't what is looked at :-(

I would appreciate any input.. thank you for taking the time to read my lengthy post!

 

[afsheen21]

you need to calm down!!!!! you are being too hard on yourself. im sure theres alot of people like you. not everybody has a stellar 3.7 gpa, youre a well rounded person. You've had an ACTUAL job before, most applicants are just little 21 year olds out of undergrad. You DAT scores are pretty good, theyre average. average meaning, LOTS of people have those scores and probably similiar gpas. give yourself a little more credit. dont freak out! and just hope you get in. BE OPTIMISTIC!!! i hope you do well and get in. and remember you're not only competing against people with 3.7s and like a 26 on their DATs, there's alot of people like you! hang in there. send it out and get it in!! you got thiss

 

[UndergradGuy7]

Look at some stats on school websites. Average gpa lets say 3.4 and DAT is 19.

That is the average. This means some people scored below 19, some scored above 19 and it averaged out to 19. You did right at average.

Your overall GPA (2.8) is somewhat low. But your BCP (which I think is more important) is 3.3 which is fine. You also said you have an upward trend.

Apply and see how it goes.

Some interviews start in ~sept, nov, dec and continue on. Depends on school.

 

[dentalWorks]

2.8 GPA, I am sorry to tell you, is just not competitive.

I understand you have a nice upward trend and all, but this dentistry bussiness is still a numbers game. At this very point in time, there isn't much you can do. I mean you've already applied to 20+ schools, I am sure (since ur so early) you will get interviews, if you got good interpersonal skills, you might actually pull it off.

 

[DatSlayer]

Anything can happen because my friend got into Howard Dental in DC with stats similar to yours, 19AA and 3.0gpa. I think he was really lucky. If you don't get in this year, try to get a master degree with very high grades. Retake DAT. You have to try harder then most to get in dental school. If it is your passion to be a dentist then you do whatever it takes..
Good luck and best wishes.

 

[whale86]

u applied super early and ur DAT scores are not bad. yes, they arent as crazy as other SDNers here but trust me u have a shot. i personally know many many people who had similar stats and got multiple interviews. believe in yourself!

 

[flyingforever]

Feedback- life is full of surprises, so don't be disheartened. I wish the best for you. Keep working hard, someday it will pay off.

Take an example-

I am re-applicant as well.
I belong to a working-class family and currently have no health insurance for last 5 years.
I was the first one to graduate from college in my family.
I am a cancer survivor.
But I never learned to gave up.

 

[darkwalk]

In my opinion, you are a little lower in the competitive scale. Sure, you might get in this round, but you have to ask yourself whether you are willing to do this all over again or do it right the first time?

If you wait one year and retake the DAT, do you think you will do better? Perhaps 21AA? If you think you can, then, I would wait. One year doesn't matter much. You can do something unique for your extra curricular and boost your application even more.

 

[chromosome21]

Feedback- life is full of surprises, so don't be disheartened. I wish the best for you. Keep working hard, someday it will pay off.

Take an example-

I am re-applicant as well.
I belong a working-class family and currently have no health insurance for last 5 years.
I was the first one to graduate from college in my family.
I am a cancer survivor.
But I never learned to gave up.

wow.. you inspire me!

To the op, I haven't taken the DAT yet, but I think you should look at the stats of the schools and contact the schools to get more idea. Good luck!

Could you please explain how the test was harder and that you didn't know half of the topics on the test? thx

 

[doc toothache]

So what's with the rush to take 100 credit hours in 2 years and settling for a 3.5?

 

[americanpierg]

Anything can happen because my friend got into Howard Dental in DC with stats similar to yours, 19AA and 3.0gpa. I think he was really lucky. If you don't get in this year, try to get a master degree with very high grades. Retake DAT. You have to try harder then most to get in dental school. If it is your passion to be a dentist then you do whatever it takes..
Good luck and best wishes.

Howard is a whole different animal. It's harder for a 4.0gpa 24AA caucasian male from an affluent upper class family to get into howard than it is for a 3.0 19AA african american male from a lower class blue collar family.

oh, and as for OP, 2.8 and 19AA doesnt mean you wont get it, but it means the chances are like one in ten thousand and you should really plan on a backup plan.

 

[dentalWorks]

So what's with the rush to take 100 credit hours in 2 years and settling for a 3.5?

actually doc, I thought that was pretty impressive. I am guessing this guy was pushing 18-20 credits per term and some summer courses.

But yeh, had he done it in....say.... 3 years, he woulda prolly had a solid 4.0

 

[dentalWorks]

Howard is a whole different animal. It's harder for a 4.0gpa 24AA caucasian male from an affluent upper class family to get into howard than it is for a 3.0 19AA african american male from a lower class blue collar family.

oh, and as for OP, 2.8 and 19AA doesnt mean you wont get it, but it means the chances are like one in ten thousand and you should really plan on a backup plan.

1 in 10,000? Sounds a bit harsh. I'd guess his chances are more than 50/1000

 

[americanpierg]

1 in 10,000? Sounds a bit harsh. I'd guess his chances are more than 50/1000

I agree my odds were a little too low, but theres about 10,000 applicants a year im assuming, so 500 getting in with 2.8 and 19 also seems wayyy too high

 

[gorrillaunit18]

Anything can happen because my friend got into Howard Dental in DC with stats similar to yours, 19AA and 3.0gpa. I think he was really lucky. If you don't get in this year, try to get a master degree with very high grades. Retake DAT. You have to try harder then most to get in dental school. If it is your passion to be a dentist then you do whatever it takes..
Good luck and best wishes.

...read back your statement to yourself and you should get a laugh.


IT'S HOWARD FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!!

 

[Troyvdg]

...read back your statement to yourself and you should get a laugh.


IT'S HOWARD FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!!

geeze a little harsh.

 

[Feedback]

actually doc, I thought that was pretty impressive. I am guessing this guy was pushing 18-20 credits per term and some summer courses.

But yeh, had he done it in....say.... 3 years, he woulda prolly had a solid 4.0

21 Credits for two semesters, 18 for the other two, and lots of classes during breaks.

Doc: What's the rush? I could have graduated dental school right about now. I gave up my job to focus on school. With no income, why sit at home when I could be taking credits? No offense to anyone, but once you have some sort of job where tasks need to be completed in a regular manner at a certain time, and your financial well-being depends on the completion of those tasks, 40+ hours per week, undergrad is kind of a joke. Some people already have those skills when they enter, coupled with determination. I didn't. Life is short, and I put my experience to use.

And.. 3.5 compared to 4.. there wasn't really much I could do about that. I had a few classes where the professors just refused to give A's (in the sciences) essentially screwing me, and angering the hell out of me because I knew what I deserved, but what can you do?

To those who posted kind words of encouragement, I appreciate it! It really helps to be optimistic, especially since the app is in and all there is to do is wait for now.

To those who were more critical, I also appreciate it, because sugar coating something never helps anyone.

I just have some questions again from the original topic:

Has anyone ever applied, and retaken the DAT for the second time in the middle of the cycle? If so, how did the schools look at that?

Did they reconsider your application if they had already made a decision? Did it lead to an interview/acceptance you may not have received based on the previous scores?

Did you contact schools beforehand to see if you should retake? If so, at what point during the app cycle?

 

[Feedback]

Could you please explain how the test was harder and that you didn't know half of the topics on the test? thx

"For each section i was unsure of approx. 10% of the questions, because I didn't understand what was being asked or had never heard of anything about the topic in relation to the question."

I knew all the topics on the test however there were just some questions in each section that just did not make sense to me. It is possible I was too critical about interpretation of the wording of each question. There are some examples I still remember from the exam in which I had a hard time understanding what they meant. For those questions, the choices didn't help either. I'm sure those were the questions that "set people apart" from the twenties and the teens. Everything else was extremely basic fundamentals. I'm sure I made a few silly mistakes here and there as well.

In terms of being harder, all I know is that my AA percentile was close to 86, for a 19, that seems substantially higher than many other posts I've seen with 19 AA percentiles. Maybe I'm just trying to find an excuse as to why I didn't do as well as I had hoped.

 

[dentalWorks]

21 Credits for two semesters, 18 for the other two, and lots of classes during breaks.

Doc: What's the rush? I could have graduated dental school right about now. I gave up my job to focus on school. With no income, why sit at home when I could be taking credits? No offense to anyone, but once you have some sort of job where tasks need to be completed in a regular manner at a certain time, and your financial well-being depends on the completion of those tasks, 40+ hours per week, undergrad is kind of a joke. Some people already have those skills when they enter, coupled with determination. I didn't. Life is short, and I put my experience to use.

And.. 3.5 compared to 4.. there wasn't really much I could do about that. I had a few classes where the professors just refused to give A's (in the sciences) essentially screwing me, and angering the hell out of me because I knew what I deserved, but what can you do?

To those who posted kind words of encouragement, I appreciate it! It really helps to be optimistic, especially since the app is in and all there is to do is wait for now.

To those who were more critical, I also appreciate it, because sugar coating something never helps anyone.

I just have some questions again from the original topic:

Has anyone ever applied, and retaken the DAT for the second time in the middle of the cycle? If so, how did the schools look at that?

Did they reconsider your application if they had already made a decision? Did it lead to an interview/acceptance you may not have received based on the previous scores?

Did you contact schools beforehand to see if you should retake? If so, at what point during the app cycle?

I like your attitude 👍 Sounds very mature. Man when you end up landing an interview, your gonna knock em dead

 

[Feedback]

I like your attitude 👍 Sounds very mature. Man when you end up landing an interview, your gonna knock em dead

Haha.. that is what I keep thinking too. Thanks for the vote of confidence! I have tried really hard to be laid back about the situation, knowing I was doing everything I could. I didn't really want to post one of those "do I have a shot threads" because I know it can vary for each individual, but my DAT score was the worst in terms of knowing what to do. If I had gotten one point lower on the AA, I would retake without a second thought. If I just got one point higher, I would be happy and just see how everything plays out. That 19 is really right in the middle to me and made me nervous. Oh well, July 2nd is coming soon, hopefully everyone on the forums will have interview invitations by Aug. 😀

Things are definitely starting to feel better.. thanks everyone!

 

[peanutb123]

...read back your statement to yourself and you should get a laugh.


IT'S HOWARD FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!!

I wouldnt put down d-schools like that if I were you. All these dentist will be your colleagues one day an equal. Would you say that to their face then?

and its not like Howard is accepting all 14k applicats per cycle right. They take into consideration of many factors. They want to provide opportunity to kids that never had many opportunities available due to so many factors. Not everyone is born with a silver spoon stuck up their a*$ like you.

Lets say if you dont get into any D-school and howard is the only one that gave you an opportunity wouldnt you go. So stop bsing and stay on the topic.

 

[FreeFallin]

Haha.. that is what I keep thinking too. Thanks for the vote of confidence! I have tried really hard to be laid back about the situation, knowing I was doing everything I could. I didn't really want to post one of those "do I have a shot threads" because I know it can vary for each individual, but my DAT score was the worst in terms of knowing what to do. If I had gotten one point lower on the AA, I would retake without a second thought. If I just got one point higher, I would be happy and just see how everything plays out. That 19 is really right in the middle to me and made me nervous. Oh well, July 2nd is coming soon, hopefully everyone on the forums will have interview invitations by Aug. 😀

Things are definitely starting to feel better.. thanks everyone!

I was kinda feeling like you about the 19AA. But, then I got some very encouraging and supportive messages from a couple members here on the forum, and I do feel better. Plus, seems that schools will be looking at more than just the AA score. Our scores are similar, so I understand how you're feeling. I was just so glad to walk out of that testing center, open my sunroof in the car, and pump up my music. Relief is the best way I could describe it. Anyways, here's mine since you've shared yours:

AA 19
TS 19
PAT 21
BIO 20
GC 19
OC 18
RC 20
QR 16

I hope I have a chance.

Good luck to you as well! Good luck to everyone!