question about Fall course load while studying for DAT

[tRNA]

PLEEEEEZ sdners help me out here, I don't want to do something and then regret it later, I don't want to start a new thread but after all your replies I have called about 5 schools and all said that taking 6 hours won't affect my chances of acceptance, should I believe them, or is the admission process just too complicated to simplify it that much

my original question was:
I am currently preparing for the DATand don't think I will be able to wrap it up in 2 months so I am thinking of stretching out the studying even during fall semester of 2005 and then take the DAT around December... therefore I am thinking of registering for only 6 hours (2 upper level science courses) for the fall so I can have the majority of time to study the DAT.....would dental schools frown upon that ie seeing only 6 hours in a 5 month fall semester??? provided that I am very close to graduation...only have 6 classes and 2 labs left

By the way I am not applying untill 2007 round
Pleeeeeeeeze advice
have a great day

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[r0entgen]

Hey All,
Have a quick question for you:
I am currently preparing for the DATand don't think I will be able to wrap it up in 2 months so I am thinking of stretching out the studying even during fall semester of 2005 and then take the DAT around October... therefore I am thinking of registering for only 6 hours for the fall to take Human anatomy w/ lab and toxicology so I can have the majority of time to study the DAT.....would dental schools frown upon that ie seeing only 6 hours in a 5 month fall semester??? provided that I am very close to graduation...only have 6 classes and 2 labs left

By the way I am not applying untill 2007 round
Pleeeeeeeeze advice
have a great day

if a dental school considers the rigorousness of your course load, this will definitely be a problem...i mean, who can't do well on the DAT when they spend 7 months studying for it? i would take the MINIMUM amount of credits that will still make you a full-time student...

the thing is, the DAT is *supposedly* testing you over material you've learned through your pre-dental classes...and if it is taking you 7 months to prepare for it, something is definitely wrong...and i'm sure the dental schools will see that if you only take 6 credits...

 

[KSDDS]

If you are applying for the 2006 cycle, taking the DAT in October or later might be pushing it a bit. From what I understand, your application will not be reviewed until all of your materials are received and its best to have everything in by early september. 2 months is a lot of time to prepare for the DAT as long as you use that time wisely. Find a few hours each day to study your materials and sign up for a Kaplan class. You'll be ready by the end of August for sure and then you will not have to worry about taking the test during school.

 

[wimmcs]

I took my DAT during the Fall semester and it was tough. I took 3 upper div. science classes (Biochem, Cell Bio and Micro) and it was very hard to concentrate on any of my classes while studying for the DAT. Fortuanately most of the material covered during my first test in those 3 classes was essentially review, so I took my DAT on a Friday and studied for the weekend for 2 exams on Monday and one on Tuesday.. it worked out just fine.
I would concentrate as much as possible to study this whole summer as much as possible and take at least 9 hrs. in the Fall. Try to stay away from pushing the DAT to October because I do believe is cutting it close. For me, middle of Sept. was a huge push.. if I had to do it again, I would take it at the latest during the first or second week of classes, preferrably before the Fall semester begins. Good luck!

 

[tRNA]

thanks for alll your replies, I thought that would create a problem too, but.......I just called NYU, Howard, Temple, Tufts, BU, and Mehrrey and I told them that I am planning to take only 6 hours in the fall semester, because I will be preparing for the DAT's, would that affect my acceptance chances??

and all schools said NO, as long as you finished all your prereq's and you have a degree by the time you apply, sooo........should I believe them and go ahead and take my 6 hours this semester, or not??? Is there a trick somewhere...ie does it depend on the GPA, etc...? ie if GPA is high they don't care how many hours, but if its average or low then they care! anyways what should I do...bec. I really need that time to study

thanks again