Re-Applying

[MB111]

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In guys, in your opinion, which is the highest chance to get accepted if i'm re-applying?

Go to dental hygiene college
Get a dental-assisting job
Do another year of undergrad (after my bachelors) in hopes to boost up mark

I'm trying not to consider masters as it takes 2 years to complete and btw, do schools not like it / not consider it if you're applying to dental school without having complete your masters degree (like after 1 year of masters?)

Thanks so much for your help and any feedback is appreciated!

 

[whydentistry]

In guys, in your opinion, which is the highest chance to get accepted if i'm re-applying?

Go to dental hygiene college
Get a dental-assisting job
Do another year of undergrad (after my bachelors) in hopes to boost up mark

I'm trying not to consider masters as it takes 2 years to complete and btw, do schools not like it / not consider it if you're applying to dental school without having complete your masters degree (like after 1 year of masters?)

Thanks so much for your help and any feedback is appreciated!

It all depends what the weak point in your application was. If your grades were low aka low gpa then boost it if you can. If it was low DAT scores, retake it and try to score higher.
If you didn't have enough experience get a job in dental field, keep shadowing, or volunteer. I don't think you no to go to dental hygiene college, that's a little much to me.

Improve one or two things and try try again!

Best of luck to you

 

[Cymbidium]

I think hygiene school is more than one year. Or at least the program my sister did was 2 years.

 

[bodiddely]

There are one year certificate programs to boost your application if your undergrad GPA is low. Many have the option of completing a second year for a masters degree.

What is your undergrad gpa (science, bcp, and overall?) and what were your DAT scores? How many hours of volunteering and shadowing did you have? The answer to your question depends on these things.

Going to hygiene school is definitely not the answer. Working as an assistant would be a plus but should be ancillary to improving your academic record via post bacc work and/or a DAT retake if necessary.

 

[denticus]

In guys, in your opinion, which is the highest chance to get accepted if i'm re-applying?

Go to dental hygiene college
Get a dental-assisting job
Do another year of undergrad (after my bachelors) in hopes to boost up mark

I'm trying not to consider masters as it takes 2 years to complete and btw, do schools not like it / not consider it if you're applying to dental school without having complete your masters degree (like after 1 year of masters?)

Thanks so much for your help and any feedback is appreciated!

I am a reapplicant and I must say, having gone through this dreaded process a second time, that no matter how much WE HATE TO ADMIT IT and no matter how much we try to DOWNPLAY the reality of it, we will never be able to ignore the fact that at the end of the day ADCOMS love STATS, STATS, STATS!!! As far a graduate degrees...masters "can" help but a PhD is really the one, for obvious reasons, that has the propencity to compensate for poor stats. I would suggest just taking more classes to boost your GPA and study your heart out (perhaps through taking prep courses) for the DAT. Yes, extracurriculars are helpful and yes, degrees themselves can "tip the balance in your favor" but none of it will ever reach the tier of importance as a solid GPA/sGPA and DAT score can provide for you. That said, ask yourself what's more important? My experience has suggested to me that taking steps that will lead to increases in my GPA/sGPA and DAT scores will pay-off the most in the end. Having spoken to a number of adcoms through my tenure as dental applicant has convinced me that this is the case. Take classes, classes, classes...and do well in them if you have the desire within you. Study, study, study like mad for the DAT! I know this sounds trivial but I'm pretty sure you already knew the answer and just needed someone to spell it out for you.

BTW, my first time through the application process, you know, the one that I got rejected from every school and didn't get invited to a single interview by any school. Yeah, anyway, at that time, I had already been a published co-author 3 times, was an NCAA All-American, Spanish biligual, worked 2 YEARS!!! as a dental assistant, was involved in Sigma Delta Pi, the pre-medical club, the cancer research center, was an assistant scoutmaster to a local troop, and had worked full-time in a lab while going to school full-time and running track for my school full-time. Well, despite all of these extracurriculars, and as I said before, I got no love. Why? because none of that STUFF will compensate for poor STATS, STATS, STATS. You could have the midas touch and they would still care less about you without your stats.

Anyway, hate to write so much but I figured I have a story to share with people like you since I've already been rejected through a cycle before...and I now know the reason why. Good luck!!!

 

[blankguy]

They love stats because it is the simplest way to weed people out. However if you have decent stats with something that stands out like a sore thumb(that is something positive) they may pick you too.

 

[MB111]

well, my GPA and DAT are just at those borderline areas.

gpa 3.42 and DAT, i wrote twice. I have 18/17 on RC, 18/17 on PAT, 18/20 TS, 18/19 AA, 23/24 Carving (first mark/second mark)

and this is my friend's, who is also desperately trying to get a position
gpa 3.34 and DAT: 18/17 RC, 19/18 PAT, 20/21 TS, 20/20 AA, 11/20 Carving

like 65 hours of shadowing a GP, had research experience (working, and research courses), but not much extracurricular (in terms of sports and clubs), and no publications.

yah hygiene takes 2 years but don't you think i could apply mid-way thru the program?

i applied to 7 u.s. schools interviewed at 1 place. but my aadsas application did go in like in October and the schools saw it early Nov. that's maybe the problem. but still, i haven't heard from so manyy schools.

BTW, we're canadian so it's hard to choose schools that are private and relatively easy to get into! >.< What should me and my friend do? thanks for the feedback, guys

 

[dentcouple]

My wife is in a masters program right now in microbiology and we asked the schools that we got accepted to if she absolutely had to graduate to matriculate and they told us no. they said that they based their decision primarily on undergrad stats and that was it. Although it was a good conversation booster for her at interviews, but i think that was about all it did. I think that most important thing is just showing them that you're not lazy and are keeping your self busy until you apply the next time. i would take classes to boost the GPA a bit though.

 

[dr bojangles]

In guys, in your opinion, which is the highest chance to get accepted if i'm re-applying?

Go to dental hygiene college
Get a dental-assisting job
Do another year of undergrad (after my bachelors) in hopes to boost up mark

I'm trying not to consider masters as it takes 2 years to complete and btw, do schools not like it / not consider it if you're applying to dental school without having complete your masters degree (like after 1 year of masters?)

Thanks so much for your help and any feedback is appreciated!

my suggestion.....don't do DH program unless you want to be a hygienist as a backup career if you don't make dentistry (plus, you said you don't want to spend 2 years). dental assisting also usually requires certification, e.g. taking courses of at least a few months. i'd say do more undergrad (high level science) to improve grades. also, there are masters programs that can be done in 1 year, check schools in your area. also, dental schools are different in accepting students that are in the middle of a degree or completed a degree. for this, also check the specific dental school websites.