Hi,
Im really worried about by DAT score.
QR 16
OChem 17
Genchem 18
Bio 19
PAT 20
RC 20
AA 18
TS 18
I have a 3.4 science gpa and a 3.5 overall GPA. Is an AA of 18 and a low 16 QR not good enough to get in?? Should I retake it to try and get in this cycle?? Some people have mentioned safety schools such as NYU, Tufts, and Nova. Are there any others that I should apply to with these stats?
Hi!
If I were in your position, I would take two things into consideration: time and cost.
My GPA is pretty much the same as yours +/- 0.05. Prior to taking the DAT, I had told myself that I wouldn't apply if I scored lower than a 20. But for myself, it was only because money was something I needed to keep in mind.
If money is tight, I would definitely hold off on applying this cycle, study, and retake the DAT and apply next cycle. At this point, you wouldn't be able to retake until late November/early December, and by then, I'd be concerned that it is far too late. If you apply this year and don't get in, you would have to spend around $1000 or more (depending upon how many schools you apply to) this year, and then again next year as a reapplicant + the $400 for the DAT under the assumption you'd decide to retake if you don't gain acceptances this cycle.
Are you in a hurry to matriculate? I hear a lot of students talk about having to take a gap year after UG as if it's something that's frowned upon, but I've never understood why. There are many things that can be done during that time that can both help you grow as a individual and/or do things that can only help bump your application. You can travel, you can shadow, you can work, you can research. All these things help make you a well-rounded applicant and it will show come interview time.
If you do decide to apply this cycle, be sure to look into the minimum requirements for each school. I know USC has some of the lower cutoffs at 15, but many of the other schools have a cutoff of 17, so definitely take that into consideration.
