Reapplicant advice needed, any help appreciated

[Saroga]

Hi all,

I am a second time applicant, and with this cycle essentially at a close, I am working on what my next steps should be. Here is a quick background on me:

Being undecided for the first two years of college led me to take a variety of courses in different fields, some which I had no affinity for and thus performed poorly. This ended up affecting my GPA early on and it became difficult to increase it from that point. I ended up finishing undergrad in 2017 with a 3.18. Throughout most of undergrad, I worked as a pharmacy technician (I was initially interested in pharmacy) and then started shadowing at dental offices during the summer. After graduation, I had a gap year where I worked full time as a dental assistant (this is where I applied the first time) and also did some volunteering at a local hospital. After having no luck the first time, I spoke with some schools who recommended me to do a post-bac or masters to bolster my academic stats. Thus, I enrolled in a certificate program at VCU. I finished in December with a 3.26, unfortunately not as high as I would like due to one particular course that gave me a lot of trouble. I applied a second time this cycle but only managed to score one interview at NOVA and was waitlisted. Currently, I was working as a dental assistant but unfortunately was furloughed due to everything that's going on. I also am volunteering at a local food bank. I am now planning on finishing a master's where I got my certificate and try to increase my graduate GPA to at least a 3.4, while working on getting more EC's/volunteering in the meanwhile. Here are my general stats:

Undergrad GPA:
oGPA: 3.18 (AADSAS: 2.93)
sGPA: 3.05 (AADSAS: 2.75)
- So I retook a couple courses and AADSAS calculates this differently than my undergrad, hence why they are different.

Graduate GPA:
oGPA: 3.26

Cumulative GPA (undergrad+grad): 3.22 (AADSAS: 2.98)

DAT #1:
AA: 20 (PAT 20, QR 20,RC 22,BIO 21, GC 19, OC 17, TS 19)

DAT #2:
AA: 22 (PAT 23, QR 19,RC 29,BIO 21, GC 21, OC 20, TS 21)

Shadowing hours: 220+ hours at public and private dental offices/clinics
Volunteering hours: 260+ hours (mostly clinical, working on getting more non-clinical)

I've also been trying to get in contact with dental schools for guidance but many of them are closed or don't offer online advising appointments during these times, so it's been difficult to get advice from the dental schools themselves. Any advice and feedback on my idea would be much appreciated. Thanks to all.

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[DocMon16]

First off, props to you for sticking through it. Seriously, it's easy to give up on something like this when you are trying and seem to be working hard and not getting the results you ultimately want. With that being said...

#1 --> DAT is good - nice job on retaking it getting it above the 20 mark. Thats solid.
#2 --> Your GPA is what is affecting you more than anything ( I think that is obvious). I was a reapplicant myself to dental school. My personal advice that I can give you is don't reapply to dental school until you have maxed your application to the best it can possibly be! For me, I had to do a masters (2 years) and retake my DAT which made me skip a cycle of applying. To me, it was 100% worth it and I don't regret doing a 2 year masters at all. It showed all the DS's I applied to the second time that I could handle a rigorous coursework load and do well. I think my GPA in my masters was 3.7 this was my science GPA too.
Bouncing off that, you need to focus on your classes and do whatever it takes to bust out as many "A's" as possible for your masters. You can't afford "C's" at all and really need to minimize the amount of "B's." The schools will see a trend in your grades and GPA if you continue to do well but my advice is you focus on these as much as possible. You can do it, if you scored that high on the DAT you can get A's in these grad classes.

Ultimately, put all your efforts and time into your masters program, everything else looks great I believe. Stick to It and keep doing the right thing. This is a very competitive field and you have to persevere.

Last thing, once you can get ahold of dental schools, ask them specifically what they would want to see from their program that would make you that much more competitive. I did this and it really helps. I think most of them will direct you to your GPA.

Hope this helps.

 

[dbarrett2]

I've also been trying to get in contact with dental schools for guidance but many of them are closed or don't offer online advising appointments during these times, so it's been difficult to get advice from the dental schools themselves. Any advice and feedback on my idea would be much appreciated. Thanks to all.

Don't know if you have considered this or not because it is not mentioned, but do extensive research on the schools. Check out the class profiles of each and see which ones match up with your DAT scores and GPA. Also, look at the missions of the schools and apply to the ones that fit you best. I made this mistake my first time applying, and finally got smart the second time. Write a bomb personal statement that will explain why you deserve it and explain how you got to where you are now (without regurgitating what's already in your app). Also, keep trying to get in touch with schools. Setting up a virtual meeting or phone meeting is a good look, and it will give you a sense of how that school operates. Best of luck.

 

[Saroga]

First off, props to you for sticking through it. Seriously, it's easy to give up on something like this when you are trying and seem to be working hard and not getting the results you ultimately want. With that being said...

#1 --> DAT is good - nice job on retaking it getting it above the 20 mark. Thats solid.
#2 --> Your GPA is what is affecting you more than anything ( I think that is obvious). I was a reapplicant myself to dental school. My personal advice that I can give you is don't reapply to dental school until you have maxed your application to the best it can possibly be! For me, I had to do a masters (2 years) and retake my DAT which made me skip a cycle of applying. To me, it was 100% worth it and I don't regret doing a 2 year masters at all. It showed all the DS's I applied to the second time that I could handle a rigorous coursework load and do well. I think my GPA in my masters was 3.7 this was my science GPA too.
Bouncing off that, you need to focus on your classes and do whatever it takes to bust out as many "A's" as possible for your masters. You can't afford "C's" at all and really need to minimize the amount of "B's." The schools will see a trend in your grades and GPA if you continue to do well but my advice is you focus on these as much as possible. You can do it, if you scored that high on the DAT you can get A's in these grad classes.

Ultimately, put all your efforts and time into your masters program, everything else looks great I believe. Stick to It and keep doing the right thing. This is a very competitive field and you have to persevere.

Last thing, once you can get ahold of dental schools, ask them specifically what they would want to see from their program that would make you that much more competitive. I did this and it really helps. I think most of them will direct you to your GPA.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the encouraging words and suggestions. I was also thinking about making my application the best it can be before I apply again, basically I would skip this upcoming cycle and apply next year after I complete my master's and get more volunteering/EC's in. Ideally at that point I should have patched up most of my weaknesses in my application and hopefully become a more competitive applicant.

 

[DocMon16]

Thanks for the encouraging words and suggestions. I was also thinking about making my application the best it can be before I apply again, basically I would skip this upcoming cycle and apply next year after I complete my master's and get more volunteering/EC's in. Ideally at that point I should have patched up most of my weaknesses in my application and hopefully become a more competitive applicant.

I think its important for you to get advice from people you trust but don't be afraid to follow what your gut is telling you too. I did a two year masters program and some people to told me to apply right away again without skipping a cycle. I will tell you that my gut reaction was that this was wrong because dental schools want to see that you finish something you started ( I.e. if I had applied right away and theoretically gotten in I wouldn't have finished my masters program) and it also wouldn't have given me enough time and get enough classes under my belt for them to see that drastic change in my application that I absolutely wanted. Thats the whole point of doing a post bacc or masters...the proof is in the pudding meaning you have to perform at an extremely high level in these classes because its more or less your last chance to show them you have what it takes to do well in DS. I honestly knew multiple people in both the pre-dental and pre-med track that did not end up getting in because they honestly didn't perform well in their masters program. Just food for thought but you are on the right track.

Keep it up!

 

[Saroga]

I think its important for you to get advice from people you trust but don't be afraid to follow what your gut is telling you too. I did a two year masters program and some people to told me to apply right away again without skipping a cycle. I will tell you that my gut reaction was that this was wrong because dental schools want to see that you finish something you started ( I.e. if I had applied right away and theoretically gotten in I wouldn't have finished my masters program) and it also wouldn't have given me enough time and get enough classes under my belt for them to see that drastic change in my application that I absolutely wanted. Thats the whole point of doing a post bacc or masters...the proof is in the pudding meaning you have to perform at an extremely high level in these classes because its more or less your last chance to show them you have what it takes to do well in DS. I honestly knew multiple people in both the pre-dental and pre-med track that did not end up getting in because they honestly didn't perform well in their masters program. Just food for thought but you are on the right track.

Keep it up!

That's my main concern with doing the master's to be honest. In the possibility that I still have no luck after the master's, I would be in even a deeper rut at that point. Do you know what those people who didn't get in did after that? Or any suggestions on how I could do a master's and yet have a backup plan in case things don't work out?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

That's my main concern with doing the master's to be honest. In the possibility that I still have no luck after the master's, I would be in even a deeper rut at that point. Do you know what those people who didn't get in did after that? Or any suggestions on how I could do a master's and yet have a backup plan in case things don't work out?

Every SMP director should be able to answer your concerns. There are other science careers with a master's degree that you can do, but you will need their help to advice you towards those directions. That's why you network with those program directors and current students (those in medical school and those who are in the master's programs).

 

[Saroga]

Every SMP director should be able to answer your concerns. There are other science careers with a master's degree that you can do, but you will need their help to advice you towards those directions. That's why you network with those program directors and current students (those in medical school and those who are in the master's programs).

Definitely, I intend to talk to my SMP director once I collect more opinions from dental schools so I can give him a detailed take of my situation and options and go from there. I'm just trying to gather as many opinions as possible so I can make an informed decision.

 

[DocMon16]

With a Master's program you have to do well. Its high risk but high reward. I have similar DAT scores to your second attempt and did a Masters finished with a 4.0 and with an undergrad GPA of 3.1, I got into UNC this cycle. In my Master's I took classes that you would take in dental school like gross anatomy with cadaver lab, histology and head and neck anatomy, along with being an anatomy TA, volunteering and shadowing. You really have to be dedicated but if you make the most of your experience, it can make a huge difference. Make sure your master's program involves other things besides classes - mine were integrated into the program which made it really easy to improve my application!

Congrats, I was in similar shoes! Gotta be dedicated, high risk, high reward - couldn't agree more. You have to remember to the OP that professional school is NOT guaranteed, I think I'm stating the obvious so forgive me but you gotta be all in.

 

[LeagueofLigTies]

Really focus on your masters. I think that’s your best chance right now. Not to be depressing, but if you tank your masters and don’t do well, that’s another stagnant grade on your application admissions won’t want to see. You HAVE to do well.

 

[Saroga]

With a Master's program you have to do well. Its high risk but high reward. I have similar DAT scores to your second attempt and did a Masters finished with a 4.0 and with an undergrad GPA of 3.1, I got into UNC this cycle. In my Master's I took classes that you would take in dental school like gross anatomy with cadaver lab, histology and head and neck anatomy, along with being an anatomy TA, volunteering and shadowing. You really have to be dedicated but if you make the most of your experience, it can make a huge difference. Make sure your master's program involves other things besides classes - mine were integrated into the program which made it really easy to improve my application!

Nice! That's a inspiring story to hear. I understand that the master's is a high risk high reward, I was just trying to see if there were any other routes but I'm aware it may be the only one to help my situation. I was just considering all the possibilities so I wouldn't be blindsided by anything, but I intend to do whatever I can to strengthen my application.

Thanks to everyone, I'll definitely keep all this advice in mind.