Reapplicant: How do I prepare for next cycle?

[AnxiousMia]

I'm currently in my second year of a biomedical sciences master's program. I ended up applying late for this cycle so I only applied to the dental school associated with my program and got rejected post-interview. The plan is to apply over the summer so how do I prepare for that to maximize my acceptance chance?

DAT
1st attempt: 20AA 18TS 19PAT
2nd attempt: 24AA 20TS 18PAT

Undergrad
sgpa: 2.7 cumulative: 3.07

Grad gpa: 3.48 (still 2 quarters left)

Research:
4 years of undergrad neuroscience research (poster presentation)
Working on my thesis on an oral cancer project

Shadowing: 30 hours in person and 20 hours virtual.

Plenty of volunteer experience though some of it is old (back from undergrad)

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[Ryxndek]

it's unfortunate you applied so late and only to one school, that hurts you slightly since now you're a reapplicant and not a first-time applicant. However, you'll want more shadowing hours, in person is preferred. Aim for 100 would be best, usually somewhere from 50-100 at most programs so it will cover that. 18 PAT is a little low, what did you say for your manual dexterity?

I would try to do some more volunteering if you can to make up for the gap since undergrad unless it was closer to your senior year. You have a solid DAT, so that's not a concern, and your GPA, while slightly low, is still fine given it's a masters. So I don't think that's as big of a concern either. And a great improvement from undergrad.

What are you thinking for school list, what state do you reside in?

 

[AnxiousMia]

it's unfortunate you applied so late and only to one school, that hurts you slightly since now you're a reapplicant and not a first-time applicant. However, you'll want more shadowing hours, in person is preferred. Aim for 100 would be best, usually somewhere from 50-100 at most programs so it will cover that. 18 PAT is a little low, what did you say for your manual dexterity?

I would try to do some more volunteering if you can to make up for the gap since undergrad unless it was closer to your senior year. You have a solid DAT, so that's not a concern, and your GPA, while slightly low, is still fine given it's a masters. So I don't think that's as big of a concern either. And a great improvement from undergrad.

What are you thinking for school list, what state do you reside in?

Unfortunately, it was a recommendation from my mentor and advisor since I was offered a guaranteed interview through my master's program. I was told applying late is okay.
I'll work on my shadowing hours in the meantime to get at least a 100 total by June.
For manual dexterity, I talked about my lab skills and tennis playing (not exactly fine movement but it helps with hand-eye coordination).

Yeah, I'm guessing/hoping the issue was not the academics given the improvement.

I'm an IL resident so UIC, Midwestern, Marquette, Indiana, Boston, Tufts, Rutgers, Touro, and Western. Still working on the list and researching the schools but this is what I think would be reasonable based on my scores.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

You qualified for a guaranteed interview, so can you get feedback, either directly from the admissions team or indirectly from your advisor?

 

[AnxiousMia]

You qualified for a guaranteed interview, so can you get feedback, either directly from the admissions team or indirectly from your advisor?

Do I email the admissions for feedback? I wasn’t sure if that’s possible or the best way to go about it.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Do I email the admissions for feedback? I wasn’t sure if that’s possible or the best way to go about it.

Ask your program director first.