Reapplicant

[HookahLungs]

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So in my first year I applied to six schools and had an interview at 3. I had 0 acceptances, hence the reapplication. This year I want to apply more broadly to widen my chances. My stats are DAT 20 AA 19 PAT none below 17.. GPA 3.77 and I have about 500 shadowing hours and 100 research hours. This year I'm applying to 18 schools, this is the list: Uic, siu, Pitt, uop, u of Southern California, ucsf, western, Lecom, Michigan, nova, u Detroit mercy, Indiana, Louisville, tufts, Maryland, case, Oklahoma, Marquette. Last year I applied to Marquette, Uic, siu, Michigan, Midwestern Illinois, Indiana. I only got interviewed at Uic, siu, and Michigan. I have been working so far in my time off, but I'm afraid admissions committees will look at my application and toss it because I've had a year of "off time". I spoke to an admissions member for pharmacy and he told me that is what he would say and think when he looked at my application. "Why did you waste a year" which is pretty much the year that just began. He wants me to apply to a masters/postgrad program but I really do not want to nor do I have the money to apply to one. Any thoughts? Anything is greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

[I want to go to there]

Nothing wrong with working to save for the massive dental education. Dental schools get plenty of students with gap years and it's not looked down on. Do not do masters or post bac. With your GPA, you are just throwing money and time. You can retake the DAT though, that would help.

 

[hopefuldentistry]

I agree with the above poster. You have a good gpa. I don't think you need to do a masters.

 

[tturchi51]

Average age for most d1s are 26-27

 

[RuffDay]

The pharmacy admission member told you that you are wasting a year without school? What does he know? Pharmacy is one of the easier profession to get into, and for those that usually don't get in are the ones with lower GPA. The admission member is used to telling people to take a master because of their GPA, and to prove that they can take the coursework in pharmacy school.

In your case, your GPA is great. There is no need to take a master or post Bach program because it would be a waste of time and money. I would suggest retaking your DAT though. That seems like the only thing that you can improve on.

 

[shaidester]

Average age for most d1s are 26-27

How true is this? I thought it was closer to 24

 

[HookahLungs]

Anyone else got thoughts on this topic? Anything is helpful please and thanks.

 

[PittPreDental]

Dang, I'm surprised you didn't get any acceptances your 1st time applying. Your stats aren't bad at all. Maybe a little low on the DAT but everything else looks good...

 

[PittPreDental]

Also as long as you did something to strengthen your dental application during your year off, then taking a year off is definitely not a waste.

 

[HookahLungs]

I think my DAT is OK. I don't think it's low, it could be higher of course, but a 20AA, 19PAT, 20TS seemed good at the time. Most of the schools I applied to have a lower AA and GPA so hopefully that will be a positive on my application. I do agree that it could be higher though but I don't think that a post grad program would benefit me so much as it would hurt me (money, time, possible GPA drop)

 

[I want to go to there]

I think my DAT is OK. I don't think it's low, it could be higher of course, but a 20AA, 19PAT, 20TS seemed good at the time. Most of the schools I applied to have a lower AA and GPA so hopefully that will be a positive on my application. I do agree that it could be higher though but I don't think that a post grad program would benefit me so much as it would hurt me (money, time, possible GPA drop)

You may not get into the schools you really like with just an okay DAT score. If you can retake it, retake.

 

[HookahLungs]

You may not get into the schools you really like with just an okay DAT score. If you can retake it, retake.

Yeah, I understand that. I should've thought about retaking the DAT but it's far too late to think about doing that now. I'll have to see how this year plays out and if the same happens then I'll definitely have to retake.

 

[RuffDay]

Yeah, I understand that. I should've thought about retaking the DAT but it's far too late to think about doing that now. I'll have to see how this year plays out and if the same happens then I'll definitely have to retake.

I am retaking the DAT in 3 weeks. I also made a 20 AA And my GPA is a 3.49.

 

[HookahLungs]

I am retaking the DAT in 3 weeks. I also made a 20 AA And my GPA is a 3.49.

More power to you man. If I don't get an acceptance in December I'll start studying pretty early in order to refresh and master these concepts and to amp my scores.

 

[Janeausten]

In my opinion your stats are good. I would also add to work on your interview skills. During my gap year I had mock interviews via my university, so find out if your school has such resources as well. Good luck! 🙂

 

[HookahLungs]

In my opinion your stats are good. I would also add to work on your interview skills. During my gap year I had mock interviews via my university, so find out if your school has such resources as well. Good luck! 🙂

Thanks, I'm guessing my interview skills were what threw me off/didn't land me the spots. I'll definitely try to work on my interview skills as I'm hoping to have more than just three interviews this year.

 

[mrdocta]

Not sure why people are suggesting to improve your stats when you have ~3.8 gpa and 20 DAT.. those are great stats. Sounds more like your interviews are what held you back. I'd suggest trying to remember all the questions you were asked and how you answered them. Look into changing your approach to how you answer so that you stand out.

 

[HookahLungs]

Not sure why people are suggesting to improve your stats when you have ~3.8 gpa and 20 DAT.. those are great stats. Sounds more like your interviews are what held you back. I'd suggest trying to remember all the questions you were asked and how you answered them. Look into changing your approach to how you answer so that you stand out.

Thanks buddy, I agree my interview skills are what held me back and I'm going to try and find a few ways to improve them. Do you know of anything that can help with them?

 

[mrdocta]

Thanks buddy, I agree my interview skills are what held me back and I'm going to try and find a few ways to improve them. Do you know of anything that can help with them?

Mock interview helped me a bunch. Did one at my university and the feedback was great. I made sure to avoid the mistakes I made during the mock interview. I think what helped me most was to go through plenty of potential questions and then write out what I would say. I wouldn't memorize answers, but I would remember like three main points to emphasize on. Not saying I'm any kind of expert with interviews, but I got into my #1 school with an average dat and below average sgpa so I'd like to think my interview helped.

 

[HookahLungs]

Mock interview helped me a bunch. Did one at my university and the feedback was great. I made sure to avoid the mistakes I made during the mock interview. I think what helped me most was to go through plenty of potential questions and then write out what I would say. I wouldn't memorize answers, but I would remember like three main points to emphasize on. Not saying I'm any kind of expert with interviews, but I got into my #1 school with an average dat and below average sgpa so I'd like to think my interview helped.

Wow that's great man congrats, I'll definitely look for mock interviews. My university was small so unfortunately we don't have mock interviews for med/dental school type scenarios that I know of.

 

[Confused1617]

Wow that's great man congrats, I'll definitely look for mock interviews. My university was small so unfortunately we don't have mock interviews for med/dental school type scenarios that I know of.

Did you contact the schools to see why you weren't accepted?

 

[HookahLungs]

They all said the same thing: "tough applicant range" which sounds like the original excuse.

 

[Dentalogist]

hi! have you asked anyone to check your personal statement? you Gpa/DAT is great, so maybe its your ps

 

[darknightzzz]

So inan. I have been working so far in my time off, but I'm afraid admissions committees will look at my application and toss it because I've had a year of "off time". I spoke to an admissions member for pharmacy and he told me that is what he would say and think when he looked at my application. "Why did you waste a year" which is pretty much the year that just began. He wants me to apply to a masters/postgrad program but I really do not want to nor do I have the money to apply to one. Any thoughts? Anything is greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

this guy is high on crack. you should tell him "are you so used to look at below average students 3.2 3.1 GPA thats considered acceptable for pharmacy and tell them the same thing?"

pharmacy is so lame and bullcrap now with all the schools opening. and he thinks pharmacy is top of the food chain

 

[ajj70]

Wow that's great man congrats, I'll definitely look for mock interviews. My university was small so unfortunately we don't have mock interviews for med/dental school type scenarios that I know of.

Ask your parents or their friends if they do a lot of hiring at their workplace if they will work with you on interviewing skills. They might not be dental specific but they should be able to give you some good feedback on the type of answers you give, etc.

 

[customx]

Thanks, I'm guessing my interview skills were what threw me off/didn't land me the spots. I'll definitely try to work on my interview skills as I'm hoping to have more than just three interviews this year.

Practice those interview skills. In hindsight, I really wish I had gone to a local CC or university career center and gone through a few mock interviews. I interviewed at UW, Michigan and UNLV but didn't do well enough in my interviews to be offered an acceptance. I got into a private school, but really wish I had blown away my interviewers enough to make them think "we want this guy!" Your stats are decent and it's a good idea to expand your school selection. I'm sure now that you've gone through the process and know what the interviews are like you will get into a few schools. Best of luck!

 

[HookahLungs]

Thanks to everyone for the positive info/comments. Good luck to everyone applying again and I'm definitely taking all the advice I can get. Thanks guys.

 

[RuffDay]

Thanks to everyone for the positive info/comments. Good luck to everyone applying again and I'm definitely taking all the advice I can get. Thanks guys.

When are you planning to apply?

 

[HookahLungs]

When are you planning to apply?

I'm e-submitting the app tonight or tomorrow morning.

 

[niv3k]

I took a gap year to work. Nothing wrong with that. There are even people who have taken a gap year to travel and just have some fun after undergrad.

But one year that you aren't in school = one year further from having a dentist income.

 

[taraDNA]

Your stats are great! My main advice would be to:
1. Contact the schools you weren't accepted to last cycle and express your genuine interest and if there's anything you can do to strengthen your application. Inform them you will be applying again and update them on any new experiences. I found persistence is key!
2. Apply more broadly, which you seem to be doing. 12-15 is a safe number.
3. Practice interviewing. I know my first 2 interviews could've been a LOT better and I probably would've gotten into my state school if I would've practiced like I did for my latter interviews. Like doctora suggested, don't memorize but write down the gist/key points for common interview questions. That's what I did and it really helped.
4. Are your volunteer hours and extracurriculars up to par? I didn't see those mentioned but it wouldn't hurt to start racking up some volunteer hours too.
Good luck! I have faith you will succeed 🙂

 

[HookahLungs]

Your stats are great! My main advice would be to:
1. Contact the schools you weren't accepted to last cycle and express your genuine interest and if there's anything you can do to strengthen your application. Inform them you will be applying again and update them on any new experiences. I found persistence is key!
2. Apply more broadly, which you seem to be doing. 12-15 is a safe number.
3. Practice interviewing. I know my first 2 interviews could've been a LOT better and I probably would've gotten into my state school if I would've practiced like I did for my latter interviews. Like doctora suggested, don't memorize but write down the gist/key points for common interview questions. That's what I did and it really helped.
4. Are your volunteer hours and extracurriculars up to par? I didn't see those mentioned but it wouldn't hurt to start racking up some volunteer hours too.
Good luck! I have faith you will succeed 🙂

Thank you! Yes I'll do exactly that. I'm submitting tonight and I'll be contacting schools I didn't get accepted into tomorrow to see why. Yes I have over 150 hours of volunteer and 500 hours of shadowing along with over 1800 works hours. I'm hoping all goes well this cycle.

 

[Confused1617]

Thank you! Yes I'll do exactly that. I'm submitting tonight and I'll be contacting schools I didn't get accepted into tomorrow to see why. Yes I have over 150 hours of volunteer and 500 hours of shadowing along with over 1800 works hours. I'm hoping all goes well this cycle.

Good Luck! I was wondering if you have anything to add on to why your interviews were not as well as you planned. Like do you think the questions were not expected or was it be under prepared? I am also worried about interviewing..

 

[jsptr986]

So in my first year I applied to six schools and had an interview at 3. I had 0 acceptances, hence the reapplication. This year I want to apply more broadly to widen my chances. My stats are DAT 20 AA 19 PAT none below 17.. GPA 3.77 and I have about 500 shadowing hours and 100 research hours. This year I'm applying to 18 schools, this is the list: Uic, siu, Pitt, uop, u of Southern California, ucsf, western, Lecom, Michigan, nova, u Detroit mercy, Indiana, Louisville, tufts, Maryland, case, Oklahoma, Marquette. Last year I applied to Marquette, Uic, siu, Michigan, Midwestern Illinois, Indiana. I only got interviewed at Uic, siu, and Michigan. I have been working so far in my time off, but I'm afraid admissions committees will look at my application and toss it because I've had a year of "off time". I spoke to an admissions member for pharmacy and he told me that is what he would say and think when he looked at my application. "Why did you waste a year" which is pretty much the year that just began. He wants me to apply to a masters/postgrad program but I really do not want to nor do I have the money to apply to one. Any thoughts? Anything is greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

i feel like you could apply more strategically. what state do you live in? did you buy the ADA guide to dental schools to see which schools are OOS friendly? oklahoma and uscf accept very few OOS. also look to see if your stats are at or above the stats for the students they accepted. UoP and ucsf have avg's of 21.

 

[HookahLungs]

Good Luck! I was wondering if you have anything to add on to why your interviews were not as well as you planned. Like do you think the questions were not expected or was it be under prepared? I am also worried about interviewing..

I think in each of my interviews I had one line that was a turn off. For instance at one school they asked where I'd like to practice as a dentist and I knew they wanted me to say rural but I zoned out and said suburb

 

[HookahLungs]

i feel like you could apply more strategically. what state do you live in? did you buy the ADA guide to dental schools to see which schools are OOS friendly? oklahoma and uscf accept very few OOS. also look to see if your stats are at or above the stats for the students they accepted. UoP and ucsf have avg's of 21.

Yes, I know those schools have a 21 average DAT but I figured I might as well try. A buddy of mine got accepted into Oklahoma last year and we had pretty similar scores and gpas. The rest are pretty on par. I don't have the ADA guide but I have seen the "which schools should I apply to" and I've seen which schools are out of state friendly and not. For instance some I'm taking a chance and others I'm not.

 

[HookahLungs]

i feel like you could apply more strategically. what state do you live in? did you buy the ADA guide to dental schools to see which schools are OOS friendly? oklahoma and uscf accept very few OOS. also look to see if your stats are at or above the stats for the students they accepted. UoP and ucsf have avg's of 21.

Would you recommend I apply to more schools/ add others? I don't know of any others I'd like to attend that id have a good chance at. If you got any id be glad to add them although money is tight

 

[pilotdentist]

You just need to interview better. You got interviews at 3/6 schools last year, so clearly your stats are strong enough. Interviews come down to being confident, relaxing, and be ready to answer the basic why dentistry? Why this school? Why are you special? questions.

 

[HookahLungs]

You just need to interview better. You got interviews at 3/6 schools last year, so clearly your stats are strong enough. Interviews come down to being confident, relaxing, and be ready to answer the basic why dentistry? Why this school? Why are you special? questions.

That's what I was thinking as well, and I'll be practicing those skills this summer. Thanks

 

[arlmay]

SIU already know haha

I think in each of my interviews I had one line that was a turn off. For instance at one school they asked where I'd like to practice as a dentist and I knew they wanted me to say rural but I zoned out and said suburb

 

[HookahLungs]

SIU already know haha

Lol

 

[Confused1617]

SIU already know haha

On their supplemental they asked this question, I checked both rural and suburbs... Is this a deal breaker? lol

 

[dp93]

On their supplemental they asked this question, I checked both rural and suburbs... Is this a deal breaker? lol

at least you said rural. just make sure to say rural at the interview.

 

[HookahLungs]

On their supplemental they asked this question, I checked both rural and suburbs... Is this a deal breaker? lol

It was a deal breaker for me apparently. Only fault in my interview last year guaranteed. Lmao

 

[ajj70]

Good information---although I do want to be in a rural area...or at least a small town!

 

[Confused1617]

It was a deal breaker for me apparently. Only fault in my interview last year guaranteed. Lmao

I'll see if I get an interview... Lol

 

[arlmay]

On their supplemental they asked this question, I checked both rural and suburbs... Is this a deal breaker? lol

Do your homework on the schools you're applying to. In this case knowing the mission of the school and its purpose of being established would answer your question. It was established mid 70's to provide dentists to the southern half of the state because at the time all three Illinois dental schools were in the Chicago area.

 

[Confused1617]

Do your homework on the schools you're applying to. In this case knowing the mission of the school and its purpose of being established would answer your question. It was established mid 70's to provide dentists to the southern half of the state because at the time all three Illinois dental schools were in the Chicago area.

I know, I did read the schools website, especially when filling out the supplemental. I'm not sure what was going through my mind at the time. I did know they wanted rural but in all honesty I'm opened to working in either suburbs or rural area. My mistake! i guess I'll see what happens... 🙁

 

[arlmay]

I know, I did read the schools website, especially when filling out the supplemental. I'm not sure what was going through my mind at the time. I did know they wanted rural but in all honesty I'm opened to working in either suburbs or rural area. My mistake! i guess I'll see what happens... 🙁

I'm not saying you should necessarily lie, and I don't think your answer is a deal breaker. As I remember it I think I told them I was open to practicing anywhere.