I have been studying since February, but I was doing so while taking 2 classes at a university and 1 at a cc on top of pending litigation. i have been looking into post bacs but the schools that offer it have a required GPA of 3.2+ and or require a DAT score. I talked to my health professions advisor from my undergrad and she told me that I should first try to bolster my GPA through extensions/cc before trying to apply to a post bac. I would be trying to get into another summer class at a CC or university if I get a chance and volunteering/shadowing at another dental office. Less school during the summer gives me more time to focus on the DAT compared to during the school year. Any advice at this point would be greatly appreciated. Feeling very stuck at this point.
If I were you, this would be my plan of attack:
1) I can't speak for your personal issues and how they're consuming your time/mental/emotional reserve, but you need to focus on the numbers. In my opinion, a 16 just shows an utter lack of preparation and commitment. Give up all your ECs and spend the next two months doing nothing but studying for the DAT. I'm talking 8-10 hour days. Refer to all the resources on the DAT forum -- if you utilize all of them you're bound to see improvement.
2) If your score is off the charts, consider sending out apps to a few select schools this cycle. Mid-August isn't early, but neither is it late. You should still receive consideration.
3) If you don't score well, then you have no choice but to consider taking classes through extension. Most post-baccs and SMPs have already seen their deadlines pass. Avoid a CC if at all possible, those units won't be of much benefit to you. The problem is getting into classes at a 4-year university through extension. If you're not an officially enrolled student, it can be hard to get a seat. That's something you'll have to figure out. It's also imperative that you take a load of at least 12 semester units, unless you're willing to make this a 3 year journey.
4) If the August DAT doesn't go well, then wipe it from your mind and focus on getting A's in all of your Fall classes. You can resume studying for it in the Spring semester.
5) If everything works out, take the DAT again next May. Prior to that, around February, start applying to SMPs (using your updated August DAT). It's well in advance of deadlines, but most SMPs also utilize rolling admissions so the earlier you can throw your hat into the ring, the better off you'll be.
6) Send out your dental school apps in June '15 and prepare to start your SMP in August so you don't have a wasted year.
7) Improved GPA. Improved DAT. Get interviews. Talk about overcoming adversity. Snag a couple of seats.
8) Finish your SMP and start dental school in 2016.
9) Win!
Regarding SMPs, where'd you get the 3.2? I was on several d-school wait lists and wasn't sure if they'd pan out so I researched SMPs pretty extensively prior to being admitted this cycle. I also had a sub-3.0 GPA. I literally contacted every program (60+) in the country asking about it. Many have 3.0 cutoffs, but only a handful said that they would not consider sub-3.0s on a case by case basis. Also, many of the ones that say they only accept MCAT scores will actually also accept the DAT. And they tend to be lenient -- a 17-18 is usually good enough to receive consideration. I have a pretty exhaustive list compiled. Let me know if you need more info.
