retake should i?

[ashin3]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey everyone,

Long time reader first time poster, I applied this application cycle early and did not get any acceptances. I was wondering if I should retake my DAT.

AA20
TS21
PA18
BIO19
CHEM21
OCHEM28
QR17
RC17

I graduated already, have a 3.29, 3.36 science. Is it my DAT? Or should I try to improve other aspects of my application like extracurriculars. I know my PAT is on the lower side, and I want to get into California, do I still have a chance?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Philippines03j]

It's hard to say why you were not accepted (as you did not give enough information for us to help you). There are a lot of qualified applicants and you need to some how stand out to a school. Here are my observations...

1. Good DAT: Great AA and TS / Slightly Low RC / PA is not bad (not keeping you out of dental school) / Low QR but not all that important

In my opinion no need to retake your DAT as you have a good AA/TS with nothing that is super low (only questionable section is the RC)

2. GPA: Your GPA is on the lower end. This would be more of a concern to me than your DAT score.

GPA and DAT = Important BUT NOT EVERYTHING

There could have been 100 different reasons you did not get in (besides your GPA or DAT).
- Did you apply to the right schools? How many schools did you apply to? *Applying to 5 schools with your statistics would be too few. If you did not, I would recommend somewhere around 20 schools.
- How were your letters of recommendation?
- What about your personal statement? Was it well written or did it have red flags?
- Was the other portions of your application well written?
- Did you do adequate shadowing?
- How is your volunteer experience?
- If you interviewed, how did your interviews go?

There is much more but this is all basic stuff that needs to be top notch if you want a chance at receiving an acceptance to dental school.

Just my thoughts 👍

 

[Adamsswag]

Not sure if you are a cali resident, but if you're not its incredibly hard to get in since there are so many state-students and not enough dental schools to provide for them, and so an out-of-state student def. receives the shorter end of the stick.

 

[eyeball87]

I think you should re-write it again. The RC section is on the lower end, so you want to bump that up along with PAT.