Retake the DAT?

[laurasmith]

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I took the DAT and my scores are:

AA 19
Bio 20
Gen chem 17
O chem 23
PAT 17
QR 18
RC 15 🙁

I have applied for the 2005 entering class but I will have about 100 credits by then so I am not going to get my B.S. I have a 3.8 GPA but my RC was low(15).
Should I retake the DAT? Do I have any chance with these score?
I have applied to California schools, Florida, Maryland, Oregan, Virgina, Las Vegas.

 

[drat]

are you a cali resident? from what i have read on the forums, your scores won't be competitive enough if out-of-state. great job on ochem and bio!! your scores seem to be above average!!

 

[Nendo21]

your science or your overall GPA is 3.8? i think it depends on how high your science gpa is but if its above 3.5 i wouldnt bother retaking it your dat scores are good enough...

 

[laurasmith]

Both my science and overall gpa is 3.8.
What about my RC score? Isn't it too low?

 

[laurasmith]

I'm not a California resident. I applied to UCSF, LLU, UOP and USC.

 

[luder98]

are you a cali resident? from what i have read on the forums, your scores won't be competitive enough if out-of-state. great job on ochem and bio!! your scores seem to be above average!!

are you saying in-state students have advantages? i don't know too much about the whole process. i'm a cal res. hopefully i'll be able to get a spot here. i hate to move, i'm a family man🙂

 

[drat]

The private schools like USC and LLU are fair game for everyone, but typically the in-state schools like UCSF accept a great majority of in-staters. I've read only out-of-staters with stellar scores are considered. I want to emphasize that this is just what I've read on the forums here. I have not spoken to the schools themselves. But, for example, this is what UCSF's website says:

Although the School of Dentistry believes its primary responsibility is to educate California residents, nonresidents with superior credentials are encouraged to apply. Non-California residents must present college-level grade-point averages of at least 3.0 to be eligible for admission into the University of California.

I looked up the stats, and for the class of 2008 at UCSF, 72 out of 82 are Cali residents.

 

[Nendo21]

with a 3.8 science gpa you can definately apply to any school you want to...

 

[wimmcs]

I took the DAT and my scores are:

AA 19
Bio 20
Gen chem 17
O chem 23
PAT 17
QR 18
RC 15 🙁

I have applied for the 2005 entering class but I will have about 100 credits by then so I am not going to get my B.S. I have a 3.8 GPA but my RC was low(15).
Should I retake the DAT? Do I have any chance with these score?
I have applied to California schools, Florida, Maryland, Oregan, Virgina, Las Vegas.

Why don't you call the schools directly? Hear it from the the people who know best. Each school may be different, but with the feedback you can make an informed decision. At least this is what I would do.

 

[PERFECT3435]

I'm not a California resident. I applied to UCSF, LLU, UOP and USC.

Laura, i thinhk that your GPA will cover up for your one bad score. my DAT scores were pretty similar to yours (my RC was 15 too). my GPA was 3.0 and i did get an interview from UCSF as well as 3 other non CA schools.

i think that you should stay in touch with the schools and see what they tell you. i doubt that you would need to retake it.

good luck

 

[luder98]

Laura, i thinhk that your GPA will cover up for your one bad score. my DAT scores were pretty similar to yours (my RC was 15 too). my GPA was 3.0 and i did get an interview from UCSF as well as 3 other non CA schools.

i think that you should stay in touch with the schools and see what they tell you. i doubt that you would need to retake it.

good luck

what was ucsf's comment about your gpa and dat? since i'm an esl student (and a slow reader), rc is my biggest hurdle too. thanks.

 

[saman1]

I looked up the stats, and for the class of 2008 at UCSF, 27 out of 82 are Cali residents.

ummmm.... this is what I see for UCSF:

2004 UCSF DENTAL ADMISSIONS STATISTICS

CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS: 73
OUT-OF-STATE: 9 (CO-1; MA-1; MD = 1; NV-1; OR-1; UT-2; WA-2)

 

[drat]

DOH!! Sorry, it was backwards, 72, not 27!! I'm an idiot. I'm going to edit that post.

EDIT: yup, double checked and it's 73 not 72. Sorry for any confusion. i feel silly. 😱

 

[laurasmith]

Laura, i thinhk that your GPA will cover up for your one bad score. my DAT scores were pretty similar to yours (my RC was 15 too). my GPA was 3.0 and i did get an interview from UCSF as well as 3 other non CA schools.

i think that you should stay in touch with the schools and see what they tell you. i doubt that you would need to retake it.

good luck

Were you a Cali resident? Did they talk about your RC score in the UCSF interview?

 

[PERFECT3435]

Were you a Cali resident? Did they talk about your RC score in the UCSF interview?

Laura,

yes i was a CA resident. as far as my stats go, it never came up during my interview at UCSF but it did come up in other interviews. I withdrew my application from UCSF as soon as i got accepted at IUSD so i am not sure if i would/woundn't get accepted there.

 

[predentchick]

Why not add some more private school to that list? You have a decent shot at UNLV. Applying early is the key here. Good luck. (Go Rebels!)

 

[busdriver]

i'm not sure about the average gpa scores for ucsf admission is but i know the average dat scores were 20AA/20TS/18PAT for this years first year class so i think you have a pretty decent shot...especially with your exceptional gpa.

*edit - i found out that the average gpa for the class of 2008 at ucsf is 3.4 (i'm assuming it means overall gpa).