School list check

[dental555]

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I have about a 3.49 oGPA, 3.45 sGPA. Plenty hours shadowing orthodontist, pediatric, and general dentists. Volunteered at free dental clinic off campus and weekly at on-campus dental clinic. 5 really good letters of recommendation from pediatric dentist, boss, english, physics, and bio profs. Member of predent society and ultimate frisbee clubs. Work 10 hours a week for school's fundraising telethon for the past 3 semesters, raised almost $20,000 for the school. Tutored math and science at a local middle school. I haven't yet taken my DAT, have the date set for July 7th and am studying for it now. Hoping to get a 20+ because I know right now my stats are probably average at best. Assuming I get something like a 19 or 20 on the DAT, how does the following list of school's I'm applying to look? Because of the cost, I was hoping to keep the list between 5-7 but I could probably expand it if I really needed to. Here's the list:

Maryland (in-state, dream school)
NOVA
Tufts
Temple
Marquette
VCU
Columbia

I've considered switching Pittsburgh for Columbia but I like the appeal of living in New York. With my stats I had considered applying to more "safety" schools like NYU, but with the cost even if I got in I'm not sure if I would go, so I didn't think it would be worth applying. Is this a realistic list? Maybe add or remove anything? Is my DAT goal about right?

 

[davaidavai1]

I have about a 3.49 oGPA, 3.45 sGPA. Plenty hours shadowing orthodontist, pediatric, and general dentists. Volunteered at free dental clinic off campus and weekly at on-campus dental clinic. 5 really good letters of recommendation from pediatric dentist, boss, english, physics, and bio profs. Member of predent society and ultimate frisbee clubs. Work 10 hours a week for school's fundraising telethon for the past 3 semesters, raised almost $20,000 for the school. Tutored math and science at a local middle school. I haven't yet taken my DAT, have the date set for July 7th and am studying for it now. Hoping to get a 20+ because I know right now my stats are probably average at best. Assuming I get something like a 19 or 20 on the DAT, how does the following list of school's I'm applying to look? Because of the cost, I was hoping to keep the list between 5-7 but I could probably expand it if I really needed to. Here's the list:

Maryland (in-state, dream school)
NOVA
Tufts
Temple
Marquette
VCU
Columbia

I've considered switching Pittsburgh for Columbia but I like the appeal of living in New York. With my stats I had considered applying to more "safety" schools like NYU, but with the cost even if I got in I'm not sure if I would go, so I didn't think it would be worth applying. Is this a realistic list? Maybe add or remove anything? Is my DAT goal about right?

There's no right or wrong answers until you take the DAT. Submit your application so that it gets processed and pick one school i.e. Maryland, this way all your grades, LOR, etc will be verified. After you take the DAT you can come back here and seek more advice. If you get a 22 AA then Columbia is within reach, otherwise you should aim for other schools.

 

[dental555]

Sounds good. Do the other schools besides Columbia seem reasonable assuming a 19-20 on the DAT? I'll start working on the rest of my app, except my LoR which I have them all in except 1 prof who said he would write it mid-July, and my advisor writing my committee letter said she couldn't start until I had all my letters in. :/

 

[davaidavai1]

Sounds good. Do the other schools besides Columbia seem reasonable assuming a 19-20 on the DAT? I'll start working on the rest of my app, except my LoR which I have them all in except 1 prof who said he would write it mid-July, and my advisor writing my committee letter said she couldn't start until I had all my letters in. :/

The average for most schools is close to a 20. So you should get a 20 or above to be competitive. Also, you can't submit a LOR from 1 prof and a committee letter. Its either 4 separate letters or one committee letter.

http://www.adea.org/dental_educatio...n/Pages/LettersofEvaluationMatchingForms.aspx

 

[dental555]

Thanks. And yeah I understand the committee letter or 4 individual letters thing. I'm going with a committee letter but to write my committee letter my advisor wants individual letters of recommendation for which to use information to write the committee letter. I had planned on submitting 5 letters of recommendation to my advisor to write my committee letter, and I have 4/5 but am waiting on the last professor to write the letter, so that my advisor can begin writing the committee letter. I had considered just going with the 4 professors I already had but the 5th one that hasn't written it yet is my second science professor and my advisor said she wants at least 2 science professors. Plus, this professor explicitly told me I was one of his favorite students and he would write me a great letter. So I guess I'll still just have to wait until mid-July.

Since I won't be able to have my committee letter until then, is it worth submitting everything except my DAT scores as early as possible like many are suggesting on here? Or is that not beneficial unless I have everything done, which I won't without my committee letter.