September DAT 4 2008 Admission

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pudz

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Hey workaholics (gosh i WISH i was a workaholic)

So. I'm taking physics and orgo 2 right now. Originally I thought i would take the DAT in may, that way I could apply and have all my crap in by june 1st and i'd be golden. Of course I realized that was insanity seeing as i need time to just focus on the DAT and with finals and all i wouldn't be able to...

the thing is i'm taking physics 2 over the summer, which will meet pretty much everyday for 2 months. so i was thinking that i should take the dat in september, that way i would have the whole month of august to JUST study the dat. i feel that that's the best decision. esp. bc i want to start dental school in 2008.

if i took the dat in the summer, but held off on physics until next semester i wouldn't have a complete application (my physics score wouldn't get sent in time) --

so i dunno, i guess my question to all of you is... is september way too late? i mean, do you think i'm screwed if i apply take the DAT in september and that score gets sent in so late?

i just know i need time to only study for the dat and i see this as the only way!!

HELP!!
thanks

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Um well if I were you Id take physics nxt year like 07 08 and study for the DAT this summer take it in aug and go that route you done need physics for the DAT and schools dont care if your not done with your coursework as long as you are done with it by the time you start dent school (preferably june of the year your starting..)


Um I took my DAT however in Sept and it was fine although I took it the first week of sept...

I wouldent take it much later though cause I was for sure at the very end of the app period...


Im currently in physics as well this year completeting it so I can start D school in fall of 07


So if I were you id not take physics this summer and do kaplan and take the DAT do real well on it and then take physics while your waiting to get into dent school...
 
Hey,
thanks for replying so fast!!! but i don't get it, what do you mean they don't care about when you get physics done? i know you don't need it for the DAT, but won't you application technically be incomplete if you don't have all your crap in (inc. physics grades) by the deadline???

pudz
 
You don't need to have completed all of the prereqs, like physics, before applying to dental school. You just include those courses in the "Planned Courses" section of your AADSAS application when you apply.

My recommendation would be to take the DAT before September if possible. Althought September is certainly not late, the sooner the schools have all of your materials, the sooner you will be reviewed and the better chance of interview and acceptance you will have because schools work on a rolling admission. Most schools start reviewing applications in early August so its best if you can have your application submitted by the end of June through AADSAS and have your DAT taken by mid-August.

If you really need to take physics this summer, then take it, but try to study for the DAT throughout the summer and take the test in late August or early September. If your stats are a bit borderline, an earlier application can really help you. If you have a high GPA and manage a solid DAT score as well, getting all of your application materials in by September or October is not as big of deal.
 
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Hey,
thanks for replying so fast!!! but i don't get it, what do you mean they don't care about when you get physics done? i know you don't need it for the DAT, but won't you application technically be incomplete if you don't have all your crap in (inc. physics grades) by the deadline???

pudz
No problem on the quick response and Dental Dentist pretty much answered the question...


People typically are juniors when they apply and they just put down the course work they are going to do the next year on the application... Come end of first quarter or semester you then subitt these grades as they come in and they get passed on to your dental schools...


From experince taking summer sciences is exteremely intense and I cannot imagine doing that and juggling quality study for the DAT... IM sure its possible but Id think you would get much higher quality study for the DAT if thats all you were doing for the summer....


So unless you absoultly have to take physics by the start of 07 school year I wouldent....


And I agree with the above statement it would have been ideal to get my stuff all in by june and just send in my DAT scores in aug sometime if not the very end of july....
 
So if I were to leave room to take the DATs twice if need be, when would be the best times to take them being I want to apply as early as possible, to start dschool fall 2009? Are February and April 08 ok? Or should I do December 07 and March 08? (I will be in Mexico all January for a study/travel tour.)
 
So if I were to leave room to take the DATs twice if need be, when would be the best times to take them being I want to apply as early as possible, to start dschool fall 2009? Are February and April 08 ok? Or should I do December 07 and March 08? (I will be in Mexico all January for a study/travel tour.)


Uh you could take your first one as late as july id say and probably be okay for a retake by sept...


But yeah but dec 07 march 08 would leave you tons of time too....

I think its a bit early really for both of those most dont even do theirs till the march of 08 in your case, so you could go even later if you wanted to...
 
Ook thanks! I was just a little concerned because my GPA is on the low side, so I want to apply early, like by May if possible. I'm not sure when everything is due though and from what I gather here, the earlier you apply the better your chances are. Also, being you have to take them 90 days apart and it takes 4 weeks to get your scores sent, I want to be sure I'm still an early applicant after all that. But I guess I have more time than I thought. Thanks for the input! =)
 
Ook thanks! I was just a little concerned because my GPA is on the low side, so I want to apply early, like by May if possible. I'm not sure when everything is due though and from what I gather here, the earlier you apply the better your chances are. Also, being you have to take them 90 days apart and it takes 4 weeks to get your scores sent, I want to be sure I'm still an early applicant after all that. But I guess I have more time than I thought. Thanks for the input! =)


Let me just say something that it seems a lot of people fail to think about...

I think its best to treat this test as though your never going to take it again... Rule out in your mind that you are even going to retake it and study seriously for it the first time...

If you put the study in and know the stuff and target the areas your are weak in and use all the study aids out there, its going to be pretty hard to do bad on this test... Topscore, Dat Destoryer, Kaplan Class together should give the avg person more than enough practice to know what the DAT is all about and what you need to know for it... So just do it right the first time and Bring your A game...


On a side note ITs good to apply early but im not going to lie to you they still see your gpa and it dosent change just because you applied early.. So just do well on the DAT and take it seriously I think a lot of people dont respect how hard it can be and dont really put the kinda study they need to in...

Everybody is different though and requires different kinds of study some more than others, only you will know that but a practice test will quickly assess where your knowledge level is..

Any way best of luck to you and im sure you will do fine..
 
I agree with leedizzal . . . what doesn't look good is having bad DAT scores and having to re-take the test again. It's recommended to apply early, but what's the point of that if your scores aren't competitive and knock you out of the running. I say study and take the test when you are ready.
 
If I had to do this over, I wouldve taken my DAT at least a month earlier. I took it 9/11/06. I wasnt complete at the schools I applied to till like Oct, and despite a 99th percentile AA, have not heard from all of them yet.
 
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