Should I retake the DAT? And another question...

[OATP]

Hey everyone, I'm completing my dental school applications, and I would like some opinions on my chances. My main question is this: should I retake the DAT?

My AA was 20, but my individual scores are quite ranged...
Perceptual Ability: 17
Quantitative Reasoning: 14
Reading Comprehension: 28
Biology: 19
General Chemistry: 21
Organic chemistry: 16
Total Science: 19

Obviously, my main worries lie with my Perceptual Ability, Quantitative Reasoning, and Organic Chemistry scores. For Perceptual ability, I just ran out of time; same with Quantitative reasoning (although quantitative reasoning kind of took me by surprise on the actual test--the questions were different from most of the practice ones I had done earlier that I easily blew through). Organic chemistry is just my weak spot and I knew that my score would be pretty low with it.

-My GPA is 3.9/3.82 (Overall/Total Science).
-I will be doing an internship at a dental office this coming semester.
-I worked on a psychology research team last semester and will continue this research through my final semester of my senior year (I am a psychology minor).
-I will be working with the Girls on the Run Program (both as a coach and as a data collector/analyzer) for all of next year.
-I will be also be volunteering at a free clinic for the latter half of this summer and in the coming year.

Given my DAT scores and other information, what do you think my chances of getting into dental school are (or at least getting an interview)?
My top choice is MUSC (I'm a South Carolina resident), by the way.


And I had another question...

In the AADSAS background section, it asks about different activities that require manual dexterity. I have art down, and sports like volleyball and tennis, but I wasn't sure if I should include another: video games? If you think about it, certain games, like a lot of those on the Wii, require some degree of hand-eye coordination. However, I wasn't sure how beneficial it would be to have something like video games on the application because it doesn't exactly seem like the most productive use of time. Any thoughts? Any other examples that you guys might have put down would be useful, too.

Edit: Oh, and one more question: Is there a place to designate a minor on the AADSAS application? I didn't see one, but I could have overlooked it. I saw that there was a place for a second major, but no minor.

Thanks!

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[slm266]

Yes, strong RC isn't enough to compensate for poor performance. I'd buy achiever and topscore because you need much more practice with stamina and time management.

 

[MrBeans]

Hey everyone, I'm completing my dental school applications, and I would like some opinions on my chances. My main question is this: should I retake the DAT?

My AA was 20, but my individual scores are quite ranged...
Perceptual Ability: 17
Quantitative Reasoning: 14
Reading Comprehension: 28
Biology: 19
General Chemistry: 21
Organic chemistry: 16
Total Science: 19

Obviously, my main worries lie with my Perceptual Ability, Quantitative Reasoning, and Organic Chemistry scores. For Perceptual ability, I just ran out of time; same with Quantitative reasoning (although quantitative reasoning kind of took me by surprise on the actual test--the questions were different from most of the practice ones I had done earlier that I easily blew through). Organic chemistry is just my weak spot and I knew that my score would be pretty low with it.

-My GPA is 3.9/3.82 (Overall/Total Science).
-I will be doing an internship at a dental office this coming semester.
-I worked on a psychology research team last semester and will continue this research through my final semester of my senior year (I am a psychology minor).
-I will be working with the Girls on the Run Program (both as a coach and as a data collector/analyzer) for all of next year.
-I will be also be volunteering at a free clinic for the latter half of this summer and in the coming year.

Given my DAT scores and other information, what do you think my chances of getting into dental school are (or at least getting an interview)?
My top choice is MUSC (I'm a South Carolina resident), by the way.


And I had another question...

In the AADSAS background section, it asks about different activities that require manual dexterity. I have art down, and sports like volleyball and tennis, but I wasn't sure if I should include another: video games? If you think about it, certain games, like a lot of those on the Wii, require some degree of hand-eye coordination. However, I wasn't sure how beneficial it would be to have something like video games on the application because it doesn't exactly seem like the most productive use of time. Any thoughts? Any other examples that you guys might have put down would be useful, too.

Edit: Oh, and one more question: Is there a place to designate a minor on the AADSAS application? I didn't see one, but I could have overlooked it. I saw that there was a place for a second major, but no minor.

Thanks!

Your GPA is very strong, but undoubtedly your DAT scores are going to cripple your chances of being considered a strong applicant.

Some schools have cuts offs for all sections (generally they are 17-18).

First of concern is your organic chemistry score (pretty bad), second perceptual ability (average, but not horribly bad), and lastly quantitative reasoning (pretty bad, but schools will generally not care). Because most dental schools give little attention to the quantitative reasoning section, your score won't have as negative of an impact as you would think.

Personally I would retake the DAT.

Given all of your current information provided, I would say you are a moderate to weak applicant to dental school. This is only really because of your organic chem score which may not meet school cutoff requirements.

For your other question, it's pretty much a mixed bag. People will argue either way about sports and video games. Personally, I would include the sports, and only mention the video games if you have absolutely nothing else to list.

Best of luck to you! You've got the hardest battle won: your strong GPA!

 

[highhopee]

Your GPA is very strong, but undoubtedly your DAT scores are going to cripple your chances of being considered a strong applicant.

Some schools have cuts offs for all sections (generally they are 17-18).

First of concern is your organic chemistry score (pretty bad), second perceptual ability (average, but not horribly bad), and lastly quantitative reasoning (pretty bad, but schools will generally not care). Because most dental schools give little attention to the quantitative reasoning section, your score won't have as negative of an impact as you would think.

Personally I would retake the DAT.

Given all of your current information provided, I would say you are a moderate to weak applicant to dental school. This is only really because of your organic chem score which may not meet school cutoff requirements.

For your other question, it's pretty much a mixed bag. People will argue either way about sports and video games. Personally, I would include the sports, and only mention the video games if you have absolutely nothing else to list.

Best of luck to you! You've got the hardest battle won: your strong GPA!

Which schools are you talking about that has a cut off of 18??? That's the average score for most dental schools.

 

[MrBeans]

Which schools are you talking about that has a cut off of 18??? That's the average score for most dental schools.

I can't name them off hand, but I'm pretty certain I've read about a few schools that have this cutoff.

This is certainly not the majority.

A more accurate representation would probably be 16-17.

However, it's better to aim at or above 18 at minimum just to keep your options all open. That's my view point at least.

 

[highhopee]

I can't name them off hand, but I'm pretty certain I've read about a few schools that have this cutoff.

This is certainly not the majority.

A more accurate representation would probably be 16-17.

However, it's better to aim at or above 18 at minimum just to keep your options all open. That's my view point at least.

Wait, so your saying there are really few schools that just gets rid of an applicant because he/she got an 18 on one measly section because of cutoffs?
Can you find out exactly which schools these are for me and reply back to this thread?

 

[MrBeans]

Wait, so your saying there are really few schools that just gets rid of an applicant because he/she got an 18 on one measly section because of cutoffs?
Can you find out exactly which schools these are for me and reply back to this thread?

The schools that I can recall hearing about were Tufts and NYU.

The schools may say they have this cutoff, but it seems like the rules are bent sometimes. Also, it's good to keep in mind that the cut offs hardly ever apply to the QR section (from my knowledge).

It's best if you investigate the schools that you are applying to yourself, if your interested in knowing exact school policy.

 

[OATP]

Thanks for the advice so far, everyone.

I think what I'll do is still submit my application, but continue studying for the DAT and have a planned retake in mind. Should I go ahead and note that I'll be retaking the DAT on my application, or just leave it alone for now? I want to improve my grade, but I don't want to schools to defer looking at my application if it's possible that I could get an interview with my current levels (although I'm not entirely sure how this process works, actually--would anyone care to enlighten me?)

Also, I tried to search for it on the forums and found a few answers, but I was still left a little confused because I couldn't find anything definitive. How do schools handle scores from two different tests? Do they just look at both and take whichever has the higher AA, or do they look at individual scores and take the best from that?


And did anyone know the answer to my last question regarding minors?

Thanks!

 

[longhornpride]

Good God... I haven't seen such a big range between individual sections. You have a good GPA. Just make sure every science section is 18 or above and everything else 17 and above. Obviously aim for a high score but with your gpa, you just need to make sure you meet the cut offs for schools.

 

[lmaozedong1]

You might as well apply. You never know, right?

 

[MrBeans]

Thanks for the advice so far, everyone.

I think what I'll do is still submit my application, but continue studying for the DAT and have a planned retake in mind. Should I go ahead and note that I'll be retaking the DAT on my application, or just leave it alone for now? I want to improve my grade, but I don't want to schools to defer looking at my application if it's possible that I could get an interview with my current levels (although I'm not entirely sure how this process works, actually--would anyone care to enlighten me?)

Also, I tried to search for it on the forums and found a few answers, but I was still left a little confused because I couldn't find anything definitive. How do schools handle scores from two different tests? Do they just look at both and take whichever has the higher AA, or do they look at individual scores and take the best from that?


And did anyone know the answer to my last question regarding minors?

Thanks!

If you notify the schools that you will be retaking the DAT, they may wait to review your application until your new scores are in.

Schools will look at the most recent test scores. However, the admissions has the ability to review old test scores too. The admissions committee would likely not favor a new lower score, over a previous higher score; they could use this against you. Make sure to get a higher score if you plan to retake the DAT.

I'm not certain about your minors question.

 

[threeblindmice]

Just go for it. I'm sure somebody will take you. If you're really concerned apply to some back-up schools that take on the lower end of the DAT score.