So much wisdom to share

[mepstein]

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I am the traditional student, applying before i graduate. I am 22. I took my DAT and applied June 2...I am not trying to brag. Everything worked out for me. I received seven interviews, went to five, and received 5 acceptances!! I have an average GPA....it is a game...there is a lot to know, and i now have a lot of knowledge that can be pretty useful to some of you. I hope I can help some young ones out. Let me know if you have SPECIFIC questions.

 

[billermo]

I am the traditional student, applying before i graduate. I am 22. I took my DAT and applied June 2...I am not trying to brag. Everything worked out for me. I received seven interviews, went to five, and received 5 acceptances!! I have an average GPA....it is a game...there is a lot to know, and i now have a lot of knowledge that can be pretty useful to some of you. I hope I can help some young ones out. Let me know if you have SPECIFIC questions.

With 22/22/22 DAT, you'll get in just about anywhere providing your GPA is above 3.0.

Will you take the DAT for us????? 😀

 

[INFNITE]

nice job, solid DAT solid GPA, and applied early...can't really go wrong with that strategy.

 

[AtkinDent]

I'm pretty sure mepstein must have had the right strategies plus the right tools to ace the DAT, considering the average GPA he has'd. If he can make it so well, so can other serious candidates rock the tests too!

 

[xxJuiceDxx]

nice job, solid DAT solid GPA, and applied early...can't really go wrong with that strategy.

Oh ****, noticed you got accepted to Columbia. I think you had the NYU acceptance on there for the longest time. Its nice to see Chuck Norris aficionados doing well for themselves in life. Congrats.

 

[fightingspirit]

...

 

[billermo]

nope.....not enough

you need to have a good PS devoid of BS and good interviewing skills. you need to make a good first impression wherever you go.

mepstein is clearly equiped with great people's skills. mepstein....be proud...i am 6 years your senior and yet i could not pull of an inTview at my state school that was supposed to be my reliable refuge......such is life....oh well...

anyways, the best thing you can do for now is to create a profile on predents.com

count your blessings cus it seems that you flew in the winds direction....some of us are not

Let's be honest, if those scores were 18/18/18 would 5 schools offer acceptances? Maybe. That's where all the other skills make the BIG difference! There are so many factors....race, gender, residency status, legacy, research, EC, etc. to consider.

But when you have 22/22/22, it goes that much smoother. I'm guessing a 22 is 95th percentile. That's awesome! I only wish I scored so well.

mepstein should be proud and I'm sure (s)he is. Congrats!

 

[enginerd]

With 22/22/22 DAT, you'll get in just about anywhere providing your GPA is above 3.0.

That's what you would think...but it's not true. I'm a living example. I'm kind of bitter about it though, haha.

 

[billermo]

That's what you would think...but it's not true. I'm the example. I'm kind of bitter, haha.

Please share.

It took me 2 cycles to get accepted.

 

[fightingspirit]

....

 

[mepstein]

There are lots of things i did that made my application strong, in my opinion. I was involved in activities outside of dentistry. I emphasized traveling, which gave me a unique perspective for the class i was going to join. I made sure my "why do you want to go to our school" question was very logical, understandable, and realistic. I spent a lot of time with the relationships of my letter writers. I turned everything in as early as possible. I wore a bright tie at my interview. I made sure to ask at least two questions at the end of each interview. I had practice interviews. I studied very well for the DAT, the key was practice tests, practice tests, practice tests. I had my mom quiz me over the phone the night before each interview to get me in the zone, I spent a lot of time exeriencing/observing different kinds of dentistry so i could prove at my interviews that i knew what i was getting into and what options i will have....and so on.....i have bags of this wisdom!!

 

[DentalNerd]

There are lots of things i did that made my application strong, in my opinion. I was involved in activities outside of dentistry. I emphasized traveling, which gave me a unique perspective for the class i was going to join. I made sure my "why do you want to go to our school" question was very logical, understandable, and realistic. I spent a lot of time with the relationships of my letter writers. I turned everything in as early as possible. I wore a bright tie at my interview. I made sure to ask at least two questions at the end of each interview. I had practice interviews. I studied very well for the DAT, the key was practice tests, practice tests, practice tests. I had my mom quiz me over the phone the night before each interview to get me in the zone, I spent a lot of time exeriencing/observing different kinds of dentistry so i could prove at my interviews that i knew what i was getting into and what options i will have....and so on.....i have bags of this wisdom!!

Excellent advice. Every applicant should be doing the same in order to increase their odds of acceptance. You are the perfect candidate. With a 22/22/22, I'm sure the brightness of your tie was of little significance.

Here’s what we really want to know…..did you answer all of ASDOH’s geography and current event questions correctly? Is a perfect score necessary for acceptance?

 

[teefRcool]

I am the traditional student, applying before i graduate. I am 22. I took my DAT and applied June 2...I am not trying to brag. Everything worked out for me. I received seven interviews, went to five, and received 5 acceptances!! I have an average GPA....it is a game...there is a lot to know, and i now have a lot of knowledge that can be pretty useful to some of you. I hope I can help some young ones out. Let me know if you have SPECIFIC questions.

your gpa isn't average either

 

[emthichrangdep]

What made you choose UW out of all the schools u were accepted to?

 

[enginerd]

Please share.

It took me 2 cycles to get accepted.

I'm not sure what to say, but I have DAT scores slightly above the one mentioned earlier and my GPA is definitely above 3.0 (it is a bit lower than the average pre-dent GPA, but I went to a prestigious engineering school and I thought adcom's would consider that...). I have seen some people who submitted their apps way later than me and get accepted to schools I wanted to go to, so I don't think my submitting the application too late was my downfall. Some of my friends with similar stats applied last year and two years ago got interviews from good schools during Oct-Dec, but I don't know what's wrong with my application because I am still doing interviews recently.

 

[Clovers]

Mepstein,

Could you tell me how did you study for the RC section of the DAT? Did you have a very catchy open sentence to your personal statment? What do you advice I should include on my personal statement? Thanks

There are lots of things i did that made my application strong, in my opinion. I was involved in activities outside of dentistry. I emphasized traveling, which gave me a unique perspective for the class i was going to join. I made sure my "why do you want to go to our school" question was very logical, understandable, and realistic. I spent a lot of time with the relationships of my letter writers. I turned everything in as early as possible. I wore a bright tie at my interview. I made sure to ask at least two questions at the end of each interview. I had practice interviews. I studied very well for the DAT, the key was practice tests, practice tests, practice tests. I had my mom quiz me over the phone the night before each interview to get me in the zone, I spent a lot of time exeriencing/observing different kinds of dentistry so i could prove at my interviews that i knew what i was getting into and what options i will have....and so on.....i have bags of this wisdom!!

 

[shinji]

billermo....

stats are not enough. i was recently rejected from my most reliable state school because:

1-i was giving convoluted and lengthy answers during my inTview that did not look sincere because i underestimated th eimportance of utmost sincerity, conciseness, and preparation.
2-PS was convoluted and a bit confusing
3-next to none shadowing experience
4-acting overconfident and overtly social and laughing out loud in a rather conservative school. from the first few minutes at that school, you could tell that people over there are kinda soft spoken and very mild mannered. i behaved like a NYC-boy and that made them give me dirty looks from the first minute of the inTview.
5-i had some medical school background issues that made them very suspicious of my interest and integrity.

I have similar background as you. I started shadowing in September last year. Application was sent out in Nov and I mentioned that I applied to medical school this cycle on my primary application. I feel your pain, buddy.

 

[billermo]

I'm not sure what to say, but I have DAT scores slightly above the one mentioned earlier and my GPA is definitely above 3.0 (it is a bit lower than the average pre-dent GPA, but I went to a prestigious engineering school and I thought adcom's would consider that...). I have seen some people who submitted their apps way later than me and get accepted to schools I wanted to go to, so I don't think my submitting the application too late was my downfall. Some of my friends with similar stats applied last year and two years ago got interviews from good schools during Oct-Dec, but I don't know what's wrong with my application because I am still doing interviews recently.

I think most adcoms like engineer applicants. They realize the difficulty of the program and weigh your GPA accordingly. The biggest piece of advice is to apply early. You want the Sept-Nov interviews for Dec 1 acceptance. It becomes so much more difficult after the first round. I interviewed at Case late Sept. While sitting in their office waiting to be interviewed, the mailman delivered boxes of additional applications. The office staff was amazed at the number of applications still rolling in. There was no way they would get through all of them before filling their class. According to most schools, application numbers are way up.

Last cycle I submitted my AADSAS late Sep. and received only 2 interviews. This year I submitted mid June and had 7 interviews, all before Dec 1 and received 2 offers first round. This was with little change to my application....took a few additional classes and spent more time shadowing just to prove my dedication.

 

[billermo]

Volunteer experience is very important also. It doesn't necessarily have to be dental related. Something that allows you to work with people, such as volunteering at a nursing home. If you can find something dental related, even better.

 

[fightingspirit]

...

 

[MC4]

I did not apply to medical school this year, but I had in a previous year. It was on my ADSAS and no one even asked about it in my 4 interviews.

 

[fightingspirit]

....

 

[martinelli]

Mepstein,

Could you tell me how did you study for the RC section of the DAT? Did you have a very catchy open sentence to your personal statment? What do you advice I should include on my personal statement? Thanks

Hi Clovers,

Since mepstein hasn't responded and since I've also been accepted to UW, I wish to answer your questions (I don't know why but once you're accepted,you feel like you have gadzillions of advice to dispense). Anyway, I scored a 22 on my RC--and that's only in the 87 percentile. The RC section, like the PAT, is the hardest sections to study for just b/c unlike the sciences, you can't really "study" for it. However, I think practice, practice, and practice helps out A LOT. Just do as many practice exams as you can. Also, you should read on anything health-related topics that you're interested in. I'm really interested in learning about diseases so on my free time I frequently read articles on them. Also, I took the Kaplan course (I'm a big endorser of this organization🙂 and they taught us some really neat skills that could easily boost your score by 2 points. As for your PS--I don't think it's the end all be all--so don't sweat it too much if yours doesn't sound like it should deserve the NOBEL prize for literature. I wrote my in a week and had 2 other person proofreaded and that was it. It wasn't stellar but it was sincere, honest, and to the point. The main thing is be sincere, honest, and to the point at your interview. And smile a lot doesn't hurt either. As for what I put down on my PS--a detailed journey to how I decide that dentistry was the suitable profession for me. Good luck!

 

[Mysteree]

You're in cali but you have the yankees icon, does that mean you're going to some school in NY? I hate to say this, but I don't think Adcom's give all that much credence to where you went to school, and weigh your grades accordingly. I think that it truly is just a numbers game..meaning you're better off getting the 4.0 at a less than prestigious college, than get a 3.5 at a great college. Did you go to a college, here in the west?

I'm not sure what to say, but I have DAT scores slightly above the one mentioned earlier and my GPA is definitely above 3.0 (it is a bit lower than the average pre-dent GPA, but I went to a prestigious engineering school and I thought adcom's would consider that...). I have seen some people who submitted their apps way later than me and get accepted to schools I wanted to go to, so I don't think my submitting the application too late was my downfall. Some of my friends with similar stats applied last year and two years ago got interviews from good schools during Oct-Dec, but I don't know what's wrong with my application because I am still doing interviews recently.

 

[Larry Renal]

I did not apply to medical school this year, but I had in a previous year. It was on my ADSAS and no one even asked about it in my 4 interviews.

My bro, dad and grandpa are docs my mom and my sister are RNs and every interview asked me why I didnt want to go into medicine... go figure

 

[Rezdawg]

Very good GPA and great DAT scores....anyone with those numbers that applies early enough will do very well in the "acceptance" game. No matter what anyone says, those are the 3 most important aspects of your application: GPA, DAT, and timing of application. If you have those 3 covered, you will be fine.

If the OP had a 3.1 gpa and 19 DAT, then he must have done things very differently to pull 5 acceptance. Given his stats and DAT, not much wisdom to gain here.

 

[billermo]

Very good GPA and great DAT scores....anyone with those numbers that applies early enough will do very well in the "acceptance" game. No matter what anyone says, those are the 3 most important aspects of your application: GPA, DAT, and timing of application. If you have those 3 covered, you will be fine.

If the OP had a 3.1 gpa and 19 DAT, then he must have done things very differently to pull 5 acceptance. Given his stats and DAT, not much wisdom to gain here.

EXACTLY!!!! Bright tie or no bright tie, you're getting in.

 

[enginerd]

You're in cali but you have the yankees icon, does that mean you're going to some school in NY? I hate to say this, but I don't think Adcom's give all that much credence to where you went to school, and weigh your grades accordingly. I think that it truly is just a numbers game..meaning you're better off getting the 4.0 at a less than prestigious college, than get a 3.5 at a great college. Did you go to a college, here in the west?

Well, I've always liked NY ever since I was in high school. Coincidentally, I was accepted into Columbia. I actually wanted to go to other state schools, but my low GPA totally screwed me over.

Yea, I went to a top 10 engineering univ (according to US News, which I later realized isn't too reliable but it's the only ranking we've got) in California. I thought being an engineer, adcoms would consider that our average GPA for the engineering school is a 2.6, which is significantly lower than most other majors on campus.

 

[hockeydentist]

Well, I've always liked NY ever since I was in high school. Coincidentally, I was accepted into Columbia. I actually wanted to go to other state schools, but my low GPA totally screwed me over.

Yea, I went to a top 10 engineering univ (according to US News, which I later realized isn't too reliable but it's the only ranking we've got) in California. I thought being an engineer, adcoms would consider that our average GPA for the engineering school is a 2.6, which is significantly lower than most other majors on campus.

Why would prestige of going into engineering even matter. If dentistry was your final goal, I would think that Engineering degree would do nothing for you in the grand scheme of things, other than making your life a living hell and adcoms know this. Don't get me started, I know about thermo and mechanics... Different if you had a 3.5 gpa in engineering, that might raise some eyebrows. What type of engineer are you, mechanical, electrical, chemical????

 

[enginerd]

Why would prestige of going into engineering even matter. If dentistry was your final goal, I would think that Engineering degree would do nothing for you in the grand scheme of things, other than making your life a living hell and adcoms know this. Don't get me started, I know about thermo and mechanics... Different if you had a 3.5 gpa in engineering, that might raise some eyebrows. What type of engineer are you, mechanical, electrical, chemical????

I don't know why I'm getting so much flack, all I meant was my low GPA is not that low relative to others in my major, and I thought adcoms would consider this especially since I didn't go to a regular engineering school.

Alot happens over four years in college. I don't think I would be a lunatic to go through engineering if I already knew I was going to do dentistry in the first place. People just change their career plans.

I'm in electrical engineering. And that's really funny, "I know about thermo and mechanics." Don't praise yourself buddy, EVERYBODY knows thermo and mechanics, that's not even engineering...

 

[shinji]

I don't know why I'm getting so much flack, all I meant was my low GPA is not that low relative to others in my major, and I thought adcoms would consider this especially since I didn't go to a regular engineering school.

Alot happens over four years in college. I don't think I would be a lunatic to go through engineering if I already knew I was going to do dentistry in the first place. People just change their career plans.

Electrical. And that's really funny, "I know about thermo and mechanics." Don't praise yourself buddy, EVERYBODY knows thermo and mechanics, that's not even engineering...

Are you majoring in Chem Engineering at Cal? That's what i heard the average GPA for that major is around 2.6

 

[Fat_Man]

This whole post is totally stupid. mepstein isn't all that special, I guarantee it. Sure, having a good head on your shoulders helps. Not being socially ******ed helps. But to sum it all up, he basically did 3 things right:

1) High DAT scores
2) Good GPA
3) Turned his application in June 2nd

So, that's it buddy. Now your secret is out. Sorry to ruin your fun (and maybe your pride). I'm sure you are a great guy and you don't seem like a cocky jerk who nobody likes (which helps), but read through the forums. Is there anybody who did these three things and not get interviews/acceptances?? Not that I have seen. It seems that the biggest killer of all this year is late applications (AKA, anything after June!). And we can't compare ourselves to past years. This year is completely different than years past (and it will get worse). So here's my "wisdom to share:" If you didn't get in this year, follow the 3 simple rules above and don't do anything stupid . . .

Disclaimer: All this stuff that mepstein did and knows may have helped him get a little bit further in the door, but guaranteed if he had missed one of the three “basics” he would have a different story. He also more than likely would have gotten into most of these schools without the bright tie, etc.

Disclaimer 2: The third ‘basic’ seems to be the most important factor this year . . .

 

[hockeydentist]

I don't know why I'm getting so much flack, all I meant was my low GPA is not that low relative to others in my major, and I thought adcoms would consider this especially since I didn't go to a regular engineering school.

Alot happens over four years in college. I don't think I would be a lunatic to go through engineering if I already knew I was going to do dentistry in the first place. People just change their career plans.

I'm in electrical engineering. And that's really funny, "I know about thermo and mechanics." Don't praise yourself buddy, EVERYBODY knows thermo and mechanics, that's not even engineering...

If you really want to get to the root of things, Dental admissions do not care what major you were in as long as your gpa is good. Frankly a 2.8 (yes I agree engineering is tough) just does not cut it.

 

[mepstein]

I think some people got a little carried away with why i started this posting. (sorry not to respond, i was in chicago this weekend). I didnt post this to state the obvious "the big three." I know that there is a lot of useful information out there that can lower stress and make the whole process go more smoothly. Essentially i wanted to let people know that everything went smoothly for me. Smooth doesn't mean 5 accpetances. It means everything, from checking up on schools to make sure stuff gets in, to checking with schools to make sure they have recognized my strong application. I wanted people to ask me specifics. Not just "how do you do well on the DAT." There are so many little things out there. Like you have to register early for the DAT if you are going to take it in May or June, and you don't need to wait for your registration card, you can just sign up online, after you have paid for registration. I know my "big three" are strong, and if you didn't get it, i didn't think my bright tie got me into dental school, grow up. There were a lot of parts of my application that made me strong for different schools. You can tailor your application for different schools. Play up different parts of you application for different schools. I emphasized my dental experiences in Costa Rica, Jamaica, and Brazil at Arizona. I emphasized my 7 publications at UCSF, and my 3 years of cancer research. I emphasized the impacts that working in a handicapped dental clinic had on me for UW.....for the people that want advice, "should I do this or that" i can offer an opinion, for everyone else ignore this.