Still on Waitlist. Plan for non-acceptance or not?

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jonbajulce

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Hi everyone, heres my situation:

I applied late in this cycle (October) and got waitlisted in 1 of the 3 schools I applied to (LLU). I also submitted each of my secondaries close to the deadline because of being busy with school and whatnot. My stats are: opga- 3.2, sgpa- 3.0, DAT- 22, and I have good ECs, solid LORs, and have shadowed 500+ hours.

Should I start looking to work on my AADSAS application for 2014? When should I start revising my PS and how much do you have to revise/change it from cycle to cycle? I am going to apply to 15+ schools as opposed to just 3, so most of the schools will not have seen my PS from last cycle.


Thanks for the help!
 
Hi everyone, heres my situation:

I applied late in this cycle (October) and got waitlisted in 1 of the 3 schools I applied to (LLU). I also submitted each of my secondaries close to the deadline because of being busy with school and whatnot. My stats are: opga- 3.2, sgpa- 3.0, DAT- 22, and I have good ECs, solid LORs, and have shadowed 500+ hours.

Should I start looking to work on my AADSAS application for 2014? When should I start revising my PS and how much do you have to revise/change it from cycle to cycle? I am going to apply to 15+ schools as opposed to just 3, so most of the schools will not have seen my PS from last cycle.


Thanks for the help!

I'm in the same boat. Your stats are pretty similar to mine. I applied in Oct. w/ same DAT. My GPA is a bit higher. A similar PS should be fine IMO. Just update it with any new stuff and how you are still dedicated to dentistry and why your dedication led you to reapply.
 
Hi everyone, heres my situation:

I applied late in this cycle (October) and got waitlisted in 1 of the 3 schools I applied to (LLU). I also submitted each of my secondaries close to the deadline because of being busy with school and whatnot. My stats are: opga- 3.2, sgpa- 3.0, DAT- 22, and I have good ECs, solid LORs, and have shadowed 500+ hours.

Should I start looking to work on my AADSAS application for 2014? When should I start revising my PS and how much do you have to revise/change it from cycle to cycle? I am going to apply to 15+ schools as opposed to just 3, so most of the schools will not have seen my PS from last cycle.


Thanks for the help!

Problem 1) Lower than average GPA
Problem 2) Submitting your secondaries super late (which just means, it doesn't really matter if you submitted your application in October, which isn't too, too terrible)
However, it is useless to dwell on the past.

So, yes, you should most likely start working on your AADSAS application. However, there isn't much to work on, except get your LOR ready to be re-sent (or if you used interfolio) and most importantly, to edit your personal statement! You did mention that you only applied to 3 schools last time, and applying to 15+ this time, so changing your PS might not be critical, however, might really hurt your chances at those 3 schools. Why? Not only has your application not changed (activities/scores wise) you also just kept your PS exactly the same, which might make them wonder if you even care.

Lastly, you didn't mention if you graduated yet, but even with a solid DAT score (22) your cGPA and especially sGPA is very very low. 3.0 is like the minimum, and the outliers who get accepted usually have an extraordinary background. Not saying you don't, but let's just say I wouldn't bet my application money and a years time on whether or not the ADCOMs think so. My recommendation? Definitely apply this coming June, however, also apply and enroll in an SMP or core biology Masters program to boost that GPA up. Again, very good DAT score, but don't be too too surprised if you don't get any interview with that GPA. Good options are expensive private schools and the new schools (Western, USC, Midwestern, LECOM, New England, Utah, BU, NYU come to mind).

GL :luck:
 
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Thanks for the responses guys. Any other opinions? I was under the impression that my stats would get me into at least one or two schools for sure if I apply early this cycle. Upon rechecking my stats in AADSAS, my sGPA is actually 3.2 and my oGPA is 3.25.
 
I think the major problem is the late application, and late secondaries. You also said you have a 22 on the DAT. I commonly see pre-dents post their top score as their "score," when in actuality they got varying numbers in each section. Own your faults. I myself scored from a 16 to a 23. But, if you did indeed score a 22 in each section, and yes your gpa is slightly low....then perhaps applying earlier will assist you. Make sure you are prioritizing every aspect of this, and it will show. You aren't going to be too busy to pay ANY secondaries the next cycle, right? 🙂 All dental related deadlines come first. If you are not interested in taking a masters program to boost your gpa, I suggest retaking your lowest courses, especially if they are prereq's. And of course, retaking the DAT is also an option. As much as it stinks, retaking the DAT and scoring huge on it trumps a low gpa. Good luck. I was accepted to one school and waitlisted at the other, and my scores were as stated, and my gpa was a 3.46/3.62 on AADSAS. But, I ended with a 3.89. So aim high, and end high!
 
I think the major problem is the late application, and late secondaries. You also said you have a 22 on the DAT. I commonly see pre-dents post their top score as their "score," when in actuality they got varying numbers in each section. Own your faults. I myself scored from a 16 to a 23. But, if you did indeed score a 22 in each section, and yes your gpa is slightly low....then perhaps applying earlier will assist you. Make sure you are prioritizing every aspect of this, and it will show. You aren't going to be too busy to pay ANY secondaries the next cycle, right? 🙂 All dental related deadlines come first. If you are not interested in taking a masters program to boost your gpa, I suggest retaking your lowest courses, especially if they are prereq's. And of course, retaking the DAT is also an option. As much as it stinks, retaking the DAT and scoring huge on it trumps a low gpa. Good luck. I was accepted to one school and waitlisted at the other, and my scores were as stated, and my gpa was a 3.46/3.62 on AADSAS. But, I ended with a 3.89. So aim high, and end high!

Don't people just list their AA as their DAT score? IMO, I wouldn't retake a 22..it's a very strong score.
 
Thanks for the input. My DAT ranged from 20-25 so I'm not hiding any "fault"... people usually just list their AA as their DAT score as obeserabbit said. Also, retaking a 22 would be a waste of time... I shudder at the thought of anyone taking that advice. I don't think any school would think 97th percentile on any standardized test is not good enough. And yeah, I will be applying early in the deadlines.
 
You should get in somewhere if you apply broadly and as early as possible, I would say at least 15 schools. Your personal statement can always be improved too.
 
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