Success Story of a Mediocre Applicant

[UltimateHombre]

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It's that time of the year, where many young dental hopefuls search these forums for advice in anticipation of the application cycle. Having been a member for several years, i remember feeling overwhelmed by the amount of successful pre-dents on this site. Seeing DAT scores regularly score 21 and GPA's in the high 3.9's is intimidating. So i am here to tell you my scores, the opportunities they afforded me and my successes.

Here are all the details you need from my application cycle:

Major: Communication
3.7 OGPA
3.5 SGPA
18 AA, 18 TS, 21 PAT
800 hours community service
200 hours shadowing
100 hours research
Worked 30/40 hours a week all of undergrad
Started MPH program

Submitted 2nd week of June = 4th Batch
Applied to 16 schools: ASDOH, MWU-AZ, Colorado, USC, Loma Linda, Western, Roseman, UNLV, OHSU, MWU-IL, LECOM, Louisville, Buffalo, UNE, MOSDOH, WVU.

Received 3 pre-december interviews: ASDOH, Colorado, and Western
Received 5 post-december interviews: USC, OHSU, MWU-IL, Roseman, and Louisville

Accepted Dec. 2 to: ASDOH, Colorado, and Western
Accepted invitation to attend ASDOH
Declined to interview at other 5

I wanted to post my story to give hope to all the mediocre applicants out there. I don't think there was anything particularly awesome about my application. Pretty standard stuff. I just did what i was told to do. Get decent grades, get at least an 18 on the DAT, and apply early/broadly. So i did those things and had success.

Remember, acceptance numbers are averages.... so if the average DAT score is 19, then for every 20 you see, there is an 18. For every 21 you see, there is a 17, or two 18s. You just don't see those with lower stats posting on SDN everyday.

Feel free to ask any questions you have! Best of luck!!!

 

[jeffity]

R U URM?

 

[Ferneezy]

this trips me out. i thought OP was a d1 or d2 at this point

 

[shulk]

Of course, the 1000 hours of shadowing+volunteering made you much more than mediocre applicant overall. Most people have far far fewer than that.

 

[dentalWorks]

this trips me out. i thought OP was a d1 or d2 at this point

neither, but he will be DS1 this summer (assuming he is class 2018 ofc)

congrats OP

 

[ktran17]

I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit. You are above above average in every single category minus the DAT.

I would say a mediocre applicant being below average in more than one category =P

 

[M1K3AA]

I wouldn't consider your stats mediocre.. maybe your DAT but otherwise I'd of been surprised had you not gotten an acceptance.

 

[distressstudent]

Come oh brah. With that many acceptance and interviews, you are far from mediocrity. You're a stellar applicant. You did a fantastic job; you deserved all you got.

 

[jeffity]

Looking back, though, if I were in his shoes, I'd be a little concerned going in with 18s. With the wrong execution, that could have had much different results based on DAT alone. So I'll add that I think part of his good outcome (8/16 interviews) was doing his research and being smart about applying. We see people with better stats (maybe a little less in the EC department) come up empty. And it can be do to simply not doing their homework before applying. No offense to those applying and asking questions (better now than later), but you can see a little lack of preparedness and potential mistakes. Applying late. Not knowing anything about schools they apply to (like applying to Howard and ASDOH based only on listed GPAs, applying to a ton of OOS state schools). Not doing WICHE when it's available (so stupid not to). I like his list of schools too. Probably because I'm a fellow AZ resident. I've seen other AZ residents almost get shut out because of school choices. He went broad, but I don't think too broad, given what I've seen with AZ residents in the past with a few of these schools. And being familiar with this fellow, once his application got him the interview, I'm positive he interviewed well.

 

[SLDENTAL]

Looking back, though, if I were in his shoes, I'd be a little concerned going in with 18s. With the wrong execution, that could have had much different results based on DAT alone. So I'll add that I think part of his good outcome (8/16 interviews) was doing his research and being smart about applying. We see people with better stats (maybe a little less in the EC department) come up empty. And it can be do to simply not doing their homework before applying. No offense to those applying and asking questions (better now than later), but you can see a little lack of preparedness and potential mistakes. Applying late. Not knowing anything about schools they apply to (like applying to Howard and ASDOH based only on listed GPAs, applying to a ton of OOS state schools). Not doing WICHE when it's available (so stupid not to). I like his list of schools too. Probably because I'm a fellow AZ resident. I've seen other AZ residents almost get shut out because of school choices. He went broad, but I don't think too broad, given what I've seen with AZ residents in the past with a few of these schools. And being familiar with this fellow, once his application got him the interview, I'm positive he interviewed well.

What's WHICHE? What do you think is the best way to choose schools to apply besides your in state schools? I was thinking of looking at OOS acceptance rates but what else could you look at to make you most likely to get a accepted?

 

[Doctorman45342]

Those are not mediocre stats. They are near the average for people that get accepted (3.6 GPA, 19 DAT.)

 

[dienepredent]

HOLD UP. second week of June and you're already the 4th batch? D:

 

[IsaacYankem]

Probably a typo. Second Week of July = 4th batch makes sense.

 

[Glimmer1991]

yo brah, i think this thread backfired 😀

I'm pretty sure UltimateHombre was accepted in the 2013 cycle... So he'll be a D2 in August.

For those worried... the 2nd week in June is definitely not the 4th batch. The application isn't even open yet.

Other than his DAT scores, which were mediocre, everything about UltimateHombre's application is great. Solid GPA, awesome ECs, strong work experience, applied early and broadly. You're selling yourself short, man.

 

[Glimmer1991]

What's WHICHE? What do you think is the best way to choose schools to apply besides your in state schools? I was thinking of looking at OOS acceptance rates but what else could you look at to make you most likely to get a accepted?

Research, research, research on here! The search button is your friend, as is google (just follow up your search query with "sdn.") There is more to it than OOS acceptance rates, though that is certainly a good thing to look at.

Also, in all honesty, the way you go about choosing schools sort of depends on how strong your application is (which shouldn't be too difficult to discern). That determines what makes sense...

 

[Gregor Wiesmann]

How the heck are you a "Mediocre" applicant? I thought average accepted GPA and DAT for Dental school was like 3.5 and 20? And you've got like amazing EC's .......is this supposed to be a joke?

 

[UltimateHombre]

Those are not mediocre stats. They are near the average for people that get accepted (3.6 GPA, 19 DAT.)

How the heck are you a "Mediocre" applicant? I thought average accepted GPA and DAT for Dental school was like 3.5 and 20? And you've got like amazing EC's .......is this supposed to be a joke?

Thanks for all the support friends, but honestly, this is not meant to be a joke and i am not fishing for compliments. You just don't see a lot of people on SDN posting many successful stories with 18's on their DAT, so i wanted to give people hope that it can be done. So when i said "mediocre", i meant just straight up "average". Sure my OGPA was 0.1 higher than the average, but my SGPA was exactly average, and my DAT was 1.5 points lower than the average. I guess i had a lot of EC's, but i don't think they made up for my sub-par DAT. If anything, they were simply talking points in my interview. Anyone that tells you that EC's will make up for a sub-par GPA or DAT is a fool. EC's are simply icing on the cake and show that you are taking the profession seriously.

yo brah, i think this thread backfired 😀

I'm pretty sure UltimateHombre was accepted in the 2013 cycle... So he'll be a D2 in August.

For those worried... the 2nd week in June is definitely not the 4th batch. The application isn't even open yet.

Other than his DAT scores, which were mediocre, everything about UltimateHombre's application is great. Solid GPA, awesome ECs, strong work experience, applied early and broadly. You're selling yourself short, man.

Haha! Ya, i think it backfired too.

But just to clarify... i will be starting d-school in July and will be a D1. I have just been around the forums for a long time. LOL.

Also, the last application cycle opened June 2 and i think i applied June 12 ish. However, it took a little longer for my GPA to verified and my transcripts/DAT scores to be received, so i ended up going out 4th batch.

 

[UltimateHombre]

Looking back, though, if I were in his shoes, I'd be a little concerned going in with 18s. With the wrong execution, that could have had much different results based on DAT alone. So I'll add that I think part of his good outcome (8/16 interviews) was doing his research and being smart about applying. We see people with better stats (maybe a little less in the EC department) come up empty. And it can be do to simply not doing their homework before applying. No offense to those applying and asking questions (better now than later), but you can see a little lack of preparedness and potential mistakes. Applying late. Not knowing anything about schools they apply to (like applying to Howard and ASDOH based only on listed GPAs, applying to a ton of OOS state schools). Not doing WICHE when it's available (so stupid not to). I like his list of schools too. Probably because I'm a fellow AZ resident. I've seen other AZ residents almost get shut out because of school choices. He went broad, but I don't think too broad, given what I've seen with AZ residents in the past with a few of these schools. And being familiar with this fellow, once his application got him the interview, I'm positive he interviewed well.

Thanks for your post Jeffity. This is exactly what i was trying to demonstrate by sharing my experience. I knew plenty of people who had 18's that either didn't get accepted or only received 1-3 interviews. And on the contrary, i also had friends/associates that had 21+ and solid GPA's, but only received 1-3 interviews.

My point is that, by applying "smart" you increase your chances dramatically. I think the most important thing i did was apply early. But i also looked at every single school in the ADEA guide and wrote down not only their average accepted DAT and GPA stats, but how many students they accepted from AZ. I also looked at their range of GPA/DAT scores to make sure i fell into their acceptable range.

Every single school i picked had love for AZ students and was in my GPA/DAT range (with the exception of WVU... their tuition was just so cheap i had to apply). Therefore, i received a lot of interviews, because i fit the same profile of many of their students. I was simply trying to demonstrate, that even if you don't have a perfect application, you can still have many opportunities if you do it right.

 

[Gregor Wiesmann]

Thanks for your post Jeffity. This is exactly what i was trying to demonstrate by sharing my experience. I knew plenty of people who had 18's that either didn't get accepted or only received 1-3 interviews. And on the contrary, i also had friends/associates that had 21+ and solid GPA's, but only received 1-3 interviews.

My point is that, by applying "smart" you increase your chances dramatically. I think the most important thing i did was apply early. But i also looked at every single school in the ADEA guide and wrote down not only their average accepted DAT and GPA stats, but how many students they accepted from AZ. I also looked at their range of GPA/DAT scores to make sure i fell into their acceptable range.

Every single school i picked had love for AZ students and was in my GPA/DAT range (with the exception of WVU... their tuition was just so cheap i had to apply). Therefore, i received a lot of interviews, because i fit the same profile of many of their students. I was simply trying to demonstrate, that even if you don't have a perfect application, you can still have many opportunities if you do it right.

How long did you study for the DAT/What resources did you use to study? Nice avatar BTW haha! Tombstone is a great movie!

 

[UltimateHombre]

How long did you study for the DAT/What resources did you use to study? Nice avatar BTW haha! Tombstone is a great movie!

Love me some Doc Holiday. Haha!!! I studied for 7 weeks and used Cliffs AP Bio, Allen's Notes, Chads Videos, Crack PAT, and DAT/Math Destroyer. Took 5 Kaplan practice tests. Honestly, i wouldn't have done anything different... I am not a great test taker. My best practice tests were in the 19's.

 

[Glimmer1991]

But just to clarify... i will be starting d-school in July and will be a D1.

*mind blown*

 

[predentalhopeful2015]

Wow--your GPAs are great, your ECs are amazing, and your DAT scores were average. Totally not surprised that you had so many schools interested in you when you applied.

You may be right that ECs may not make up for a subpar GPA or DAT, but you did not have either. I don't think you were a mediocre applicant at all. I think you represented an average student who would be accepted to dental school numbers-wise and certain components, such as very strong ECs, put you over the top. I think this illustrates how important it is to make sure to have everything in line before applying.

 

[Titus Times]

What a joke. 3.9s are intimidating but 3.7s are a dime a dozen? 18 is within avg aka people get in with 17s,18s,19s just not often on sdn lol

 

[doc toothache]

DS probably like to see "mediocre" applicants, such as yourself.

 

[yeslek88]

DS probably like to see "mediocre" applicants, such as yourself.

Truth. OP is an average enrollee, which means he is a strong applicant. 2013 average applicant: 3.36 oGPA, 3.25 sGPA, 18.8 AA 19.3 PAT. I get the point of the thread and Im not trying to rain on your parade, but make no mistake about it. You were a very strong applicant, and thats before considering your stellar ECs and work experience.