his dats aren't that bad..total science score of 18 is solid. QUOTE]
yes, i agree with you that total science score of 18 is solid. Some people on this website who got into dental schools has 18 or 19 on DAT, but they have incredible overall and science GPA, like 3.6 and above. (of course there are exceptions!) If you don't have GPA like that, i think your application will be much more competitive with higher DAT score. Some people say it is so easy to get into NYU and BU. I don't agree with that. Getting into dental schools is so though and very competitive. No pain, no gain.
I have learned this from my personal experience. I have around 3.45 GPA both overall and Science, and I have 21/22/16. I had 22 on science and I got rejected by a couple private schools. Boston university told me to send them a recent transcript so that they can re-review my application. I go to University of California, San Diego. It is not like MIT, but its public school ranking is 7th in the nation, according to usnews. My point is that if you want to increase your chance of getting into dental school, retake your DAT. Make your application as competitive as possible. I wish you the best.