So it is almost the end of November and I have only been offered an interview at UNLV and that is in early January. I am excited about that interview, but naturally I am worried since I am mostly likely not getting any pre-December interviews and I don't really know what to do at this point. I have 2 questions for all of you which I would like to know the answer to:
1) Are there weak sections of my application which I should somehow improve on? (For ex: should I retake the DAT, or postpone my graduation next semester to take even more classes to boost my GPA even more than it would already increase from this semester and next semester?)
2) Should I somehow send letters of updates to the schools I applied to and tell them about the things I have continued doing to improve my application, outside of just my grades (which will be inputted during the academic update). For example shadowing, volunteering, manual dexterity, and other learning opportunities which I have been participating in (see below for details).
I am a bit lost. Thank you for reading, I appreciate any replies.
Some background info:
-Took the DAT on July 21st, completed AADSAS app on July 29th, AADSAS app mailed out on August 12th
-Secondaries sent out a few days after received from each school, ranging from early to mid-September.
-Schools applied to UCLA, WesternU, UNLV, UOP, USC, UCSF
-Residency: CA
- Major: Kinesiology (basically all major courses count under the "Other Sciences" category in AADSAS)
-GPA: 3.69 oGPA, 3.72 sGPA, 3.70 BCP GPA with all units coming from a California State University (CSU). Along with this, there is a very strong upward trend in the last 2 years of my grades. (Additionally, I am still taking classes for this semester and next semester to finish my degree and improve my cumulative GPA/science GPA.)
-DAT: 21 AA, 20 TS, 21 PAT, 21 QR, 22 RC, 19 BIO, 22 GC, 20 OC. (Only took the DAT once.)
-Shadowing: 550 hrs from 3 General Dentists, 1 Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon, and 1 Orthodontist. (Since turning in my AADSAS app I have also completed 120 more hours working as an unpaid intern in the back office of the same Oral Surgeon, doing things like shadowing, setting up trays, sterilizing, aiding in consults and pre-op/post-op patient checks.)
-Volunteering: 400 hrs: 90 hrs coming from dental events in underserved communities, 80 hrs coming from within UCLA School of Dentistry, and 225 hrs from a children’s Saturday School. (Since turning in my AADSAS app I will be completing more hours of volunteering within the next few months).
-Research: 7 months (180 hrs) in a microbiology lab at my university. (Since turning in my AADSAS app I have continued research for an additional 3 months and will continue to participate for this semester and next semester, which is when I graduate.)
-LORs: 7 strong letters (1 from each of these: Health Professions Committee, Dentist, Chemistry Professor, Math Professor, Research Lab P.I., UCLA School of Dentistry [from a volunteer program I did there], and a priest)
-Club/Honor Society Memberships: Student Health Professions Associate member for 4 years and currently serving as the Dental Chair of that club, Pre-Dental Society member for 3 years, Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society for the Health Sciences member for 7 months, Pre-Dental ASDA member for 1 year
-Manual Dexterity: Extensive proof of proficient manual dexterity, including playing guitar for 10+ years, actively doing playing card magic tricks for 10+ years, and taking a tooth waxing and denture setup (manual dexterity) course at UCLA. (Since turning in my AADSAS app, I will be participating in the semester-long "Basic Dental Principles" laboratory course in the UCLA School of Dentistry.)
-Work: Dental Office Receptionist/Front Desk Clerk, Car Dealership Customer Relations Manager, Hollister Sales Associate
1) Are there weak sections of my application which I should somehow improve on? (For ex: should I retake the DAT, or postpone my graduation next semester to take even more classes to boost my GPA even more than it would already increase from this semester and next semester?)
2) Should I somehow send letters of updates to the schools I applied to and tell them about the things I have continued doing to improve my application, outside of just my grades (which will be inputted during the academic update). For example shadowing, volunteering, manual dexterity, and other learning opportunities which I have been participating in (see below for details).
I am a bit lost. Thank you for reading, I appreciate any replies.
Some background info:
-Took the DAT on July 21st, completed AADSAS app on July 29th, AADSAS app mailed out on August 12th
-Secondaries sent out a few days after received from each school, ranging from early to mid-September.
-Schools applied to UCLA, WesternU, UNLV, UOP, USC, UCSF
-Residency: CA
- Major: Kinesiology (basically all major courses count under the "Other Sciences" category in AADSAS)
-GPA: 3.69 oGPA, 3.72 sGPA, 3.70 BCP GPA with all units coming from a California State University (CSU). Along with this, there is a very strong upward trend in the last 2 years of my grades. (Additionally, I am still taking classes for this semester and next semester to finish my degree and improve my cumulative GPA/science GPA.)
-DAT: 21 AA, 20 TS, 21 PAT, 21 QR, 22 RC, 19 BIO, 22 GC, 20 OC. (Only took the DAT once.)
-Shadowing: 550 hrs from 3 General Dentists, 1 Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon, and 1 Orthodontist. (Since turning in my AADSAS app I have also completed 120 more hours working as an unpaid intern in the back office of the same Oral Surgeon, doing things like shadowing, setting up trays, sterilizing, aiding in consults and pre-op/post-op patient checks.)
-Volunteering: 400 hrs: 90 hrs coming from dental events in underserved communities, 80 hrs coming from within UCLA School of Dentistry, and 225 hrs from a children’s Saturday School. (Since turning in my AADSAS app I will be completing more hours of volunteering within the next few months).
-Research: 7 months (180 hrs) in a microbiology lab at my university. (Since turning in my AADSAS app I have continued research for an additional 3 months and will continue to participate for this semester and next semester, which is when I graduate.)
-LORs: 7 strong letters (1 from each of these: Health Professions Committee, Dentist, Chemistry Professor, Math Professor, Research Lab P.I., UCLA School of Dentistry [from a volunteer program I did there], and a priest)
-Club/Honor Society Memberships: Student Health Professions Associate member for 4 years and currently serving as the Dental Chair of that club, Pre-Dental Society member for 3 years, Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society for the Health Sciences member for 7 months, Pre-Dental ASDA member for 1 year
-Manual Dexterity: Extensive proof of proficient manual dexterity, including playing guitar for 10+ years, actively doing playing card magic tricks for 10+ years, and taking a tooth waxing and denture setup (manual dexterity) course at UCLA. (Since turning in my AADSAS app, I will be participating in the semester-long "Basic Dental Principles" laboratory course in the UCLA School of Dentistry.)
-Work: Dental Office Receptionist/Front Desk Clerk, Car Dealership Customer Relations Manager, Hollister Sales Associate
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