WAMC 24-25; No interviews, high DAT

[basicallynew]

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Hello,

I have yet to receive a single invitation to interview, or any communication other than confirmation that my application was received. I'm a non-trad, am very confident in my Personal Statement and essays. I know that my GPA is a bit low, but I did not know I wanted to do this when I was in undergrad. I have since received an A in every science prerequisite over the last few years, with the exception of 1 (I received a B).

My post-bacc cGPA is 3.91 and BCPM is 3.9

My questions are:

Did I submit too late? Should I be concerned at this point? Any tips going forward to strengthen my application?


Any other advice or observations would also be helpful! Thank you so much!

Date of submission: Verified 8/29/24
Overall GPA: 3.32
Science GPA: 3.63
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.64
DAT score (include AA and all sections): Bio: 23 I GC: 21 I OC: 22 I RC: 30 I PAT: 23 I AA: 23 I TS: 22
State of Residence: Texas

Undergrad Attended: Colorado
Major: Architecture
Minor:
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? Yes - small business owner changing careers

Shadowing Experience: 170 hours, mostly General Dentistry (115) with some Periodontics as well.
Volunteering Experience: pro-bono work via my business (200+), Pro-bono Graphic design for my university (30 hours), Hospice Volunteering (22 hours).
Employment:
Past: Foreman, Environmental Designer, Property Manager.
Current: Founder/CEO of a successful home/commercial services company.
Research: No
Other Extracurriculars: Property Manager for a year, Foreman on construction site for 2 years, Founder/CEO of local business
Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? No
Relevant Honors or Awards: Chancellor's Achievement Scholarship during undergrad, Dean's list 3 times during undergrad, Member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor society
LOR type and strength: 2 fairly strong from Dentists I shadowed. 1 from my Biochemistry Professor, also believed to be strong.
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: I graduated with a 3.18 cumulative from undergrad, I did not yet know what I wanted to do and had some maturing to do, so my grades weren't stellar, but they trended upwards. I began taking my science prerequisites at a CC as my Bach. degree did not include many. I did a DIY post-bacc essentially and made sure to apply myself and earn top marks in all my science prerequisites. I worked part time, so my courseloads were often less than 12 semester hours at any one time, though, usually 8-11 hours, all Science.

School list:
All Texas Schools
Colorado
OHSU
MUSC
UNC
NOVA (applied late sept)
LECOM (applied late sept)

 

[Mr.Smile12]

How long ago did you graduate with your degree, and how recent were your prerequisites taken? Did you network with schools nearby, such as all the Texas dental schools or UColorado before beginning the process? You still have a little time to be considered, but I would have focused on a better mix of schools than MUSC, OHSU, and UNC, which tend to favor candidates who live in-state or a stronger connection.

 

[macsak]

How long ago did you graduate with your degree, and how recent were your prerequisites taken? Did you network with schools nearby, such as all the Texas dental schools or UColorado before beginning the process? You still have a little time to be considered, but I would have focused on a better mix of schools than MUSC, OHSU, and UNC, which tend to favor candidates who live in-state or a stronger connection.

it's your school list (texas unc and musc) and lack of volunteering other than pro bono work...

 

[basicallynew]

How long ago did you graduate with your degree, and how recent were your prerequisites taken? Did you network with schools nearby, such as all the Texas dental schools or UColorado before beginning the process? You still have a little time to be considered, but I would have focused on a better mix of schools than MUSC, OHSU, and UNC, which tend to favor candidates who live in-state or a stronger connection.

I graduated in 2016. Only prerequisite courses from then are: Biology 1 and 2 (AP credit), and English (AP).

All other prerequisites were taken from spring 2018-fall 2023, there are a few upper division recommended bio courses I haven’t yet taken: anatomy/physiology, immunology, and histology.

Would you recommend I enroll in all or some of those for spring 2025? I know UNC requires anatomy so I do plan on that at a minimum.

Would it be better to enroll in a 1 year masters program?

I am in a better position now to volunteer and can certainly start to work on that asap

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I graduated in 2016. Only prerequisite courses from then are: Biology 1 and 2 (AP credit), and English (AP).

All other prerequisites were taken from spring 2018-fall 2023, there are a few upper division recommended bio courses I haven’t yet taken: anatomy/physiology, immunology, and histology.

Would you recommend I enroll in all or some of those for spring 2025? I know UNC requires anatomy so I do plan on that at a minimum.

Would it be better to enroll in a 1 year masters program?

I am in a better position now to volunteer and can certainly start to work on that asap

I would connect with the admissions staff at the schools closest to you. As a Texas resident, connect with each school's admissions team. They may also have recordings of TMDSAS interviews you can access (YouTube, podcasts). Let us know what they suggest since your in-state Texas programs would be your best bet and least disruptive when moving to a dental school campus. Bring similar questions and ask specifically about your courses (including preferred courses), community service, and DAT timing (when you have to retake). They may have ideas about postbac options once they see your transcript.

 

[basicallynew]

it's your school list (texas unc and musc) and lack of volunteering other than pro bono work...

What changes to my school list might you recommend? Is it too late in the cycle at this point to apply more broadly?

 

[macsak]

What changes to my school list might you recommend? Is it too late in the cycle at this point to apply more broadly?

it's not too late because deadlines have not passed yet, but it's up to you to decide if it's worth it...

 

[Mr.Smile12]

In my opinion, it seems like you submitted to a less than ideal list of schools. Being a Texas resident, your in-state schools are your best shot. It's not too late to get an interview from them, but they like to see strong mission fit and service to underserved/marginalized communities in the state. While you have a lot of accomplishments from your previous position, it's not clear that you have made the pivot from the above description, and I'm guessing that's what is holding you back.