WAMC 25-26 Cycle, Red flags? How to improve?

[apexvii]

Date of submission: Applied last cycle September 16, 2024 (No interviews) Plan to apply late June to early July for 25-26 Cycle
Overall GPA: 3.22 (undergrad), 3.75 (master's)
Science GPA: 3.07 (undergrad), 3.2 (Cumulative)
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.27
DAT score (include AA and all sections):
Residence: RI

• 12/21/23: 19 AA, 18 PAT, 19 QR, 25 RC, 18 BIO, 16 GEN CHEM, 16 ORGO, 17 TS
• 07/19/24: 19 AA, 19 PAT, 19 QR, 24 RC, 18 BIO, 17 GEN CHEM, 15 ORGO, 17 TS
• 11/08/24: 18 AA, 15 PAT, 18 QR, 23 RC, 18 BIO, 15 GEN CHEM, 15 ORGO, 16 TS
  
  Major: Biology
  Minority: No
  Reapplicant? Yes
  Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 280 hours (general dentistry)
Volunteering Experience: 200 hours
Employment: 868 hours as a dental assistant at the same clinic as shadowing.
Research: Did a research rotation, wrote a paper reviewing pathophysiology, clinical implications, and the bidirectional relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease.
Other Extracurriculars:

• Student board member for 2 organizations as Community Service Chair
• Led and organized multiple community service events
• Hosted an Oral health and practices seminar for children
• Taekwondo Black Belt
  Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? No
  LOR type and strength: 2 Professors, 1 organization mentor, 1 dentist
  Relevant Honors or Awards: Deans List
  Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags:
• Low DAT scores (multiple attempts)
• Diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, and depression after taking exams; now receiving help
• Late application submission (mid-September)

School list:
UCONN
UNC
Rutgers
BU
UCLA
TOURO
Midwestern Illinois
UPENN
UWashington
UNE
Roseman
U Colorado
Tufts
OHSU

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[macsak]

you skipped multiple lines of the template...

Date of submission: Applied last cycle September 16, 2024 (No interviews) Plan to apply late June to early July for 25-26 Cycle
Overall GPA: 3.22 (undergrad), 3.75 (master's)
Science GPA: 3.07 (undergrad), 3.2 (Cumulative)
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.27
DAT score (include AA and all sections):

• 12/21/23: 19 AA, 18 PAT, 19 QR, 25 RC, 18 BIO, 16 GEN CHEM, 16 ORGO, 17 TS
• 07/19/24: 19 AA, 19 PAT, 19 QR, 24 RC, 18 BIO, 17 GEN CHEM, 15 ORGO, 17 TS
• 11/08/24: 18 AA, 15 PAT, 18 QR, 23 RC, 18 BIO, 15 GEN CHEM, 15 ORGO, 16 TS
  
  Major: Biology
  Reapplicant? Yes
  Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 280 hours (general dentistry)
Volunteering Experience: 200 hours
Employment: 868 hours as a dental assistant at the same clinic as shadowing.
Research: Did a research rotation, wrote a paper reviewing pathophysiology, clinical implications, and the bidirectional relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease.
Other Extracurriculars:

• Student board member for 2 organizations as Community Service Chair
• Led and organized multiple community service events
• Hosted an Oral health and practices seminar for children
• Taekwondo Black Belt
  Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? No
  LOR type and strength: 2 Professors, 1 organization mentor, 1 dentist
  Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags:
• Low DAT scores (multiple attempts)
• Diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, and depression after taking exams; now receiving help
• Late application submission (mid-September)

School list:
UCONN
UNC
Rutgers
BU
UCLA
TOURO
Midwestern Illinois
UPENN
UWashington
UNE
Roseman
U Colorado
Tufts
OHSU

 

[apexvii]

you skipped multiple lines of the template...

Hey sorry, i missed a few and the others I did not feel comfortable adding. Ill adjust it thanks!

 

[macsak]

Hey sorry, i missed a few and the others I did not feel comfortable adding. Ill adjust it thanks!

ok, thanks

how did you come up with your list?

 

[apexvii]

I based my list on tuition, proximity, curriculum, and specialization rates.

 

[macsak]

I based my list on tuition, proximity, curriculum, and specialization rates.

how come you didn't retake DAT again?

 

[apexvii]

I am hesitant to take it again as 3 times with no improvement or lower scores even is a red flag. I am looking for feedback on DAT retakes predominantly but also other ways I can improve. I spoke to 2 schools admissions team on ways to improve, one mentioned applying earlier and taking the DAT again was my choice as they look at applicants holistically. The other mentioned I should take the DAT again as they consider the highest scores even when evaluating candidates.

 

[macsak]

I am hesitant to take it again as 3 times with no improvement or lower scores even is a red flag. I am looking for feedback on DAT retakes predominantly but also other ways I can improve. I spoke to 2 schools admissions team on ways to improve, one mentioned applying earlier and taking the DAT again was my choice as they look at applicants holistically. The other mentioned I should take the DAT again as they consider the highest scores even when evaluating candidates.

you will need to retake DAT if you want to have a shot at d schools
the fact that you have a downward trend will not look good to schools...

 

[apexvii]

Yeah that’s what I was thinking too, just wanted to get another opinion. I have used booster for my previous exams, do you think bootcamp would be better? I hear mixed opinions and leaned towards booster in the past due to it being “more like the actual exam” it was also cheaper. Are there any additional resources you would recommend? Thank you!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Were any of the DAT scores taken with accommodations? Have you ever received accommodations before?

 

[apexvii]

None of the DAT scores are with accommodations. I have only received accommodation in undergraduate for religious reasons where I ended up taking the exam later in the day due to fasting earlier.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

So are you confident that your DAT and GPA accurately reflect your academic preparation? Having such similar DAT scores tells me you're baked in with those scores. It would require an extraordinary result to convince me you could consistently score higher.

Your numbers put you out of contention for UNC, Roseman, UCLA, UW (don't take many non-PNW OOS), Penn, UConn, Oregon, Colorado) to me. I don't know if Midwestern reaches out of region for candidates like you.

Your metrics should make you think seriously about a dental SMP to give you a shot to dental school.

 

[apexvii]

So are you confident that your DAT and GPA accurately reflect your academic preparation? Having such similar DAT scores tells me you're baked in with those scores. It would require an extraordinary result to convince me you could consistently score higher.

Your numbers put you out of contention for UNC, Roseman, UCLA, UW (don't take many non-PNW OOS), Penn, UConn, Oregon, Colorado) to me. I don't know if Midwestern reaches out of region for candidates like you.

Your metrics should make you think seriously about a dental SMP to give you a shot to dental school.

I believe my graduate GPA accurately represents my academic preparation and dedication towards being a dentist. My DAT, I do not think so, based on my improvements in day-to-day experiences after getting the help I needed. The masters that I have now completed was a Master of Biomedical Sciences (pre-dental track) at Rutgers University. Are you suggesting that I do another SMP?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I believe my graduate GPA accurately represents my academic preparation and dedication towards being a dentist. My DAT, I do not think so, based on my improvements in day-to-day experiences after getting the help I needed. The masters that I have now completed was a Master of Biomedical Sciences (pre-dental track) at Rutgers University. Are you suggesting that I do another SMP?

An additional SMP does you little good now. What support do you have from your program faculty? What schools do they suggest? What are their opinions about your DAT? Among students they have advised with a similar profile to you, where did those students get interviews and acceptances? Do you think you have a shot with Rutgers proper?

 

[apexvii]

An additional SMP does you little good now. What support do you have from your program faculty? What schools do they suggest? What are their opinions about your DAT?

They offer a guaranteed interview with 20 AA and 20 TS, in terms of schools suggested they have not suggested any. When I last got feedback from them about my application they mentioned that my DAT scores are below the average for most schools and that they would hinder me.

 

[Upcoming D1]

Yeah that’s what I was thinking too, just wanted to get another opinion. I have used booster for my previous exams, do you think bootcamp would be better? I hear mixed opinions and leaned towards booster in the past due to it being “more like the actual exam” it was also cheaper. Are there any additional resources you would recommend? Thank you!

I used Bootcamp for both of my attempts taking the DAT and I felt like it was pretty true to the real DAT. The first time I used Bootcamp I was just watching the videos and doing the quizzes, when it came to retaking the DAT I was actively watching videos by taking notes on everything. If you use Bootcamp I'd say go through everything and take notes and do all the quizzes. Bootcamp also puts a lot of emphasis on the PAT so I'm sure you'd improve your PAT score using it.