WAMC 26-27 Cycle, Applying in June

[yumfood]

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Date of submission: N/A
Overall GPA: 3.98
Science GPA: 3.97
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.97
DAT score (include AA and all sections):
AA: 510
TS: 510
PAT: 540
QR: 500
RC: 530
Bio: 590
GC: 480
OC: 470
State of Residence: CA
Undergrad Attended: UCLA
Major: Psychobiology
Minor: Disability Studies
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No
Shadowing Experience:
Will have 50 in general, 50 in ortho, and around 40 in hospital dentistry by the time I apply
Volunteering Experience:
80 hrs - church leader
80 hrs - church praise team keyboardist
50 hrs - hospital volunteering from freshman year
60 hrs - animal shelter
40 hrs - nonprofit tutoring
Employment:
240 hrs - grader for a intro life science course
50 hrs - private tutoring for AP Bio
Research:
500 hrs - stroke rehab dry lab, no publications but 2 abstracts
Will be presenting a poster at a dental conference before June about special needs dentistry
Other Extracurriculars:
200 hrs - Internship at my school's dental clinic (received course credit)
Board position for pre-health disability advocacy club
450 hrs - Ortho assisting
300 hrs - Work under TA for intro level life science courses during discussion sections, guiding peers and learning pedagogy techniques (course credit)
Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools?
Internship as mentioned above
Relevant Honors or Awards:
One time scholarship, Dean's list
LOR type and strength:
Biochem professor (strong), orthodontist (very strong), ochem professor (okay), Internship supervisor (strong)
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags:
Have one W from dropping OChem
Worried about potentially low volunteer hours and that half of them are church-related
I am aware I have many reaches for my school list, and would appreciate any advice on schools I should add (do not have microbio or anatomy course credit). I am graduating in June and will return to ortho assisting during my gap year, but most likely will not take up any new volunteer activities unless it seems extremely necessary.
School list:
UCLA, UCSF, UoP, USC, Western U, OHSU, Touro, Tufts, Penn, Columbia, BU, Marquette

 

[macsak]

Date of submission: N/A
Overall GPA: 3.98
Science GPA: 3.97
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.97
DAT score (include AA and all sections):
AA: 510
TS: 510
PAT: 540
QR: 500
RC: 530
Bio: 590
GC: 480
OC: 470
State of Residence: CA
Undergrad Attended: UCLA
Major: Psychobiology
Minor: Disability Studies
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No
Shadowing Experience:
Will have 50 in general, 50 in ortho, and around 40 in hospital dentistry by the time I apply
Volunteering Experience:
80 hrs - church leader
80 hrs - church praise team keyboardist
50 hrs - hospital volunteering from freshman year
60 hrs - animal shelter
40 hrs - nonprofit tutoring
Employment:
240 hrs - grader for a intro life science course
50 hrs - private tutoring for AP Bio
Research:
500 hrs - stroke rehab dry lab, no publications but 2 abstracts
Will be presenting a poster at a dental conference before June about special needs dentistry
Other Extracurriculars:
200 hrs - Internship at my school's dental clinic (received course credit)
Board position for pre-health disability advocacy club
450 hrs - Ortho assisting
300 hrs - Work under TA for intro level life science courses during discussion sections, guiding peers and learning pedagogy techniques (course credit)
Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools?
Internship as mentioned above
Relevant Honors or Awards:
One time scholarship, Dean's list
LOR type and strength:
Biochem professor (strong), orthodontist (very strong), ochem professor (okay), Internship supervisor (strong)
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags:
Have one W from dropping OChem
Worried about potentially low volunteer hours and that half of them are church-related
I am aware I have many reaches for my school list, and would appreciate any advice on schools I should add (do not have microbio or anatomy course credit). I am graduating in June and will return to ortho assisting during my gap year, but most likely will not take up any new volunteer activities unless it seems extremely necessary.
School list:
UCLA, UCSF, UoP, USC, Western U, OHSU, Touro, Tufts, Penn, Columbia, BU, Marquette

what did your internship involve?
did you get exposure to admissions committee members?
were you a member of the predental club?

 

[macsak]

Date of submission: N/A
Overall GPA: 3.98
Science GPA: 3.97
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.97
DAT score (include AA and all sections):
AA: 510
TS: 510
PAT: 540
QR: 500
RC: 530
Bio: 590
GC: 480
OC: 470
State of Residence: CA
Undergrad Attended: UCLA
Major: Psychobiology
Minor: Disability Studies
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No
Shadowing Experience:
Will have 50 in general, 50 in ortho, and around 40 in hospital dentistry by the time I apply
Volunteering Experience:
80 hrs - church leader
80 hrs - church praise team keyboardist
50 hrs - hospital volunteering from freshman year
60 hrs - animal shelter
40 hrs - nonprofit tutoring
Employment:
240 hrs - grader for a intro life science course
50 hrs - private tutoring for AP Bio
Research:
500 hrs - stroke rehab dry lab, no publications but 2 abstracts
Will be presenting a poster at a dental conference before June about special needs dentistry
Other Extracurriculars:
200 hrs - Internship at my school's dental clinic (received course credit)
Board position for pre-health disability advocacy club
450 hrs - Ortho assisting
300 hrs - Work under TA for intro level life science courses during discussion sections, guiding peers and learning pedagogy techniques (course credit)
Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools?
Internship as mentioned above
Relevant Honors or Awards:
One time scholarship, Dean's list
LOR type and strength:
Biochem professor (strong), orthodontist (very strong), ochem professor (okay), Internship supervisor (strong)
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags:
Have one W from dropping OChem
Worried about potentially low volunteer hours and that half of them are church-related
I am aware I have many reaches for my school list, and would appreciate any advice on schools I should add (do not have microbio or anatomy course credit). I am graduating in June and will return to ortho assisting during my gap year, but most likely will not take up any new volunteer activities unless it seems extremely necessary.
School list:
UCLA, UCSF, UoP, USC, Western U, OHSU, Touro, Tufts, Penn, Columbia, BU, Marquette

why touro?
why tufts?
why BU?
why marquette?

 

[yumfood]

what did your internship involve?
did you get exposure to admissions committee members?
were you a member of the predental club?

My internship involved working with patients with disabilities alongside the social work team and shadowing the GPRs at the clinic. I did not get exposure to admissions committee members, just with the faculty that work at the clinic I interned at. I was not a member of the predental club.

 

[yumfood]

why touro?
why tufts?
why BU?
why marquette?

Touro, tufts, and BU were personal preference because I have some extended family there and friends. Marquette was kind of arbitrary that I'm still unsure whether I'll add or drop by the time I apply, but I was broadly just looking at schools that don't have crazy high averages like ivies that don't require microbio or anatomy as prereqs. I mainly want to stay in California, but know I need to apply a bit broadly since California schools are so competitive.

 

[macsak]

Touro, tufts, and BU were personal preference because I have some extended family there and friends. Marquette was kind of arbitrary that I'm still unsure whether I'll add or drop by the time I apply, but I was broadly just looking at schools that don't have crazy high averages like ivies that don't require microbio or anatomy as prereqs. I mainly want to stay in California, but know I need to apply a bit broadly since California schools are so competitive.

you get interview invites and acceptances by having mission fit with a program
"personal preference" and "arbitrary" are not mission fit
look into schools that have special needs emphasis for example
your GPA is near perfect and your DAT scores are 96-98 percentile
you stand a huge chance of yield management if you apply to private schools all the way across the country
look at other west coast/mountain schools
even creighton is a better safety school than those others...

 

[yumfood]

you get interview invites and acceptances by having mission fit with a program
"personal preference" and "arbitrary" are not mission fit
look into schools that have special needs emphasis for example
your GPA is near perfect and your DAT scores are 96-98 percentile
you stand a huge chance of yield management if you apply to private schools all the way across the country
look at other west coast/mountain schools
even creighton is a better safety school than those others...

I see, I will have to take a better look at mountain schools. Also, do you think my volunteering hours and half of them being church-related will hold me back at California schools?

 

[macsak]

I see, I will have to take a better look at mountain schools. Also, do you think my volunteering hours and half of them being church-related will hold me back at California schools?

if they were a concern, i would have mentioned it

if you are religious and a CA resident, why not loma linda?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I think your volunteering is a little light than desired, especially if you say you are interested in working with disabled patients.

I would strongly suggest working with veterans. There should be many opportunities around California to provide dental care and other social services to military veterans. Pediatrics also needs special needs-competent practitioners. Through your networking, you should be able to shadow other dentists who have intentionally designed clinic spaces to accommodate special needs patients (like a special dental chair for those confined to wheelchairs). Every dental school, especially in California, should have a plan to train dental students to work with special needs patients (at least observe and assist). Do these dentists work with speech language pathologists or specialists?

I am guessing your internship is related to your disability studies minor. It would be great to see more involvement that is not associated with your studies (i.e., volunteering on your own "off-campus").

 

[yumfood]

I think your volunteering is a little light than desired, especially if you say you are interested in working with disabled patients.

I would strongly suggest working with veterans. There should be many opportunities around California to provide dental care and other social services to military veterans. Pediatrics also needs special needs-competent practitioners. Through your networking, you should be able to shadow other dentists who have intentionally designed clinic spaces to accommodate special needs patients (like a special dental chair for those confined to wheelchairs). Every dental school, especially in California, should have a plan to train dental students to work with special needs patients (at least observe and assist). Do these dentists work with speech language pathologists or specialists?

I am guessing your internship is related to your disability studies minor. It would be great to see more involvement that is not associated with your studies (i.e., volunteering on your own "off-campus").

Thank you so much for your advice! I plan to continue at my internship site but as a volunteer for my spring quarter, aiming for around 80 hours before I apply. Do you think this would not be as impactful since it is the same place and activities as I have done during my internship (only difference now would be that it's not for course credit which is why it would be volunteering next quarter)? With onboarding and paperwork that comes along with volunteering, I think it would be difficult to get enough hours before I apply in June if I start a new volunteer activity. Do you think the extra volunteer hours added from my internship site as a volunteer would be enough?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you so much for your advice! I plan to continue at my internship site but as a volunteer for my spring quarter, aiming for around 80 hours before I apply. Do you think this would not be as impactful since it is the same place and activities as I have done during my internship (only difference now would be that it's not for course credit which is why it would be volunteering next quarter)? With onboarding and paperwork that comes along with volunteering, I think it would be difficult to get enough hours before I apply in June if I start a new volunteer activity. Do you think the extra volunteer hours added from my internship site as a volunteer would be enough?

Only you can argue the value of the experience. I'm just making suggestions. I would encourage you to continue your clinical and community service experiences generally. I'm just giving you options to strengthen your argument, but you have to do what you can do.