WAMC – Canadian MPH Applicant | And Some Questions

[dentseeker]

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Date of submission: This week
Overall GPA: Undergrad(3.8), Masters(4.0)
DAT score (include AA and all sections):

- Second Attempt: CDAT(June 2025): TS: 21, AA: 21, PAT: 18, RC: 21​

- First Attempt: CDAT(Last Year): TS: 20, AA: 19, PAT: 20, RC: 17​

State of Residence: Canada
Bachelor's Major: Health Science (2023 Completed)
Master's Major: Public Health (2025 Completed)
Minority? No
Reapplicant? Not to USA schools, Applied to a school in Canada last cycle
Nontrad? Yes - Completed Master's in Public Health this summer

Shadowing Experience: 500 hrs [General Dentist], approx. 80 hrs [Periodontist]

Volunteering Experience: Total approx. 450-500 hrs

- Led a Mission dental/medical trip to rural Central American Country​

- YMCA Refugee Youth Volunteer​

- Oral Hygiene Kit distribution drive for people experiencing homelessness​

- Oral health hygiene and denture care sessions for seniors at the community and religious centre​

- Created and led senior/youth engagement programs with local Member of Parliament​

- University program Ambassador​

Employment: Total approx. 1800 hrs

- Worked in the public health sector with the federal government​

- Worked with the provincial government organization on: mobile dental outreach, indigenous youth rural health programs and reducing trends of youth engagement in alcohol consumption​

- Internships at Medical and Health Research organizations: research, data analysis, and program evaluation​

Research: Total approx. 620 hrs

- Master's Internship: multi-substance use survey analysis, dashboard creation, logic model, and evaluation strategy (600 hrs)​

- Publications/Presentations: No peer-reviewed publication, but presented dashboard and findings to the provincial Chief Public Health Officer and team​

- Research proposal: Beyond Borders: Understanding Oral Healthcare Access for South Asian Newcomer Immigrants (15-20 hrs)​

Other Extracurriculars:

- Royal Canadian Air Force: Leading Air Cadet​

- On couple of school sports team [Grade 9-12]​

- Embroidery/Sewing​

Relevant Honors or Awards:

- Graduated Master's and Bachelor’s with distinction/dean’s honours throughout​

- Entrance Scholarship in Bachelor’s​

- A few awards and recognitions from High School, including 1st place in STEM olympics​

LOR type and strength:

- Chem Prof (Took class in 2018) (Bachelor’s): Strong​

- Biostatistics Prof (Took class in 2024) (Masters): Strong​

- General Dentist (Shadowed With): Strong​

- Provincial Chief Public Health Officer (MD) (Worked with during internship): Strong​

Alternative

- Epidemiology Prof (Masters): Strong​

Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags:

- I plan to get done with some pre-requisites (1 year Physics), (1 semester English), (Labs for science courses) during this Fall and Winter terms, by April 2026​

- Academic LORs from my Master's professors.​

School List [Tried to choose Canadian Friendly Ones]:

Boston​

Buffalo​

Case Western Reserve​

Detroit Mercy​

Loma Linda​

Midwestern-Arizona​

Minnesota​

Nova Southeastern​

NYU​

Roseman​

Temple​

Tufts​

Touro​

UPenn​

University of the Pacific​

Questions:

1. Will having multiple in-progress/planned prerequisites negatively affect my application?
2. Are LORs from Master's professors acceptable, or is it better to get them from undergraduate professors?
3. Is my school list appropriate for a Canadian-friendly and holistic approach — should I add/remove any? Should I prioritize a smaller school list (~10) or apply broadly?
4. How do my first attempt DAT scores affect my chances (I feel they are a bit low), and would a higher second attempt significantly improve my chances?

 

[macsak]

1. no, except at stony brook, which is not on your list
2. acceptable
3. apply broadly to canadian friendly schools...
4. first attempt will not matter as long as you improve your scores...

Date of submission: Most likely by mid-July [Finalizing LORs and Schools]
Overall GPA: Undergrad(3.8), Masters(4.0)
DAT score (include AA and all sections):

- Second Attempt: CDAT(June 2025): Expecting scores to come by end of July​

- First Attempt: CDAT(Last Year): TS: 20, AA: 19, PAT: 20, RC: 17​

State of Residence: Canada
Bachelor's Major: Health Science (2023 Completed)
Master's Major: Public Health (2025 Completed)
Minority? No
Reapplicant? Not to USA schools, Applied to a school in Canada last cycle
Nontrad? Yes - Completed Master's in Public Health this summer

Shadowing Experience: 500 hrs [General Dentist], approx. 80 hrs [Periodontist]

Volunteering Experience: Total approx. 450-500 hrs

- Led a Mission dental/medical trip to rural Central American Country​

- YMCA Refugee Youth Volunteer​

- Oral Hygiene Kit distribution drive for people experiencing homelessness​

- Oral health hygiene and denture care sessions for seniors at the community and religious centre​

- Created and led senior/youth engagement programs with local Member of Parliament​

- University program Ambassador​

Employment: Total approx. 1800 hrs

- Worked in the public health sector with the federal government​

- Worked with the provincial government organization on: mobile dental outreach, indigenous youth rural health programs and reducing trends of youth engagement in alcohol consumption​

- Internships at Medical and Health Research organizations: research, data analysis, and program evaluation​

Research: Total approx. 620 hrs

- Master's Internship: multi-substance use survey analysis, dashboard creation, logic model, and evaluation strategy (600 hrs)​

- Publications/Presentations: No peer-reviewed publication, but presented dashboard and findings to the provincial Chief Public Health Officer and team​

- Research proposal: Beyond Borders: Understanding Oral Healthcare Access for South Asian Newcomer Immigrants (15-20 hrs)​

Other Extracurriculars:

- Royal Canadian Air Force: Leading Air Cadet​

- On couple of school sports team [Grade 9-12]​

- Embroidery/Sewing​

Relevant Honors or Awards:

- Graduated Master's and Bachelor’s with distinction/dean’s honours throughout​

- Entrance Scholarship in Bachelor’s​

- A few awards and recognitions from High School, including 1st place in STEM olympics​

LOR type and strength:

- Biostatistics Prof (Masters): Strong​

- Epidemiology Prof (Masters): Strong​

- General Dentist (Shadowed With): Strong​

- Provincial Chief Public Health Officer (MD) (Worked with during internship): Mid/Strong​

Alternative if Masters prof LORs are not acceptable [They will not be very personal as did these courses during COVID]

- Bio Prof (Bachelor’s): General-Good​

- Chem Prof (Bachelor’s): General-Good​

Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags:

- I plan to get done with some pre-requisites (1 year Physics), (1 semester English), (Labs for science courses) during this Fall and Winter terms, by April 2026​

- Academic LORs from my Master's professors.​

School List [Tried to choose Canadian Friendly Ones]:

Boston​

Buffalo​

Case Western Reserve​

Columbia​

Detroit Mercy​

Midwestern-Arizona​

Minnesota​

Nova Southeastern​

NYU​

Roseman​

Temple​

Tufts​

Touro​

UPenn​

University of the Pacific​

USC​

Maybe?:

Loma Linda​

New England College of Dental Medicine​

Questions:

1. Will having multiple in-progress/planned prerequisites negatively affect my application?
2. Are LORs from Master's professors acceptable, or is it better to get them from undergraduate professors?
3. Is my school list appropriate for a Canadian-friendly and holistic approach — should I add/remove any? Should I prioritize a smaller school list (~10) or apply broadly?
4. How do my first attempt DAT scores affect my chances (I feel they are a bit low), and would a higher second attempt significantly improve my chances?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Let us know when your new scores come in.

 

[dentseeker]

@Mr.Smile12 @macsak I got my CDAT score back: TS: 21, AA: 21, PAT: 18, RC: 21

Would really appreciate your thoughts on my chances with the current school list—should I add/remove any? The PAT score is a bit concerning for me.

Also swapped the LOR from Epidemiology to a Chemistry prof from undergrad.
(P.S. Also updated the post with these changes)

 

[macsak]

@Mr.Smile12 @macsak I got my CDAT score back: TS: 21, AA: 21, PAT: 18, RC: 21

Would really appreciate your thoughts on my chances with the current school list—should I add/remove any? The PAT score is a bit concerning for me.

Also swapped the LOR from Epidemiology to a Chemistry prof from undergrad.
(P.S. Also updated the post with these changes)

congrats on the improvement
apply broadly to canadian friendly schools...

 

[dentseeker]

Thanks for the response! Based on my profile, how would you rate my chances of getting attention from any of the schools above?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I think you can keep the list to 15 schools. I am hopeful someone would be interested given your other accomplishments, but dentistry isn't always about policy and advocacy. I would suggest removing Loma Linda unless you fit their overall culture (Seventh Day Adventists).