WAMC Dental 2023-24 cycle or another gap year?

[Joplean]

Date of submission: My plan is to apply late june/ early july
Overall GPA: 3.78
Science GPA: ~3.66
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: ~3.63
DAT score (include AA and all sections): 23 AA/ 22 TS/ 22 GC/22 Bio/ 22 OC/ 26 RC/ 24 QR/ 19 PAT (Yikes)
State of Residence: California

Undergrad Attended:
Major: Biochemistry
Minority?


Shadowing Experience: Just started shadowing, I'll shadow until I apply probably around 100 hours
Volunteering Experience: ~100 hours in hospital settings, planning to get it up to 200 hrs ish
Employment: School Tutoring 100+ hours, TA, IT technician at school
Research: Two years of Biology research at school (Half during covid), don't have publications, however.
Other Extracurriculars: Not too much
Relevant Honors or Awards:
LOR type and strength: Probably three science professors at my school, hopefully, some humanity professors, but it won't be too strong. I don't know any dentists at the moment (Is this really bad?)
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: I don't have the strongest EC, trying to find a job, but I haven't gotten a job yet. (Graduating this may)
School list:
Please include a list of schools you are interested in applying to! It is much easier for users to help you when you have taken the time to construct your own school list first!

My plan is to just apply to Cali, NY schools and some for now, but not 100% sure

UCSF
UCLA
WesternU
Loma Linda
UOP
USC
NYU
Stony Brook
Columbia
Touro
NOVA
Buffalo
Boston
Tufts
Roseman

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[Ryxndek]

Not having a dentist letter isn’t bad unless the school requires it. Remove Loma unless you have a spiritual director capable of writing a letter for you. I would try to narrow down your list as well. You could apply to around 10 schools and be fine with your stats. Your 19 PAT also shouldn’t really hurt you, do you have an idea of what to put down for your fine motor skills?

 

[macsak]

Date of submission: My plan is to apply late june/ early july
Overall GPA: 3.78
Science GPA: ~3.66
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: ~3.63
DAT score (include AA and all sections): 23 AA/ 22 TS/ 22 GC/22 Bio/ 22 OC/ 26 RC/ 24 QR/ 19 PAT (Yikes)
State of Residence: California/LA

Undergrad Attended: liberal arts school
Major: Biochemistry
Minority? No, Asian ORM


Shadowing Experience: Just started shadowing, I'll shadow until I apply probably around 100 hours
Volunteering Experience: ~100 hours in hospital settings, planning to get it up to 200 hrs ish
Employment: School Tutoring 100+ hours, TA, IT technician at school
Research: Two years of Biology research at school (Half during covid), don't have publications, however.
Other Extracurriculars: Not too much
Relevant Honors or Awards:
LOR type and strength: Probably three science professors at my school, hopefully, some humanity professors, but it won't be too strong. I don't know any dentists at the moment (Is this really bad?)
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: I don't have the strongest EC, trying to find a job, but I haven't gotten a job yet.
School list:
Please include a list of schools you are interested in applying to! It is much easier for users to help you when you have taken the time to construct your own school list first!

My plan is to just apply to Cali, NY schools and some for now, but not 100% sure

UCSF
UCLA
WesternU
Loma Linda
UOP
USC
NYU
Stony Brook
Columbia
Touro
NOVA
Buffalo
Boston
Tufts
Roseman
Buffalo

you should apply as early as possible, not in july
you should shadow as much as possible and get a good dentist LOR, even if you have to volunteer less
you have buffalo twice, and please take off NYU (and also USC, but you cali, so i bet you won't)

 

[macsak]

you should apply as early as possible, not in july
you should shadow as much as possible and get a good dentist LOR, even if you have to volunteer less
you have buffalo twice, and please take off NYU (and also USC, but you cali, so i bet you won't)

and you can apply to fewer schools if you make a better list...

 

[CongeeMango]

Applying early as possible is better in general, but it is okay to apply in July if you need the time to strengthen your application. You can also request LOR from the dentist you are shadowing. They will most likely question you for lack of ECs. I would personally take off NYU, USC, and Roseman because of the cost.

 

[Joplean]

Not having a dentist letter isn’t bad unless the school requires it. Remove Loma unless you have a spiritual director capable of writing a letter for you. I would try to narrow down your list as well. You could apply to around 10 schools and be fine with your stats. Your 19 PAT also shouldn’t really hurt you, do you have an idea of what to put down for your fine motor skills?

Thanks for the suggestion. I forgot Loma was a religious school (I'm not). I would narrow it down, but I'm still kinda sketch on whether I would get into a school if I do narrow it down from my current list.

 

[Joplean]

you should apply as early as possible, not in july
you should shadow as much as possible and get a good dentist LOR, even if you have to volunteer less
you have buffalo twice, and please take off NYU (and also USC, but you cali, so i bet you won't)

I'll try to apply in June, but I don't really have any shadowing hours for now which I gotta fill up ASAP. Idk If a dentist would write a letter on my behalf since I've just started shadowing tho.. We'll see.

I would take out NYU and USC but I'm kinda scared that I won't get in anywhere

 

[Joplean]

Applying early as possible is better in general, but it is okay to apply in July if you need the time to strengthen your application. You can also request LOR from the dentist you are shadowing. They will most likely question you for lack of ECs. I would personally take off NYU, USC, and Roseman because of the cost.

Do dentists usually say yes to a LOR to shadowing students? I'm still unfamiliar with the process.

 

[Joplean]

Not having a dentist letter isn’t bad unless the school requires it. Remove Loma unless you have a spiritual director capable of writing a letter for you. I would try to narrow down your list as well. You could apply to around 10 schools and be fine with your stats. Your 19 PAT also shouldn’t really hurt you, do you have an idea of what to put down for your fine motor skills?

Also, what do you mean by fine motor skills? I play tennis if that counts.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I will board the ECs train... were you working the entire time as an undergrad because it doesn't look like you said you did. Tutoring doesn't usually help pay the bills either. I presume you got involved in some social club activities or some community service.

I don't know why you want to do more volunteering in a hospital. I would look for a community clinic that merges medical and dental care (and other services). If you are still in southern California, this should not be a problem.

Don't take this too harshly but I would wait. 100 hours since the start of the year (last 12 months) shadowing doesn't give me confidence you are passionate or committed to dentistry. Your profile doesn't have anything NOW that says you have a life or passion outside of school that you could be happy to claim 1000 hours TOTAL. Tennis isn't fine manual dexterity and I presume you do this for recreation... but still it doesn't tell me much about you having the stamina to become a dentist.

Its good to make a school wishlist, but have you ever gone to predental events or recruitment days or watched videos or webinars from them? It doesn't sound like you got involved deeply with predental or maybe even premed groups as a student. All that is valuable in your profile is your DAT score and a decent GPA, but you show nothing more than numbers to entice screeners to interview you. And in general that isn't enough.

The thread title says ANOTHER gap year, but its not clear what you did in the first one. I guess you said you are applying for jobs, so why not as a dental assistant? Your definitely shouldn't have difficulty finding openings due to the economy. Will you continue to volunteer? You need a boost to your activities profile that what you disclosed to grab attention in screening.

 

[Joplean]

I will board the ECs train... were you working the entire time as an undergrad because it doesn't look like you said you did. Tutoring doesn't usually help pay the bills either. I presume you got involved in some social club activities or some community service.

I don't know why you want to do more volunteering in a hospital. I would look for a community clinic that merges medical and dental care (and other services). If you are still in southern California, this should not be a problem.

Don't take this too harshly but I would wait. 100 hours since the start of the year (last 12 months) shadowing doesn't give me confidence you are passionate or committed to dentistry. Your profile doesn't have anything NOW that says you have a life or passion outside of school that you could be happy to claim 1000 hours TOTAL. Tennis isn't fine manual dexterity and I presume you do this for recreation... but still it doesn't tell me much about you having the stamina to become a dentist.

Its good to make a school wishlist, but have you ever gone to predental events or recruitment days or watched videos or webinars from them? It doesn't sound like you got involved deeply with predental or maybe even premed groups as a student. All that is valuable in your profile is your DAT score and a decent GPA, but you show nothing more than numbers to entice screeners to interview you. And in general that isn't enough.

The thread title says ANOTHER gap year, but its not clear what you did in the first one. I guess you said you are applying for jobs, so why not as a dental assistant? Your definitely shouldn't have difficulty finding openings due to the economy. Will you continue to volunteer? You need a boost to your activities profile that what you disclosed to grab attention in screening.

Thanks for the feedback! Interesting points were raised in your comment; first, I'm graduating this coming May, so another as in apply the next next cycle to take two whole gap years.

I was told by multiple people that volunteer hours do not have to involve dentistry, that any general volunteering hours would suffice. Is there a reason you would advise for a medical/dental clinic, given that it's kind of hard to find one near me? More importantly, does this make any difference?

I agree with the fact that I don't have much EC to boost my application nor do I have a unique passion in dentistry, but I've already decided on pursuing it. I only decided to pursue the field very recently and just took the DAT. I have gone to school events concerning dentistry as you pointed out. In addition, I can also confidently say that I have played tennis for 1000+ hours total during my college years, albeit recreationally. I just didn't include the details in my post.

Ultimately, I was thinking of another gap year as you suggest; but at the same time, I kinda just want to get into a school and get it over with. I will probably apply this cycle and see how it goes.

 

[Ryxndek]

I wouldn’t just apply and see how it goes. Reapplicants are held to higher standards than first time applicants. Apply once and do it right. It’s okay to wait another year if it means getting into a cheaper school. Your bank account will thank yourself for taking less loans (~350k vs 500-600k?) at 7-8% interest that’s almost 6-7000k a month depending on the loan length at an expensive private school.

 

[Joplean]

I wouldn’t just apply and see how it goes. Reapplicants are held to higher standards than first time applicants. Apply once and do it right. It’s okay to wait another year if it means getting into a cheaper school. Your bank account will thank yourself for taking less loans (~350k vs 500-600k?) at 7-8% interest that’s almost 6-7000k a month depending on the loan length at an expensive private school.

Oh yeah, I mean I'm still going to do everything and do them right. As for the tuition, unless NYU/USC are my only options, I would hope that the cost isn't as high as you suggested.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thanks for the feedback! Interesting points were raised in your comment; first, I'm graduating this coming May, so another as in apply the next next cycle to take two whole gap years.

Thanks... I just wanted the clarity on that.

I was told by multiple people that volunteer hours do not have to involve dentistry, that any general volunteering hours would suffice. Is there a reason you would advise for a medical/dental clinic, given that it's kind of hard to find one near me? More importantly, does this make any difference?

From Google search if you live in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA Free Clinics
Also check the SDN Activity Finder.

That's true if you have a sufficient amount of dental experience. If you don't, your clinical experience working in hospitals can raise the question why you want to do dentistry (or are you a premed who just switched).

 

[Joplean]

The thread title says ANOTHER gap year, but its not clear what you did in the first one. I guess you said you are applying for jobs, so why not as a dental assistant? Your definitely shouldn't have difficulty finding openings due to the economy. Will you continue to volunteer? You need a boost to your activities profile that what you disclosed to grab attention in screening.

Also, I've been trying to find a job as a DA, but seems like my area is super saturated. I haven't even gotten an interview for DA, and all of them require 3+ experience with RDA.

 

[CongeeMango]

Do dentists usually say yes to a LOR to shadowing students? I'm still unfamiliar with the process.

That's how most pre dents get their LOR or from their lifetime dentists.

Also, I've been trying to find a job as a DA, but seems like my area is super saturated. I haven't even gotten an interview for DA, and all of them require 3+ experience with RDA.

A lot of people I know started by shadowing and then asking for volunteer opportunities at the clinics (could be working at the front, in the back doing insurance work, and/or assisting the dentists). Eventually, they get the gist of how dental office works and used that to land DA jobs during their gap years.

 

[Ryxndek]

Oh yeah, I mean I'm still going to do everything and do them right. As for the tuition, unless NYU/USC are my only options, I would hope that the cost isn't as high as you suggested.

It is as high lol, you can use online calculators to see where you’d be at. 150k for tuition x 4 = ~550-600k + 8% interest comes closer to 700k after graduation. That’s a lot to pay back for 10-20 years

 

[Joplean]

It is as high lol, you can use online calculators to see where you’d be at. 150k for tuition x 4 = ~550-600k + 8% interest comes closer to 700k after graduation. That’s a lot to pay back for 10-20 years

Welp. I calculated the cost, and it's hella expensive everywhere. I do have some family support, but probably not the full tuition. If it comes down to NYU/USC, I'll go, but I'll try to avoid these schools. What do you think about this school list? I also do have a dentist's letter and shadowing hours now.

UCSF
UCLA
Western
UOP
USC
Buffalo
NYU
Stony
Touro
Columbia
Roseman

 

[Ryxndek]

Welp. I calculated the cost, and it's hella expensive everywhere. I do have some family support, but probably not the full tuition. If it comes down to NYU/USC, I'll go, but I'll try to avoid these schools. What do you think about this school list? I also do have a dentist's letter and shadowing hours now.

UCSF
UCLA
Western
UOP
USC
Buffalo
NYU
Stony
Touro
Columbia
Roseman

It's better but still know that Western, UoP, NYU, Columbia, USC are all super expensive - ~550k average for 4 years for those schools(pre-interest). You could maybe throw in ASDOH, UNLV, or Colorado since those are state schools and might be cheaper than some of the privates. I'd aim for 8-10 or so schools, with your GPA and DAT you should be relatively competitive for your CA schools.

 

[macsak]

It's better but still know that Western, UoP, NYU, Columbia, USC are all super expensive - ~550k average for 4 years for those schools(pre-interest). You could maybe throw in ASDOH, UNLV, or Colorado since those are state schools and might be cheaper than some of the privates. I'd aim for 8-10 or so schools, with your GPA and DAT you should be relatively competitive for your CA schools.

asdoh is not a state school...

 

[Ryxndek]

asdoh is not a state school...

ah shoot, it always gets me when schools have the state name in them and I don't double check😂. Thanks @macsak

 

[Joplean]

Hi guys, I'm finalizing everything for my app to be submitted and just want a bit of feedback on my school selection. Updated WAMC:

Date of submission: Late June
Overall GPA: 3.74 (dropped by 0.03)
Science GPA: ~3.66
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: ~3.63
DAT score (include AA and all sections): 23 AA/ 22 TS/ 22 GC/22 Bio/ 22 OC/ 26 RC/ 24 QR/ 19 PAT
State of Residence: California

Undergrad Attended:
Major: Biochemistry
Minority?


Shadowing Experience: ~ 150 hours in two offices
Volunteering Experience: ~100 hours in hospital settings, ~ 100 hours at a food bank
Employment: School Tutoring 100+ hours, TA, IT technician at school
Research: Two years of Biology research at school, no publications.
Other Extracurriculars:
Relevant Honors or Awards:
LOR type and strength: Three science professors (1 research mentor), 1 dentist I shadowed
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: I forgot, I have a C in Physics 2 lol.
School list:
Please include a list of schools you are interested in applying to! It is much easier for users to help you when you have taken the time to construct your own school list first!


UCSF
UCLA
WesternU
UOP
USC
NYU
Stony Brook
Columbia
Touro
Buffalo
Tufts
Roseman
Pitt
Colorado
Temple

 

[macsak]

Hi guys, I'm finalizing everything for my app to be submitted and just want a bit of feedback on my school selection. Updated WAMC:

Date of submission: Late June
Overall GPA: 3.74 (dropped by 0.03)
Science GPA: ~3.66
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: ~3.63
DAT score (include AA and all sections): 23 AA/ 22 TS/ 22 GC/22 Bio/ 22 OC/ 26 RC/ 24 QR/ 19 PAT
State of Residence: California

Undergrad Attended:
Major: Biochemistry
Minority?


Shadowing Experience: ~ 150 hours in two offices
Volunteering Experience: ~100 hours in hospital settings, ~ 100 hours at a food bank
Employment: School Tutoring 100+ hours, TA, IT technician at school
Research: Two years of Biology research at school, no publications.
Other Extracurriculars:
Relevant Honors or Awards:
LOR type and strength: Three science professors (1 research mentor), 1 dentist I shadowed
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: I forgot, I have a C in Physics 2 lol.
School list:
Please include a list of schools you are interested in applying to! It is much easier for users to help you when you have taken the time to construct your own school list first!


UCSF
UCLA
WesternU
UOP
USC
NYU
Stony Brook
Columbia
Touro
Buffalo
Tufts
Roseman
Pitt
Colorado
Temple

list is too long...