WAMC. Focus on studying for DAT or get volunteer hours?

[Pre Dental Rev]

Hello, I am a Junior who is going to apply to the upcoming application cycle. I had a rough freshman year with a GPA of 2.9 first semester and a 1.8 for the second semester so I've been doing my best to bring my GPA up ever since. I'm going to be taking the DAT this summer so after this semester ends I'm going to be focusing on studying it. What I would like advice on is, should I get some volunteer hours in this summer or completely focus on getting a high DAT? Also, what DAT score should I aim for at a minimum to help boost my application a substantial amount? I know getting a high DAT is easier said then done, but I would like a goal that I can aim for.
Other kinds of advice are also very welcome.

Overall GPA: 3.10
Science GPA: 3.0
DAT score (include AA and all sections): Will take in July.
State of Residence: Georgia

Undergrad Attended: University of Michigan
Major: Biology
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No
Shadowing Experience: 100+ at a dental clinic
Volunteering Experience: Basically none
Employment: Dental assistant and assistant manager at a dental clinic
Research: 150+ hours on a research project about health access difficulties for Asian Americans

School list:
I haven't worked on my school list yet but I know for sure I'll apply to these few. I will be adding a lot more in the future for sure.
Augusta University
University of Michigan
Nova Southeastern
University of Florida
University of Tennessee
University of North Carolina

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[2thPirate🦷]

This is tricky as you don’t have any volunteering hours and the cycle begins in a little under two months. Start volunteering right away, you NEED to get some hours in and continue to do so throughout the summer. Now for your DAT, you’re gonna need a pretty good score to partly make up for your GPA, speaking of which do you have an upward trend since your freshman year? As for your school list, i would advise taking off UMich, UNC, and UF, as they are all quite difficult to get into OOS and your GPA might not be competitive enough for them as is. Aim for OOS-friendly schools (Temple, Marquette, etc), and if you’re able to get a high enough score on the DAT you may just be able to avoid super expensive OOS schools.

 

[Pre Dental Rev]

This is tricky as you don’t have any volunteering hours and the cycle begins in a little under two months. Start volunteering right away, you NEED to get some hours in and continue to do so throughout the summer. Now for your DAT, you’re gonna need a pretty good score to partly make up for your GPA, speaking of which do you have an upward trend since your freshman year? As for your school list, i would advise taking off UMich, UNC, and UF, as they are all quite difficult to get into OOS and your GPA might not be competitive enough for them as is. Aim for OOS-friendly schools (Temple, Marquette, etc), and if you’re able to get a high enough score on the DAT you may just be able to avoid super expensive OOS schools.

That sounds good, is there a specific type of volunteer work they prefer seeing and what amount of hours should I aim to get done before the cycle starts? I will also remember to look at more OOS-friendly schools when I start working on my school list.

 

[2thPirate🦷]

That sounds good, is there a specific type of volunteer work they prefer seeing and what amount of hours should I aim to get done before the cycle starts? I will also remember to look at more OOS-friendly schools when I start working on my school list.

I don’t believe so, I think it’s just about showing you’re committed to helping people to some extent, it def doesn’t have to be dental related. As for hours it really varies by school, I had a hair under a 100 or so (def on the lower end imo) I think and that did the trick for me, just try to get as many as possible!

 

[PerioDont]

when are you taking your DAT? try to set aside at least a month to study for it during which you don't really do other things.

While I agree you need volunteer hours, if you want to have any chance at getting in this cycle I would aim for a 21+ on the DAT. just to be brutally honest, your GPA is not gonna work for many schools. I would still apply this cycle (after taking the DAT), but likely need to do a post-bac to raise that GPA.

 

[Pre Dental Rev]

when are you taking your DAT? try to set aside at least a month to study for it during which you don't really do other things.

While I agree you need volunteer hours, if you want to have any chance at getting in this cycle I would aim for a 21+ on the DAT. just to be brutally honest, your GPA is not gonna work for many schools. I would still apply this cycle (after taking the DAT), but likely need to do a post-bac to raise that GPA.

Yeah, that's true. I'm also not that optimistic about my chances unless I get a really high DAT score but I guess it doesn't hurt to try applying. I'm also planning on raising my GPA during my Senior year, hopefully to a 3.3 to give me a better chance. For now I'll worry about getting volunteer hours and studying for the DAT. I'll start looking into post-bac or Masters programs after taking my DAT and submitting my application.