WAMC: High GPA/Average DAT, need advice

[sk135]

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Date of submission: N/A (Will submit June 1st)
Overall GPA: 4.0
Science GPA: 4.0
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 4.0
DAT score (include AA and all sections): AA: 20 / TS: 21 / PAT: 25 / RC: 20 / QR: 17 / Bio: 21 / Chem: 21 / OC: 20
State of Residence: Pennsylvania

Undergrad Attended: N/A
Major: Biology
Minor: German
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 112 hours (45 with 1 general dentist, 55 with another, 12 with dentist at a general practice residency)
Volunteering Experience: Hoping for 60-70 hours with Meals on Wheels and have done it for about two years. I also have 10 hours of Habitat for Humanity work at my university before the pandemic.
Employment: Worked for family business for two years in the summers (not dental related at all), am a group/one on one tutor for german, general chemistry, and organic chemistry.
Research: Will get 180 hours before I apply in June, but most likely will get 300 hours total. I am completing and defending a honors thesis, nothing published yet but I won an international research grant.
Other Extracurriculars: I am the Commuter Student Association president at my university, was the secretary before that, as well as a member in our pre-health club.

Relevant Honors or Awards: Won an international research grant, have deans list every semester, in three honors societies.
LOR type and strength: Just went through committee letter process (got the highest strength letter from my universities committee based on my application and interview I had with them a week ago). What will be sent to dental schools is a committee packet: the committee letter, two professors (very strong), two dentists (strong).
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: I shadow only during summer and winter/spring breaks since I do not have time during the actual semester. I only volunteer also during those breaks. Do not really have the ability to volunteer and shadow during the actual semester as I live 30 minutes from campus and have a full set of classes everyday.

Please let me know if the list of schools I plan to apply to is good, and if there is any schools that are probably not worth applying based on my stats.

I am well aware my DAT scores aren't great, especially with my GPA but I am in no financial capacity to retake the exam at this time, and realize it is not the only part of my application, but I really worry this somewhat low score will ruin my chances of getting into a top choice school. I would prefer to go to a dental school out west as that is where my family is starting to move to in the next few years, but will apply broadly since I am not sure where I want to practice after school, or where I want to move to.

List:
UNE
Tufts
Boston
Creighton
CWRU
Marquette
Midwestern AZ
Oregon
Colorado
Uconn
Pitt
Penn
Utah
Touro

 

[macsak]

Date of submission: N/A (Will submit June 1st)
Overall GPA: 4.0
Science GPA: 4.0
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 4.0
DAT score (include AA and all sections): AA: 20 / TS: 21 / PAT: 25 / RC: 20 / QR: 17 / Bio: 21 / Chem: 21 / OC: 20
State of Residence: Pennsylvania

Undergrad Attended: N/A
Major: Biology
Minor: German
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 112 hours (45 with 1 general dentist, 55 with another, 12 with dentist at a general practice residency)
Volunteering Experience: Hoping for 60-70 hours with Meals on Wheels and have done it for about two years. I also have 10 hours of Habitat for Humanity work at my university before the pandemic.
Employment: Worked for family business for two years in the summers (not dental related at all), am a group/one on one tutor for german, general chemistry, and organic chemistry.
Research: Will get 180 hours before I apply in June, but most likely will get 300 hours total. I am completing and defending a honors thesis, nothing published yet but I won an international research grant.
Other Extracurriculars: I am the Commuter Student Association president at my university, was the secretary before that, as well as a member in our pre-health club.

Relevant Honors or Awards: Won an international research grant, have deans list every semester, in three honors societies.
LOR type and strength: Just went through committee letter process (got the highest strength letter from my universities committee based on my application and interview I had with them a week ago). What will be sent to dental schools is a committee packet: the committee letter, two professors (very strong), two dentists (strong).
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: I shadow only during summer and winter/spring breaks since I do not have time during the actual semester. I only volunteer also during those breaks. Do not really have the ability to volunteer and shadow during the actual semester as I live 30 minutes from campus and have a full set of classes everyday.

Please let me know if the list of schools I plan to apply to is good, and if there is any schools that are probably not worth applying based on my stats.

I am well aware my DAT scores aren't great, especially with my GPA but I am in no financial capacity to retake the exam at this time, and realize it is not the only part of my application, but I really worry this somewhat low score will ruin my chances of getting into a top choice school. I would prefer to go to a dental school out west as that is where my family is starting to move to in the next few years, but will apply broadly since I am not sure where I want to practice after school, or where I want to move to.

List:
UNE
Tufts
Boston
Creighton
CWRU
Marquette
Midwestern AZ
Oregon
Colorado
Uconn
Pitt
Penn
Utah
Touro

it's not a bad list
your only real reach is penn, but your research will help you there
if i were to be critical, i think you have too many privates
and your geographic distribution doesn't really make sense to me either

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Why isn't Temple (Kornberg) on the list?

 

[sk135]

it's not a bad list
your only real reach is penn, but your research will help you there
if i were to be critical, i think you have too many privates
and your geographic distribution doesn't really make sense to me eithe

Good to know. I agree I have a lot of private schools, I've been told to apply broadly honestly not sure what other schools that aren't private would be good to apply to. I'm really just applying to a lot to be safe. I'd say UPenn is not my top choice either, but the one dentist I shadowed really wants me to apply there... I also live very close to Philadelphia and do not really want to stay in the area so we'll see what happens. I also know my list is all over the place, but I really do not know where I want to practice after dental school and am open to everything, but the Western US is a place my family is planning on moving to.

 

[sk135]

Why isn't Temple (Kornberg) on the list?

I know it's a good school but I already live very close to Philadelphia and kind of want to get away from this area, so that is why Temple is not on the list. I'm honestly only applying to UPenn because the one dentist I shadowed wants me to and the school is good, but I do have other choices that I prefer.

 

[macsak]

I know it's a good school but I already live very close to Philadelphia and kind of want to get away from this area, so that is why Temple is not on the list. I'm honestly only applying to UPenn because the one dentist I shadowed wants me to and the school is good, but I do have other choices that I prefer.

so which schools do you prefer and why?

 

[sk135]

so which schools do you prefer and why?

Uconn because they have a high specialization rate and you can get in state tuition. Would rather spend 300k out of state rather than 500k in state. There is a few school do that outreach programs in the community and especially in rural areas which I prefer (Utah, Colorado, UNE). I'm keeping my options open though but those are the types of programs I researched the most so far, I really just looked into how early each school gets their students into the clinic as well.

 

[macsak]

Uconn because they have a high specialization rate and you can get in state tuition. Would rather spend 300k out of state rather than 500k in state. There is a few school do that outreach programs in the community and especially in rural areas which I prefer (Utah, Colorado, UNE). I'm keeping my options open though but those are the types of programs I researched the most so far, I really just looked into how early each school gets their students into the clinic as well.

outreach in rural areas- asdoh, msdoh

temple should absolutely be on the list if you are concerned with cost...

 

[PerioDont]

lots of private schools on your list.

make sure you research the real costs of going. If you are having trouble financially with DAT having 500k in debt will make things much worse

 

[sk135]

lots of private schools on your list.

make sure you research the real costs of going. If you are having trouble financially with DAT having 500k in debt will make things much worse

I'm aware, but not sure what public schools would be worth applying to that accept a lot of students out of state.

 

[wannabe_dentist]

Idk who told you your DAT scores aren’t good… 1 17 will not discard your application, especially with your GPA. You’re solid. I had a 19AA with 2 17s and was accepted to 6 schools this cycle. Applying June 1st is a huge plus, I did the same. One thing I would suggest though is getting more volunteering hours. You will have less than 100, so that could be a sore spot on your app.

As for your school list, I would remove CWRU and Colorado. Extremely expensive and I haven’t heard good things about it. I’m a MI resident so of course I applied there, but declined my interview after talking with some students. As for Colorado, unless you are set on the area or you love the school, they accept a tiny amount of OOS students. As someone else said, I would add Temple, Louisville, and maybe Detroit Mercy as well.

Also, Oregon, Utah and Creighton seem a bit random to me. Maybe you could swap those schools for the ones I mentioned above.

 

[sk135]

Idk who told you your DAT scores aren’t good… 1 17 will not discard your application, especially with your GPA. You’re solid. I had a 19AA with 2 17s and was accepted to 6 schools this cycle. Applying June 1st is a huge plus, I did the same. One thing I would suggest though is getting more volunteering hours. You will have less than 100, so that could be a sore spot on your app.

As for your school list, I would remove CWRU and Colorado. Extremely expensive and I haven’t heard good things about it. I’m a MI resident so of course I applied there, but declined my interview after talking with some students. As for Colorado, unless you are set on the area or you love the school, they accept a tiny amount of OOS students. As someone else said, I would add Temple, Louisville, and maybe Detroit Mercy as well.

Also, Oregon, Utah and Creighton seem a bit random to me. Maybe you could swap those schools for the ones I mentioned above.

That's good to know and I appreciate the advice. That's also good to hear about my DAT, I doubt myself sometimes and hear way too many things. I'm planning on doing much more volunteering now since my semester just finished and I'm really hoping to get to around 100. I'll really consider those schools as well.