WAMC/ How should I improve for my 3rd application?

[sacbi]

Date of submission: In between 7/13/21 - 9/7/21
Overall GPA: 3.54
Science GPA: 3.40
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.34 ((I transferred from a CC and my CC GPA is around 3.3 and my 4 year-university GPA is 3.7)
DAT score (include AA and all sections):AA 21, TS 21, Bio 21, GC 18, OC 24, PA 23, QR 19, RC 22
State of Residence: California
Undergrad Attended: UC
Major: Biotechnology
Minority? No
Reapplicant? Yes (This will be my third application. the first application with low DAT, second application with this stat.)
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 800 (350 hours with prosthodontist)
Volunteering Experience: 100 hours at a hospital, 56 hours at a dental clinic, and 26 hours at animal shelters
Employment: 200 hours Waitress, and 40 hours tutor
Research: over 2 years of experience as a Research assistant and lab manager, recently promoted to Research Associate.
Other Extracurriculars: One-year Treasurer at a science club during undergraduate
Relevant Honors or Awards: dean's list, several scholarships, outstanding undergraduate accomplishment award from UC
LOR type and strength:2 science profs (honestly not sure about the strength of one letter), 1 dentist, 1 PI from the lab
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere:
School list:
Boston, Case Western, UCLA, Buffalo, Oregon (OHSU), USC, UCSF, UOP, Temple, Michigan, Maryland, Colorado


I only received one interview for this cycle. I am really not sure what is the reason I am not receiving more interviews. My guess is 1) something wrong with my one LOR, 2) my disadvantage statement. I stated that I struggled as an undocumented immigrant and I am from a single-mother family. I thought writing a disadvantage will give me an advantage, but I think it could have affected my application negatively.

I am working at a research lab and taking a Human Anatomy class so I can apply to more schools that require Human Anatomy and also get a better LOR.

Can you guys please give me any advice or suggestion on what could have been my weakness or what I can improve?

Was my school list not good?

I am thinking of reapplying next year with these changes: completion of Human anatomy course, new LOR, and no disadvantage statement.

Do you think I will have a higher chance of getting into the next cycle with these changes? Is it even a good idea to reapply next year?


Thank you for your time and consideration.

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[macsak]

Date of submission: In between 7/13/21 - 9/7/21
Overall GPA: 3.54
Science GPA: 3.40
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.46 ((I transferred from a CC and my CC GPA is around 3.3 and my 4 year-university GPA is 3.7)
DAT score (include AA and all sections):AA 21, TS 21, Bio 21, GC 18, OC 24, PA 23, QR 19, RC 22
State of Residence: California
Undergrad Attended: UC
Major: Biotechnology
Minority? No
Reapplicant? Yes (This will be my third application. the first application with low DAT, second application with this stat.)
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 800 (350 hours with prosthodontist)
Volunteering Experience: 100 hours at a hospital, 56 hours at a dental clinic, and 26 hours at animal shelters
Employment: 200 hours Waitress, and 40 hours tutor
Research: over 2 years of experience as a Research assistant and lab manager, recently promoted to Research Associate.
Other Extracurriculars: One-year Treasurer at a science club during undergraduate
Relevant Honors or Awards: dean's list, several scholarships, outstanding undergraduate accomplishment award from UC
LOR type and strength:2 science profs (honestly not sure about the strength of one letter), 1 dentist, 1 PI from the lab
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere:
School list:
Boston, Case Western, UCLA, Buffalo, Oregon (OHSU), USC, UCSF, UOP, Temple, Michigan, Maryland, Colorado


I only received one interview for this cycle. I am really not sure what is the reason I am not receiving more interviews. My guess is 1) something wrong with my one LOR, 2) my disadvantage statement. I stated that I struggled as an undocumented immigrant and I am from a single-mother family. I thought writing a disadvantage will give me an advantage, but I think it could have affected my application negatively.

I am working at a research lab and taking a Human Anatomy class so I can apply to more schools that require Human Anatomy and also get a better LOR.

Can you guys please give me any advice or suggestion on what could have been my weakness or what I can improve?

Was my school list not good?

I am thinking of reapplying next year with these changes: completion of Human anatomy course, new LOR, and no disadvantage statement.

Do you think I will have a higher chance of getting into the next cycle with these changes? Is it even a good idea to reapply next year?


Thank you for your time and consideration.

your disadvantaged statement is likely not the issue unless it was very poorly written

your school list has too many state/public schools, plus UCLA, UCSF, and michigan are amongst the most competitive schools in the US

 

[sacbi]

your disadvantaged statement is likely not the issue unless it was very poorly written

your school list has too many state/public schools, plus UCLA, UCSF, and michigan are amongst the most competitive schools in the US

I see.. I guess I should apply to more private schools.

 

[artist2022]

Where'd you interview last cycle? When did retake your DAT and when did you submit last cycle? I honestly think it's your school list (too many competitive schools) and probably that LOR. It might even be your personal statement. Why do you think your LOR is weak/not good?

 

[sacbi]

Where'd you interview last cycle? When did retake your DAT and when did you submit last cycle? I honestly think it's your school list (too many competitive schools) and probably that LOR. It might even be your personal statement. Why do you think your LOR is weak/not good?

Do you mean my first time? I applied to VERY competitive/top rank schools in the 2018-2019 cycle:
UCSF, UCLA, Rutgers, HOUS, UT San Antonio, Michigan, Buffalo, Temple, and PIT, and my first DAT score was like 19 TS and AA and 17 RC (yea, Idk why I even applied that time. I guess I really didn't know how hard it is to get into a dental school and read too many successful acceptance stories with low DAT scores on sdn)

I think my LOR is weak because I barely knew the professor. He just announced in the class that he will write a LOR to anyone who gets an A and I just asked him. But my other LOR are very strong (letters from my PI, dentist, and physics professor)

I don't really think my PS was a problem because I asked several friends and families who are good at writing to proofread.

 

[sacbi]

Where'd you interview last cycle? When did retake your DAT and when did you submit last cycle? I honestly think it's your school list (too many competitive schools) and probably that LOR. It might even be your personal statement. Why do you think your LOR is weak/not good?

oh, so I interviewed at Maryland, but haven't heard from it. I retook my DAT in December of 2019 and I submitted my application around the middle of July 2020.

 

[artist2022]

UCSF, UCLA, Rutgers, HOUS, UT San Antonio, Michigan, Buffalo, Temple, and PIT, and my first DAT score was like 19 TS and AA and 17 RC

So UCSF, UCLA, Houston, San Antonio and Buffalo were all a waste imo. UCSF and UCLA because DAT was too low, TX schools and Buffalo because they were very OOS unfriendly, especially TX more than any other school.

I think my LOR is weak because I barely knew the professor. He just announced in the class that he will write a LOR to anyone who gets an A and I just asked him. But my other LOR are very strong (letters from my PI, dentist, and physics professor)

Try to get another LOR from a professor who knows you well... make an effort to get to know them.

I don't really think my PS was a problem because I asked several friends and families who are good at writing to proofread.

Were any of them dental students or dentists? If not, then it might've been "grammatically correct" or "written well" etc. but it might not have been what schools wanted/were looking for in terms of content.

oh, so I interviewed at Maryland, but haven't heard from it. I retook my DAT in December of 2019 and I submitted my application around the middle of July 2020.

Have you sent a letter of intent to them? And why did you submit in July, not June, right when the app opened?

For your school list this cycle, I would use this (Dental School Statistics) and look at where your stats are in relation to the schools you're interested in. You might have to apply to more privates since you're a 3rd time applicant, your 2nd DAT is 1.5 yrs old and your stats are pretty average.

 

[sacbi]

So UCSF, UCLA, Houston, San Antonio and Buffalo were all a waste imo. UCSF and UCLA because DAT was too low, TX schools and Buffalo because they were very OOS unfriendly, especially TX more than any other school.

Try to get another LOR from a professor who knows you well... make an effort to get to know them.

Were any of them dental students or dentists? If not, then it might've been "grammatically correct" or "written well" etc. but it might not have been what schools wanted/were looking for in terms of content.

Have you sent a letter of intent to them? And why did you submit in July, not June, right when the app opened?

For your school list this cycle, I would use this (Dental School Statistics) and look at where your stats are in relation to the schools you're interested in. You might have to apply to more privates since you're a 3rd time applicant, your 2nd DAT is 1.5 yrs old and your stats are pret

Do you think I need to take DAT again?

I wish I could have reached out for help and advice before I applied. Thank you so much for your advice!

 

[macsak]

Do you think I need to take DAT again?

I wish I could have reached out for help and advice before I applied. Thank you so much for your advice!

not unless you are positive you can do better and want to spend the time and money...

 

[artist2022]

Do you think I need to take DAT again?

I wish I could have reached out for help and advice before I applied. Thank you so much for your advice!

No, just 1) new LOR, 2) new PS (there's a PS reader list in my sig), 3) more realistic school list (look at their averages, how OOS friendly they are, etc.), 4) submit on the very first day because there's really no reason you should be submitting in July again.

Also, send a letter of intent to Maryland if you haven't already. Keep hoping and trying to get off the wait-list but do start preparing to reapply.

 

[sacbi]

not unless you are positive you can do better and want to spend the time and money...

No, just 1) new LOR, 2) new PS (there's a PS reader list in my sig), 3) more realistic school list (look at their averages, how OOS friendly they are, etc.), 4) submit on the very first day because there's really no reason you should be submitting in July again.

Also, send a letter of intent to Maryland if you haven't already. Keep hoping and trying to get off the wait-list but do start preparing to reapply.

Thank you guys! I will definitely improve on those!

 

[sacbi]

No, just 1) new LOR, 2) new PS (there's a PS reader list in my sig), 3) more realistic school list (look at their averages, how OOS friendly they are, etc.), 4) submit on the very first day because there's really no reason you should be submitting in July again.

Also, send a letter of intent to Maryland if you haven't already. Keep hoping and trying to get off the wait-list but do start preparing to reapply.

What do you think about my school list? Any suggestion? Should I add or remove some schools?

When I was choosing the schools, I tried to look for schools that are within my range and accept CC. I know UCSF and UOP are very competitive but I am CA resident so I think I should at least try to apply.

(CA 05) University of the Pacific

(CA 04) University of California, San Francisco

(PA 01) The Maurice H. Kornberg

(MD 01) University of Maryland

(TN 02) University of Tennessee

(WI 01) Marquette University

(MI 02) University of Michigan

(UT 02) University of Utah

(OR 01) Oregon Health & Science University

(NV 01) University of Nevada, Las Vegas

(KY 02) University of Louisville

(AZ 02) Midwestern University (AZ)

(OH 01) Case Western Reserve University

(MI 01) University of Detroit Mercy

(CO 01) University of Colorado

(KY 01) University of Kentucky

(NY 02) New York University

(CA 01) Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry

The changes I will make for this year's cycle compare to the last cycle will be: new school list, completing the Human Anatomy class (7 units, so far doing well in the class), higher GPA, and new PS (also other essays). I am not sure if I will get a new LOR since the Anatomy class is huge and it's an online class but I will try my best to get a new LOR. I am trying to quit my research job (worked 2 years) and get either a new volunteer or a dental-related job, but I am not sure if these will be impactful since I don't have much time until the cycle opens.

 

[artist2022]

When I was choosing the schools, I tried to look for schools that are within my range and accept CC.

And did you also look at what OOS acceptance rates? School list looks decent along with the changes you'll make, but I'm not sure how OOS friendly schools like TN, KY, UT, Marquette, Oregon, etc. are.... you have a ton of public schools. I think you need to take some off and add more privates.

I am trying to quit my research job (worked 2 years) and get either a new volunteer or a dental-related job, but I am not sure if these will be impactful since I don't have much time until the cycle opens.

I don't think they'll matter too much, there's less than 2mo before the cycle opens...

 

[sacbi]

And did you also look at what OOS acceptance rates? School list looks decent along with the changes you'll make, but I'm not sure how OOS friendly schools like TN, KY, UT, Marquette, Oregon, etc. are.... you have a ton of public schools. I think you need to take some off and add more privates.

I don't think they'll matter too much, there's less than 2mo before the cycle opens...

This is the list of the schools. Almost half of them are private ( highlighted with light green). Unless this statistic is not up to date, TN, KY, and Marquette seem to have decent OOS acceptance rates. For the OHSU, I was placed in their last review which they said highly likely to get an invitation for an interview (but I did not have the Human Anatomy requirement yet), so I thought maybe I will apply again after fulfilling the requirement.

What is a good OOS rate? If the school is private and not many people apply, would I have a higher chance to get in even if my stat is below their average stat?

 

[artist2022]

This is the list of the schools. Almost half of them are private ( highlighted with light green). Unless this statistic is not up to date, TN, KY, and Marquette seem to have decent OOS acceptance rates.

It seems like you might only be looking at what percentage of the incoming class is OOS. You need to be looking at the OOS interview rates, which I think might've been omitted from that sheet. It's in this sheet though: Dental School Statistics. I'd adjust based on this sheet; even though it's a little bit old, the OOS-friendliness is about the same.

What is a good OOS rate?

High OOS interview rate and high OOS acceptance rate. I don't think there's a number I look for, it's just relative to other schools.

If the school is private and not many people apply, would I have a higher chance to get in even if my stat is below their average stat?

Not necessarily.

 

[1942]

What do you think about my school list? Any suggestion? Should I add or remove some schools?

When I was choosing the schools, I tried to look for schools that are within my range and accept CC. I know UCSF and UOP are very competitive but I am CA resident so I think I should at least try to apply.

(CA 05) University of the Pacific

(CA 04) University of California, San Francisco

(PA 01) The Maurice H. Kornberg

(MD 01) University of Maryland

(TN 02) University of Tennessee

(WI 01) Marquette University

(MI 02) University of Michigan

(UT 02) University of Utah

(OR 01) Oregon Health & Science University

(NV 01) University of Nevada, Las Vegas

(KY 02) University of Louisville

(AZ 02) Midwestern University (AZ)

(OH 01) Case Western Reserve University

(MI 01) University of Detroit Mercy

(CO 01) University of Colorado

(KY 01) University of Kentucky

(NY 02) New York University

(CA 01) Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry

The changes I will make for this year's cycle compare to the last cycle will be: new school list, completing the Human Anatomy class (7 units, so far doing well in the class), higher GPA, and new PS (also other essays). I am not sure if I will get a new LOR since the Anatomy class is huge and it's an online class but I will try my best to get a new LOR. I am trying to quit my research job (worked 2 years) and get either a new volunteer or a dental-related job, but I am not sure if these will be impactful since I don't have much time until the cycle opens.

Remove Temple (only allow 6 CC credits), Tennessee (rarely accepts CA students), and Oregon (if you exceed 32 CC units)

Consider removing Case Western and UDM as they prefer all classes to be taken at a 4-year university.

I would add Midwestern-IL, ASDOH, Western, Touro, Roseman, and Loma Linda.

 

[sacbi]

Remove Temple (only allow 6 CC credits), Tennessee (rarely accepts CA students), and Oregon (if you exceed 32 CC units)

Consider removing Case Western and UDM as they prefer all classes to be taken at a 4-year university.

I would add Midwestern-IL, ASDOH, Western, Touro, Roseman, and Loma Linda.

Thank you for your advice! I will look into the schools you stated.

 

[Laki123]

Was your Anatomy at a CC or University ?
Thanks

 

[sacbi]

Was your Anatomy at a CC or University ?
Thanks

University! Because of COVID, my university I graduated from offered full online courses for Anatomy so I was able to take an advantage from it. I think University credit is always better than CC for dental schools.