WAMC.. losing hope

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
P

predentalstudent2023!

Full Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2023
Messages
14
Reaction score
6
Date of submission: 6/13
Overall GPA: 3.20; GPA w/o (+/-) system: 3.27
Science GPA: 3.1; sGPA w/o (+/-) system: 3.16
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.04; BCP 2.09 w/o (+/-) system
DAT score (include AA and all sections):
DAT attempt #1 vs. DAT attempt #2

BIO: 16 - 19

GC: 17 - 16

OC: 19 - 17

RC: 22 - 21

QR: 20 - 18

TS: 17 - 18

AA: 19 -18
State of Residence: Georgia

Undergrad Attended: Univ. of Georgia
Major: Biology
Minor: Public Health
Minority? Viet-American but I guess not a minority on here
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No - in my second gap year

Shadowing Experience: 250+ hours across 5+ different dentists. Shadowed an oral surgeon and multiple pediatric offices.
Volunteering Experience: Misc. short experiences thoughout undergrad in clubs, volunteered at a community fridge every week for about 2-3 hours for ~2 yrs, and am doing the "Be my Eyes" volunteering through the phone app. I also am volunteering at a recycling program in the city I'm in.
Employment: Worked as dental lab tech in CAD/CAM and model dept. for 6 months full-time. Then went into dental assisting and changed offices (first one was full time) so now I am at my second dental office as an assistant working part-time assistant there and part-time temp assisting
Research: None
Other Extracurriculars:
- American Student Dental Association (District Four) Pre-Dental Mentorship Committee Member (1 yr)
- Harvard School of Dental Medicine Pre-Dental Mentorship Program (Ongoing since 2021)
- Dental Minority Dawgs Member (4 yrs)
- MEDLIFE at UGA Member (4 yrs)
- Pre-Dental Society Member (2 yrs)
- Saving Smiles Member (2 yrs)
- Vietnamese Student Ass. Member (4 yrs)
- Minority Student Science Association Exec board Member (2 yrs)
- School Magazine Graphic Designer (2 yrs)
- Club Waterski Exec Board Member (3 yrs)
Relevant Honors or Awards: Had the Georgia Zell Miller and Hope Scholarship t/o undergrad
LOR type and strength: 4 LORs: 1 from my Microbio prof, 1 from my Entomology prof, 1 from a dentist I shadowed who went to DCG, and 1 character letter from a close family friend who was CFO of a big dental chain in GA
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: Worked 2 part-time jobs all throughout undergrad to support myself financially. Taking the DAT, buying test prep resources (Bootcamp, Booster, Chad's Prep), and applying to schools + supplementals made me broke so am now trying to frantically find money to make rent. I would like to apply broadly but just don't have to means to do so right now.
School list:
- dental college of georgia (in-state for me)
- louisiana state university
- uc san francisco (dream school)
- u of louisville
- u of tennessee
Members don't see this ad.
 
If you’re not ready, you’re not ready. You should pay the fee and extend your retake. You can’t afford to do worse/not score higher on this retake. So if you need to take more time I strongly suggest since it’s your third attempt and I’m not sure how difficult the process is if petitioning to take it for a fourth time.

This is an important exam, I know working can be tiring but you may have to sacrifice some hours to get quality time in for studying. You can’t slack off on studying for this exam. Having minimal schools applied to and below average DAT and GPA put your app not in the best position. So doing well on this retake is paramount.

TLDR: extend the DAT, study your butt off, and crush it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Ryxndek said:
If you’re not ready, you’re not ready. You should pay the fee and extend your retake. You can’t afford to do worse/not score higher on this retake. So if you need to take more time I strongly suggest since it’s your third attempt and I’m not sure how difficult the process is if petitioning to take it for a fourth time.

This is an important exam, I know working can be tiring but you may have to sacrifice some hours to get quality time in for studying. You can’t slack off on studying for this exam. Having minimal schools applied to and below average DAT and GPA put your app not in the best position. So doing well on this retake is paramount.

TLDR: extend the DAT, study your butt off, and crush it.
Click to expand...
should i just give up on this cycle and study for a few more months and try again next cycle? i know i'm running out of time and i don't do well at all under this much pressure and i know i need at least another 1.5 mo to study.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
predentalstudent2023! said:
should i just give up on this cycle and study for a few more months and try again next cycle? i know i'm running out of time and i don't do well at all under this much pressure and i know i need at least another 1.5 mo to study.
Click to expand...
I think we should wait and see input from others and what they think. I’d feel bad with you having spent money on applications but given by the time you take the exam that would start to put you into the Late apps timeline which would hurt your chances more for getting an interview as you’d be competing for a lot less spots available.

Is your gpa an upward trend throughout undergrad?

If you can afford to withhold your app and apply next cycle that may be the best option to give you adequate time to study and take the exam. I spent 4 months studying, about 10-15 hours a week with 7 full length practice exams completed before I took the official exam. So you don’t necessarily have to spend hours every day studying if you give yourself enough time. But cramming for a month or 2 months does mean you gotta increase the amount of time spent going over material.

So pausing your exam, studying hard and giving yourself enough time to actually do well and increase your score I think will be best for your application. But it’s ultimately your decision. Do know however that if you decide to apply, and don’t get in anywhere and reapply, schools will expect app improvement as you’re now a reapplicant and you will be held to higher standards compared to students applying for the first time.

There’s a lot of moving parts, and people have gotten in with scores like yours, but it’s a very small number of individuals. Are you URM or ORM?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Ryxndek said:
I think we should wait and see input from others and what they think. I’d feel bad with you having spent money on applications but given by the time you take the exam that would start to put you into the Late apps timeline which would hurt your chances more for getting an interview as you’d be competing for a lot less spots available.

Is your gpa an upward trend throughout undergrad?

If you can afford to withhold your app and apply next cycle that may be the best option to give you adequate time to study and take the exam. I spent 4 months studying, about 10-15 hours a week with 7 full length practice exams completed before I took the official exam. So you don’t necessarily have to spend hours every day studying if you give yourself enough time. But cramming for a month or 2 months does mean you gotta increase the amount of time spent going over material.

So pausing your exam, studying hard and giving yourself enough time to actually do well and increase your score I think will be best for your application. But it’s ultimately your decision. Do know however that if you decide to apply, and don’t get in anywhere and reapply, schools will expect app improvement as you’re now a reapplicant and you will be held to higher standards compared to students applying for the first time.

There’s a lot of moving parts, and people have gotten in with scores like yours, but it’s a very small number of individuals. Are you URM or ORM?
Click to expand...
my gpa was kind of on an upward trend but i got one C each semester of my senior year (due to the working 2 jobs). i just moved my exam so i now have 2.5 weeks to really cram, i'm just kind of cracking under pressure. i just looked it up and i guess i am an ORM as i am vietnamese american.
 
predentalstudent2023! said:
i'm planning to take it a third time in 10 days but am nowhere near ready and am feeling like i want to give up. i know with that second DAT i'm probably going to be rejected from the schools i applied to
Click to expand...
... and a third subpar score will put you behind the eight ball. Seriously don't rush into taking it a third time unless you are absolutely sure you can do significantly better. Theoretically you will need permission to take the DAT after this.

Please complete a proper template. You also need a realistic list.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Mr.Smile12 said:
... and a third subpar score will put you behind the eight ball. Seriously don't rush into taking it a third time unless you are absolutely sure you can do significantly better. Theoretically you will need permission to take the DAT after this.

Please complete a proper template. You also need a realistic list.
Click to expand...
I completed the template - sorry I am new to this website
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Schools to possibly add to your list, or at least be made aware of:

Nova, LECOM, Lincoln Memorial (shocking I know, but a realistic opportunity given the circumstances), Temple, Tufts, Touro, Case western, Meharry, Howard, Alabama
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Thanks! That's a much more insightful picture of your application profile. Certainly, your best bet will be with your in-state options and private schools, but we first have to get a solid academic record. You can get a kick-ass DAT but that will highlight the discrepancy with your low BCP (and as it stands, your current two scores just confirm the challenge).

You may have a rising GPA trend, so how well did you do year-by-year? Your last 2 years are especially important since that's where you have likely had upper-division biomedical science coursework towards your degree. You probably should be looking for dental SMP's with linkages to schools rather than submit an application to show you really have the academic chops for dental school.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
My junior year I got all A's (when I took the bulk of my upper-level bio electives) and my senior year I got those two C's in CBIO and ORGO 2 (got a B in ORGO 1). I thought about doing an MPH or a post-bacc but really don't have the funds to do so and was encouraged by my advisor and one of the admissions officers at DCG to try to apply. I now realize she might've been just telling me to apply to get the application fee out of me but I guess it's too late to rescind my applications.
 
predentalstudent2023! said:
Date of submission: 6/13
Overall GPA: 3.20; GPA w/o (+/-) system: 3.27
Science GPA: 3.1; sGPA w/o (+/-) system: 3.16
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.04; BCP 2.09 w/o (+/-) system
DAT score (include AA and all sections):
DAT attempt #1 vs. DAT attempt #2

BIO: 16 - 19

GC: 17 - 16

OC: 19 - 17

RC: 22 - 21

QR: 20 - 18

TS: 17 - 18

AA: 19 -18
State of Residence: Georgia

Undergrad Attended: Univ. of Georgia
Major: Biology
Minor: Public Health
Minority? Viet-American but I guess not a minority on here
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No - in my second gap year

Shadowing Experience: 250+ hours across 5+ different dentists. Shadowed an oral surgeon and multiple pediatric offices.
Volunteering Experience: Misc. short experiences thoughout undergrad in clubs, volunteered at a community fridge every week for about 2-3 hours for ~2 yrs, and am doing the "Be my Eyes" volunteering through the phone app. I also am volunteering at a recycling program in the city I'm in.
Employment: Worked as dental lab tech in CAD/CAM and model dept. for 6 months full-time. Then went into dental assisting and changed offices (first one was full time) so now I am at my second dental office as an assistant working part-time assistant there and part-time temp assisting
Research: None
Other Extracurriculars:
- American Student Dental Association (District Four) Pre-Dental Mentorship Committee Member (1 yr)
- Harvard School of Dental Medicine Pre-Dental Mentorship Program (Ongoing since 2021)
- Dental Minority Dawgs Member (4 yrs)
- MEDLIFE at UGA Member (4 yrs)
- Pre-Dental Society Member (2 yrs)
- Saving Smiles Member (2 yrs)
- Vietnamese Student Ass. Member (4 yrs)
- Minority Student Science Association Exec board Member (2 yrs)
- School Magazine Graphic Designer (2 yrs)
- Club Waterski Exec Board Member (3 yrs)
Relevant Honors or Awards: Had the Georgia Zell Miller and Hope Scholarship t/o undergrad
LOR type and strength: 4 LORs: 1 from my Microbio prof, 1 from my Entomology prof, 1 from a dentist I shadowed who went to DCG, and 1 character letter from a close family friend who was CFO of a big dental chain in GA
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: Worked 2 part-time jobs all throughout undergrad to support myself financially. Taking the DAT, buying test prep resources (Bootcamp, Booster, Chad's Prep), and applying to schools + supplementals made me broke so am now trying to frantically find money to make rent. I would like to apply broadly but just don't have to means to do so right now.
School list:
- dental college of georgia (in-state for me)
- louisiana state university
- uc san francisco (dream school)
- u of louisville
- u of tennessee
Click to expand...
sorry, but your school list is too short and completely unrealistic
you cannot afford to get a third poor dat score because you will have to petition to take it a fourth time AND the schools will see all your scores anyways
plus you have to take your test at least 3 months past the second attempt, which will put you late in the cycle
did you indicate "planned dat retake" on your aadsas submission?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
predentalstudent2023! said:
My junior year I got all A's (when I took the bulk of my upper-level bio electives) and my senior year I got those two C's in CBIO and ORGO 2 (got a B in ORGO 1). I thought about doing an MPH or a post-bacc but really don't have the funds to do so and was encouraged by my advisor and one of the admissions officers at DCG to try to apply. I now realize she might've been just telling me to apply to get the application fee out of me but I guess it's too late to rescind my applications.
Click to expand...
You can try to just apply to DCG. The late C's aren't going to help you. Leverage that conversation.

It is up to you in how you spend your money but a postbac can't get your GPA the boost you need (closer to 3.5) compared to a dental SMP. MPH won't help you get to dental school without going through an SMP. I know these programs are expensive, and it is high risk/high reward. In the end it is your passion and desire to bet on yourself before taking on mortgage-level debt to be a dentist.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
macsak said:
sorry, but your school list is too short and completely unrealistic
you cannot afford to get a third poor dat score because you will have to petition to take it a fourth time AND the schools will see all your scores anyways
plus you have to take your test at least 3 months past the second attempt, which will put you late in the cycle
did you indicate "planned dat retake" on your aadsas submission?
Click to expand...
yes i did
 
macsak said:
sorry, but your school list is too short and completely unrealistic
you cannot afford to get a third poor dat score because you will have to petition to take it a fourth time AND the schools will see all your scores anyways
plus you have to take your test at least 3 months past the second attempt, which will put you late in the cycle
did you indicate "planned dat retake" on your aadsas submission?
Click to expand...
are you saying i should cancel my third attempt?
 
predentalstudent2023! said:
i was just asking - i am new to this and have had no one to show me through this so i would appreciate kindness! thank you!
Click to expand...
i am being kind, if i wasn't, i wouldn't have answered or i would have given you a wise ass answer
i told you what to consider, and it is up to you to decide...
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
predentalstudent2023! said:
My junior year I got all A's (when I took the bulk of my upper-level bio electives) and my senior year I got those two C's in CBIO and ORGO 2 (got a B in ORGO 1). I thought about doing an MPH or a post-bacc but really don't have the funds to do so and was encouraged by my advisor and one of the admissions officers at DCG to try to apply. I now realize she might've been just telling me to apply to get the application fee out of me but I guess it's too late to rescind my applications.
Click to expand...
What are your stats? I'm also applying to DCG this cycle.
 
Earthytoothyfairy said:
What are your stats? I'm also applying to DCG this cycle.
Click to expand...
Overall GPA: 3.20; GPA w/o (+/-) system: 3.27
Science GPA: 3.1; sGPA w/o (+/-) system: 3.16
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.04; BCP 2.09 w/o (+/-) system
DAT score (include AA and all sections):
DAT attempt #1 vs. DAT attempt #2

BIO: 16 - 19

GC: 17 - 16

OC: 19 - 17

RC: 22 - 21

QR: 20 - 18

TS: 17 - 18

AA: 19 -18
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

D
WAMC - Losing hope please give some advice
Replies
4
Views
2K
Rick Harrison
Rick Harrison
W
WAMC 2022-2023 Cycle (I'm losing some hope so I'd love any input!)
Replies
9
Views
1K
willaoakley
W
K
WAMC?
Replies
20
Views
1K
macsak
M
S
WAMC 04/21
Replies
15
Views
432
macsak
M
B
WAMC - Applied twice
Replies
31
Views
699
bobjoey042
B
Top