WAMC, only applied to 6 schools and not sure about my shadowing :/

[lazyapplicant]

Date of submission: July 12th, 2023
Overall GPA: 4.0
Science GPA: 4.0
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 4.0
DAT score: 23 AA, 24 TS, 20 PAT
State of Residence: Ohio & Pennsylvania

Undergrad Attended: Ohio State University
Major: Health Sciences
Minor: Biology
Minority? Yes
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? Yes, taking one gap year and planning on working in dentistry in Saudi Arabia.

Shadowing Experience: Around 120 hrs, 20 were international and 40 were online (which means I did only 80 hrs in person and 60 in the US).
Volunteering Experience: Around 600 hrs, ranging from volunteering at a food pantry, free tutoring for underprivileged children, packaging meals for the homeless, etc.
Employment: 100 hrs, private tutoring for organic chemistry, microbiology, Arabic, and freelance artist.
Research: 400 hrs at an orthodontics research lab at Ohio State, 3 manuscripts pending to be published + one publication for a microbiology lab at the University of Pittsburgh,
Other Extracurriculars: Served on the exec board for the Muslim Student Association for 1 year, Treasurer of a cultural org for 2 years, Social Media chair for a non-profit for 1 year, created artwork to be auctioned for charity, and did a lot of activism on campus.
Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? Volunteered a lot for a dental student org at the College of Dentistry, and attended the annual dental ball.
Relevant Honors or Awards: Received the Award of Merit from my college, an Volunteer Excellence award from a non-profit organization, a scholarship for women in leadership positions, graduated with Summa Cum Laude Latin honors, and received an award from the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia for Academic Excellence for my years in high school (only included this because I technically received the award during my freshman year).
LOR type and strength: 4 letters, 1 from a dentist/mentor, 2 from ochem professors, and 1 from my research PI who also happens to be a faculty member at a dental school. One of my science professors ghosted me and hasn't submitted it yet, so I have 3 so far :/
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: I'm worried about my shadowing experience not being enough, and I only really want to go to 2 out of the 6 I have applied to. I realize that the schools I have applied to are not considered "safe", so if y'all have suggestions on a safe school please send! I'm also worried that they haven't even reviewed my application due to the one LOR that hasn't been submitted yet. One last thing, for my personal statement, I chose an artsy/creative route rather than the traditional why-I-chose-dentistry. I mentioned many life experiences and tied them to dentistry toward the end, and I was warned that some admissions reviewers do not like that.

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!
Sorted from top choice to least: Ohio State, University of Pittsburgh, UPenn, Harvard, Columbia, NYU

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[macsak]

Date of submission: July 12th, 2023
Overall GPA: 4.0
Science GPA: 4.0
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 4.0
DAT score: 23 AA, 24 TS, 20 PAT
State of Residence: Ohio & Pennsylvania

Undergrad Attended: Ohio State University
Major: Health Sciences
Minor: Biology
Minority? Yes
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? Yes, taking one gap year and planning on working in dentistry in Saudi Arabia.

Shadowing Experience: Around 120 hrs, 20 were international and 40 were online (which means I did only 80 hrs in person and 60 in the US).
Volunteering Experience: Around 600 hrs, ranging from volunteering at a food pantry, free tutoring for underprivileged children, packaging meals for the homeless, etc.
Employment: 100 hrs, private tutoring for organic chemistry, microbiology, Arabic, and freelance artist.
Research: 400 hrs at an orthodontics research lab at Ohio State, 3 manuscripts pending to be published + one publication for a microbiology lab at the University of Pittsburgh,
Other Extracurriculars: Served on the exec board for the Muslim Student Association for 1 year, Treasurer of a cultural org for 2 years, Social Media chair for a non-profit for 1 year, created artwork to be auctioned for charity, and did a lot of activism on campus.
Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? Volunteered a lot for a dental student org at the College of Dentistry, and attended the annual dental ball.
Relevant Honors or Awards: Received the Award of Merit from my college, an Volunteer Excellence award from a non-profit organization, a scholarship for women in leadership positions, graduated with Summa Cum Laude Latin honors, and received an award from the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia for Academic Excellence for my years in high school (only included this because I technically received the award during my freshman year).
LOR type and strength: 4 letters, 1 from a dentist/mentor, 2 from ochem professors, and 1 from my research PI who also happens to be a faculty member at a dental school. One of my science professors ghosted me and hasn't submitted it yet, so I have 3 so far :/
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: I'm worried about my shadowing experience not being enough, and I only really want to go to 2 out of the 6 I have applied to. I realize that the schools I have applied to are not considered "safe", so if y'all have suggestions on a safe school please send! I'm also worried that they haven't even reviewed my application due to the one LOR that hasn't been submitted yet. One last thing, for my personal statement, I chose an artsy/creative route rather than the traditional why-I-chose-dentistry. I mentioned many life experiences and tied them to dentistry toward the end, and I was warned that some admissions reviewers do not like that.

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!
Sorted from top choice to least: Ohio State, University of Pittsburgh, UPenn, Harvard, Columbia, NYU

you cannot have residency in more than one state...

 

[macsak]

Date of submission: July 12th, 2023
Overall GPA: 4.0
Science GPA: 4.0
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 4.0
DAT score: 23 AA, 24 TS, 20 PAT
State of Residence: Ohio & Pennsylvania

Undergrad Attended: Ohio State University
Major: Health Sciences
Minor: Biology
Minority? Yes
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? Yes, taking one gap year and planning on working in dentistry in Saudi Arabia.

Shadowing Experience: Around 120 hrs, 20 were international and 40 were online (which means I did only 80 hrs in person and 60 in the US).
Volunteering Experience: Around 600 hrs, ranging from volunteering at a food pantry, free tutoring for underprivileged children, packaging meals for the homeless, etc.
Employment: 100 hrs, private tutoring for organic chemistry, microbiology, Arabic, and freelance artist.
Research: 400 hrs at an orthodontics research lab at Ohio State, 3 manuscripts pending to be published + one publication for a microbiology lab at the University of Pittsburgh,
Other Extracurriculars: Served on the exec board for the Muslim Student Association for 1 year, Treasurer of a cultural org for 2 years, Social Media chair for a non-profit for 1 year, created artwork to be auctioned for charity, and did a lot of activism on campus.
Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? Volunteered a lot for a dental student org at the College of Dentistry, and attended the annual dental ball.
Relevant Honors or Awards: Received the Award of Merit from my college, an Volunteer Excellence award from a non-profit organization, a scholarship for women in leadership positions, graduated with Summa Cum Laude Latin honors, and received an award from the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia for Academic Excellence for my years in high school (only included this because I technically received the award during my freshman year).
LOR type and strength: 4 letters, 1 from a dentist/mentor, 2 from ochem professors, and 1 from my research PI who also happens to be a faculty member at a dental school. One of my science professors ghosted me and hasn't submitted it yet, so I have 3 so far :/
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: I'm worried about my shadowing experience not being enough, and I only really want to go to 2 out of the 6 I have applied to. I realize that the schools I have applied to are not considered "safe", so if y'all have suggestions on a safe school please send! I'm also worried that they haven't even reviewed my application due to the one LOR that hasn't been submitted yet. One last thing, for my personal statement, I chose an artsy/creative route rather than the traditional why-I-chose-dentistry. I mentioned many life experiences and tied them to dentistry toward the end, and I was warned that some admissions reviewers do not like that.

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!
Sorted from top choice to least: Ohio State, University of Pittsburgh, UPenn, Harvard, Columbia, NYU

why NYU???

 

[macsak]

Date of submission: July 12th, 2023
Overall GPA: 4.0
Science GPA: 4.0
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 4.0
DAT score: 23 AA, 24 TS, 20 PAT
State of Residence: Ohio & Pennsylvania

Undergrad Attended: Ohio State University
Major: Health Sciences
Minor: Biology
Minority? Yes
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? Yes, taking one gap year and planning on working in dentistry in Saudi Arabia.

Shadowing Experience: Around 120 hrs, 20 were international and 40 were online (which means I did only 80 hrs in person and 60 in the US).
Volunteering Experience: Around 600 hrs, ranging from volunteering at a food pantry, free tutoring for underprivileged children, packaging meals for the homeless, etc.
Employment: 100 hrs, private tutoring for organic chemistry, microbiology, Arabic, and freelance artist.
Research: 400 hrs at an orthodontics research lab at Ohio State, 3 manuscripts pending to be published + one publication for a microbiology lab at the University of Pittsburgh,
Other Extracurriculars: Served on the exec board for the Muslim Student Association for 1 year, Treasurer of a cultural org for 2 years, Social Media chair for a non-profit for 1 year, created artwork to be auctioned for charity, and did a lot of activism on campus.
Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? Volunteered a lot for a dental student org at the College of Dentistry, and attended the annual dental ball.
Relevant Honors or Awards: Received the Award of Merit from my college, an Volunteer Excellence award from a non-profit organization, a scholarship for women in leadership positions, graduated with Summa Cum Laude Latin honors, and received an award from the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia for Academic Excellence for my years in high school (only included this because I technically received the award during my freshman year).
LOR type and strength: 4 letters, 1 from a dentist/mentor, 2 from ochem professors, and 1 from my research PI who also happens to be a faculty member at a dental school. One of my science professors ghosted me and hasn't submitted it yet, so I have 3 so far :/
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: I'm worried about my shadowing experience not being enough, and I only really want to go to 2 out of the 6 I have applied to. I realize that the schools I have applied to are not considered "safe", so if y'all have suggestions on a safe school please send! I'm also worried that they haven't even reviewed my application due to the one LOR that hasn't been submitted yet. One last thing, for my personal statement, I chose an artsy/creative route rather than the traditional why-I-chose-dentistry. I mentioned many life experiences and tied them to dentistry toward the end, and I was warned that some admissions reviewers do not like that.

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!
Sorted from top choice to least: Ohio State, University of Pittsburgh, UPenn, Harvard, Columbia, NYU

so, it's over 6 weeks after you applied and your LOR is not in yet?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I don't know how you are going to manage in-person interviews if you're working in dentistry out in Saudi Arabia. That is more likely to raise red flags than any lack of shadowing you have done in-person. Are you a US citizen or permanent resident?

Safe schools: gee... you didn't apply to the other Ohio dental school (CWRU) or the other Pennsylvania schools (LECOM, Temple). You didn't apply to a very Muslim-friendly dental school (Detroit Mercy) or University of Michigan (also very Muslim-friendly). You didn't apply to other schools that were favorable to OOS students, especially given your metrics. You only applied to one Boston school. You seem to be intent on getting into a brand name dental school.

 

[macsak]

I don't know how you are going to manage in-person interviews if you're working in dentistry out in Saudi Arabia. That is more likely to raise red flags than any lack of shadowing you have done in-person. Are you a US citizen or permanent resident?

Safe schools: gee... you didn't apply to the other Ohio dental school (CWRU) or the other Pennsylvania schools (LECOM, Temple). You didn't apply to a very Muslim-friendly dental school (Detroit Mercy) or University of Michigan (also very Muslim-friendly). You didn't apply to other schools that were favorable to OOS students, especially given your metrics. You only applied to one Boston school. You seem to be intent on getting into a brand name dental school.

OP seems to want to only go to OSU or Pitt...

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Just replying to the call...

if y'all have suggestions on a safe school please send

I also wonder why that fourth letter hasn't come in, but people are busy or coming back from vacation.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I only really want to go to 2 out of the 6 I have applied to.

I'm guessing it's the two schools where you have some connections. Have you actually talked with their admissions teams? I would think you would be fine with your metrics and experiences. I also think it's foolish. The dentral community is smaller than you think, and you'll meet students from all the schools eventually.

 

[lazyapplicant]

I don't know how you are going to manage in-person interviews if you're working in dentistry out in Saudi Arabia. That is more likely to raise red flags than any lack of shadowing you have done in-person. Are you a US citizen or permanent resident?

Safe schools: gee... you didn't apply to the other Ohio dental school (CWRU) or the other Pennsylvania schools (LECOM, Temple). You didn't apply to a very Muslim-friendly dental school (Detroit Mercy) or University of Michigan (also very Muslim-friendly). You didn't apply to other schools that were favorable to OOS students, especially given your metrics. You only applied to one Boston school. You seem to be intent on getting into a brand name dental school.

I am a US citizen. My job in Saudi is very flexible, so I would be able to book a flight back to the US for an interview. Pitt & OSU are truly the only two schools I would likely go to, and they are my top choices. However, I have many family/friend connections at UPenn, Columbia, and NYU, so it was more that than the brand. Harvard is only there as a "might as well see if I'd get in here". I planned on applying to Detroit Mercy, but I do not have any connections there and do not wish to start dental school in a new city.

 

[lazyapplicant]

so, it's over 6 weeks after you applied and your LOR is not in yet?

Yes, and I am still very concerned about it. My Professor has gone completely MIA, and at this point, I'm considering asking another professor.

 

[lazyapplicant]

I'm guessing it's the two schools whet you have some connections. Have you actually talked with their admissions teams? I would think you would be fine with your metrics and experiences. I also think it's foolish. The dentral community is smaller than you think, and you'll meet students from all the schools eventually.

Yes, I have met with their admissions teams. It does seem that I'll be fine, but I am trying to come up with alternatives in the case that I don't get in.

 

[macsak]

Yes, and I am still very concerned about it. My Professor has gone completely MIA, and at this point, I'm considering asking another professor.

do your schools require 4?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Okay. Well to the original question, if the admissions teams signaled to you they had no concerns about your shadowing, we'll just have to trust the process.

Your list of LORs has at least 3 science professors, so unless the missing LOR is required, I wouldn't fret about it. Find someone else to fill in that spot. I would think you would find someone easily with your 4.0 GPA.

 

[lazyapplicant]

do your schools require 4?

OSU requires 2 (1 must be science), Pitt requires 3 (2 must be from professors/mentors), UPenn requires 2, Harvard requires 3 (2 must be science), Columbia requires 3, NYU requires 3 (2 from science professors). This means that my applications to Harvard and NYU are incomplete until my ochem professor submits the letter. Do you know if they will still review my application?

 

[lazyapplicant]

Okay. Well to the original question, if the admissions teams signaled to you they had no concerns about your shadowing, we'll just have to trust the process.

Your list of LORs has at least 3 science professors, so unless the missing LOR is required, I wouldn't fret about it. Find someone else to fill in that spot. I would think you would find someone easily with your 4.0 GPA.

Wait, so does the one from my research PI count as a science letter? I was under the impression that it must be from a professor who taught me a course.

 

[macsak]

OSU requires 2 (1 must be science), Pitt requires 3 (2 must be from professors/mentors), UPenn requires 2, Harvard requires 3 (2 must be science), Columbia requires 3, NYU requires 3 (2 from science professors). This means that my applications to Harvard and NYU are incomplete until my ochem professor submits the letter. Do you know if they will still review my application?

yes, incomplete apps are not reviewed...

 

[macsak]

Okay. Well to the original question, if the admissions teams signaled to you they had no concerns about your shadowing, we'll just have to trust the process.

Your list of LORs has at least 3 science professors, so unless the missing LOR is required, I wouldn't fret about it. Find someone else to fill in that spot. I would think you would find someone easily with your 4.0 GPA.

OP is missing one of the ochem professors, so there are only 2...

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Wait, so does the one from my research PI count as a science letter? I was under the impression that it must be from a professor who taught me a course.

It depends on the school. Some schools understand that you usually have to perform research under the supervision of a professor, so the definition may be expansive to any responsibility a faculty member has with you (teaching, advising, lab, research). What did the school(s) say?

But yes, the burden is on you to make sure you fulfill their criteria for the letters for it to be screened.

Harvard SDM: Two of the three required letters of recommendation must be from faculty who teach biology, chemistry or physics-related courses, or from a Principal Investigator.

Columbia and NYU do not comment on PI's.

 

[lazyapplicant]

Update: My professor has finally responded and will submit my letter by the end of this week. Now that I have that matter out of the way, do you guys think I have a good chance of getting into at least one of the schools I have already applied to? Or should I apply to more schools?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Update: My professor has finally responded and will submit my letter by the end of this week. Now that I have that matter out of the way, do you guys think I have a good chance of getting into at least one of the schools I have already applied to? Or should I apply to more schools?

Have you heard back from Pitt or Ohio State? If these are the only two schools you really want to go to, then trust the process.

 

[lazyapplicant]

Have you heard back from Pitt or Ohio State? If these are the only two schools you really want to go to, then trust the process.

In terms of interview invites nothing yet. However, I did email both to make sure my application is not held back because of my missing letter, and they both confirmed it won't since I have met their requirements.

 

[macsak]

Update: My professor has finally responded and will submit my letter by the end of this week. Now that I have that matter out of the way, do you guys think I have a good chance of getting into at least one of the schools I have already applied to? Or should I apply to more schools?

it depends on your definition of "good chance"
you have 3 of the most difficult to get into schools in the country on your list
that's 50%
and NYU is not only SUPER expensive, you are well above their stat range, and wield management starts to come into play
that leaves your two target schools, there it just depends on the connections you have made there and your fit to their mission...

 

[kashyranz]

Date of submission: July 12th, 2023
Overall GPA: 4.0
Science GPA: 4.0
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 4.0
DAT score: 23 AA, 24 TS, 20 PAT
State of Residence: Ohio & Pennsylvania

Undergrad Attended: Ohio State University
Major: Health Sciences
Minor: Biology
Minority? Yes
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? Yes, taking one gap year and planning on working in dentistry in Saudi Arabia.

Shadowing Experience: Around 120 hrs, 20 were international and 40 were online (which means I did only 80 hrs in person and 60 in the US).
Volunteering Experience: Around 600 hrs, ranging from volunteering at a food pantry, free tutoring for underprivileged children, packaging meals for the homeless, etc.
Employment: 100 hrs, private tutoring for organic chemistry, microbiology, Arabic, and freelance artist.
Research: 400 hrs at an orthodontics research lab at Ohio State, 3 manuscripts pending to be published + one publication for a microbiology lab at the University of Pittsburgh,
Other Extracurriculars: Served on the exec board for the Muslim Student Association for 1 year, Treasurer of a cultural org for 2 years, Social Media chair for a non-profit for 1 year, created artwork to be auctioned for charity, and did a lot of activism on campus.
Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? Volunteered a lot for a dental student org at the College of Dentistry, and attended the annual dental ball.
Relevant Honors or Awards: Received the Award of Merit from my college, an Volunteer Excellence award from a non-profit organization, a scholarship for women in leadership positions, graduated with Summa Cum Laude Latin honors, and received an award from the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia for Academic Excellence for my years in high school (only included this because I technically received the award during my freshman year).
LOR type and strength: 4 letters, 1 from a dentist/mentor, 2 from ochem professors, and 1 from my research PI who also happens to be a faculty member at a dental school. One of my science professors ghosted me and hasn't submitted it yet, so I have 3 so far :/
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: I'm worried about my shadowing experience not being enough, and I only really want to go to 2 out of the 6 I have applied to. I realize that the schools I have applied to are not considered "safe", so if y'all have suggestions on a safe school please send! I'm also worried that they haven't even reviewed my application due to the one LOR that hasn't been submitted yet. One last thing, for my personal statement, I chose an artsy/creative route rather than the traditional why-I-chose-dentistry. I mentioned many life experiences and tied them to dentistry toward the end, and I was warned that some admissions reviewers do not like that.

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!
Sorted from top choice to least: Ohio State, University of Pittsburgh, UPenn, Harvard, Columbia, NYU

you have a great application and great chances of getting in! looking forward to hearing which school you decide to go to

 

[lazyapplicant]

Update: I have not received any interviews yet and feel very discouraged. I truly only want to attend osu or pitt, and I noticed multiple applicants with lower stats than me get interview offers. In the case that I would need to reapply, what areas in my application need to be improved?

 

[lazyapplicant]

you have a great application and great chances of getting in! looking forward to hearing which school you decide to go to

Thank you for this! Having received zero interviews so far, it makes me feel so much better to hear this.

 

[macsak]

Update: I have not received any interviews yet and feel very discouraged. I truly only want to attend osu or pitt, and I noticed multiple applicants with lower stats than me get interview offers. In the case that I would need to reapply, what areas in my application need to be improved?

please stop comparing yourself to others...

 

[lazyapplicant]

please stop comparing yourself to others...

I truly can’t help it considering that I thought I had an okay application. Is there nothing I can do to help my application for future cycles?

 

[macsak]

I truly can’t help it considering that I thought I had an okay application. Is there nothing I can do to help my application for future cycles?

this cycle is far from over...

 

[lazyapplicant]

this cycle is far from over...

Although I realize this, ohio state sent out interviews to people that applied in August while I applied in July. Considering that I know OSU reviews applications in order, it seems as if I didn’t not get an invite for this cycle. This is why I’m thinking I might need to reapply.

 

[lazyapplicant]

Update for future applicants: After contacting both OSU and Pitt, I discovered that my application was "delayed" due to my fourth LOR being submitted in September. Although I received "application complete" emails from both schools in July, I was unaware that my application would not be reviewed until all materials were submitted, regardless of whether the materials were required. Fortunately, I received interview invites from both schools this week and realized that I truly should have trusted the process lol

 

[macsak]

Update for future applicants: After contacting both OSU and Pitt, I discovered that my application was "delayed" due to my fourth LOR being submitted in September. Although I received "application complete" emails from both schools in July, I was unaware that my application would not be reviewed until all materials were submitted, regardless of whether the materials were required. Fortunately, I received interview invites from both schools this week and realized that I truly should have trusted the process lol

awesome, congrats, i hope you have been preparing for interviews as much as you have been stressing about all this...