WAMC while swimming in tears

[SOBS]

Hi guys!! I just took my DAT to finally post wamc. Any help will be appreciated :''DD


Date of submission: June 30, 2023 (at the latest--first week of July)
Overall GPA: 3.78
Science GPA: 3.74
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.75
DAT score (include AA and all sections): 21AA, 21TS, 23 PAT, 22 BIO, 22 GC, 20 OC, 19 RC (idk what happened), 22 QR
State of Residence: Michigan

Undergrad Attended: University of Michigan
Major: Biomolecular Science & Film
Minor: N/A
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 40 hours (37 with main general dentist + 3 with specialist) . Planning to hit 100 before submission.
Volunteering Experience: Before college - Assistant teacher at language school (100 hrs), assistant teacher at Sunday school (50 hrs), volunteer at summer school program (200? hrs); During/after college - volunteered as a medical journal editor at a hospital (150 hrs), translator/graphic designer for a video game just as a side hobby (~500 hours)
Employment: School dining hall coordinator (300 hrs), Data entry clerk at a hospital (150 hrs)
Research: Research study volunteer that will give multiple publications (~500 hrs)
Other Extracurriculars: Was heavily involved in Greek life, held like 5-6 different leadership positions. Music band/ensembles until COVID hit. Not too much.
Relevant Honors or Awards: The President’s Volunteer Award, some back in high school (not fancy at all)
LOR type and strength: 2 Science (10/10 and 7/10), 1 Dentist (7/10), 1 Chairman doctor from research (7/10); for schools that accept additional letters, film professor (10/10) and maybe another research doctor (10/10)
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: Most of my volunteering and research hours are in the medical field. All my shadowing was done in the span of 2 months since I started preparing for dentistry pretty late and sadly I wasn’t able to get as much experience as I wanted to because of COVID.. Honestly, I wasn’t that qualified premed student at all T_T

School list:

I know my list is currently super long and I want to narrow it down to like ~4 reach, ~8 target, and ~4 safety. However, I am still looking to apply to a lot of schools to be 100% sure I get in this cycle.. Ideally, I prefer staying in Michigan or the East Coast if I have to go out of state. I would also prefer schools that offer post-doctoral programs, as I'm interested in pursuing something after graduation (haven’t looked too much into it yet tho). The bolded schools are the ones that I am absolutely sure I want to apply to.

In no particular order:

Boston University
Howard University
Indiana University
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Dental Medicine
Ohio State University
Temple University
Tufts University
UCLA
UCSF
University at Buffalo
University of Connecticut
University of Detroit Mercy
University of Florida
University of Maryland, Baltimore
University of Michigan (TOP CHOICE)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Washington
Virginia Commonwealth University
Nova Southeastern University
University of Colorado

Any type of advice, reality checks, fact checks, lectures, therapy sessions, etc. are welcomed :’) There’s still a lot of schools that I’m not very knowledgeable about, so I would love to consider removing schools or adding schools that would be more realistic and suitable for me. Thank you so much in advance!

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[macsak]

Hi guys!! I just took my DAT to finally post wamc. Any help will be appreciated :''DD


Date of submission: June 30, 2023 (at the latest--first week of July)
Overall GPA: 3.78
Science GPA: 3.74
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.75
DAT score (include AA and all sections): 21AA, 21TS, 23 PAT, 22 BIO, 22 GC, 20 OG, 19 RC (idk what happened), 22 QR
State of Residence: Michigan

Undergrad Attended: University of Michigan
Major: Biomolecular Science & Fim
Minor: N/A
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 40 hours (37 with main general dentist + 3 with specialist) . Planning to hit 100 before submission.
Volunteering Experience: Before college - Assistant teacher at language school (100 hrs), assistant teacher at Sunday school (50 hrs), volunteer at summer school program (200? hrs); During/after college - volunteered as a medical journal editor at a hospital (150 hrs), translator/graphic designer for a video game just as a side hobby (~500 hours)
Employment: School dining hall coordinator (300 hrs), Data entry clerk at a hospital (150 hrs)
Research: Research study volunteer that will give multiple publications (~500 hrs)
Other Extracurriculars: Was heavily involved in Greek life, held like 5-6 different leadership positions. Music band/ensembles until COVID hit. Not too much.
Relevant Honors or Awards: The President’s Volunteer Award, some back in high school (not fancy at all)
LOR type and strength: 2 Science (10/10 and 7/10), 1 Dentist (7/10), 1 Chairman doctor from research (7/10); for schools that accept additional letters, film professor (10/10) and maybe another research doctor (10/10)
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: Most of my volunteering and research hours are in the medical field. All my shadowing was done in the span of 2 months since I started preparing for dentistry pretty late and sadly I wasn’t able to get as much experience as I wanted to because of COVID.. Honestly, I wasn’t that qualified premed student at all T_T

School list:

I know my list is currently super long and I want to narrow it down to like ~4 reach, ~8 target, and ~4 safety. However, I am still looking to apply to a lot of schools to be 100% sure I get in this cycle.. Ideally, I prefer staying in Michigan or the East Coast if I have to go out of state. I would also prefer schools that offer post-doctoral programs, as I'm interested in pursuing something after graduation (haven’t looked too much into it yet tho). The bolded schools are the ones that I am absolutely sure I want to apply to.

In no particular order:

Boston University
Howard University
Indiana University
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Dental Medicine
Ohio State University
Temple University
Tufts University
UCLA
UCSF
University at Buffalo
University of Connecticut
University of Detroit Mercy
University of Florida
University of Maryland, Baltimore
University of Michigan (TOP CHOICE)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Washington
Virginia Commonwealth University
Nova Southeastern University
University of Colorado

Any type of advice, reality checks, fact checks, lectures, therapy sessions, etc. are welcomed :’) There’s still a lot of schools that I’m not very knowledgeable about, so I would love to consider removing schools or adding schools that would be more realistic and suitable for me. Thank you so much in advance!

why are you crying?

 

[macsak]

why are you crying?

why howard?

 

[Ryxndek]

I don't see connections to UCLA, UCSF, or UNC, I would omit those. I don't see your connection to Howard or if you meet their mission statement so get rid of them. I also don't see a ton of connections to south east - LECOM, Nova, UF. Ideally, if you're thinking Michigan or east coast then something like: (maybe midwest??) Uwashington is also crazy expensive, and I think fairly tough oos. What's your connection to UW?

Michigan, UDM, Maryland, Buffalo, Boston, Case Western, VCU, Temple, UPenn, Ohio, Tufts, Indiana, Marquette

 

[SOBS]

why are you crying?

I guess because I was aiming for a higher score and I didn't get it :'))) But Howard because it's one of my safety schools and I have personal connections to the DC area! Is it not a good choice?

 

[SOBS]

I don't see connections to UCLA, UCSF, or UNC, I would omit those. I don't see your connection to Howard or if you meet their mission statement so get rid of them. I also don't see a ton of connections to south east - LECOM, Nova, UF. Ideally, if you're thinking Michigan or east coast then something like: (maybe midwest??) Uwashington is also crazy expensive, and I think fairly tough oos. What's your connection to UW?

Michigan, UDM, Maryland, Buffalo, Boston, Case Western, VCU, Temple, UPenn, Ohio, Tufts, Indiana, Marquette

Thank you so much for your advice!! For those West coast schools, I guess a part of me want to kind of go there (I was considering to go to cali for undergrad) but yeah I'll reconsider them. For Florida schools, I lived & worked/volunteered there for several months here and there, so it holds a special place in my heart. Realistically it seems UF is too out of my reach, so I'm not sure. For UW, Seattle has always been appealing to me but yeah that price is kind of scary 💀

Thank you so much for your suggestion!!!! I'll look more into Case Western and Marquette

 

[Ryxndek]

I guess because I was aiming for a higher score and I didn't get it :'))) But Howard because it's one of my safety schools and I have personal connections to the DC area! Is it not a good choice?

I would just do a little research on Howard’s mission. I’m not seeing mission fit here hence why we say to not apply

 

[SOBS]

I would just do a little research on Howard’s mission. I’m not seeing mission fit here hence why we say to not apply

You right, it doesn't seem like the best fit. Thanks for saving my money XD

 

[macsak]

I guess because I was aiming for a higher score and I didn't get it :'))) But Howard because it's one of my safety schools and I have personal connections to the DC area! Is it not a good choice?

yes
howard is an HBCU...

 

[SOBS]

yes
howard is an HBCU...

Yeah I didn't see that before when I was researching the school haha thank you for the advice!!

 

[lol104]

Attending school at a different location other than your home town is a good idea - you get to experience and live in an area that you normally wouldn't. Issue comes down to traveling and $$$. Out of state tuition fees, traveling back home for vacation time and/or family events... all something to consider.

Some state schools charge out of state fees for the first year and charge in state tuition for 2-4th year... so do your research.
If you're set on applying to West Coast schools, please include University of the Pacific - as it is located in the city of San Francisco AND it's as 3 year program.

 

[SOBS]

Attending school at a different location other than your home town is a good idea - you get to experience and live in an area that you normally wouldn't. Issue comes down to traveling and $$$. Out of state tuition fees, traveling back home for vacation time and/or family events... all something to consider.

Some state schools charge out of state fees for the first year and charge in state tuition for 2-4th year... so do your research.
If you're set on applying to West Coast schools, please include University of the Pacific - as it is located in the city of San Francisco AND it's as 3 year program.

Thanks for the information!!! Yeah I've been doing some research on schools that give in state tuition after a year or two. It was a big factor when I was putting the list. I 100% agree with going to OOS school, it's also why I'm trying to apply to various areas especially because I went to an in state school. As long as the cost is not like on the NYU level, I'm considering to apply haha

Thank you for letting me know about UOP, I didn't know it was a 3 year program! I'll definitely look into it because I know someone who will go there :O

 

[lol104]

Thanks for the information!!! Yeah I've been doing some research on schools that give in state tuition after a year or two. It was a big factor when I was putting the list. I 100% agree with going to OOS school, it's also why I'm trying to apply to various areas especially because I went to an in state school. As long as the cost is not like on the NYU level, I'm considering to apply haha

Thank you for letting me know about UOP, I didn't know it was a 3 year program! I'll definitely look into it because I know someone who will go there :O

Good luck!

FYI UOP tuition is very expensive and the cost of living is very high... but you'll make up the cost difference by working 1 year earlier than if you had attended a 4 year program. I think Roseman is transitioning to be a 3 year program too but that program is fairly new - so that's the catch.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I would cry if I had to spend that much on an application! You need to be more selective! Check out cost of attendance, not just location. I love SF but would hate commuting 3 hours a day to school each way. And SF is not flat like Michigan. Good if you like to walk up steep hills, but Parnassus is Heartbreak Hill.

We have given you suggestions to start regionally since most of us don't want to live too far away from family or the community support we are used to. Unless you have a serious mission fit, going to school but being isolated as lonely really isn't good for anyone.

Strike Washington because you are not a regional fit (any experience e with NA/AI/indigenous?) and you are outside the states they would recruit through WWAMI.

Keep building more dentistry experience. That's the big concern I have. I would look into the interprofessional experience at each dental school high on your wishlist.

 

[futuredentistyay]

Also, I wouldn't include any of the experiences prior to college. Admissions only looks at things during college and forth.

 

[Ryxndek]

Also, I wouldn't include any of the experiences prior to college. Admissions only looks at things during college and forth.

Usually if it’s something that you started your senior year and carried it over to freshmen year that can also be okay. But agreed, focus on college only experiences

 

[SOBS]

Good luck!

FYI UOP tuition is very expensive and the cost of living is very high... but you'll make up the cost difference by working 1 year earlier than if you had attended a 4 year program. I think Roseman is transitioning to be a 3 year program too but that program is fairly new - so that's the catch.

Thank you!!! Honestly I'm not sure if I'll stay in Cali to work after graduating so idk if there's a huge advantage. But I'll play around with the calculator and look into it for sure

 

[SOBS]

I would cry if I had to spend that much on an application! You need to be more selective! Check out cost of attendance, not just location. I love SF but would hate commuting 3 hours a day to school each way. And SF is not flat like Michigan. Good if you like to walk up steep hills, but Parnassus is Heartbreak Hill.

We have given you suggestions to start regionally since most of us don't want to live too far away from family or the community support we are used to. Unless you have a serious mission fit, going to school but being isolated as lonely really isn't good for anyone.

Strike Washington because you are not a regional fit (any experience e with NA/AI/indigenous?) and you are outside the states they would recruit through WWAMI.

Keep building more dentistry experience. That's the big concern I have. I would look into the interprofessional experience at each dental school high on your wishlist.

Ooo thank you for great advice!! I just thought I would have to apply as many as possible to get in somewhere 😭

I agree with you, staying in Michigan or going somewhere close would be very much ideal but a part of me wants to be adventurous haha I'll do more research and focus on Michigan and East coast.

Do you mind suggesting what interprofessional experience I could gain? Obviously I would only have time to shadow until I submit my application, but maybe over the summer before interviews? Thanks for your big help :'DD

 

[SOBS]

Also, I wouldn't include any of the experiences prior to college. Admissions only looks at things during college and forth.

Gotcha, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you!!

 

[SOBS]

Hi guys!! I worked on finalizing the school list and I thought I would post here again to get more advice because I want to take out a few more schools. If you have any suggestions on adding other schools, please let me know! Thank you so much

In no particular order:

Boston University
Case Western Reserve University
Indiana University
Marquette University
Ohio State University
Rutgers University
Temple University
Tufts University
University at Buffalo
University of Colorado
University of Connecticut
University of Detroit Mercy (TOP CHOICE)
University of Maryland, Baltimore
University of Michigan (TOP CHOICE)
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
Virginia Commonwealth University

 

[wysdoc]

The top 12 schools Michigan residents get accepted to are:
U Detroit Mercy
Michigan
Midwestern Illinois
Indiana
Marquette
Case Western Reserve
NYU
Tufts
Louisville
Loma Linda
Penn
Midwestern AZ

Eliminate any that don't fit your goals/profile (Loma Linda if you are not devout evangelical Christian, etc)
Add a couple that are in cities you have ties to
consider price
Take off OOS schools that accept few from Michigan

7 on your list intersect with this statistical list

p.s. crying won't get you in so ...

 

[macsak]

Hi guys!! I worked on finalizing the school list and I thought I would post here again to get more advice because I want to take out a few more schools. If you have any suggestions on adding other schools, please let me know! Thank you so much

In no particular order:

Boston University
Case Western Reserve University
Indiana University
Marquette University
Ohio State University
Rutgers University
Temple University
Tufts University
University at Buffalo
University of Colorado
University of Connecticut
University of Detroit Mercy (TOP CHOICE)
University of Maryland, Baltimore
University of Michigan (TOP CHOICE)
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
Virginia Commonwealth University

why colorado?

 

[SOBS]

The top 12 schools Michigan residents get accepted to are:
U Detroit Mercy
Michigan
Midwestern Illinois
Indiana
Marquette
Case Western Reserve
NYU
Tufts
Louisville
Loma Linda
Penn
Midwestern AZ

Eliminate any that don't fit your goals/profile (Loma Linda if you are not devout evangelical Christian, etc)
Add a couple that are in cities you have ties to
consider price
Take off OOS schools that accept few from Michigan

7 on your list intersect with this statistical list

p.s. crying won't get you in so ...

why colorado?

Thank you for your reply! That list is actually super helpful, thank you.
I put Colorado because it has a pretty decent OOS admission rate and it was kind of a safety for me. It's also on the cheaper end. But in this case, I'm thinking about replacing Colorado with Louisville, which is closer, also has a decent OOS rate, and around the same stats. But I'm concerned about the price though so I'm not sure if I should still keep them on my list...