WAMC?

[koko3386]

Canadian here. I wrote the dat a little late and ended up submitting my apps end of October. 20AA, 3.9 cGPA, 3.89 science GPA. Around 1200 hours of shadowing and volunteering in dental settings along with a short employment in sterile bay. One dental mission abroad. 4th quartile casper.
Applied to like 18 schools. All private. Boston and NSU already rejected, but no response at all from the rest yet. What do ya'll think my chances are at this point?
My top choices would've been, in order: case western, Detroit mercy, NYU but not so sure if its possible anymore.

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[Ryxndek]

It's getting pretty late in the cyce now, applying in October set you back severely and is most likely the cause of your situation. Being a Canadian applicant also puts you at a disadvantage as you are limited to the schools that are canadian/international friendly.

I'm guessing you applied to the right schools that accept Canadians, but just applying late didn't help. Your DAT is probably below average for international applicants, but your GPA is strong. How you discussed your dental mission trip could have also raised some red flags - dental mission trips have negative connotations on schools as you could have don't procedures you are not licensed to do in your home country, and a multitude of other factors. You usually have to tread very carefully with how you describe the experience.

There could maybe be hope for CWRU and NYU as they typically have to interview late to fill their class, but if you don't hear anything around March, I'd say get ready to reapply again, this time in June. You don't need to retake your DAT.

Would you be willing to provide breakdown of DAT score and what schools you applied to?

 

[koko3386]

I'm aware of the dental mission trip and made sure no red flags were there in the description.
I wrote the canadian dat: 20AA, 21 Bio, 18 Chem, 21 PAT, 21 RC.
I'm already preparing to rewrite my dat in case. I have been scoring 25-27AA on my practise exams. the first attempt was very rushed out and hadn't practised enough. My GPA is pretty decent with A+ in almost all prerequisite courses. A good portion of my EC's are shadowing hours, which worries me a little since they're not as productive.

I applied to:
Boston - rejected
Case western
Herman ostrow
Howard University
Marquette - they actually emailed saying application had been reviewed but no rejection or offer. they said they're gonna review it further after december.
Midwestern Arizona
NYU
Nova
Rutgers
Temple
Touro
Detroit mercy
Tufts
Minnesota
Pacific
VCU
Maryland
Buffalo
Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania

 

[Ryxndek]

School list seems fine, some were heavier reaches than others but overall, nothing stands out to me (in a bad way).

25-27AA is very impressive, I would not bank on scoring that high, but a 2-3 point bump in your AA would definitely help you out.
You could reapply to the schools on your list, earlier, and I think you'd get different results.

I agree, shadow hours could have been stopped after 100. Focus on volunteer work, or leadership experience, to help bulk up your app. Getting a job would also be beneficial.

 

[koko3386]

Thank you for the very informative responses. getting a job is close to impossible here in Canada at this time. It's impossible enough to even shadow a dentist here because of all the regulations. Shadowing isn't even required by schools here. I utilized the 2020 online summer semester to live with my aunt in Texas and thats how I got almost all my EC's. I could get a role as a volunteer in my Local hospital. I also started 2 businesses recently (London teeth whitening CO) which is a mobile teeth whitening business and will be launching a Coffee shop with 2 of my friends next month. Would these experiences fall under "Leadership experiences"? or do you think they would not be of any weight.?

Thank you.

 

[Ryxndek]

Thank you for the very informative responses. getting a job is close to impossible here in Canada at this time. It's impossible enough to even shadow a dentist here because of all the regulations. Shadowing isn't even required by schools here. I utilized the 2020 online summer semester to live with my aunt in Texas and thats how I got almost all my EC's. I could get a role as a volunteer in my Local hospital. I also started 2 businesses recently (London teeth whitening CO) which is a mobile teeth whitening business and will be launching a Coffee shop with 2 of my friends next month. Would these experiences fall under "Leadership experiences"? or do you think they would not be of any weight.?

Thank you.

If you ran a team or helped lead/manage/train any of the members then I'd say you could classify it as leadership experience. I'd see what you can do for volunteering, hospital is fine, but working with the less fortunate: homeless shelter, food kitchen, soup pantry, etc would be better. But whatever opportunities you can get your hands on is the best. Do what you can and just try to be productive with your time.

 

[koko3386]

Sounds good.
Thank you very much.

 

[macsak]

I'm aware of the dental mission trip and made sure no red flags were there in the description.
I wrote the canadian dat: 20AA, 21 Bio, 18 Chem, 21 PAT, 21 RC.
I'm already preparing to rewrite my dat in case. I have been scoring 25-27AA on my practise exams. the first attempt was very rushed out and hadn't practised enough. My GPA is pretty decent with A+ in almost all prerequisite courses. A good portion of my EC's are shadowing hours, which worries me a little since they're not as productive.

I applied to:
Boston - rejected
Case western
Herman ostrow
Howard University
Marquette - they actually emailed saying application had been reviewed but no rejection or offer. they said they're gonna review it further after december.
Midwestern Arizona
NYU
Nova
Rutgers
Temple
Touro
Detroit mercy
Tufts
Minnesota
Pacific
VCU
Maryland
Buffalo
Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania

those are not "all private"...

 

[koko3386]

those are not "all private"...

sure. majority are. I meant all are canadian friendly

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Yeah... next time apply when AADSAS opens up in May/June. I guess you aren't trying for any Canadian dental programs? (I guess your DAT may be lower than what they want, but still...)

Hard to say why you got rejected at some of the schools you have heard back from. Yes, you probably have to show superstar stats as a Canadian/international applicant, but I think timing was more influential here. We'll see if any other schools connect with you. Otherwise, you should do your own networking with the ASDA chapters at the schools and see if you can chat with Canadian students at the schools. It doesn't matter what year... the students know who is Canadian in the classes.

 

[koko3386]

Yeah... next time apply when AADSAS opens up in May/June. I guess you aren't trying for any Canadian dental programs? (I guess your DAT may be lower than what they want, but still...)

Hard to say why you got rejected at some of the schools you have heard back from. Yes, you probably have to show superstar stats as a Canadian/international applicant, but I think timing was more influential here. We'll see if any other schools connect with you. Otherwise, you should do your own networking with the ASDA chapters at the schools and see if you can chat with Canadian students at the schools. It doesn't matter what year... the students know who is Canadian in the classes.

Got a rejection today from Detroit mercy.
I live in Ontario, Unfortunately. The only province that does not give preference to in-province residents. its a **** show around here. My local University's last year stats "Average GPA of Accepted Applicants (2022): 3.94". You'd need 4.0 gpa along with 24+ to get in straight from undergrad in Toronto. Other provinces, Its impossible. I'd be competing with their residents, all other Canadians, and international applicants over the 2 spots.
I applied only to McGill since they're the only university that does not require the DAT. Decisions for interviews are supposed to come out by the end of this month. Fingers crossed. Gave it my best personal statement. Other than that, its a **** show as well. Seen a lot of 3.95 - 4.0 get straight rejection last year.

Other than retaking my dat and hopefully more volunteer opportunities and applying in May, anything I can do to improve my chances for next cycle? I thought for private schools it didn't matter if you were Canadian or a resident, so not sure why I would've been held to higher standards.

 

[macsak]

sure. majority are. I meant all are canadian friendly

easy to confuse "all private" with "all canadian friendly" because they are spelled and sound so similar

why did you apply so late when you knew your DAT attempt was rushed and your scores were not ideal?

 

[Ryxndek]

I thought for private schools it didn't matter if you were Canadian or a resident, so not sure why I would've been held to higher standards.

unfortunately this is false, private schools will still prefer residents over international students, and it can be seen by the ratio admitted/enrolled. Schools only save a small percentage of seats in the class for international students, there are way more seats for US students because the schools receive funding from our gov to help train us. Thus it’s a lot more competitive for you since you’re competing for maybe 5-7 seats in a class whereas US students are competing for the remaining seats if private. It’s even more difficult at a state school.

Just gotta see what happens this cycle, there’s still a little hope

 

[koko3386]

unfortunately this is false, private schools will still prefer residents over international students, and it can be seen by the ratio admitted/enrolled. Schools only save a small percentage of seats in the class for international students, there are way more seats for US students because the schools receive funding from our gov to help train us. Thus it’s a lot more competitive for you since you’re competing for maybe 5-7 seats in a class whereas US students are competing for the remaining seats if private. It’s even more difficult at a state school.

Just gotta see what happens this cycle, there’s still a little hope

I see. Makes sense.
Last question. I know all schools on my list accepted the Canadian DAT. Do you think it would make a difference if I wrote the American DAT for next cycle? I know they accept the cDAT but not sure if it would make me more competitive? its literally the same test but without orgo and qr.

 

[Ryxndek]

I see. Makes sense.
Last question. I know all schools on my list accepted the Canadian DAT. Do you think it would make a difference if I wrote the American DAT for next cycle? I know they accept the cDAT but not sure if it would make me more competitive? its literally the same test but without orgo and qr.

I'm not sure, but if the cDAT doesn't have QR and Ochem, that's two less things to be tested on. I'd say it would be a gamble, because if you do worse you've shot yourself in the foot. Not that ochem and math skills are necessarily important to be a dentist, but just gives schools a better idea of how you are as a student learning material for a large exam. It will be up to you on what you think is best, if you can do better on the cDAT I'd probably focus more on that than trying to take the American DAT when you haven't studied for it. As it's more material to learn.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I see. Makes sense.
Last question. I know all schools on my list accepted the Canadian DAT. Do you think it would make a difference if I wrote the American DAT for next cycle? I know they accept the cDAT but not sure if it would make me more competitive? its literally the same test but without orgo and qr.

The nice part is that the US DAT is given more frequently than the CDAT. They are different tests but it turns out those who took both tests in the same application cycle tended to have similar results in AA and PAT even with the different test structures. So to me, it didn't make much of a difference.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Oh, i think things have changed on this: it used to be you had to manually add your CDAT scores into your AADSAS unlike US DAT scores where a data link was set up. I presume a data link has been set up so official CDAT scores can be uploaded automatically. (Setiously, the CDA can't be that far behind.)

 

[koko3386]

Oh, i think things have changed on this: it used to be you had to manually add your CDAT scores into your AADSAS unlike US DAT scores where a data link was set up. I presume a data link has been set up so official CDAT scores can be uploaded automatically. (Setiously, the CDA can't be that far behind.)

Not sure why I didn't get notified, but just saw your comment. I can confirm that is still the case. You add CDAT manually.

Anywho, I got invited for Candidate day for NYU. It would be safe to assume thats an offer right? because they're saying its the final stage of the admission process, and the breakdown of the day they sent me doesn't indicate its an interview:
Candidate Day Agenda

• 9:45am - Check In
• 10:00am - Welcome & Introductions
• 10:15am - NYU Dentistry Difference (Presentation)
• 11:00am - Campus Tour
• 12:00pm - Lunch with Faculty
• 1:00pm - Current Student Q&A Panel
• 1:40pm - Next Steps / Closing Remarks

 

[macsak]

Not sure why I didn't get notified, but just saw your comment. I can confirm that is still the case. You add CDAT manually.

Anywho, I got invited for Candidate day for NYU. It would be safe to assume thats an offer right? because they're saying its the final stage of the admission process, and the breakdown of the day they sent me doesn't indicate its an interview:
Candidate Day Agenda

• 9:45am - Check In
• 10:00am - Welcome & Introductions
• 10:15am - NYU Dentistry Difference (Presentation)
• 11:00am - Campus Tour
• 12:00pm - Lunch with Faculty
• 1:00pm - Current Student Q&A Panel
• 1:40pm - Next Steps / Closing Remarks

it's not an offer...

 

[koko3386]

I know its not, i'm saying that its safe to think its heading that way. Made it into the second round.

 

[macsak]

I know its not, i'm saying that its safe to think its heading that way. Made it into the second round.

that's not what you said...