Hiiiii, I have around a 3.25 GPA and a 22 AA and 23 TS on the DAT, I was wondering if you guys think I have a chance of getting in this cycle or if I should wait. I also have 2 leadership positions, 100+ shadowing, 70 volunteering hours, and a couple other extracurriculars as well.
what are my chances of getting into dental school this application cycle?
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Hi everyone! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my thread, any advices are greatly appreciated!
Date of submission: this cycle
Overall GPA: 3.25 [term GPA: 3.5 - 3.21 - 3.36 - 3.18 - 2.95]
Science GPA: 3.0
DAT score (include AA and all sections): AA 23 | PAT 20 | QR 17 | RC 23 | BIO 24 | GC 23 | OC 21 | TS 23
State of Residence: Pennsylvania
Undergrad Attended: University of Pittsburgh
Major: Biology
Minor: Chemistry
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No
Shadowing Experience: 150+ in general dentistry,
Volunteering Experience: 70
Employment: none
Research: Yes, 200+ hours at the pitt dental school
Other Extracurriculars: dental science club, and 3 other extracurriculars clubs (2 leaderships)
Relevant Honors or Awards: n/a
LOR type and strength: one from general dentists that I've shadowed, 1 from my research mentor (strong) and 2 from science profs (one strong, one mid)
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: N/A
School list:
Temple
Pitt
Tufts (number one choice)
Boston
NYU
Touro
Ohio state
LECOM
Midwestern Illinois
Roseman
A.T Still Arizona
if anyone has any other ideas of which schools I should add to my list please let me know!!!
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I think the amount of schools you have is fine, but I think we should try and hone in one one/two regions. You are a little all over the place with schools.
I would keep Temple, Pitt, Tufts, Touro, BU for sure, you could also try Rutgers, Case Western, UMaryland, and Louisville.
I personally think Ohio State will be very difficult to get in with your GPA, and Roseman, AT-Az, and LECOM are a little out of place unless you have connections to those regions, but certainly worth a try.
NYU, Midwestern, and Boston will be very expensive schools to attend, so just keep that in mind. NYU especially is very expensive, if not 1 or 2nd most expensive school.
The only thing I'm concerned about is your GPA. You have a downward trend which may make some schools weary to give you an interview just because they may think you can't handle the difficult course load. If you can apply as early as possible it will help increase your chances, but I think you need to keep that in mind. A DIY post-bacc to increase your GPA/sGPA would certainly help, but people have gotten into Dschool with similar GPAs. Your DAT will help, but I think it's important to at least let you know.
Volunteer work with less fortunate will also go a long way with admissions. What is your volunteer work in?
I would keep Temple, Pitt, Tufts, Touro, BU for sure, you could also try Rutgers, Case Western, UMaryland, and Louisville.
I personally think Ohio State will be very difficult to get in with your GPA, and Roseman, AT-Az, and LECOM are a little out of place unless you have connections to those regions, but certainly worth a try.
NYU, Midwestern, and Boston will be very expensive schools to attend, so just keep that in mind. NYU especially is very expensive, if not 1 or 2nd most expensive school.
The only thing I'm concerned about is your GPA. You have a downward trend which may make some schools weary to give you an interview just because they may think you can't handle the difficult course load. If you can apply as early as possible it will help increase your chances, but I think you need to keep that in mind. A DIY post-bacc to increase your GPA/sGPA would certainly help, but people have gotten into Dschool with similar GPAs. Your DAT will help, but I think it's important to at least let you know.
Volunteer work with less fortunate will also go a long way with admissions. What is your volunteer work in?
Hi, thank you!! I forgot to add that my term GPA for this last semester is a 3.4.
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It certainly helps! But keep in mind that the average gpa for those entering a dental school class for CO 2024 was 3.58. And this was 2 cycles ago, the most recent cycle, CO2027 will most likely have a higher average, maybe near 3.6 if not higher with more competitive admissions.
So just keep trying to get highest GPA possible to maximize your chances. Good luck!
i kinda agree with ryxn
i disagree that number of schools is fine, agree about geography and THE Ohio State University
i think you should apply to more schools (13-15) in a better geographical distribution
and pitt should be your first choice
have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events there?
(edited to add: sorry i missed the research at upitt dschool- how come it's not your first choice and what else have you done at the school?)
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Pitt is not my first choice just because I do not think my GPA stands a chance there.
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Your chances will certainly increase if you can get your application submitted within the first week/two weeks of opening. With rolling admissions, those with lower stats may have a better chance of receiving an interview invite as schools have more seats available compared to later in the cycle. Nothing is certain, but your In-State program will be your best bet even with your GPA (for cost reasons as well as more IS student seats available) so I would try to focus there.
Everyone stands a chance of admission, but it depends on a lot of factors, what you can control is your writing, your grades, and your DAT score. As well as when you submit. Once that's over it's out of your hands. Hoping for success this cycle, good luck!
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Can I ask why Tufts is your #1? What exactly does 70 hours of volunteering entail?
