What are my chances??

[neilpatel]

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I am a junior at the University of Georgia and I am planning on taking the DAT this summer. My main concern is that my GPA is just way too low at only a 3.02 right now, but it has been going up since I stopped partying and dicking around. What do you guys think my chances of getting into MCG are? Also should I start shadowing dentists now or wait till summer when I have more free time because I really just want to focus on my studies and DAT preparation. Should I be ok if i score higher than 23? Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Sunspear]

Just so you know, "scoring higher than 23" is not easy. You're probly gonna need to study like your life depended on it to achieve that goal - which is what I had to do - but good luck!

 

[Duriel]

I am a junior at the University of Georgia and I am planning on taking the DAT this summer. My main concern is that my GPA is just way too low at only a 3.02 right now, but it has been going up since I stopped partying and dicking around. What do you guys think my chances of getting into MCG are? Also should I start shadowing dentists now or wait till summer when I have more free time because I really just want to focus on my studies and DAT preparation. Should I be ok if i score higher than 23? Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Work on the GPA. I believe last years class's average was 3.58.

 

[wired202808]

I am a junior at the University of Georgia and I am planning on taking the DAT this summer. My main concern is that my GPA is just way too low at only a 3.02 right now, but it has been going up since I stopped partying and dicking around. What do you guys think my chances of getting into MCG are? Also should I start shadowing dentists now or wait till summer when I have more free time because I really just want to focus on my studies and DAT preparation. Should I be ok if i score higher than 23? Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

GPA needs to go up and you should aim for a high DAT score but its impossible to select whether it's going to be a 20, 21, or 22. Dont get your hopes up for a 22 or 23 because thats nearly the 99th percentile and probably wont happen. But a 3.5 GPA with a 20 or 21 is a recipe for success.

 

[Duriel]

It also helps if your from a county that is low in dentists. Are you from Georgia originally?

 

[Seamonkey Doc]

I am a junior at the University of Georgia and I am planning on taking the DAT this summer. My main concern is that my GPA is just way too low at only a 3.02 right now, but it has been going up since I stopped partying and dicking around. What do you guys think my chances of getting into MCG are? Also should I start shadowing dentists now or wait till summer when I have more free time because I really just want to focus on my studies and DAT preparation. Should I be ok if i score higher than 23? Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Have you taken any DAT practice tests? It's nice to be optimistic but it's also important to be realistic about score estimation. A 23 is achievable if you study really really hard, but some people may study extensively, and not get a 23+.

You say you're a junior and you want to apply this summer. However, can you consider waiting a year and applying next year? That way you'll have some time to boost your GPA and maybe even improve your credentials (like shadowing).

 

[arjay]

GHSU (formerly MCG) told me they like "late-bloomers" so if you can show them a GPA on the rise, in difficult science courses, and crush the DAT (20+) you have a good chance. In my experience, GHSU loves to make people apply twice. I know of four people who got in on their second app - I think they want to see if you're serious about dschool. Another way to show you're serious is to start getting your shadow hours in now (keep a journal of it b/c they add up quick), and also talk to someone in the admissions office, they're all pretty nice.

 

[neilpatel]

I am from and do live in Georgia, but does that make any difference? Also will they take into account that I go to UGA and that my GPA is lower because the science classes are actually a lot tougher than those at other schools like GA State where its easy to get a 4.0 science GPA?

 

[Seamonkey Doc]

I am from and do live in Georgia, but does that make any difference? Also will they take into account that I go to UGA and that my GPA is lower because the science classes are actually a lot tougher than those at other schools like GA State where its easy to get a 4.0 science GPA?

Seeing as how it's a public school and you're a GA resident, you'll have that advantage. As for GPA, I really don't think where you went to school will make a difference. I've heard some schools tell me where you did undergrad (private vs public, university vs liberal arts schools, etc.) will matter but I don't know how much of that is true.

 

[KTMBASEBALLDAWG]

I am from and do live in Georgia, but does that make any difference? Also will they take into account that I go to UGA and that my GPA is lower because the science classes are actually a lot tougher than those at other schools like GA State where its easy to get a 4.0 science GPA?

Sadly no they don't take into account where you went to school as I also went to undergrad at UGA and I asked them if they did and said it didn't really matter. Which irked me because that is quite ignorant, it's is obviously a harder curriculum than most other schools in Georgia. But hey what do I know...

 

[wired202808]

Sadly no they don't take into account where you went to school as I also went to undergrad at UGA and I asked them if they did and said it didn't really matter. Which irked me because that is quite ignorant, it's is obviously a harder curriculum than most other schools in Georgia. But hey what do I know...

"Harder" is a very subjective term, because you prefer to have them look at your UGA file and say "hmm its a hard school well give him a break"... however you forget that someone else who went to UGA and has a higher GPA than you would be look at significantly more favorable and you would be in a big heap of trouble. I like the fact that undergrads don't matter, its very difficult to accurately compare them and it becomes too subjective. Are there harder schools that cause people to have lower GPAs? Yes but adcoms look at an applicant as a whole and make an assessment. GPA's need to be compared each other numerically and objectively, in the end that's what they're there for.

 

[Seamonkey Doc]

"Harder" is a very subjective term, because you prefer to have them look at your UGA file and say "hmm its a hard school well give him a break"... however you forget that someone else who went to UGA and has a higher GPA than you would be look at significantly more favorable and you would be in a big heap of trouble. I like the fact that undergrads don't matter, its very difficult to accurately compare them and it becomes too subjective. Are there harder schools that cause people to have lower GPAs? Yes but adcoms look at an applicant as a whole and make an assessment. GPA's need to be compared each other numerically and objectively, in the end that's what they're there for.

I can understand that it's difficult to compare two state schools or two ivy league schools or two liberal arts schools. However, the way subjects are taught at a smaller schools (example: average class size of 30) are different than the way they are taught at big schools (example: avg class size of 100). What about a person who came out of MIT with a 3.4 GPA versus someone who came out of UMass with a 3.7 GPA? I understand it's difficult to compare the difficulty of schools but this is where the DAT comes in. After all, no matter where you go to school, you all will take the same exam. Just my two cents

 

[bananakiwi]

Sadly no they don't take into account where you went to school as I also went to undergrad at UGA and I asked them if they did and said it didn't really matter. Which irked me because that is quite ignorant, it's is obviously a harder curriculum than most other schools in Georgia. But hey what do I know...

hey the bright side of the story is that those harder schools will prepare you better for the DAT so you can rock it and potentially be better than those who have higher gpa in easier schools.

Sent from my SGH-T959V using SDN Mobile

 

[wired202808]

I can understand that it's difficult to compare two state schools or two ivy league schools or two liberal arts schools. However, the way subjects are taught at a smaller schools (example: average class size of 30) are different than the way they are taught at big schools (example: avg class size of 100). What about a person who came out of MIT with a 3.4 GPA versus someone who came out of UMass with a 3.7 GPA? I understand it's difficult to compare the difficulty of schools but this is where the DAT comes in. After all, no matter where you go to school, you all will take the same exam. Just my two cents

true but GPA is still a huge factor in d-school admissions. High DAT and low GPA often struggle to get admitted into their top choice schools. Meanwhile high GPA and average DAT seem to fair better.

 

[dentpin2]

true but GPA is still a huge factor in d-school admissions. High DAT and low GPA often struggle to get admitted into their top choice schools. Meanwhile high GPA and average DAT seem to fair better.

👍, my 3.4 from Yale and 23 DAT, didn't get me in anywhere yet this cycle (though granted, I did take my DAT late).

 

[Seamonkey Doc]

👍, my 3.4 from Yale and 23 DAT, didn't get me in anywhere yet this cycle (though granted, I did take my DAT late).

If you were the guy who retook his DAT in November, then that was probably the main problem.

According to 2010 ADEA guide, Columbia's average GPA was 3.44 (overall and sci) and DAT was 22.4/20.5... UofP's avg GPA was 3.44 and 3.38 and DAT was 21/21.
There are some schools who take a higher GPA into account and some who will take a higher DAT into account.

However I think state schools seem to give more preference to a higher GPA than a combination of below avg GPA + high DAT scores.

 

[dentpin2]

Yeah I do agree with all of this.

But I think my DAT scores prior to my retake were still decent (Sci: 21, AA: 20). But with a low GPA (irrelevant of where you did your undergrad), you really have to kill the DAT to have a good shot.

If you were the guy who retook his DAT in November, then that was probably the main problem.

According to 2010 ADEA guide, Columbia's average GPA was 3.44 (overall and sci) and DAT was 22.4/20.5... UofP's avg GPA was 3.44 and 3.38 and DAT was 21/21.
There are some schools who take a higher GPA into account and some who will take a higher DAT into account.

However I think state schools seem to give more preference to a higher GPA than a combination of below avg GPA + high DAT scores.

 

[Seamonkey Doc]

Yeah I do agree with all of this.

But I think my DAT scores prior to my retake were still decent (Sci: 21, AA: 20). But with a low GPA (irrelevant of where you did your undergrad), you really have to kill the DAT to have a good shot.

If your scores were decent, why did you consider a retake? If I remember correctly, you said you had "freaked out" and retook it. I don't want to put you on the spot, since you already have a thread about this. So feel free not to answer it.

But even a "low" GPA is subjective. I think we can agree that a 3.5+ GPA is pretty good. But then it gets a little tricky when it's 3.4 or 3.3... I got accepted with a 3.3 GPA from a competitive school. It wasn't my top choice (which was a state school) but it was still in my top three. The OP needs to bring that 3.02 GPA up but I don't want people with 3.3-3.4 GPA's to feel like they have no chance.

 

[dentpin2]

I basically retook it since it was the beginning of November, and I still hadn't heard back from any schools about interviews (and I felt I could've done better). It seemed like a bunch of people already had interviews, so I was really worried.

I think my bigger problem wasn't my overall (3.4), but my science (3.1).

The point I was trying to make is that I think that GPA is pretty important, and even a great DAT score can't make up for it past a point.

If your scores were decent, why did you consider a retake? If I remember correctly, you said you had "freaked out" and retook it. I don't want to put you on the spot, since you already have a thread about this. So feel free not to answer it.

But even a "low" GPA is subjective. I think we can agree that a 3.5+ GPA is pretty good. But then it gets a little tricky when it's 3.4 or 3.3... I got accepted with a 3.3 GPA from a competitive school. It wasn't my top choice (which was a state school) but it was still in my top three. The OP needs to bring that 3.02 GPA up but I don't want people with 3.3-3.4 GPA's to feel like they have no chance.

 

[JdogDMD]

Getting into to dental school is really competitive. I had a friend this year that had a 3.0 and had a 22 DAT with no section below a 22 and he is still yet to get an acceptance. He only received one interview. I think his biggest problem was his GPA. So in my opinion, just because you do well on the DAT doesn't mean that you will get in. There's a lot more that goes into it. Take it for what's it's worth. Good luck!

 

[KTMBASEBALLDAWG]

"Harder" is a very subjective term, because you prefer to have them look at your UGA file and say "hmm its a hard school well give him a break"... however you forget that someone else who went to UGA and has a higher GPA than you would be look at significantly more favorable and you would be in a big heap of trouble. I like the fact that undergrads don't matter, its very difficult to accurately compare them and it becomes too subjective. Are there harder schools that cause people to have lower GPAs? Yes but adcoms look at an applicant as a whole and make an assessment. GPA's need to be compared each other numerically and objectively, in the end that's what they're there for.

That isn't actually how it should be. It isn't subjective, it is fact. Some schools are harder than others and have smarter people attending them. That is just life. The only reason dental schools don't do that is because it would take just a slight amount of more take that fact into account. Dental schools don't have ranking so they actually don't have to care. Law schools on the other hand show you how it would be if it mattered how strong all the applicants were. They take into account where people went to undergrad. At the top Law Schools you would not see more than 1 person a class from a person that did not attend there flagship instate or harder school. Luckily for those not attending an easy undergrad (yes I've taken summer classes elsewhere than UGA and they were all much easier) you have no dental rankings. I got in where I wanted so it doesn't matter anymore but I don't think the application process is anywhere near where it needs to be when regarding this subject.

 

[KTMBASEBALLDAWG]

👍, my 3.4 from Yale and 23 DAT, didn't get me in anywhere yet this cycle (though granted, I did take my DAT late).

Exactly. A 3.4 should be like a 4.0 from UGA and a 5.8 from a CC.

 

[littlemisspiggy]

But then it gets a little tricky when it's 3.4 or 3.3...

haha yep

 

[wired202808]

That isn't actually how it should be. It isn't subjective, it is fact. Some schools are harder than others and have smarter people attending them. That is just life. The only reason dental schools don't do that is because it would take just a slight amount of more take that fact into account. Dental schools don't have ranking so they actually don't have to care. Law schools on the other hand show you how it would be if it mattered how strong all the applicants were. They take into account where people went to undergrad. At the top Law Schools you would not see more than 1 person a class from a person that did not attend there flagship instate or harder school. Luckily for those not attending an easy undergrad (yes I've taken summer classes elsewhere than UGA and they were all much easier) you have no dental rankings. I got in where I wanted so it doesn't matter anymore but I don't think the application process is anywhere near where it needs to be when regarding this subject.

law schools = debt traps.

 

[toothlove]

I think that a 23 will not get you the best chances with that gpa. I had a 23 and a 3.4 gpa and that was considered a lower end gpa. Try taking a year off and raising the gpa with a post bac. or even apply senior year and try getting sraight A's here on out.