to Beagle:
My GPA is pretty much it-- That's the weakest part of my application. Everything else was up to speed: DATs, experience in the dental field, research, etc. That's pretty much what all the adcom directors told me, and two of them suggested that I go for an MS first to show that I can hack the material.
Also, in my first attempt I applied to a lot of out-of-state schools. Granted some schools like Tufts are not as heavily-biased against out-of-state applicants, what I should have done is concentrate on the schools in my state where I had the best chance of getting in (the four New York schools).
Plus I might have applied in a year during which there were a lot of applicants, which meant the dental schools could afford to be choosey.
My second time around went a lot smoother I'll tell you that..
