What MCAT and DAT is competitive for dental school?

[FlatIsJustice]

---

Members do not see this ad.

For med school there are tables with MCAT/GPA and percent who get admitted with each combination. Is there something similar for dental school?

 

[JLT223]

Average gpa is around 3.45 and average dat is 19.9 for accepted students.

 

[FlatIsJustice]

Average gpa is around 3.45 and average dat is 19.9 for accepted students.

But does that take into account mission based schools? What GPA and DAT does a white applicant need to have to be competitive? Would a 3.5/20 cut it?

 

[Carbohydrates]

But does that take into account mission based schools? What GPA and DAT does a white applicant need to have to be competitive? Would a 3.5/20 cut it?

Yes

 

[goldcrown17]

Let's break it down. JLT223 gave you a pretty clear response. If the average GPA is around a 3.45 and you have a 3.5, that seems to me like you are slightly above average. Now if the average DAT is a 19.9 and you had a 20, again that's slightly above average. Mission based schools are included in those averages but differ depending the school. However, I think it is safe to assume HBCU's (Meharry/Howard) will have lower scores and most research universities (Harvard/Columbia) have higher scores.

 

[fogorvostan]

Unlike the 141 medical schools in the US, there are only 65 dental in the US so there isn't a huge variance. Some schools (like Harvard and Columbia) are going to have slightly higher than average stats while the couple of mission based schools (Howard/Meharry) will have slightly less. I suggest getting the ADEA guide and looking through schools like that. Begin narrowing down by IS/OOS first and then start looking at stats.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

Just keep in mind that average means just that. Average.
People with lower/higher stats get in.

Do keep in mind that nothing is guaranteed... even if you have a 4.0GPA and a 30DAT. If you do get an interview, that means they like what they see so don't act weird. Just thought I'd throw that out there. 🙂

 

[1passbbsSHAVE]

Just keep in mind that average means just that. Average.
People with lower/higher stats get in.

Do keep in mind that nothing is guaranteed... even if you have a 4.0GPA and a 30DAT. If you do get an interview, that means they like what they see so don't act weird. Just thought I'd throw that out there. 🙂

for the longest time, I thought as long as you get interviews, you are all set. But in reality, only 1 out of 5 interviewed applicants are offered seats.
That means out of 20 people you see on your interview day, only about 4~5 people are offered seats (more will be offered seats when people drop theirs on initial acceptance).
How do you stand out from a group of people with similar or better stat than you?

I didn't realize this until I was done with almost all my interviews. I was underprepared in most of them and I tried to wing them all.
Waitlisted at most schools but one.

Interview might be more important than a lot of people initially think they are.

 

[JLT223]

for the longest time, I thought as long as you get interviews, you are all set. But in reality, only 1 out of 5 interviewed applicants are offered seats.
That means out of 20 people you see on your interview day, only about 4~5 people are offered seats (more will be offered seats when people drop theirs on initial acceptance).
How do you stand out from a group of people with similar or better stat than you?

I didn't realize this until I was done with almost all my interviews. I was underprepared in most of them and I tried to wing them all.
Waitlisted at most schools but one.

Interview might be more than important than a lot of people initially think they are.

Truth....only 3/12 of my interview group made it through.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

for the longest time, I thought as long as you get interviews, you are all set. But in reality, only 1 out of 5 interviewed applicants are offered seats.
That means out of 20 people you see on your interview day, only about 4~5 people are offered seats (more will be offered seats when people drop theirs on initial acceptance).
How do you stand out from a group of people with similar or better stat than you?

I didn't realize this until I was done with almost all my interviews. I was underprepared in most of them and I tried to wing them all.
Waitlisted at most schools but one.

Interview might be more important than a lot of people initially think they are.

Yup. If you are selected, that means you still have a shot. The interview is usually what makes or breaks you.

Maybe the phrase, "It's not what you know but who you know" can make the difference. Anything goes tbh.

 

[Incis0r]

for the longest time, I thought as long as you get interviews, you are all set. But in reality, only 1 out of 5 interviewed applicants are offered seats.
That means out of 20 people you see on your interview day, only about 4~5 people are offered seats (more will be offered seats when people drop theirs on initial acceptance).
How do you stand out from a group of people with similar or better stat than you?

I didn't realize this until I was done with almost all my interviews. I was underprepared in most of them and I tried to wing them all.
Waitlisted at most schools but one.

Interview might be more important than a lot of people initially think they are.

Very wise insight.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

Very wise insight.

It makes sense too!
Guess maybe it also helps them see how engaging you are as a person. Or how you hold a conversation. Both very important qualities as a dentist.

I think I read somewhere that sometimes, your communication skills are much more important than the actual dental procedures.

 

[doc toothache]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/chance-me-a-statistical-perspective.1133457/

 

[IndianCurry]

Everytime @doc toothache posts a link, someone should close the thread.

These links answer everything, seriously!