What to do in the meantime while studying for DAT retake...?

[minotaur9]

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Hi Guys,
Hopefully you could help me think about some options...
I have a 2.96 overall/3.01 BCP, have been out of undergrad for 8 years, took the DAT twice, last score was 17TS/17AA/18PAT, plan on retaking just before thanksgiving and obviously shooting for 20+
I applied last cycle and am reapplying this cycle
In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out the best thing to do....
1. Research job in Bio/Chem, apply for post-bacc this october and hope to get in for next June/Sept
2. Dental assisting school, to eventually become dental assistant and be able to add to my application
3. too late for post-bacc's or to start a masters but I could see about taking a few classes towards a masters as a non-matriculated student and apply for matriculation in the spring (would be at Buffalo, about an hour commute from my house, or Brockport which is about 30 min from my house but they told me that hardly students go to dental school after attending there, not a good prep for ds admissions)

P.S. what do the post-bacc programs look for in terms of admission? Do they look to admit students with a lower GPA like mine to help give students a chance to improve their credentials and not admit students with high GPA because all they need to do is improve their DAT/EC's? Or do they look at admissions the same way as dental admissions? Looking for the most successful candidate overall, aka high GPA and high DAT scores?

 

[minotaur9]

Hellloooooo.........anyone?

Any advice is greatly appreciated! 🙂

 

[jmt1984]

I am/was in a similar situation. I finished undergrad with around a 3.0 and did ok on the DAT (19 TS 18 PAT I think) but that was 4 years ago. I enrolled in a Masters program and did some cool research and now I work full time and re-applying.

My advice would be to focus on the area that will improve your application the most. If I were an Adcom member I would look to see what people did to improve deficiencies in their applications. Don't spend time doing a bunch of research if you didn't do well in upper level science classes, take classes and prove that you can handle the tough stuff.

 

[doc toothache]

As evidenced by the DAT scores, it is safe to say that the cortex appears to be a little rusty and, unfortunately, WD-40 is not going to help. You may want to look for a master's program and see if you can dislodge some of the rust and hopefully prove that you can handle graduate level courses. The last thing you need is a da school.

 

[minotaur9]

Thanks for the replies guys, I know that the Masters program seems to be the most reliable plan, but it is also the longest and I'm 32 now, I can't imagine waiting another 4 years to start ds and then 4 years of ds.
What do you think about post-bacc programs? Any use? That could shorten the time up....

 

[jmt1984]

Most Master's programs can be completed in 2 years, sometimes you can finish in 3 semesters (with some summer work)

You could also apply after your first year of a Master's program and if you get in, leave, and if not, graduate and re-apply.

 

[minotaur9]

right, what if I started a Master's this Spring semester, that Graduate GPA would show up on my next app, do dental schools care about 1 semester of work?

 

[minotaur9]

What do you guys think would be a better choice for where to apply for a masters program....SUNY Brockport or University of Buffalo? UB is my #1 ds choice but it is a 1 1hr 15 min commute each way and Brockport is only a 30min commute away and I can carpool with someone. If you're from upstate NY, you know how much fun winter driving can be!