what to do next

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sk06

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This was my first time applying to schools and I have so far been rejected from 15 of the 16 schools I applied to. I have only had 1 interview and I just got rejected from the school I interviewed with so I'm wondering what to do now so that I can be a better applicant for next year. Here are my stats:

AA:20/TS:21/PAT:15
cum gpa: 3.1
sci gpa: 2.8

I know my gpa & PAT score are pretty low & I'm not proud of it. I graduated in may 06 so I've been out of school for a while now. I was thinking of doing dental research or getting a masters degree. Any advice on what I can do to get into dental school? I'd appreciate advice!
 
def a masters.
 
Some schools have a cut-off for the DAT - it is different for each school, but I think 17 is a safe assumption for most schools.
 
i got in only after i'd applied a second time.

my advice is to contact the admissions office of a dental school (your state school, or the school you want to get into the most, or maybe even a couple different schools) and ask THEM what they think you should do. i did that, then did everything they told me to do, and kept them updated on my progress throughout the year/asked them if they had any other suggestions, and i got in.

it was a year of them saying "jump!" and me asking "how high?", and it was sort of a pain in the you-know-what, but it's what got me in.

i mean, yeah, the people on SDN have some good advice, but i think the best people to ask "how can i get into dental school?" are the people who actually pick who gets into dental school.
 
Lots of schools overlook poor numbers to those who demonstrate tremendous desire to better the community. People with worse numbers have gotten into most schools they apply to this way.
 
Lots of schools overlook poor numbers to those who demonstrate tremendous desire to better the community. People with worse numbers have gotten into most schools they apply to this way.
That is true 👍.
 
you'll definitely want to do post-bac (if your pre-reqs grades were poor) or jump into a masters. also, a DAT retake might be good as well.
i also graduated 06. worked for a bit, doing masters now, thinking about applying dmd/phd programs. i also took DAT few years ago, did well, but now they're expired so i have to retake them. the process sucks, but hey, you do what you have to. if you have more detailed questions, definitely just call the school directly and do the "jump, how high:laugh:" as meowx3 said.
 
thanks for the suggestions everyone. i make an appt to meet with the guy from my state d-school in a few weeks so i'll see what he says. i figured a masters & dat retake was in order.
 
thanks for the link! i got into dartmouth's 1 yr master of science program. does anyone think this will help me get into dental school if i do well in it? it is quite expensive so i'm debating whether or not to do it.
 
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