When to take DAT? (Gap Year)

[MRZ8]

Hi SDN,

Happy Holidays! I'm new here and I hope to get advice on planning a schedule until Dental School (*see questions below). I'm a junior undergrad and have completed all pre-reqs except Orgo II. I plan to take a gap year after graduation (Spring 2015) to do a post-bac or some kind of dental work, or both at the same time.

Currently reading Doc Toothache's Guide.

A little bit about me:
-Major in Bio, Minor in Chem
-overallGPA: 3.383; scienceGPA: 3.123; upward trend of performance; only significant grade is F in Orgo I, which I retook with grade of A-
-Financially disadvantaged, first gen
-ECs: Hospital ED volunteer, beekeeper, bee researcher since Freshman year; Biology TA since Sophomore year; now HIV screener/clinical researcher at hospital; must work some summers/winters/college weekends for family company (extenuating financial circumstances); Founder of Biology Society; club sport captain; *no dental shadowing experience*

*Questions:
1 I will take Orgo II w/ lab this spring semester as a Junior. Do you advise I take the DAT in June or July while it's fresh? (semester ends early May)
2 If I take the DAT this coming summer (2014), can my DAT score transfer over to the next cycle of application (beginning May 2015)?
3 If I manage 4.0's for my last three semesters until graduation, do you advise that I do a post-bac to show Dental Schools that I can succeed in upper-level classes?
4 Besides improving GPA and shadowing dental specialists, what suggestions do you have to improve my candidacy?


Thanks so much and Merry Christmas!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[LFA20]

based on your avatar, you don't look like you are URM

 

[MRZ8]

based on your avatar, you don't look like you are URM

My fault, AVB--thanks for correcting me. Just low-income.

 

[Gaucho4Life]

Do some research...

 

[LFA20]

My fault, AVB--thanks for correcting me. Just low-income.

no problem

1) take the DAT when you feel ready. Taking it in the summer (june-august) is a good idea(that's what I did)

2) When you sign up to take the DAT, they will ask what schools you want to send your scores to. Just mark every dental school listed on there. As you are applying in june of 2015, you just need to order your scores and they will automatically send them to the schools you marked. Your scores will only be 1 year old when you apply so you are fine.

3) If you are able to get 4.0 your last few semesters of college or something close to that, I don't think a post-bac is necessary assuming you break a 19-20 on your DAT(higher is better). I would really focus on getting good grades in the remaining classes you have. Your EC's are good enough (I had much less) but make sure you have at least 100 hours of shadowing at a general dentist.

4* apply to as many schools as you can afford..