Where Are My Experts???!!!!

[pre-dentalguy]

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Hey guys, do you guys think I should apply for the 2008 cycle or do you think I should apply in 2008? I'm really sTuck right now!! Many of my associates tell me I should just apply now and just get it out of the way. I'm not sure as to what I should do.

Secondly, I was considering doing a 1 year hygiene program which may make me look more competitive to ADCOMS and dental schools. For the hygiene program, it starts in Aug07 and ends in july08. Pretty accelerated I know, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to look more appealing to the schools.

Another option is instead of going to hygiene school I could actually take more science courses such as biochem, AnP, genetics, etc etc. Maybe that would be better. Any guidance here??


Spr07: Chem1
Sum: Chem2 & Physic1
Fall07: OChem1
Spr08: OChem2

May08: DAT
Jun-July08: Submit App

cum gpa: 2.97
sci gpa: 3.0
postbacc gpa: 3.5

undergrad: BS in Business Admin
graduate: MBA

ECs: Chemistry Lab Assistant, USAF 8 years dental technician, President of Pre-dental Club at University, high ranking masonic Fraternal Society, member, YMCA summer medical volunteer

 

[ddsgirl347]

I think taking the classes would be your best bet.

 

[hgfdsa]

how long have you been out of undergrad and how much work experience do you have (i'm guessing a good amount since you have an mba)? I ask bc i think that type of experience and business knowlegde could be a big plus in your application, and would definitely help you to stand out in interviews bc you'll be able to talk much more intelligently than most predents about managing a practice.

 

[drdoodle]

I'm no expert, but I was basically in your shoes 2 years ago, GPA-wise... I decided to enroll full-time in science courses (16 credits a semester) like A&P and microbio post-bacc... it took 2 semesters and a summer session of straight A's to bring my sub-3.0 science GPA up to a 3.4 (and my cumulative GPA ended up being even higher than that) but it was worth it becoz I felt confident going into the application process knowing that I had done everything I could (academically) to stack the odds in my favor. I managed to score 4 interviews and 1 acceptance (so far) and for me I feel like it was completely worth it. 🙂

 

[goosestuff]

I would definitely pick upper level classes over hygiene... You already have good assisting experience and "maturity" the only thing that's missing is biochem, histo, etc...

 

[pre-dentalguy]

how long have you been out of undergrad and how much work experience do you have (i'm guessing a good amount since you have an mba)? I ask bc i think that type of experience and business knowlegde could be a big plus in your application, and would definitely help you to stand out in interviews bc you'll be able to talk much more intelligently than most predents about managing a practice.

I'm 26. I finish undergrad in dec 05 and then immediately started grad school afterwards.

 

[pre-dentalguy]

how long have you been out of undergrad and how much work experience do you have (i'm guessing a good amount since you have an mba)? I ask bc i think that type of experience and business knowlegde could be a big plus in your application, and would definitely help you to stand out in interviews bc you'll be able to talk much more intelligently than most predents about managing a practice.

I'm not trying to stand out in my interviews, I'm trying to stand out in the application process. I'll dominate the interview, if I can get one!! I think that my low gpa's will absolutely cripple me when the applications start coming into the school.

Ive been taking pretest dats and only been scoring 16's only the sections.

 

[pre-dentalguy]

So looking at my academic plan, should I take the dat and apply this May or should I wait until May08??

 

[hgfdsa]

I'm not trying to stand out in my interviews, I'm trying to stand out in the application process. I'll dominate the interview, if I can get one!! I think that my low gpa's will absolutely cripple me when the applications start coming into the school.

Ive been taking pretest dats and only been scoring 16's only the sections.

i like that attitude, if you go in prepared and confident you definitely will dominate. As for getting there, I would say that if you're worried about the gpa you want to dominate the dat also. So i would say its probably best to finish your science prereq's before taking the dat, i think it would be really hard to do well without those classes. But if you can learn it on your own, then maybe you could try taking it this may and see how you do. I guess it just depends how comfortable with the material you feel.

 

[pre-dentalguy]

So what are you saying that I need to score on the dat at a minimum in order to get in somewhere??

 

[dddsmack]

Take the DAT when you are ready to rock it. Your low GPA needs to be compensated for by the DAT. So when you are consistently getting in the 20's then go for it. You still have a long time to make your decision and get better.

Good Luck

 

[pre-dentalguy]

Take the DAT when you are ready to rock it. Your low GPA needs to be compensated for by the DAT. So when you are consistently getting in the 20's then go for it. You still have a long time to make your decision and get better.

Good Luck

20s is definitely something that I need to be shooting for. What's good material besides "Destroyer"

 

[polf]

start doing these now: Kaplan blue book: read everything, Barron's: PAT section only, Destroyer, Achiever, Topscore.

Average prep time for the DAT seems to be around 3 months, so if you still can't get ~19 or above by April take a Kaplan course for the DAT as a last resort.

 

[pre-dentalguy]

start doing these now: Kaplan blue book: read everything, Barron's: PAT section only, Destroyer, Achiever, Topscore.

Average prep time for the DAT seems to be around 3 months, so if you still can't get ~19 or above by April take a Kaplan course for the DAT as a last resort.

Appreciate the help thanks!!! I actually heard Destroyer is pretty good!