Where should I apply?

[futureortho14]

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New York Resident, went to Penn State for undergrad.
3.3 GPA, 3.0 sGPA
17 AA for DAT (Retaking in July)
Have been working for an orthodontist as an assistant on and off for about 8 years (started when I was 15). Totals around 5000 hours. Still currently working here.
Worked as a dental assistant for a family dentist for about 500 hours for about a year.
Did the Discover Dental School program through Stony Brook.
Applied limited last cycle to 6 schools (obviously knew I wasn't going to be accepted)



Considering getting a job as a research assistant since I lack experience in the research field, thoughts?


I know GPA is low- could be higher but partying got the best of me in college. No need for GPA lectures- get enough of those from my parents. Clearly dedicated to this profession. Not giving up until I get in. Anyone have any suggestions as to where I should apply? or know anyone with similar background who have gotten accepted to specific schools?


Thank you!

 

[Likkriue]

Crush the DAT the second time around and you will probably get in somewhere the second cycle.

 

[molar743]

Definitely raise your DAT score. Obviously aim high for all subsections, but especially the sciences because of your sGPA and since dental school is a lot of science. If I were you, I would apply to a lot of the private schools, like NYU, BU, Tufts, and UNE. Not sure if Touro and Stonybrook are private or not, but you should add those since you're a NY resident and since you did that program at Stonybrook. Maybe add some of the larger class size, more OOS friendly public schools, like Maryland, VCU, and Temple. Even if you get your DAT up pretty high, you should still apply broadly. Not sure what you are using to study for the DAT, but DAT Bootcamp, Chad's videos, and DAT destroyer really helped me, especially bootcamp because the tests were timed and I felt the questions most resembled the actual DAT.

As for the research assistant job, I don't think it is necessary to have research to get into dental school, but it certainly doesn't hurt and would add another layer to your application and conversation in interviews. You seem to have a lot of dental related jobs/ECs, which is great, but do you have other ECs/hobbies that are not related to dentistry/science? This could help you stand out more in a positive way.