Why am I not getting an interview?

[dentss]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I dont get it...
I am a Canadian applicant...Last year my app was complete by late december (which is obviously very late) and did not get into either NYU or Boston...with a gpa of 3.73 and DAT of 19AA (19 Bio, 20 Chm), 19 RC, 17 PAT but without shadowing experience...
I applied again this yr, this time my app was complete by early October, with a gpa of 3.75, the same DAT scores but with shadowing experience and 1 yr masters in process...This time around as well, I applied to Boston and NYU and still havent heard from either school🙁... Is my DAT so bad that i have no chance at all? or could there be some other reason for not getting an interview apart from the fact that im an international applicant?

thanks

 

[Tommy43087]

I dont get it...
I am a Canadian applicant...Last year my app was complete by late december (which is obviously very late) and did not get into either NYU or Boston...with a gpa of 3.73 and DAT of 19AA (19 Bio, 20 Chm), 19 RC, 17 PAT but without shadowing experience...
I applied again this yr, this time my app was complete by early October, with a gpa of 3.75, the same DAT scores but with shadowing experience and 1 yr masters in process...This time around as well, I applied to Boston and NYU and still havent heard from either school🙁... Is my DAT so bad that i have no chance at all? or could there be some other reason for not getting an interview apart from the fact that im an international applicant?

thanks

First off thats crazy that you even applied without even shadowing a dentist????? Are you suprised you got rejected?

Also maybe now its not about your numbers, it might be something else in you app.
Alot of people think because they have the right numbers that they will gain an interview/acceptance....but in reality its not only about numbers

Either way, Good Luck with the process


oh yea and FYI NYU "requires" 100hrs of shadowing!

 

[THINKOFMYFUTURE]

meh, don't give up, i think you got a good chance at nyu and bu after the first rounders with those stats (With bad stats you're pretty much out of the game by now). But of course you'll be worrying till then which really really sucks the most.

if by chance you don't get in, revise your personal statement and maybe get new LORs. Your stats are good enough for interviews at those schools had you applied earlier.

you definitely should have applied in july though- i would bet you would have gotten a predec1 interview then.

See, theres nothing a school can do when they already got their offers made up, no matter how good your stats are. That's why even october is tough. Basically, you're forced to play the waiting game which is agonizing from say december to like March when the poor souls' hopes finally become dashed. This is because they'll look at you after slots open up after the 30-45 day deposit deadline for the initial offerees, and if your stats are horribad here you're done, haha.

Yeah, really the best advice i can possibly give is to apply early for anyone else reading this.

but dont worry , you're still in the game based on your high GPA and good DAT's, hoping you didn;t mess up majorly on your essay or got terrible letters.

 

[Blarelli]

I would say it is 100% because of the lack of shadowing hours.

 

[Svart Aske]

I dont get it...
I am a Canadian applicant...Last year my app was complete by late december (which is obviously very late) and did not get into either NYU or Boston...with a gpa of 3.73 and DAT of 19AA (19 Bio, 20 Chm), 19 RC, 17 PAT but without shadowing experience...
I applied again this yr, this time my app was complete by early October, with a gpa of 3.75, the same DAT scores but with shadowing experience and 1 yr masters in process...This time around as well, I applied to Boston and NYU and still havent heard from either school🙁... Is my DAT so bad that i have no chance at all? or could there be some other reason for not getting an interview apart from the fact that im an international applicant?

thanks

It sounds like you submitted your application too late into the cycle. Did you only apply to NYU and BU? That may be a problem as well.

 

[spud daddy]

I agree with Blarelli. You have great stats and I wouldn't be surprised if you get an interview invite soon. I do think it is a little strange that you applied to dental school before shadowing a dentist.

 

[THINKOFMYFUTURE]

hey hey, the man/woman applied this cycle with shadowing hours and 1yr masters in progress.

Seek and destroy ftw!

 

[dentss]

thanks for the replies...I have got 100hrs of shadowing now...Furthermore, Case looked at my file this yr and has asked me to retake my DAT...Its really bad but I still havent been able to retake it as i didnt get time (taking 6 graduate courses in 1 semester) to study for it and didnt want to take one without studying....
I know this shows my lack of effort, but i dont want to ruin my masters gpa as well 🙁 so If ,say i dont get in this yr, will I still have a chance at Case (which is the school I really wanna get into) or the fact that ididnt take DAT this yr ruin my cnances?

Thanks again!

 

[jkimu]

I dont understand why some people assume that they will, for sure, be invited for NYU or BU interview. I think no d-school is easy to approach, even for nyu and bu, I mean..competition is still there and it is not the same as few years ago. However, I do think that you have a good stats, so just be patient ! =)

 

[oreoson]

I assume most master programs in canada are two year long, and maybe DS don't wanna take applicants who would abandon their research. If you dont get any interviews, don't be disappointed and reapply once you defend your dissertation.

 

[MTD52]

What's the most strange is that you had a whole year to apply again and you waited until October. That might be part of the problem here.

oh yea and FYI NYU "requires" 100hrs of shadowing!

Not for an interview they don't.

 

[lazybummy]

I dont understand why some people assume that they will, for sure, be invited for NYU or BU interview. I think no d-school is easy to approach, even for nyu and bu, I mean..competition is still there and it is not the same as few years ago. However, I do think that you have a good stats, so just be patient ! =)

Agree.. when I was in BU for my interview.. they told us that they are expecting 5000 applicants this year.. and will only interview about 350..

 

[UofT09]

I dont get it...
I am a Canadian applicant...Last year my app was complete by late december (which is obviously very late) and did not get into either NYU or Boston...with a gpa of 3.73 and DAT of 19AA (19 Bio, 20 Chm), 19 RC, 17 PAT but without shadowing experience...
I applied again this yr, this time my app was complete by early October, with a gpa of 3.75, the same DAT scores but with shadowing experience and 1 yr masters in process...This time around as well, I applied to Boston and NYU and still havent heard from either school🙁... Is my DAT so bad that i have no chance at all? or could there be some other reason for not getting an interview apart from the fact that im an international applicant?

thanks

what school are you from? with 3.75 from major schools like UofT, McGill, UBC, UWO, McMaster, Queen's you can apply to Canadian schools...
If you are set on coming to the states for school, i don't know why you'd do a masters, because that just shows you want to do research. Makes no sense...
Your AA is 19, and that means your Bio and QR are either 19 or lower, as an intl. applicant you need higher scores. All of my canadian buddies (with less than 3.5gpa) applying this cycle have 21AA, 21TS, 21PAT or higher, just spend 2 weeks prepping and I am sure you'll do really well.
When did you submit your app this cycle?

 

[THINKOFMYFUTURE]

^, October.. 🙄.

Come on guys, at least read the person's post! But hey good advice. I guess it could be harder for Canadians.

 

[dds10]

what school are you from? with 3.75 from major schools like UofT, McGill, UBC, UWO, McMaster, Queen's you can apply to Canadian schools...
If you are set on coming to the states for school, i don't know why you'd do a masters, because that just shows you want to do research. Makes no sense...
Your AA is 19, and that means your Bio and QR are either 19 or lower, as an intl. applicant you need higher scores. All of my canadian buddies (with less than 3.5gpa) applying this cycle have 21AA, 21TS, 21PAT or higher, just spend 2 weeks prepping and I am sure you'll do really well.
When did you submit your app this cycle?

With a 3.75, if you're from Ontario, you really can't get into either UWO or UofT dental school. Maybe McGill, but that would be very hard unless you do AMAZING on your interview. The other school I don't know much about.

 

[FutureDent020]

With a 3.75, if you're from Ontario, you really can't get into either UWO or UofT dental school. Maybe McGill, but that would be very hard unless you do AMAZING on your interview. The other school I don't know much about.

The average GPA for those schools is right at a 3.8, why could a 3.75 not get in?

 

[dds10]

The average GPA for those schools is right at a 3.8, why could a 3.75 not get in?

Ok, it probably is possible but I haven't heard of anyone getting in with a 3.75. It wouldn't be a bad idea to apply but at the same time if you're open to American schools, you should def. apply to those as well.
But for UWO I know for sure, the average was around 90%. Between 89 and 91 ish, which is 3.9+.

 

[oreoson]

^, October.. 🙄.

Come on guys, at least read the person's post! But hey good advice. I guess it could be harder for Canadians.

it's harder for canadians alright. Americans blame canadians for stealing their spots, but if you believe in the philosophy of servicing the underserved, cut canucks some slack as Canada is ranked the lowest among OECD countries for medical/dental school spaces per population.

 

[dmd87]

The average GPA for those schools is right at a 3.8, why could a 3.75 not get in?

UWO has 89 avg for getting in. which is more like a 3.9 on avg. U of T was also 3.91 GPA for the previous year from what i recall. if you have anything below 3.8 in canada... don't even bother trying. It's not avgs like the US, its hard cutoffs. Also at UWO i think around 60% of their decision is based solely on ur marks. 15% DAT and 25% interview. So getting an interview doesn't really mean anyting there.

 

[Extirpator]

better question... with submitting in october, why would you even be expecting an interview invite prior to january?

 

[dentss]

thanks guys but u overlooked some of the things I said...My application was complete by october...I submitted in end July with my DAT scores...(however as good as this process gets, my scores were not received by the schools and i had to send them again.)
Also my masters is a course based 1 year masters so theres no thesis and it will finish by August 2010.
Also, just a clarification, this gpa is my AADSAS gpa. My undegrad Canadian gpa was lower😳.
Also, is it usual to get interview invite post dec and still get accepted?

Thanks

 

[PaulieGualtieri]

Well your GPA is great but more and more schools are putting an emphasis on the DAT due to GPA inflation. Just buckle down and nail the DAT, then you'll get a ton of invites. I would expect you will get at least 1 or 2 interviews from january on but at that point you are competing for a waitlist unfortunately.

 

[Emmie]

Canadian's 3.7 GPA does not equal to American's 3.7 GPA.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=568870

 

[CalDent]

Well your GPA is great but more and more schools are putting an emphasis on the DAT due to GPA inflation. Just buckle down and nail the DAT, then you'll get a ton of invites. I would expect you will get at least 1 or 2 interviews from january on but at that point you are competing for a waitlist unfortunately.

Not necessarily at NYU and BU.

 

[FutureDent020]

Canadian's 3.7 GPA does not equal to American's 3.7 GPA.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=568870

Nice find Emmie. Good stuff

 

[Eggs n Coffee]

If this is your second cycle, you obviously want to get into dental school, but why would you only apply to two schools? Try applying to more schools next time..

 

[Emmie]

OP:

I'm not trying to be a b*, just being candid... your DAT is avg... as for your GPA, it really depends on which school you are in, 3.7 Canadian GPA isn't really that impressive, your master doesn't mean jack cuz you were just barely started, I bet you still haven't gotten your first term's GPA yet, + next to none shadowing experience...

Hope it isn't too harsh!

 

[dentss]

lol i really dont want to make this a Canadian vs US thing as you're trying to show with the stats and numbers...FYI, call it inflation or whatever, my GPA is from University of Toronto which isnt the easiest place to get good grades. Mind you, Im aware that my gpa is not bad even if you take into account all inflation factors that you suggest. It was more abt DAT and other aspects that I was asking.
oh and btw, it was AADSAS that converted my lower Canadian GPA into a higher AADSAS gpa....

 

[dds10]

OP:

I'm not trying to be a b*, just being candid... your DAT is avg... as for your GPA, it really depends on which school you are in, 3.7 Canadian GPA isn't really that impressive, your master doesn't mean jack cuz you were just barely started, I bet you still haven't gotten your first term's GPA yet, + next to none shadowing experience...

Hope it isn't too harsh!

I disagree. A gpa of 3.7 AADSAS is probably 3.6 - 3.65 Canadian. There isnt much inflation when converting it to AADSAS scale (atleast that's how it was for my marks). However, I know AMCAS (for medical schools), the scale is much different and they increase the canadian marks by a lot more b/c a friend applied and she told me what her gpa came out to be. Anyways, people with a high Canadian gpa (3.8+) are less likely to apply to American schools than those with lower, so a 3.7 isn't a bad gpa at all. I would consider it pretty decent/good.

 

[dds10]

lol i really dont want to make this a Canadian vs US thing as you're trying to show with the stats and numbers...FYI, call it inflation or whatever, my GPA is from University of Toronto which isnt the easiest place to get good grades. Mind you, Im aware that my gpa is not bad even if you take into account all inflation factors that you suggest. It was more abt DAT and other aspects that I was asking.
oh and btw, it was AADSAS that converted my lower Canadian GPA into a higher AADSAS gpa....

Don't worry yet. Your DAT is average I think but you still have time. My application was complete in October and some schools haven't even processed my application. We still have hope ( I hope). 👍🙂

 

[Emmie]

lol i really dont want to make this a Canadian vs US thing as you're trying to show with the stats and numbers...FYI, call it inflation or whatever, my GPA is from University of Toronto which isnt the easiest place to get good grades. Mind you, Im aware that my gpa is not bad even if you take into account all inflation factors that you suggest. It was more abt DAT and other aspects that I was asking.
oh and btw, it was AADSAS that converted my lower Canadian GPA into a higher AADSAS gpa....

I disagree. A gpa of 3.7 AADSAS is probably 3.6 - 3.65 Canadian. There isnt much inflation when converting it to AADSAS scale (atleast that's how it was for my marks). However, I know AMCAS (for medical schools), the scale is much different and they increase the canadian marks by a lot more b/c a friend applied and she told me what her gpa came out to be. Anyways, people with a high Canadian gpa (3.8+) are less likely to apply to American schools than those with lower, so a 3.7 isn't a bad gpa at all. I would consider it pretty decent/good.

dentss claims that AADSAS converts a lower CAN's GPA to a higher US's GPA while dds10 said the opposite, both of you are Canadians right?

just wondering if you guys see the thread that I post right above...

 

[BiomajorPreDent]

I have not read all the replies, but to the OP,

You don't need 100 shadowing hours for NYU, I have an interview for them and I have only about 35.

That being said, you DO need SOME shadowing hours though.

Your stats are good, but october is still WAY to late to submit. You should have all your stuff done by july at the latest.

I might not come across this thread again so PM me if you wanna ask me anything

 

[dmd87]

Nice find Emmie. Good stuff

you're right, they're not equal. How is it that most of the cdn ugrads on this forums have <3.5 and are able to get 20+, but I see countless americans w/ 3.5+ and can't get above a 19... sounds like grade deflation at cdn universities and more like grade inflation at US schools

 

[UofT09]

lol i really dont want to make this a Canadian vs US thing as you're trying to show with the stats and numbers...FYI, call it inflation or whatever, my GPA is from University of Toronto which isnt the easiest place to get good grades. Mind you, Im aware that my gpa is not bad even if you take into account all inflation factors that you suggest. It was more abt DAT and other aspects that I was asking.
oh and btw, it was AADSAS that converted my lower Canadian GPA into a higher AADSAS gpa....

Hi schoolmate 😛, wow, 3.6+ at UofT, amazing, just spend 2-3weeks studying man, just focus it like you'd prep for like PSL302 term test or something lol, i see no reason you should get less than 23AA. Unless you like some people say are "really bad at standardize testing" (i don't really believe in that BS lol, any UofTer with 3.5+ will rape any test, end of story!) Let me know if you need any advice prepping 😀
good luck

 

[dmd87]

dentss claims that AADSAS converts a lower CAN's GPA to a higher US's GPA while dds10 said the opposite, both of you are Canadians right?

just wondering if you guys see the thread that I post right above...

All grade conversions are school dependent and distribution dependent. two ppl may go to the same school, but ones gpa might decrease, while the others will increase based on their distribution of grades.

 

[UofT09]

you're right, they're not equal. How is it that most of the cdn ugrads on this forums have <3.5 and are able to get 20+, but I see countless americans w/ 3.5+ and can't get above a 19... sounds like grade deflation at cdn universities and more like grade inflation at US schools

+1 (countless =/= every, but countless=MANY)

 

[cmills66]

you're right, they're not equal. How is it that most of the cdn ugrads on this forums have <3.5 and are able to get 20+, but I see countless americans w/ 3.5+ and can't get above a 19... sounds like grade deflation at cdn universities and more like grade inflation at US schools

when making this statement, you have to compare canadian students who have taken the american dat and americans who have taken the american dat, or vice versa, right?

 

[dmd87]

when making this statement, you have to compare canadian students who have taken the american dat and americans who have taken the american dat, or vice versa, right?

I agree. I did a cdn ugrad, I took american DAT. I think UofT09 and several others that have posted above have taken the American DAT as well. I also have several friends who have taken the American DAT with below a 3.5+ and broke 20s. I don't mean to start up some debate about the whole GPA issue, but I just don't appreciate it when people say CDN gpa's are inflated when there is no such (or very little) evidence of that. Rather there is evidence to the contrary. Again, there is lots of variability between schools and the courses a person may take, thats why we have the DAT as an equalizer.

 

[ssg8]

when making this statement, you have to compare canadian students who have taken the american dat and americans who have taken the american dat, or vice versa, right?

A lot of Canadians seem to do better when they write the US DAT. But it could be possible that it's simply because they are writing it again.

 

[dds10]

dentss claims that AADSAS converts a lower CAN's GPA to a higher US's GPA while dds10 said the opposite, both of you are Canadians right?

just wondering if you guys see the thread that I post right above...

We both said a lower cdn gpa was converted to a higher AADSAS gpa...
what I was saying was...the grade is increased when you convert the cdn gpa to aadsas gpa but it's not THAT much of an increase (you don't normally go from 3.5 cdn gpa to a 3.8 aadsas gpa)

 

[dds10]

A lot of Canadians seem to do better when the right the US DAT. But it could be possible that its simply because they are righting it again.

No that is not true. I know people that have written the american DAT just once and have gotten 21+ on it (including people with a gpa lower than 3.5).

 

[FutureDent020]

you're right, they're not equal. How is it that most of the cdn ugrads on this forums have <3.5 and are able to get 20+, but I see countless americans w/ 3.5+ and can't get above a 19... sounds like grade deflation at cdn universities and more like grade inflation at US schools

Guess that's why they call America the land of opportunity. People get interviews with 19's here. It must suck to live in Canada.

 

[Tommy43087]

you're right, they're not equal. How is it that most of the cdn ugrads on this forums have <3.5 and are able to get 20+, but I see countless americans w/ 3.5+ and can't get above a 19... sounds like grade deflation at cdn universities and more like grade inflation at US schools

I think your forgetting the fact that there are MUCH less canadians taking the american DAT than americans so thats a stupid assumption.

Guess that's why they call America the land of opportunity. People get interviews with 19's here. It must suck to live in Canada.

 

[spud daddy]

I love how Canadians say "write the DAT" instead of "take the DAT". Also the way they say pasta is intriguing.

 

[dmd87]

Guess that's why they call America the land of opportunity. People get interviews with 19's here. It must suck to live in Canada.

wow... and all this time i thought you were intelligent. i would say that was a weak argument... but that wasn't an argument at all, just an ignorant comment. when looking at an argument, you have to be objective. just because it is tougher to get into cdn schools does not necessarily mean that the dentists there are better, nor does it mean that "it must suck to live in canada." there are pro's and con's to living in both the US and Canada. Canada is tougher to get into for schools, making for less opportunity, however the quality of life of the avg cdn is higher than that of an american. I could easily say that America sucks bc of this or bc you have to pay for basic healthcare treatment, however there are also pro's to living there. next time be a little bit more objective.

 

[UofT09]

Guess that's why they call America the land of opportunity. People get interviews with 19's here. It must suck to live in Canada.

Yes, it does suck to live in Canada, and America is definitely the land of opportunities. In Canada, medicine and dentistry are viewed as "godly" professions only people with 3.7+ gpa or something really special (like with several publications) can achieve. And that's why many of us with less than 3.5 try to come to american schools. Of course there are smart canadian students coming as well, but it's usually Canadian Schools or Ivies, because the cost of school is as much as 4 times greater.

I love the U.S 😀

 

[UofT09]

I think your forgetting the fact that there are MUCH less canadians taking the american DAT than americans so thats a stupid assumption.

I agree with some of your comments, yes, not many canadians take the US DAT, i think Canadian students are realists! because in our country, the admission to health professional schools are so fierce, so we apply to american schools with similar attitudes. Usually, most canadians don't go through the application process with less than 3.0, and so most of the Canadians writing the test have 3.0+ unlike in the US, it seems that whoever wants to do dentistry can go and pursue his dream and take the DAT, so you get these sub 3.0s writing the DAT and dragging down the scores. (again, i know am generalizing, my comments doesn't apply to everyone here, because i know some people with less than 3.0 score well on the DAT)

 

[dmd87]

I think your forgetting the fact that there are MUCH less canadians taking the american DAT than americans so thats a stupid assumption.

For something to be statistically significant, N=3 atleast. So I wouldn't necessarily say that its an unwarranted assumption. I'm sure there are more than 3 cdns taking the american DAT. But I guess you make a point in that there is much more variability amongst US applicants. Again on SDN you have many of the competitive applicants and not many of the weak applicants, so who knows, maybe there are some cdns out there who do have 19s and get interviews who just don't post here.

 

[spud daddy]

I also love how this thread has been hijacked into some pointless argument. Good job guys!

 

[FutureDent020]

wow... and all this time i thought you were intelligent. i would say that was a weak argument... but that wasn't an argument at all, just an ignorant comment. when looking at an argument, you have to be objective. just because it is tougher to get into cdn schools does not necessarily mean that the dentists there are better, nor does it mean that "it must suck to live in canada." there are pro's and con's to living in both the US and Canada. Canada is tougher to get into for schools, making for less opportunity, however the quality of life of the avg cdn is higher than that of an american. I could easily say that America sucks bc of this or bc you have to pay for basic healthcare treatment, however there are also pro's to living there. next time be a little bit more objective.

Haha, I was joking. My perception of Canada is not based on the toughness of their Dental Schools. I've never been, but heard it's quite the picturesque place. Let's be a little more light-hearted here people.