Worrying about DAT scores!

[student01]

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I just heard about this site and while it is very helpful, it is also a little disheartening. I thought I was an average qualified applicant until I saw the DAT scores of people who have been asked back for interviews on predents.com.

My AA/TS/PAT are 18/19/17 and I have a 3.64 total 3.49 science GPA in Biochemistry.

I applied to:
Tufts
Columbia
Penn
Pitt
Temple
Maryland

And my AADSAS info was received by the schools about 2 wks ago.

I know no one can say for sure what my chances are but I was wondering if anyone with similar DAT scores has been getting called back for interviews?? Or if anyone can give me some advice to help during this waiting period because I am a lot more nervous/worried than I was before. Thanks!

 

[askadds]

dont worry too much about the scores you see on predents.com or on this forum. i think people on this forum represent around 15% of the total applicant pool. thats just my opinion though...

 

[student01]

Ya Im trying not to be too nervous... Have you been called back for interviews yet?

 

[CSI Dentist]

I have a bit better overall DAT scores than you, but my GPA is lower than yours, I was also biochem, and I got called for an interview. So don't worry, u will hear from them. And yes, a lot of ppl on this site are super competitive, but then again, they are not the majority. Ur stats are competitive overall, no worries.

 

[zthang]

you should be just fine, dont worry. Besides theres way more to your application than just gpa/dat. People at interviews have specifically told me so.

 

[LoF27]

I have no advice to offer since I'm almost in the same boat as you. Even though EVERYONE told me to submit my application in July, I didn't hit the submit button on my AADSAS app until Oct. 3 and my application wasn't mailed out until Oct. 31 (I have no idea why it took so long because my transcripts were received in August and my LORs had been received in September)!!

I'm a non-traditional student trying to switch careers and I just finished my pre-reqs this past summer and had to return to work, so that's part of the reason I couldn't apply in July. But I was also terrified of taking the DAT and put it off as long as I could. My DAT scores were 22/22/17, which I thought were were pretty competitive until I started reading SDN... My GPA is 3.69/3.72.

I don't know how much a 17 on the PAT will hurt us; from what people are posting here, 17 is definitely on the very low side of acceptable. (I was actually happy with a 17 since I focused my study much more on the sciences and found the PAT exhausting and hated it.) However, I would hope that most schools consider it the least important score since I really don't think it is any predictor of your ability to succeed in dental school or be a good clinician. I think the thing that will hurt us the most is the late submission, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that at least one school will smile down on me.

I also applied to Tufts, Temple, Columbia, and Penn (as well as UIC, USC, and NYU). So far, I've only received an e-mail from UIC and Tufts stating that they have received my application, but Tufts didn't ask for the supplemental fee yet.

I'll keep you posted as I hear back.

At least as a Biochem major you have taken several upper-level science classes. You have a good GPA for a challenging major. As a post-baq I could only afford to take the minimum requirements, I have no research experience, and relatively few shadowing hours (40ish)... best of luck!

 

[in her drawer]

I'm a non-traditional student trying to switch careers and I just finished my pre-reqs this past summer and had to return to work, so that's part of the reason I couldn't apply in July. But I was also terrified of taking the DAT and put it off as long as I could. My DAT scores were 22/22/17, which I thought were were pretty competitive until I started reading SDN... My GPA is 3.69/3.72.

I don't know how much a 17 on the PAT will hurt us; from what people are posting here, 17 is definitely on the very low side of acceptable. (I was actually happy with a 17 since I focused my study much more on the sciences and found the PAT exhausting and hated it.) However, I would hope that most schools consider it the least important score since I really don't think it is any predictor of your ability to succeed in dental school or be a good clinician. I think the thing that will hurt us the most is the late submission, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that at least one school will smile down on me.

Seventeen on the PAT is fine. Trust me, there is nothing wrong with a 17.

 

[thehipster]

dont worry too much about the scores you see on predents.com or on this forum. i think people on this forum represent around 15% of the total applicant pool. thats just my opinion though...

I doubt it's even close to 15% of the total applicant pool. Last year around 10,000 people applied, this year it's around 12,000 people, which would mean around 1,800 people would be on predents.com or here on SDN. I doubt that's even the case. Like everyone here has said, don't worry about the numbers you see on either of these sites since they're a very small number of the total applicant pool. Since your app was submitted pretty late, you will be waiting for a while before you hear back from schools, so don't worry if you don't end up hearing anything for a few months.

 

[aggie-master]

I'm a non-traditional student trying to switch careers and I just finished my pre-reqs this past summer and had to return to work, so that's part of the reason I couldn't apply in July. But I was also terrified of taking the DAT and put it off as long as I could. My DAT scores were 22/22/17, which I thought were were pretty competitive until I started reading SDN... My GPA is 3.69/3.72.

You'll probably get more than one acceptance with those stats. It sucks that you applied so late though. You'd probably be done interviewing (or close to finished) by now if you had applied in July. Now instead of getting a letter in December it might not come until February or March.

 

[aggie-master]

I just heard about this site and while it is very helpful, it is also a little disheartening. I thought I was an average qualified applicant until I saw the DAT scores of people who have been asked back for interviews on predents.com.

My AA/TS/PAT are 18/19/17 and I have a 3.64 total 3.49 science GPA in Biochemistry.

I applied to:
Tufts
Columbia
Penn
Pitt
Temple
Maryland

And my AADSAS info was received by the schools about 2 wks ago.

I know no one can say for sure what my chances are but I was wondering if anyone with similar DAT scores has been getting called back for interviews?? Or if anyone can give me some advice to help during this waiting period because I am a lot more nervous/worried than I was before. Thanks!

At the schools that I've interviewed at they say that the average stats for the people that get in are around 3.55 gpa and 19.6 DAT AA.

Your GPA is slightly above that average but your DAT is below the average. Since there are plenty of people that score 22 through 24 on the DAT AA, some people have to get in with an 18, but it is definitely not a score that I would sit on if I scored that back in the summer.

 

[maksidaa]

i'm actually beginning to think that if i don't get accepted this cycle i'll retake the DAT and i have 21/20/21. i'm really beginning to believe that so much of getting accepted is up to chance UNLESS you really stick out from everyone else. to stick out you could be a star athlete, get a major in something awesome like genetic engineering or chemical material synthesis, or get a 24+ DAT score or a few other things. but then again getting a 24+ on the DAT can be a matter of chance as well. i;m confused right now...i really hope i get accepted somewhere this year.

 

[dentstd]

i'm actually beginning to think that if i don't get accepted this cycle i'll retake the DAT and i have 21/20/21. i'm really beginning to believe that so much of getting accepted is up to chance UNLESS you really stick out from everyone else. to stick out you could be a star athlete, get a major in something awesome like genetic engineering or chemical material synthesis, or get a 24+ DAT score or a few other things. but then again getting a 24+ on the DAT can be a matter of chance as well. i;m confused right now...i really hope i get accepted somewhere this year.

Go hang out downtown Athens and kick back some with a brew. Maybe a joint like Flannigan's would relax you a bit.

And you have plenty of interviews. Have faith and chillz some.

 

[shuna]

i'm actually beginning to think that if i don't get accepted this cycle i'll retake the DAT and i have 21/20/21. i'm really beginning to believe that so much of getting accepted is up to chance UNLESS you really stick out from everyone else. to stick out you could be a star athlete, get a major in something awesome like genetic engineering or chemical material synthesis, or get a 24+ DAT score or a few other things. but then again getting a 24+ on the DAT can be a matter of chance as well. i;m confused right now...i really hope i get accepted somewhere this year.

Relax......not only 24+ get accepted...don't think that SDN is real world...in all my interviews so far all the students were avg. 19-22 DAT without any crazy majors....the reason that you got ur interviews is because the schools think that u fit their criteria! good luck!!

 

[LoF27]

Just got an invite to interview at NYU. I'm really surprised I heard back already--I thought it would take a few more weeks...

 

[shuna]

Just got an invite to interview at NYU. I'm really surprised I heard back already--I thought it would take a few more weeks...

Cong!!!