Would appreciate some advice

[Pelikanz]

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Hello All!

First off, I'd like to congratulate all of those who were recently accepted to dental school. Well done! I'm a long time reader, first time poster. I've been reading a lot of information on how to improve your chances of being accepted if your gpa is low and was wondering if you all could give some advice.

I had a rough year awhile back with deaths in family and some other problems which caused me to neglect my academics. I got quite a few C's that semester and it lowered my gpa significantly. I postponed graduation another year and applying to dental school this year to retake those classes and take some other science courses to help boost my gpa.

I will be graduating in May, and have earned a 4.0 the past 3 semesters, even earning 4 A+s and an A this semester in the courses that I needed to retake. With one semester to go I stand at a 3.3 overall gpa and a 2.98 science gpa. I'm confident that I can get the science GPA up to a bit above a 3.0 after this last semester. I am taking the DAT sometime early this summer and I'm also in the middle of finishing my application to a one year grad program in biology to help with the GPA.

I'm just wondering if you all could give me your thoughts on what would be a good course of action. Do I have a chance of getting into a dental school if I score well on the DAT?

Thanks for taking the time out to read my post and respond! I greatly appreciate it guys!

 

[pinhi]

Hello All!

First off, I'd like to congratulate all of those who were recently accepted to dental school. Well done! I'm a long time reader, first time poster. I've been reading a lot of information on how to improve your chances of being accepted if your gpa is low and was wondering if you all could give some advice.

I had a rough year awhile back with deaths in family and some other problems which caused me to neglect my academics. I got quite a few C's that semester and it lowered my gpa significantly. I postponed graduation another year and applying to dental school this year to retake those classes and take some other science courses to help boost my gpa.

I will be graduating in May, and have earned a 4.0 the past 3 semesters, even earning 4 A+s and an A this semester in the courses that I needed to retake. With one semester to go I stand at a 3.3 overall gpa and a 2.98 science gpa. I'm confident that I can get the science GPA up to a bit above a 3.0 after this last semester. I am taking the DAT sometime early this summer and I'm also in the middle of finishing my application to a one year grad program in biology to help with the GPA.

I'm just wondering if you all could give me your thoughts on what would be a good course of action. Do I have a chance of getting into a dental school if I score well on the DAT?

Thanks for taking the time out to read my post and respond! I greatly appreciate it guys!

id say keep up the hard work and dont give up
If u put ur mind to it u can accomplish anything
do the masters program and do well.....
KILL THE DAT.....then prepare for interviews
GOOD LUCK

 

[Pelikanz]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement!

 

[dentalWorks]

Hello All!

First off, I'd like to congratulate all of those who were recently accepted to dental school. Well done! I'm a long time reader, first time poster. I've been reading a lot of information on how to improve your chances of being accepted if your gpa is low and was wondering if you all could give some advice.

I had a rough year awhile back with deaths in family and some other problems which caused me to neglect my academics. I got quite a few C's that semester and it lowered my gpa significantly. I postponed graduation another year and applying to dental school this year to retake those classes and take some other science courses to help boost my gpa.

I will be graduating in May, and have earned a 4.0 the past 3 semesters, even earning 4 A+s and an A this semester in the courses that I needed to retake. With one semester to go I stand at a 3.3 overall gpa and a 2.98 science gpa. I'm confident that I can get the science GPA up to a bit above a 3.0 after this last semester. I am taking the DAT sometime early this summer and I'm also in the middle of finishing my application to a one year grad program in biology to help with the GPA.

I'm just wondering if you all could give me your thoughts on what would be a good course of action. Do I have a chance of getting into a dental school if I score well on the DAT?

Thanks for taking the time out to read my post and respond! I greatly appreciate it guys!

When are you planning to apply? I think your best (and safest) option is to take 1 year of post-bacc after you graduate, take a good 30 credits worth of upper level sciences, and try to maintain that 4.0-performance, do this and you'll have one heck of a competitive application. Its going to show some serious maturity, last few semesters of undergrad were steller, topped off with strong post-bacc, that = alot of interviews In My Opinion

 

[Pelikanz]

Thanks for the reply dentalWorks! I'm planning on taking the DAT in the middle of June and will start filling out the application as soon as it opens again (also in June I believe). Other than my DAT score, everything for the application will be ready the day it opens up. I already have been working on my personal statement and have three letters of recommendation from profs and one from a dentist I've shadowed for about 100 hours. I've looked at other people in similar situations and it seems that I'd need about 21 or so on the DAT to be competitive. Does that sound about right? Thinking of using Destroyer, CDP, topscore, and Kaplan BB. Thanks again for a reply! Greatly appreciate it!

 

[dentalWorks]

Thanks for the reply dentalWorks! I'm planning on taking the DAT in the middle of June and will start filling out the application as soon as it opens again (also in June I believe). Other than my DAT score, everything for the application will be ready the day it opens up. I already have been working on my personal statement and have three letters of recommendation from profs and one from a dentist I've shadowed for about 100 hours. I've looked at other people in similar situations and it seems that I'd need about 21 or so on the DAT to be competitive. Does that sound about right? Thinking of using Destroyer, CDP, topscore, and Kaplan BB. Thanks again for a reply! Greatly appreciate it!

The more time I spent around SDN, the more I am believing that strong DAT performance DOES NOT un-do low GPA performance (unless your one of the rare individuals whos busting out 25AA+).

I think the best option is to take things slowly, building up a strong application isn't a sprint, but more like a marathon. If you want to apply this coming cycle, by all means, go for it, I simply advice against it because the appliation process is SOOO darn expensive, if you don't get in, you just blew thousands of dollars instead of using that money (and time) on post-bacc... see what I am saying?

 

[Pelikanz]

Oh I definitely see where you're coming from. I agree its a big risk and a lot of money can potentially be lost. I'm actually submitting my application to a one year grad program at the end of this month and will hopefully be taking that program starting next fall, regardless if I apply for DS or not. In your opinion, do you think I would get an interview or two with my current grade trends and a high DAT score (20,21)?

 

[glo1984]

The more time I spent around SDN, the more I am believing that strong DAT performance DOES NOT un-do low GPA performance (unless your one of the rare individuals whos busting out 25AA+).

I think the best option is to take things slowly, building up a strong application isn't a sprint, but more like a marathon. If you want to apply this coming cycle, by all means, go for it, I simply advice against it because the appliation process is SOOO darn expensive, if you don't get in, you just blew thousands of dollars instead of using that money (and time) on post-bacc... see what I am saying?

With anything below a 3.0, I'd agree. With that being said, explain why individuals with a decent sgpa (~3.3) and 23+ on the dat obtain interviews and acceptances at the top schools in the nation. SDN does not accurately portray any aspect of the applicant pool. There is a reason why it is a standardized test. Of course, each applicant is different and their EC, LOR and Research might make up for a gpa below 3.5.

 

[glo1984]

OP - Remember, the way the DAT is scored makes it tough to obtain 23/24/25/etc since missing one additional question can drop your score on that section significantly. This makes it easy for schools to differeniate based on the percentile that it takes to be amongst those numbers. This is reason alone for why you'd get attention if you scored a 23+ and had above a 3.0 but it's not an easy feat. A 23 is ~98.3-99 percentile out of ~13-14k of test takers.

 

[Pelikanz]

OP - Remember, the way the DAT is scored makes it tough to obtain 23/24/25/etc since missing one additional question can drop your score on that section significantly. This makes it easy for schools to differeniate based on the percentile that it takes to be amongst those numbers. This is reason alone for why you'd get attention if you scored a 23+ and had above a 3.0 but it's not an easy feat. A 23 is ~98.3-99 percentile out of ~13-14k of test takers.

I see what you're saying. Anyone who has scored well on the DAT has put significant time and effort into preparing themselves. While it may be difficult to score something on that test, obviously it is doable. Just takes considerable amount of preparation, determination, and sacrifice. I'll never know if I don't try 🙂

 

[glo1984]

I was only making you aware of the grading scale used. It is definitely doable, just practice, prepare and know what your up against! You definitely should buy into all the materials talked about on these forums. Keep your head up! 🙂

 

[Pelikanz]

I understand 🙂 Yeah I plan on definitely using Topscore, Destroyer, and CDP. Thanks for your help!

 

[tdkyun]

I graduated 2 yrs ago. Is taking a few upper level courses considered post-bacc? My Dat is 21/22/23 aa/ts/pat and I have not received any interviews and I am thinking about taking some classes to bring up my gpa (~3.2). Any thoughts on what I should do?

 

[yappy]

how many schools did you apply to? and whats your current GPA? What time did you apply? Anything postgrad that is considered undergrad courses is a postbacc. Seems like taking credits and doing well is important to submit an upward trend - but it is also equally useful to move your GPA up. Therefore, you may want to figure out how many courses to take to move your gpa to the level you believe is neccesary.

I graduated 2 yrs ago. Is taking a few upper level courses considered post-bacc? My Dat is 21/22/23 aa/ts/pat and I have not received any interviews and I am thinking about taking some classes to bring up my gpa (~3.2). Any thoughts on what I should do?

 

[tdkyun]

I applied to about 10 schools and already have 4 rejections. Have 3.2 gpa. Aadsas was submitted late july and one of my lor got sent in late september which possibly have jeopardized my chance of getting in. Sigh...

 

[amalgamgrillz]

I applied to about 10 schools and already have 4 rejections. Have 3.2 gpa. Aadsas was submitted late july and one of my lor got sent in late september which possibly have jeopardized my chance of getting in. Sigh...

3.2 GPA and Late July submission pretty much says it all. The LOR most likely put the nail the coffin for you. But now you have that LOR ready for next cycle.

 

[iluvdentistry]

OP- I may have looked past it, but is there a particular reason you're taking the DAT in the early summer? I ask this because I took mine at the end of June and I feel I kind of screwed myself over. I was really unsure if I should retake because my scores weren't good, but having to wait that 90 days would have pushed the day that I would first be able to retake till the end of September. With school and the application process to deal with, really devoting a large chunk of time to studying was a hard thing to take on, so I decided to not retake. That was a big mistake, but somehow I still landed one interview. Point is, if you can, I would try to take the DAT in March or April so if you do end up needing to retake, then the schools will have the new scores earlier in the application cycle, and this will hopefully shorten any kind of delay on behalf of the adcom in reviewing your application if you do notify that you are going to retake. I feel like I may have just rambled there, but hopefully you got my point. Good luck!

 

[Pelikanz]

OP- I may have looked past it, but is there a particular reason you're taking the DAT in the early summer? I ask this because I took mine at the end of June and I feel I kind of screwed myself over. I was really unsure if I should retake because my scores weren't good, but having to wait that 90 days would have pushed the day that I would first be able to retake till the end of September. With school and the application process to deal with, really devoting a large chunk of time to studying was a hard thing to take on, so I decided to not retake. That was a big mistake, but somehow I still landed one interview. Point is, if you can, I would try to take the DAT in March or April so if you do end up needing to retake, then the schools will have the new scores earlier in the application cycle, and this will hopefully shorten any kind of delay on behalf of the adcom in reviewing your application if you do notify that you are going to retake. I feel like I may have just rambled there, but hopefully you got my point. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice! I guess I wasn't really thinking when I said "mid summer" I plan on taking the DAT about midway through June. This is because I want at least a month of studying where I only need to focus on the DAT material and not include coursework as well. Just think I would score higher that way. But maybe i will push it up a little sooner due to the 90 day retake period like you mentioned.

 

[cutecheese]

I think the best option is to take things slowly, building up a strong application isn't a sprint, but more like a marathon. If you want to apply this coming cycle, by all means, go for it, I simply advice against it because the appliation process is SOOO darn expensive, if you don't get in, you just blew thousands of dollars instead of using that money (and time) on post-bacc... see what I am saying?

I feel the same way! Trying to crawl your way back to the top is not easy! And the price of testing and applications makes my head spin. Idk if this is right for everybody, but I'd be sure I took my time in being the best applicant possible 🙂

Its seems like your on the right track OP. good luck 👍

 

[ThePreDentLife]

Please keep up your hard work and it will pay off.

You are showing a great trend, like others have previously said you may want to consider doing a post-bac with upper level sciences to continue to boost your GPA.

Regarding the DAT, I would recommend you to please take your time, and take it when your ready.

I applied in June, but did not take my DAT until Aug 16th.

Above you mentioned you would like to take it in June. I would maybe take more time, and make sure you left no stone unturned. And you can say I have put in my everything, and you have DAT material running through you confidently.

For the DAT I would highly recommended. Chads Videos for Chem and Orgo. Cliffs AP Bio, and DAT Destroyer for Chem and Orgo. And finally the seperate Math Destroyer for QR. Top Score is a good tool, but I did better on my real DAT, it really varies for every person. CDP for Perceptual is great.

I believe with these resources you will do great. Remember take your time, be consistant.

 

[Pelikanz]

Thanks for the advice and words of encouragement guys! I appreciate it!

@Thepredentlife - I plan on using all those materials. How did you like math destroyer?

 

[yappy]

In order to be viewed in the first lump of applications what is the latest one could take the DAT? Would june 15th workout well for this?

 

[Pelikanz]

In order to be viewed in the first lump of applications what is the latest one could take the DAT? Would june 15th workout well for this?

That's a good question. I'm not sure how it works, but hopefully someone else does. 🙂