letter from umkc recruiting me? with low dat score?

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AA-17
AA-19
Biology-18
General chemistry-18
Organic chemistry-22
PAT-14
QR-13
RC-14
*I didn't have time to answer 40 question*

I am a biology major and a URM. Not saying that makes me special but I do not have the money or time to afford to retake the DAT. I got a letter from umkc saying it was a "wise decision" to release my DAT scored and I also got an email from Western U and North Carolina regarding information on supplementary application and deadlines? am I being leaded on to believe they are interested? is this a good sign for me? any thoughts on my situation?

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If you sent them your dat scores and selected them when you signed up, it's possible they may just be advertising emails. I remember getting similar emails after the exam. Unless they are specifically addressing you, sounds like generic mass emails.
 
If you sent them your dat scores and selected them when you signed up, it's possible they may just be advertising emails. I remember getting similar emails after the exam. Unless they are specifically addressing you, sounds like generic mass emails.

What about the letter? why would they send me one knowing I have low dat scores?
 

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These schools make a lot of money from application fees. If you do the math, some of them clear $150K easily, and half of these files probably get no more than 2 minutes of review before they get tossed in the shred box. I personally think that the cost of running candidates through the admissions process is way lower and that they net a profit from it. However, I don't know that for sure.

This is my first time applying. I haven't taken the DAT yet. I'm as white as the driven snow- ironically I have Saami heritage which would make me a UMR in Scandinavia, but here it just makes me a slightly ethnic looking Caucasian. I have gotten a couple of 'encouraging' emails urging me to submit my materials ASAP, but I didn't read anything into them per se, because I had already started the application process with them.

If you have any interest in these schools whatsoever and you can afford to apply, the I would do so. It's a good sign. However, keep in mind that recruitment is a numbers game also and that from your end you don't really know what their goals are. If it's not a school that you can see yourself going to then I would pass.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
These schools make a lot of money from application fees. If you do the math, some of them clear $150K easily, and half of these files probably get no more than 2 minutes of review before they get tossed in the shred box. I personally think that the cost of running candidates through the admissions process is way lower and that they net a profit from it. However, I don't know that for sure.

This is my first time applying. I haven't taken the DAT yet. I'm as white as the driven snow- ironically I have Saami heritage which would make me a UMR in Scandinavia, but here it just makes me a slightly ethnic looking Caucasian. I have gotten a couple of 'encouraging' emails urging me to submit my materials ASAP, but I didn't read anything into them per se, because I had already started the application process with them.

If you have any interest in these schools whatsoever and you can afford to apply, the I would do so. It's a good sign. However, keep in mind that recruitment is a numbers game also and that from your end you don't really know what their goals are. If it's not a school that you can see yourself going to then I would pass.

I appreciate and respect your opinion!
 
With a few scores below 16, you'd be automatically filtered out at most schools. You need to retake if you want to consider a career in dentistry, and those are advertisements sent out that don't mean much.
 
What about the letter? why would they send me one knowing I have low dat scores?
Remember getting emails from virtually every college to apply there? This is just simple advertising. Everyone gets these. If you submit an application, they make money regardless of if you get in or not. Look at who the email is sent from, its most likely their online recruiting department.

I mean this is in the most helpful way possible, I dont want you to get false hope.
 

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They're just advertisements. I know you mentioned retaking the DAT would be difficult financially, but I would look into the DAT partial fee waiver to assist you in that aspect. You have three sections under 15, retaking is almost a necessity at this point if you're serious about dentistry.
 
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AA-17
AA-19
Biology-18
General chemistry-18
Organic chemistry-22
PAT-14
QR-13
RC-14
*I didn't have time to answer 40 question*

I am a biology major and a URM. Not saying that makes me special but I do not have the money or time to afford to retake the DAT. I got a letter from umkc saying it was a "wise decision" to release my DAT scored and I also got an email from Western U and North Carolina regarding information on supplementary application and deadlines? am I being leaded on to believe they are interested? is this a good sign for me? any thoughts on my situation?
Feel free to message me I would be happy to discuss your situation. Great science scores, you just need to work on the back half..With a little direction and a lot of hard work it is possible.

Nancy
 
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Feel free to message me I would be happy to discuss your situation. Great science scores, you just need to work on the back half..With a little direction and a lot of hard work it is possible.

Nancy
I have no one else to discuss my situation with and would be very greatful for your input. The deadline for a lot of schools I am interested in is near the end of October. Many of the schools claim that they are only interested in the TS and AA and have no mention of any cut off scores for each section.
 
They're just advertisements. I know you mentioned retaking the DAT would be difficult financially, but I would look into the DAT partial fee waiver to assist you in that aspect. You have three sections under 15, retaking is almost a necessity at this point if you're serious about dentistry.

I am serious about dentistry, the rest of my application shows that I am. How is it possible that schools with a minimum of 17 AA would not expect to see scores under 15 in a few sections?
 
Remember getting emails from virtually every college to apply there? This is just simple advertising. Everyone gets these. If you submit an application, they make money regardless of if you get in or not. Look at who the email is sent from, its most likely their online recruiting department.

I mean this is in the most helpful way possible, I dont want you to get false hope.

How does that explain that umkc says that it was a wise desicon to release my DAT scores without reviewing my actual scores?
 
How does that explain that umkc says that it was a wise desicon to release my DAT scores without reviewing my actual scores?
They're just advertisements. I know you mentioned retaking the DAT would be difficult financially, but I would look into the DAT partial fee waiver to assist you in that aspect. You have three sections under 15, retaking is almost a necessity at this point if you're serious about dentistry.


What Feralis said ^

They have your contact info because of the information you gave the ADA when signing up. Think about it, if you applied there, they get to collect $100 from you in the form of an application free. That letter is a simple marketing ploy.

To them its a "wise decision" because you are planning on applying to dental school and this a a chance for them to possibly make a quick buck.
 
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What Feralis said ^

They have your contact info because of the information you gave the ADA when signing up. Think about it, if you applied there, they get to collect $100 from you in the form of an application free. That letter is a simple marketing ploy.

To them its a "wise decision" because you are planning on applying to dental school and this a a chance for them to possibly make a quick buck.
Don't forget that the number of applicants that apply versus those accepted also directly affects their admission statistics and acceptance rates. Inflating the applicant pool through recruiting can make their school seem more competitive without them having to drastically change their academic standards.
 
I am sorry about your scores. I think you need to retake when you gather enough money.
Not just for DAT, but for the application itself.

What happened, why your scores are low?
 
I have no one else to discuss my situation with and would be very greatful for your input. The deadline for a lot of schools I am interested in is near the end of October. Many of the schools claim that they are only interested in the TS and AA and have no mention of any cut off scores for each section.

I am serious about dentistry, the rest of my application shows that I am. How is it possible that schools with a minimum of 17 AA would not expect to see scores under 15 in a few sections?

How does that explain that umkc says that it was a wise desicon to release my DAT scores without reviewing my actual scores?

Apply if it is your wish. These guys are giving you sound advice. Apply and retake sometime during the cycle if you want to find a happy medium
 
I am serious about dentistry, the rest of my application shows that I am. How is it possible that schools with a minimum of 17 AA would not expect to see scores under 15 in a few sections?

The minimum AA that schools provide you with isn't meant to be reflective of "this is a score we're ok with it", it's literally the bare minimum just to be considered as an applicant. You'd be at an incredible disadvantage applying to a school where you literally just meet their threshold for consideration.
 
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