Your Opinion on my Schools! advice needed

[tizom]

The list is in order of the schools I want to apply to.. I am from Buffalo, NY, SUNY Buffalo undergrad
3.8 overall GPA 3.9 science GPA
DAT 18 AA/ 18 TS/ 19 Bio / 18 gchem/ 18ochem/ 20 QR / 17 RC/ 19 PAT
- i know my scores aren't great, but i really didnt bomb any section.. i still might retake, but I can't until September.. leave advice on this please

Schools, in order of how bad I want to go there!
1. NOVA
2. Buffalo
3. Western
4. Tufts
5. Michigan
6. NYU
7. Case
8. Temple
9. ASDOH
10. UNC
11. Marquette
12. UCONN
13. ?
14. ?
15. ?

Planning on around 15 good?

Also, extras are really good... lots of volunteer at various places and 3 different place with dental clinical experience

Advice is greatly appreciated!

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[somethinpositiv]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=602109
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=635046

For you, 15 sounds like a good amount of schools, just to be safe since your DAT is a bit low (your GPA is really great though ).

I would remove UNC for sure, that DAT might get you in if you were in-state, but out-of-state it is a lost cause...

I would add Louisville, Boston, Midwestern, and Indiana. That would bring your total to 15. Good luck!

 

[tizom]

thanks for the advice!

you don't think i need to retake?

 

[4thMolar]

thanks for the advice!

you don't think i need to retake?

I think with your GPA you definitely don't need to retake the DAT. An 18 AA is not bad (average DAT for accepted students this past year was like 18.97 or something similar) and like you said, you didn't particularly bomb any section. I think you're good to go with those 15 schools.

 

[DDMess]

I think with your GPA you definitely don't need to retake the DAT. An 18 AA is not bad (average DAT for accepted students this past year was like 18.97 or something similar) and like you said, you didn't particularly bomb any section. I think you're good to go with those 15 schools.

18 is below average for accepted students. I think OP should definitely consider retaking it if he/she wants a shot at a decent OOS school.

 

[tizom]

19 is about avg acceptance... with a lot of ppl being below and above, correct? i understand that it is never 100%, because you never know what the dental admissions are looking at that year.. but i think i would be on the top end of one of the ppl accepted with a lil below avg dat... is this the wrong mentality?

 

[Colos]

I have the same mentality as you tiz...knowing the average is 19, and that you had received a 18 for your AA, I really don't see what the huge difference is. Your definitely right that there will be those with an AA above and below the average.
You'll probably find yourself being yelled at by a few people on here that 18 sucks and this isn't 10 years ago...However, I'm not sure how the schools you applied to look at RC, but I would say that could have used a little bump up in the score there.
As long as you end up getting and interview though, that's what you have to hope for. Just make sure your set and ready to go for that interview when you get it, so as to boost your application.

 

[Istr8nthem]

I have the same mentality as you tiz...knowing the average is 19, and that you had received a 18 for your AA, I really don't see what the huge difference is. Your definitely right that there will be those with an AA above and below the average.
You'll probably find yourself being yelled at by a few people on here that 18 sucks and this isn't 10 years ago...However, I'm not sure how the schools you applied to look at RC, but I would say that could have used a little bump up in the score there.
As long as you end up getting and interview though, that's what you have to hope for. Just make sure your set and ready to go for that interview when you get it, so as to boost your application.

Here is my take on things. Many dental schools base their acceptances on a numbers game. This is how it often works. An example: score out of 100... 20 points for GPA, 20 points for AA on DAT, 20 Points for PAT, 20 points interview, 10 points undergrad university difficulty, 10 points extracurriculars/ other experiences. The school then decides the cutoff score, for example 80, and everyone that gets above gets acceptance, and everyone below gets put on a waitlist based on their score. Once the school is able to see how many people are scoring above 80 and getting admitted, they tweak the waitlist to accept more/less until they reach a number of admissions that is likely a little more than the number of seats they have available.

This being said, you can be in great shape with GPA, average with DAT's and have great interviews, extras and still have no problem getting in. You can also bomb the interview and get an automatic rejection without even being placed on the waitlist.

This is just an example of how some school operate.

 

[somethinpositiv]

19 is about avg acceptance... with a lot of ppl being below and above, correct? i understand that it is never 100%, because you never know what the dental admissions are looking at that year.. but i think i would be on the top end of one of the ppl accepted with a lil below avg dat... is this the wrong mentality?

True that the average acceptance is 19 (not true that a lot of people who get in below this.. think of it more like a bell curve, with 19-20 being the center of the curve). Anyways, most people should retake with 18 AA and 18 TS. However, for you, your 3.8/3.9 GPA will be the equalizer, and if you apply to 15 schools you prob don't need to retake though.

If you do retake, and you get a 20+, a lot of doors will open to different schools that you wouldn't have had a chance at otherwise, so it's up to you if you want to retake or not. If you're content just getting into any dental school, than no, I don't think you need to retake.