Chances when applying next cycle??

[Dr Dimbsa]

Hey guys,

I will be applying to dental school next cycle. I’m a rising senior so I will be taking a year off. I took the DAT and plan to write my PS over this winter break. Ill be getting a committee letter from my school and have other good LORs from my research professor, dentist, and advisor. What do you think are my chances?

cGPA: 3.4 (hoping to bring it to 3.5 next year)
sGPA: 3.3 (hoping to bring it to 3.4 next year)
-GPA is an upward trend
DAT: 20/20/22/20 (AA/TS/PAT/RC)
Residency: MA
ECs: dental related research at my college (3 years, will be published first author and present at 2 national conferences), research at Harvard Med for a year, D3 athlete for 3 years, inducted to 2 honor societies, started and intramural soccer team (president 4 years), ambassador for my school (1 year)
Volunteering: none as of yet...how critical is this?? I’m thinking of doing a mission trip next summer cause that would be an amazing experience, but do you guys think it’ll be worth the money?
Shadowing: 150 hrs general 30 oral surgery

Sorry for the long post but I’m trying to plan out what I can do in the next year to improve my chances. I’d love to go to Tufts as I’m from the Boston area and really like the school. But I’m open to basically any school! Let me know your thoughts, thanks!

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[wwdentist]

Your GPA and DAT are pretty much on par with the averages of schools in your area, especially if you can raise your GPA a bit. Your extracurriculars sound quite solid, and I think they'll really improve your chances. That's plenty of shadowing as well. Rather than shelling out a bunch of cash for a short-lived mission trip, I'd aim to find a local place to volunteer regularly like a dental clinic or something similar. I feel like you definitely should have something significant to put under volunteering to show altruism. Some schools really want to see volunteer experience, but I guess it depends on the school. Basically, I think adding some good volunteer experience will really complete your application and give you a great chance to get into your desired schools. I'd still recommend applying to around 10-12 schools though.

 

[Dr Dimbsa]

Your GPA and DAT are pretty much on par with the averages of schools in your area, especially if you can raise your GPA a bit. Your extracurriculars sound quite solid, and I think they'll really improve your chances. That's plenty of shadowing as well. Rather than shelling out a bunch of cash for a short-lived mission trip, I'd aim to find a local place to volunteer regularly like a dental clinic or something similar. I feel like you definitely should have something significant to put under volunteering to show altruism. Some schools really want to see volunteer experience, but I guess it depends on the school. Basically, I think adding some good volunteer experience will really complete your application and give you a great chance to get into your desired schools. I'd still recommend applying to around 10-12 schools though.

Thanks for the advice! I'll look for some clinics and start to reach out to them.