Are you interested in reading helpful DAT Breakdowns or learning more about dental school statistics?

If so, visit acedat.blogspot.com!


This is a great website that I found and also includes information about applying for the DAT as well as an organized assortment of helpful comments from student doctor network.  Check it out!

Blog Mission

I really hope that this site helps someone out there who might be having difficulty getting into dental school or doing well on the DAT.  I will begin by telling you the path that I took to get me into dental school including a FULL-RIDE and what materials helped me score well on the dental admissions test.

Over the next few weeks, I will be giving a review of many of the DAT materials out there as well as including some very useful tips and videos so stay tuned...

Perseverance– My Story

Growing up, I was always interested in going into the health profession.  However, I was diagnosed with a learning disability, which made school very hard for me.  I knew that if I had any shot at getting into college let alone dental school, I would need some serious extracurriculars on my plate to make up for my poor grades.  We moved during my sophomore year of high school to a house closer to the water.  My neighbor happened to be a dentist (an oral surgeon) and when we met, he asked me to shadow him. This is where it all began...


I graduated from a public high school with barely a 2.8 GPA and a 1000/2300 on the SAT.  I became aware of the dental admission test  (DAT) as a high schooler and began to worry much about it since my SAT scores were so low.  This is part of the reason I tried to boost my shadowing hours as much as possible in high school by shadowing the oral surgeon and another dentist.  I eventually worked my way up to a dental assistant by the age of 17.

My high school advisor STRONGLY recommended me to attend community college for a smoother transition into a traditional 4-year college.  She said that this would give me the best shot at dental school and preparation for the DAT.  Basically, my advisor, friends, and family had little belief I would be accepted into a 4-year college.  They also didn't believe I would ever get into dental school... ever.

In despite of no one having faith in me, I still decided to apply to 4-year colleges and ended up getting accepted.  However, do keep in mind that I graduated high school with extremely low chemistry and mathematics ability but still chose to attend a 4-year university.  I felt it was the best path for me to take towards dental school and DAT preparation.  Is community college bad?  Not at all. It works wonders for some people but it just wasn't for me.  On a side note, if you do choose community college, I recommend saving your pre-requisite classes for when you transfer out to a 4-year university.  More on that later...

Anyways, I managed to finish my first college semester with a 3.2 GPA (boy, did this shock friends and family). However, I did drop General Chemistry since I was failing it.  I ended up with a 3.4 GPA during my second semester but still couldn't hack the General Chemistry I and received a 'C-' (second round).  The more I began to think about my dental future and the DAT, the more I began to realize I needed to step up my game.  Day by day, I would watch the people sitting next to me in chemistry class get up and quit.  About 35-40% of the class would be gone by the drop date and end up switching their concentrations.  I didn't care nor did I let it get to me.  I was never a follower.  I told myself that I was going to make it into dental school no matter what because this is what I'm meant for.  I took General Chemistry II that summer and received an 'A'; my professor truly inspired me.  Something inside of me then began to develop and it made me thirsty for a challenge.  A challenge that I wanted within an area that I was always interested in but never good at; this is when I made the decision to change my major to Chemistry, one of my weakest subjects.  I also knew general chemistry was very important for dental school and the dental admissions test, so I retook General Chemistry I, but this time I switched into my university's honors college just so I could take it at the honors-level and prove that I could do this.  I received an 'A' (third and last round, yipee!).  On another side note, being involved in your school's honors college is a great way to amp up your resume for dental school.  

Shortly after, I began to get involved with chemistry research and attended my university's writing center every week of the semester to begin my personal statement for dental school.  I took Physics I and received a 'C' and then ended up having to withdraw from Physics II the following spring.  Physics is another important course in respect to dental school since it is a pre-requisite.  What do you do when you are struggling in a science?  You research science enrichment programs, apply, and get accepted.  This is exactly what I did and, in fact, got accepted to two (note: these were minority programs, but I was still accepted as a white male.  This could have been due to a documented learning disability, but it never hurts to apply even if you are not a minority).  I chose to attend the summer science enrichment program that included physics.  The program was also great for pre-dental students as we took some dental courses, shadowed dentists, and visited the dental school where it was hosted at.  At the end of the program, I finished 11 out of 60 and was awarded most improved. Finally I took Physics II in the following fall and received a 'B+.'

Other activities I did throughout college to build a great dental school resume:

• Studied abroad twice for two consecutive summers at a tier 1 chemistry institution to conduct research

• Published an article in the biochemistry section of one of the world’s top journals

• Completed 19 credits of chemistry research (great prep for DAT)

• Completed two summer enrichment programs for pre-dental students

• Accumulated over 1000 hours of assisting and shadowing for dentists across all specialties and about 500 hours of community service.  I cut hair for a cerebral palsy community home and did Habitat for Humanity.  In fact, many dental schools are involved in Habitat for Humanity and it's really fun!  I highly recommend it.

Always make sure that you keep active.  This is important in the eyes of dental school admissions.

Even though I suffered many obstacles in my path towards dental school, I always found a way to rise to the occasion and defeat them.  Dental schools are notorious for loving applicants who explain road blocks they have faced in life and how they overcame them.  I ended up graduating magna cum laude with a 3.75 in honors chemistry.  This along with my extracurriculars culminated into an award that is the highest academic honor given at my university.  

Upon graduation, I decided it was time to take the DAT.  I had been scared of the dental admissions test all along and it was haunting me in my dreams ever since high school.  I knew that this would be quite possibly the largest obstacle for me since I was notoriously bad at standardized tests.  Again, what do we do when we run into an bump in the road?  We don't give up!  Instead, we find things that will help us overcome it.  I remembered how much that science enrichment program helped me, so I decided to search for dental prep programs.  I found one at my state school and applied.  This happened to also be a minority program but I still decided to give it a shot anyways.  What do you think happened?  You guessed it, I was lucky enough to get accepted!  The DAT program included a full Kaplan course along with a stipend, free meal plan, and housing.  I wrote “NEVER BACK DOWN!” and “IF YOU GET KNOCKED DOWN, GET RIGHT BACK UP!” on a sheet of paper; I left this on my desk and referred to it every single day up until my dental admission test.  Meanwhile, I sent my dental application two days after AADSAS opened up.  I wanted to get my dental application complete, so I could dedicate all my time to my DAT study.

Listen, I NEVER gave up even if odds were against me.  If you take home anything from this blog then let it be this– don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Instead, show them that you can.  

My DAT Results

DAT Breakdown:

Perceptual Ability: 21

Quantitative Reasoning: 18

Reading Comprehension: 21

Biology: 15

General Chemistry: 23

Organic Chemistry: 24

Total Science: 19

Academic Average: 20

Yes, I got a 15 in one of the most important sections of the DAT and still managed to get accepted into dental school. This goes to show that everything doesn't have to be perfect so never give up! Did the 15 in the biology section hurt me in reference to dental school admissions?  Yes, no doubt that it did, but I was able to balance it out with strong scores in the other DAT sections and great extracurriculars.

My last and probably best piece of advice– always have confidence in yourself!

Schools Applied: 21

Interviews: 13

Interviews Attended: 7

Acceptances: 3 (1 Ivy League, 1 in-state school, 1 private school)