Electrical EngineeringDental School
Institution-verified. An institution or employer email domain was confirmed for a step claimed in this pathway.Starting conditions
- Institution
- Non-target University
- Major
- Electrical Engineering
- GPA band
- 2.5-2.9
- Graduated
- 2020
- Location
- Seattle, United States
- No professional network
The sequence8 steps
- Coursework8 mo
Added the biology sequence alongside the EE core
State University
Added the biology sequence alongside the EE core. This took 8 months and was slower than expected.
- Networking2 mo
Shadowed a general dentist
Shadowed a general dentist. This took 2 months and was slower than expected.
- Coursework11 moPivotal
Prerequisite sequence: organic chemistry and biochemistry
State University
Prerequisite sequence: organic chemistry and biochemistry. This took 11 months and was harder than expected.
Evidence for this step - Exam6 mo
First DAT attempt
First DAT attempt. This took 6 months and was harder than expected.
- Application8 mo
First application cycle
First application cycle. This took 8 months and was slower than expected.
Start this earlier than feels necessary.
- Setback6 moPivotal
Rejected without interviews; reassessed for three months
Rejected without interviews; reassessed for three months. This took 6 months and was slower than expected.
Evidence for this stepObstacle
The plan stalled here, and it was not obvious it would recover.
How it was resolved
Asked the people who rejected me what the specific disqualifier was, then fixed exactly that instead of everything at once.
- Coursework7 mo
Post-baccalaureate coursework to repair the science GPA
State University
Evidence for this stepObstacle
Took too heavy a load and the grades showed it.
How it was resolved
Retook the course that mattered most rather than trying to offset it elsewhere.
- Exam4 moPivotal
Second DAT attempt
Second DAT attempt. This took 4 months and was slower than expected.
Outcome
Accepted to dental school (DMD)
Reflection
Would repeat
- Starting the outreach earlier than felt comfortable.
Would skip
- The first application cycle, which I entered underprepared.
Biggest obstacle
Having no contacts in the field, which made every early step slower than it needed to be.
What was luck
- One person answered a cold email who did not have to.