Purpose of having to list all other dental schools you are applying to?

SDN Members don't see this ad. (About Ads)

Why are some schools curious as to what other dental schools you are applying to? I hate having to list like 20 schools, I feel like I'm making them sound not as important...like I just want to get in anywhere. How do the schools view an applicant that has applied to 20 other schools besides them? Do they see it as a determined applicant? or a desperate one? What do you guys think about this? I also had to put how I previously applied to med schools on some of them (my parents dream, not mine) haha

they probably just want to know. I doubt there any school admissions is delusional to think that applicants only applied to their school and no other.

now it would look odd if you answer "why their school" and you go on about how its the only school for you and all that and list 30 other schools. I tend to avoid those types of answers anyways so...

If you want to amuse yourself think of it as some girl asking you how many other girls you hitting on at the same time you're trying to woo her.

It makes filling out the application and the whole process more interesting.

In addition to everything else a school considers when looking at your application it is in their interest to extend acceptance offers to individuals who are not merely qualified, but also likely to actually attend their school. It is a huge headache to have to continually send out more and more acceptance offers when people decline, particularly if they wait until the last possible moment to decline.

I don't work in admissions, but I think it is safe to say that listing 20 schools makes you look desperate. The people you interview with at every school might not see that list, but they are probably going to ask you why you want to attend their school. Have a good (read non-generic) answer ready.

Edit: Be able to explain why you would rather do dentistry than med school as well, but this is by no means a strike against you after all most people applying to school are still relatively young and not completely sure what they want to do with their lives. I never applied to med school, but was asked this in more than one interview.

Originally Posted by vinnie83

In addition to everything else a school considers when looking at your application it is in their interest to extend acceptance offers to individuals who are not merely qualified, but also likely to actually attend their school. It is a huge headache to have to continually send out more and more acceptance offers when people decline, particularly if they wait until the last possible moment to decline.

I don't work in admissions, but I think it is safe to say that listing 20 schools makes you look desperate. The people you interview with at every school might not see that list, but they are probably going to ask you why you want to attend their school. Have a good (read non-generic) answer ready.

Edit: Be able to explain why you would rather do dentistry than med school as well, but this is by no means a strike against you after all most people applying to school are still relatively young and not completely sure what they want to do with their lives. I never applied to med school, but was asked this in more than one interview.

Well, I don't really see any other options that make me not look desperate then. I'm not going to go back and apply to fewer schools, that's for sure. What do you think about listing 5-6 and putting something along the lines or "+ more"? I really don't see any other options besides lying...

I agree. Not much you can change at this point, but I don't think this is going to keep you from getting into dental school or even one of the schools at the top of your list. Much more emphasis is going to be placed other things like GPA and DAT. If you're applying as an out of state resident to a school that doesn't have many spots for OOS or a school that gets an extremely large number of applicants for whatever reason it may hurt your chances.

That being said I would focus more on your top choices. I had this idea when I was applying that calling admissions offices would get me labeled as annoying and hurt my chances, but this doesn't seem to be the case. Call the school (or stop by in person if possible) to discuss any questions, special circumstances, confirm your application was accepted, etc. and use this chance to convey how interested in their school you are. It will go a long way towards making you stand out before they begin reviewing applications. Just don't be the person who bugs them everyday asking when interview invitations are going to be mailed.

I had a similar concern as I too applied to over 20 schools (25 to be exact). I spoke to one school yesterday (UoP) just out of curiosity to see what their stance was and they said your number of schools has no bearing on your application as it's not something they even care about. I'm sure every school is different but I plan to call a few more just to make myself feel a little better.

Wait, they can actually see how many schools one applied to? For some reason I thought this was not the case, why would this information be available to them , i applied to 10 schools and was thinking of adding 2 or 3 more, now i'm rethinking that

Originally Posted by Sibalkhulu

Wait, they can actually see how many schools one applied to? For some reason I thought this was not the case, why would this information be available to them , i applied to 10 schools and was thinking of adding 2 or 3 more, now i'm rethinking that

They don't see it. Some just ask in part of their supplemental stuff. Or some ask in your interview. Do yourselves a favor and list/name that school first. At one interview, I named my schools off geographically from my home...not a smooth move.

They just want to know how sincere you are when you declare that you only have eyes for them and no one else.

.

Originally Posted by teethfordays

do we absolutely have to list them all out?/do they have a way of finding out?

If dentistry doesn't work out, serious consideration should be given to a position as a used car salesman.

.