Deciding which dental schools to apply to

[jippyslim]

I'm applying to dental school next year, and will be applying to the 2 schools in my state: Creighton and UNMC. It is prudent to apply to more, I know. But how do you decide which ones to apply to? I know grades and DAT scores are factors, but if these aren't an issue, how do you decide? Are all dental schools the same in the end? Do some have better prestige/national appeal that others? or is it simply go to the cheapest school? Are some schools better able to prepare students to specialize than others?

Thanks!

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[beachbum627]

If grades and GPA are not an issue, then I'd look at the following (this is simply my opinion, there is no "right" answer to this question, because everyone is different and will value some factors over others when choosing schools).

1) How many out of state students the school accepts (if public)
2) Their program - clinical experience, internship/externship opportunities etc
3) Location - do you want to be in the south/north/east/west etc
4) Is the school a good fit for you? (Hard to asses without visiting)
5) Cost... in my opinion this is a more flexible factor. No one wants to graduate with more debt than they have to but I value my happiness more than attending the cheapest school.

In my case, I applied based on where I thought I'd be competitive, schools I'd like to attend, and a few "reach" schools.

 

[gobblergiant]

For me, there was quite a bit of things concerning which schools to apply. Some of them, I'll list but when you choose which schools, it is your preference.

1) The ratio of different ethnicity vs. interviews vs. acceptance
2) Ratio of out-of-state to in-state acceptances
3) National ranking in regards to clinical and research dentistry
4) Peer comments about the respective schools
5) Class size
6) Programs they offer and the amount of postdoctoral programs offered
7) National board exam average scores
8) Location with regards to friends and family and not so much the idea of city or not

 

[gobblergiant]

I applied to 10 schools because I wanted to aim for top tier schools. If I wanted to get into any dental school, I could have applied to maybe 3-5. If your goal is just an acceptance from dental school, you do not have to apply as much and you can save time and money. Always find out what you want first.

 

[jippyslim]

Thanks everyone. Very helpful.