Please help me narrow down dental school list

[ricefoo]

Hello,

I am currently an Asian male from Los Angeles CA. I am having a hard time narrowing down this list due to my low GPA but higher DAT. I dont really know which schools are "safety" schools and which schools are "match" schools. I want to narrow it down to around 15 schools, give or take. I am also open to other schools besides the ones on this list. Thanks! Here are my stats:
GPA:
oGPA: 3.38
sGPA: 3.35
(got a 2.9 freshman year but maintained 3.6~ throughout sophomore and junior year)
DAT:
AA:22
TS:23
PA:20
(everything else is >21)
School List:
Columbia
UCLA
Penn
UCSF
NOVA
Pitt
Conn
NY
UOP
UMDNJ
Loma L
Illinois
Michigan
USC
Western
Boston
Tufts
Nevada
VCU
Temple
LECOM
Arizona

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[KobeJellyBellyBryant]

I don't think UMDNJ, Conn, Illinois are OOS friendly so I would take those off. I would also pick either Penn or Columbia and not both because they're probably reach schools for you. Take off Loma Linda if you're not religious. I would take off LECOM and possibly Nova but that's based on my biased opinion of the schools.

 

[jeffity]

What's Illinois all about? I'd skip that. Probably don't need LECOM or NYU (unless it's the locations that appeal to you). Same for Boston. If you're going for AZ (be sure you know their selectiveness too), may as well throw MWU-AZ on there. Keeps you close to CA, it's a better pricey backup than others, I think. Loma, you know the drill (spiritual letter and just fitting their ideal candidate).

 

[distressstudent]

lol OP. are you my long lost twin?

 

[ricefoo]

I don't think UMDNJ, Conn, Illinois are OOS friendly so I would take those off. I would also pick either Penn or Columbia and not both because they're probably reach schools for you. Take off Loma Linda if you're not religious. I would take off LECOM and possibly Nova but that's based on my biased opinion of the schools.

wait whatre your biases towards those schools?

 

[predentalhopeful2015]

wait whatre your biases towards those schools?

I'm a different poster but from what I have gleaned, LECOM has a PBL curriculum and seems to be focused on producing GP's. That doesn't appeal to some people.

No idea about negatives of Nova tho.

I think it's all personal preference as to which schools one thinks are a good fit for him/herself.

 

[Janeausten]

Just so you're aware, USC also has PBL.

Unless you have more than about 300 hours of volunteering, I would not suggest Arizona.

I concur with taking IL off the list. Being an IL student myself, I know how important being an in-state resident is for their dental school!

 

[Meat Gyver]

Regarding UIC:

"In order to be considered for the DMD program, applicants must be a resident of Illinois...UIC will only accept and process applications from in-state candidates."

 

[ricefoo]

Just so you're aware, USC also has PBL.

Unless you have more than about 300 hours of volunteering, I would not suggest Arizona.

I concur with taking IL off the list. Being an IL student myself, I know how important being an in-state resident is for their dental school!

What exactly is PBL? I did some research but it is still kind of confusing.

 

[distressstudent]

What exactly is PBL? I did some research but it is still kind of confusing.

 

[morning92]

Michigan is really difficult to get an interview at, from what I've heard, so that depends on whether or not you feel like being a go-getter. I'd also second the person who said to pick between Columbia and Penn because they are both very selective. If you choose to apply to Loma Linda, make sure look up the Seven Day Adventist church and how the church impacts the school policies.

I've also heard some really mixed opinions on LECOM. From what I've heard, the program either really works for you or it really, really doesn't.

I'd keep Boston on as a safety school.

Finally, I personally really, really loved Pittsburgh. Great school, I'd keep it on. I would also definitely highly recommend the University of Minnesota as well. They have an absolutely amazing faculty, a great program, and the campus is pretty awesome too.