**What Schools Should I Apply To? / What Are My Chances?** (Read if this is you)

[Ahmad Saba]

Hello All

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[DenTisTry1011]

Hi

Nice forum you have here!

 

[yuppers]

.This is ..the best thread ever..

Fixed.
somethinpostitv, I got your back.

 

[Eggs n Coffee]

some schools are almost all white (06 Data: Louisville-85%, Marquette-85%, Indiana-84%, Buffalo-80%, Pitt-76%), and some schools accept very few Asians (06 Data: UConn: 1/211 Asian applicants accepted, Marquette:1/179 Asian applicants accepted, Louisville:1/151 Asian applicants accepted).

So.. why do these schools accept so very few Asians? Do they not want Asians for some reason?

 

[Tommy43087]

In fact, Tufts won't accept any CC credits, so you can effectively remove it from your list if you went to CC before you went to a 4-year institution.

Ive been wanting to respond to this but i keep forgetting.This is not true I did my first 2 years at a CC (~70 units) and i still got an interview. BUT i did not complete any of my prereqs there.

Just a heads up that even is you went to a CC you still have a shot at Tufts (unless you completed your prereqs there)

 

[xjmgenius]

Also, keep in mind that some schools DO NOT accept Pre-Reqs from Community College, such as Tufts, NYU, BU, and Temple. In fact, Tufts won't accept any CC credits, so you can effectively remove it from your list if you went to CC before you went to a 4-year institution.

I seriously wish I had read this before I applied. Out of these four schools, I applied three. And all this time I was wondering why they still have not offered me interviews. I feel stupid that I wasted my $$$$$ and time.

 

[Tommy43087]

I seriously wish I had read this before I applied. Out of these four schools, I applied three. And all this time I was wondering why they still have not offered me interviews. I feel stupid that I wasted my $$$$$ and time.

Wow thats hilarious that you posted that at the same time as me! Weird!

 

[somethinpositiv]

Ive been wanting to respond to this but i keep forgetting.This is not true I did my first 2 years at a CC (~70 units) and i still got an interview. BUT i did not complete any of my prereqs there.

Just a heads up that even is you went to a CC you still have a shot at Tufts (unless you completed your prereqs there)

That conflicts with the information I was told. Either you were an amazing candidate and they made an exception for you Tommy, or they recently changed their policy. To be sure, you can always call the admissions office and ask.

 

[Tommy43087]

That conflicts with the information I was told. Either you were an amazing candidate and they made an exception for you Tommy, or they recently changed their policy. To be sure, you can always call the admissions office and ask.

Well i definitely wouldnt wanna call them and ask why they accepted me lol

Maybe im exceptional

 

[St Mina]

Great post.

 

[Robotjim]

Here it goes:
-2.85 overall
-2.70 science
-Lots of HCE and good LORs
-Thought I wanted podiatry, applied and was accepted to a pod school for 2010
-Am not fully convinced that pod offers me the future I want(maybe its just cold feet--no pun intended)
-I am kind of scared now and started researching more health care professions
-now shadowing and really enjoying dentistry
-any chance of getting in with my low gpa? what if i kill the DAT?
-I'm from CA(I really want USC)

Thank you

 

[yuppers]

Here it goes:
-2.85 overall
-2.70 science
-Lots of HCE and good LORs
-Thought I wanted podiatry, applied and was accepted to a pod school for 2010
-Am not fully convinced that pod offers me the future I want(maybe its just cold feet--no pun intended)
-I am kind of scared now and started researching more health care professions
-now shadowing and really enjoying dentistry
-any chance of getting in with my low gpa? what if i kill the DAT?
-I'm from CA(I really want USC)

Thank you

You need to try to raise that gpa since it is way below the average. Then you have to do well on the DAT.
Hard to say in terms of chances with no DAT scores.
Maybe you could do a masters or post-bac.

 

[HopefulDDStobe]

this is great, thank you for posting this!

 

[WarpDinosaur]

...

 

[somethinpositiv]

What are my chances?

cGPA = 3.341
sciGPA = 3.18

I'm a junior and I can get my GPA up to at least 3.5 by the time I finish.
Let's assume that by the time I apply I have

cGPA = 3.45
sciGPA = 3.3

and haven't taken the DAT, but let's assume that I get somewhere between 18 -20.

1) I created this guide so you could answer the "What are my chances?" question yourself. So put some time into it, you can figure it out with the links I've provided.

2) 18-20 DAT is a HUGE range. The difference between an acceptance and a rejection could be 18 AA or 19 AA on the DAT.

3) You can never assume you'll get some score-range on the DAT. You really can't reasonably choose schools until you have taken the DAT.

4) If you're Pre-Med and have taken the MCAT, the chances of you getting into any Dental School are greatly diminished. If you're thinking about Dental School as a back-up, think again. The only reliable back-ups for you are low-tier DO schools and Caribbean MD schools, or becoming a Physician's Assistant. If you're Pre-Med (or it looks like you're now Pre-Pharm?), you're in the wrong forum.

 

[supraman]

This same guy told me I wasnt gonna get in AND IM IN HIS CLASS! HAHAHAHA!

 

[somethinpositiv]

This same guy told me I wasnt gonna get in AND IM IN HIS CLASS! HAHAHAHA!

defying the odds. living the dream.

 

[FutureDent020]

http://www.premedguide.com/best-dental-schools.html

Thought I would post this website in your thread. You can type in DAT score, GPA, sGPA, and state of residency. The program then plugs all these factors into an equation and it measures the likelihood of acceptance into a program. It is obviously not decisive, but can give a student a little bit of an idea. I tried it, and it seems pretty accurate except Harvard.

 

[somethinpositiv]

http://www.premedguide.com/best-dental-schools.html

Thought I would post this website in your thread. You can type in DAT score, GPA, sGPA, and state of residency. The program then plugs all these factors into an equation and it measures the likelihood of acceptance into a program. It is obviously not decisive, but can give a student a little bit of an idea. I tried it, and it seems pretty accurate except Harvard.

That's an interesting site, thanks for posting it. It was NOT accurate for me (21 DAT, 3.5 GPA, 3.3 sGPA). It said I had very little chance at getting into UIC (my state school!), Michigan, and Pittsburgh, three schools that I got into pre-Dec. 1st. It said I had a low low chance at getting into UoP with a 21, and while I didn't get into UoP, that's ridiculous. It said I had an excellent chance at getting into Meharry, Harvard, and West Virginia, while I bet I would be rejected in 2 seconds by any of those three schools.

I wouldn't trust that site unless you were the laziest dental student ever.

 

[FutureDent020]

That's an interesting site, thanks for posting it. It was NOT accurate for me (21 DAT, 3.5 GPA, 3.3 sGPA). It said I had very little chance at getting into UIC (my state school!), Michigan, and Pittsburgh, three schools that I got into pre-Dec. 1st. It said I had a low low chance at getting into UoP with a 21, and while I didn't get into UoP, that's ridiculous. It said I had an excellent chance at getting into Meharry, Harvard, and West Virginia, while I bet I would be rejected in 2 seconds by any of those three schools.

I wouldn't trust that site unless you were the laziest dental student ever.

Haha, yea, there are definitely some discrepancies. Yea, no one should put a lot of trust into the site, but it can be fun to play with

 

[arunkumarrr]

Thanks for this wonderful post.. Its really helpful..

 

[bmstew]

1) 4) If you're Pre-Med and have taken the MCAT, the chances of you getting into any Dental School are greatly diminished. If you're thinking about Dental School as a back-up, think again. The only reliable back-ups for you are low-tier DO schools and Caribbean MD schools, or becoming a Physician's Assistant. Pre-Med, you're in the wrong forum.

Just out of curiosity, why do you say that? I'm just asking because I started as pre-med and took the MCAT, but eventually switched over to pre-dent and took the DAT (AA/TS/PAT of 23/23/23). I also have a pretty good GPA, so will dental adcoms still look poorly on me originally being pre-med? Or do high enough stats cancel it out to a degree?

 

[somethinpositiv]

Just out of curiosity, why do you say that? I'm just asking because I started as pre-med and took the MCAT, but eventually switched over to pre-dent and took the DAT (AA/TS/PAT of 23/23/23). I also have a pretty good GPA, so will dental adcoms still look poorly on me originally being pre-med? Or do high enough stats cancel it out to a degree?

Your DAT is spectacular. As long as your GPA is decent, it looks like you're a shoe-in for UoP and Columbia.

To answer your question, back when I applied to dental school, the application asked if you have taken the MCAT (is this still true? not sure). Dental schools hate being a back-up for Medical schools, I guess they are insecure about it. If you have taken the MCAT, you'd better have some convincing dental experience (like 100 total shadowing hours with different providers), as well as a convincing personal statement that says why you are passionate about dentistry and why medicine wasn't a good fit for you. If you aren't convincing in your passion for dentistry, you won't get dental school acceptances despite your stellar stats.

 

[bmstew]

Well, the AADSAS no longer asks if you've taken the MCAT, but it does ask if you've ever applied before to a health professional school (i.e. medical school), which unfortunately I did. So I had to put it down that I applied to several medical schools. I understand this is kind of a touchy subject, and I'm struggling with how exactly to handle it. The truth is is that I had a genuine change of heart after I applied (it's a long story) and really do want to do dentistry. I'm not trying to go to dental school because I couldn't get into medical school, which I did. I going into dentistry because I want to be a dentist, period. But I'm just afraid that adcoms will see that I've applied to medical school and that I'm only applying to dental school as a second choice, which I'm not doing. I plan on tackling this head-on in my personal statement somehow, so we'll just see how that goes.

By the way, the main dental school I'm trying to get into is Ohio State, if that makes any difference.

 

[hausee]

Your DAT is spectacular. As long as your GPA is decent, it looks like you're a shoe-in for UoP and Columbia.

To answer your question, back when I applied to dental school, the application asked if you have taken the MCAT (is this still true? not sure). Dental schools hate being a back-up for Medical schools, I guess they are insecure about it. If you have taken the MCAT, you'd better have some convincing dental experience (like 100 total shadowing hours with different providers), as well as a convincing personal statement that says why you are passionate about dentistry and why medicine wasn't a good fit for you. If you aren't convincing in your passion for dentistry, you won't get dental school acceptances despite your stellar stats.

You still helping ppl make choices? I sent a PM.

Thank You !

 

[ToothBrigade]

I was wondering if AADSAS puts a cap on how many Dental Schools you can apply to.
Anyone?

 

[somethinpositiv]

I was wondering if AADSAS puts a cap on how many Dental Schools you can apply to.
Anyone?

No, there's no cap to how many schools you can apply to. Typically people apply to 8-12. I recommend at least 8 schools where you have a solid chance of getting acceptance, and if you choose to add more schools they can be dream schools. You don't want to apply to too many schools either, because some schools will ask you and dislike the fact that you applied to 20+ schools.

 

[helenm]

so here are my stats- not great at all but still pusuing dentistry

Science GPA- 3
Overall- 3.2
last semester I earned a 3.8 (A in biochemistry )

DAT: 20/21

worked as a dental assistant for 6 years
Mother graduated from NYU dental/Columbia fellowship

Thanks

 

[ToothBrigade]

Background info: I am from Las Vegas, but I'm doing my undergraduate work at USC. I don't want to return to Las Vegas after graduation. Instead I prefer to live in California.

As for the bind, I have a couple years before I could enroll in dental school and I can't decide whether to switch my permanent residency to California or to keep it in Las Vegas. UCLA is my top school, and switching to California residency would help my chances there, however it will still be very difficult to get into. On the other hand, there's UNLV. Compared to UCLA, my chances at getting into UNLV with a Nevada residency would be very high since fewer Nevadans actually apply to dental school.

As far as I know, UCSF doesn't even consider residency status, so UCLA is the only California school where residency affects my admissibility. So should I risk UNLV to increase chances for UCLA? Or should I keep the Nevada residency for "safety?" Thoughts, anyone?


PS - Is there a question about state of residency on the AADSAS application?

 

[FutureDent020]

PS - Is there a question about state of residency on the AADSAS application?

Yes there is. Some schools even inquire about how long you have been a resident of a certain state. I would personally stick with the Nevada residency. You have UNLV and Southern Nevada, which is building a new dental school. It's private, but they may hold some spots for Nevada residents. You're right though, if you are a Nevada resident your chances at UCLA are practically zero. If you are a California resident, your chances are greater, but still small due to how competitive UCLA is.

 

[somethinpositiv]

As for the bind, I have a couple years before I could enroll in dental school and I can't decide whether to switch my permanent residency to California or to keep it in Las Vegas. UCLA is my top school, and switching to California residency would help my chances there, however it will still be very difficult to get into. On the other hand, there's UNLV. Compared to UCLA, my chances at getting into UNLV with a Nevada residency would be very high since fewer Nevadans actually apply to dental school.

As far as I know, UCSF doesn't even consider residency status, so UCLA is the only California school where residency affects my admissibility. So should I risk UNLV to increase chances for UCLA? Or should I keep the Nevada residency for "safety?" Thoughts, anyone?

That is a tough bind. I think it really depends on what kind of GPA/DAT you expect to get. If you are the type of person who will have an exceptionally high GPA (3.7 GPA), and ALSO think you can get an exceptionally high DAT (21+), than in my opinion it is definitely worth getting California residency to better your chances at getting into your dream school, UCLA. If you're an average/competitive type of student with little chance at UCLA regardless of state residence, than it's worth it to switch to Nevada residency for UNLV.

University of Southern Nevada is actually a school in Utah, so it remains to be seen if it recognizes just Utah residence, or both Utah and Nevada residency. Also, although UCSF, USC, and UoP do not formally recognize CA residency as a factor in admissions, a vast majority of the students they accept are still from California so there may be inherent bias there. That's just something else to consider.

 

[12345a]

GPA: 3.8
sGPA: 3.6-3.7
DAT: taking in fall 10
Major: Psychology
CC transfer to a top 20 School

EC's/work
-Worked in a universities dental clinic for a summer
-Shadowed endo, ortho, and GP (~50 hrs each I think...)
-couple of volunteering things, nothing amazing
-predent club for 1 semester, member
-Worked during school (not dental related)

Holes in my application:
-only upper div science class is going to be biochem my senior year
-I took Gchem at CC, got A's
-One math class is bringing my sGPA down a lot
-have around 70 units from cc and I know many schools only accept a certain amount (~60)...not sure how that will work
-no research (don't really plan on doing any)


I want to stay in California, any advice/opinions/comments on how I can make that happen?

 

[vtizzy]

OHSU actually accepts 47 in state, 20 WICHE, and 8 OOS.

http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/sc...ive-students/dmd-program/class-statistics.cfm

 

[PP2010]

Please help me, I am a second time applicant.

State of Residence: Texas Race: Asian American
DAT: AA 18 Location(s): Doesn't matter
GPA: 3.15 /3.05Science Shadowing Hours: 100+
(Applying to all 3 Texas Dental Schools)

Thanks

 

[chan4dental]

So I graduated with a bachelors in biomedical sciences with an overall GPA of 3.69 and sGPA of 3.65 and my scores in the DAT are AA 19 PAT 21 and RC 21, I took it however twice the first time I got an AA of 18 and scored 18 on the PAT. I put in over 100 hours of dental shadowing mostly at a general dentist but also shadowed an orthodontic as well, I volunteered at the Moffit Cancer Center at USF and also participated in a few organizations at my university. I'm applying hopefully this summer for 2011 I'm just working on my personal statement and getting the LORs ready. I was just wondering what my chances will be with my stats and which school would be best for me to apply I live in FL and I know UF is a very very tough school to get into alot of my friends that applied their with better DAT scores got denied so the only other school in FL is Nova and I plan on applying OOS just not sure which schools yet. If anyone can give me any advise or pointers/tips especially from those that got accepted already I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[shuwen]

Please give me some schools~~~
State Residence: Texas
- Race/Ethnicity: Asian
- DAT: (AA 19, TS 19, PAT 17) first time
- GPA (cumulative:3.96 this does not include this semester, but it wont be lower than 3.70 & science: I dont know how to calculate that, but I only could have 4 Bs for science classes)
- Location(s) Preferred: I definitely apply Texas dental schools, out of sate, I would prefer West Coast or East Coast. But overall I dont have very strong preference.
- Location(s) Preferred: Does not really matter
- Rank the following factors -
1)The most likely school I will get into.
2)Location
3)Price, Facilities, Research, Reputation
- Are you Christian conservative and would prefer a school that was?
I am not Christian.
- Shadowing Hours (if you do not answer, I will assume 100 hours)
I began shadowing this February, so only few hours. But I will keep doing it.
- Schools you are definitely applying to no matter what
Texas dental schools
- 10 other schools you were considering applying to
I will apply for UCLA, NYU. What other oos schools do you advise to me to apply?
I am a chinese.I completed my high school in China.

 

[dentalaee]

UCLA could be out of reach for outer state students. I would apply to UCSF instead. Apply to Pittsburgh, Buffalo, UOP, Midwestern and USC.

 

[somethinpositiv]

UCLA could be out of reach for outer state students. I would apply to UCSF instead. Apply to Pittsburgh, Buffalo, UOP, Midwestern and USC.

I agree. I wouldn't apply to UCLA as an OOS applicant unless you had at least 22+ DAT and 3.7+ DAT, but that's just my opinion.

I'd recommend anyone to apply to at least 8-10 realistic school choices. If you want to add a few reach schools or dream schools on top of that, go right ahead, just be aware of your chances.

 

[DoctreDrey]

(deleted)

 

[chimm]

Hey all,

Just would like some help from all of you =D. Thanks a lot!

UoP undergrad, just finished junior year
3.08 sciGPA, 3.15 totGPA
23 AA, 22 TS, 20 PAT
1 semester of DNA sequencing research
EC: just member of two pre-dent clubs, something like 100 hours of community service
Shadowing: 110 hours from two GPs
2 Bio Professor LoR and 1 from my dentist, maybe 1 LoR from Bioethics professor

I'm thinking UoP (obviously), UCSF, VCU, Western, Tufts, ASDOH, or even Columbia...
Long shot is UCSF and Columbia, but if i submit application within June, still okay..?

Any input is great!

 

[PredentGirl]

Soo I played around a LOT in my undergraduate years and have like a 2.92 GPA but got 25/25/25 on my DATs which clearly shows that i am capable of getting good grades. How would dental schools take that? I was also in a sorority, predental club, many many hours of community service, research lab for 2 years, TA-ed for chemistry and tutored chemistry and calc. Should I apply this round or the next? Feedback would be appreciated, thanks!!

 

[Relign]

If you are wondering "What Schools Should I Apply To?" or "What Are My Chances?" you've come to the right place!...

Not to discredit all your hard work, but realistically you can create a better analysis of which schools you PERSONALLY are likely to get accepted by creating a regression analysis. Take the previous classes statistics from each school of interest (GPA, DAT, OOS %, and other monitored statistics by the ADEA over the course of 2-3 years) and extrapolate the class stats. Then by ranking your information versus each schools mean. You then create a P value which would determine your chance of acceptance within the error of P.

This is what I did. Yes it was a lot of work, but it told me my best chance of acceptance was Minnesota (in spite of being out of state and out of my region (Washington resident)).

 

[somethinpositiv]

Not to discredit all your hard work, but realistically you can create a better analysis of which schools you PERSONALLY are likely to get accepted by creating a regression analysis. Take the previous classes statistics from each school of interest (GPA, DAT, OOS %, and other monitored statistics by the ADEA over the course of 2-3 years) and extrapolate the class stats. Then by ranking your information versus each schools mean. You then create a P value which would determine your chance of acceptance within the error of P.

This is what I did. Yes it was a lot of work, but it told me my best chance of acceptance was Minnesota (in spite of being out of state and out of my region (Washington resident)).

Interesting. If you could post your own personal regression analysis on this site so that everyone could know what you are talking about, I'm sure everyone would appreciate it. Of not, you might have just wasted everyone's time with your post. I look forward to seeing your analysis. If it can do what you say it can, I will be very impressed.

 

[Relign]

Ive been wanting to respond to this but i keep forgetting.This is not true I did my first 2 years at a CC (~70 units) and i still got an interview. BUT i did not complete any of my prereqs there.

Just a heads up that even is you went to a CC you still have a shot at Tufts (unless you completed your prereqs there)

University of Washington gave me a similar song and dance about my CC credits.

 

[Relign]

Interesting. If you could post your own personal regression analysis on this site so that everyone could know what you are talking about, I'm sure everyone would appreciate it. Of not, you might have just wasted everyone's time with your post. I look forward to seeing your analysis. If it can do what you say it can, I will be very impressed.

Here's version 2.1, whoops too big "Your file of 426.0 KB bytes exceeds the forum's limit of 200.0 KB for this filetype."

I converted it to regular Excel, which was small enough to meet the upload requirements. The formulas might not work as they were designed.

I Hope it helps

 

[Danthenub]

money aside, is there a pitfall to applying to a large # of dental schools, say 25-30?

Are dental schools able to view how many schools u applied to?

 

[FutureDent020]

money aside, is there a pitfall to applying to a large # of dental schools, say 25-30?

Are dental schools able to view how many schools u applied to?

Regardless of how financially stable you are, applying to 25-30 schools is a ridiculous waste of money. But money aside, no, there is no real pitfall.

 

[Relign]

money aside, is there a pitfall to applying to a large # of dental schools, say 25-30?

YES, time and stress!

Applying to 25-30 schools seems good on May 1st, but once the secondary applications start to roll in you might second guess yourself. Assuming that you are an average candidate (19 DAT, 3.7gpa, 3.5 science, good amount of volunteer hours, and good personal essay), schools will want more information.

In addition to the ~$3000 you already spent with AADSAS and ADEA applying and sending DAT scores to each school, most schools require secondary applications including fee (lowest I paid was $35, the most was $85), essays, background checks, and more personal information (including an affidavit swearing you won't consume alcohol :S Gotta love Loma Linda). You need to be really organized in order to ensure that your file is up to date at each school.

Finally if everything goes well, you will probably get quite a few interviews. In no discernable order or methodology, around August 1st, the calls will start coming in. Some schools will want you to be there in 2 weeks, while others are scheduling for January. Assuming you get 10-15 interviews, depending on where you live, you can expect to spend ~$7000 on plane tickets, room and board, and food.

Each school expects that you know how important THEY are to dentistry, so you will want to go over their website, brochures, etc. You will want to study previous interview questions from StudentDoctor, and have a good idea as to how you will fit into their program.

All in all, I would say that applying to that many schools is a good idea, but you will need to have a large pocket book, be really organized, and have a lot of time to travel.

Here is a tip: If you have had quite a few of really good interviews prior to December 1st, you might want to consider scheduling some interviews in December and January. National acceptance day is the 1st. If you get into your number one school, then there is no need to schedule an interview at your backup.

Are dental schools able to view how many schools u applied to?

AADSAS says no

 

[UCSD6]

what are my chances? and is this enough schools?
will be a re-applicant, (applied late october, received 3 interviews, waitlisted at 2 schools), GPA: sci 3.3 cum 3.4, DAT: 19 AA 21 TS 21 PAT (low QR: 15 bought down my AA), good EC's volunteering, shadowing specialists and general dentists, getting involved with research right now. I will be applying the 1st day the cycle opens so I hope this will increase my chances!

Schools that I'll apply to,
ASDOH, MIDWESTERN, LLU, UCSF, UCLA (LONG SHOT I KNOW), UOP, USC, WESTERN, UNLV, NYU

what do you guys think?

 

[Relign]

what are my chances? and is this enough schools?
will be a re-applicant, (applied late october, received 3 interviews, waitlisted at 2 schools), GPA: sci 3.3 cum 3.4, DAT: 19 AA 21 TS 21 PAT (low QR: 15 bought down my AA), good EC's volunteering, shadowing specialists and general dentists, getting involved with research right now. I will be applying the 1st day the cycle opens so I hope this will increase my chances!

Schools that I'll apply to,
ASDOH, MIDWESTERN, LLU, UCSF, UCLA (LONG SHOT I KNOW), UOP, USC, WESTERN, UNLV, NYU

what do you guys think?

You applied to some pretty tough schools. Besides USC and NYU, the rest are all long shots. Check out http://www.predents.com/ and apply to schools with low rejection rates.

You can also direct contact somethinpositiv with the information he requested to get a personal evaluation.