Which Schools to Apply to? (Low Science GPA/Good DAT)

[JUSTaDentist]

I am planning on applying to dental schools for entrance in Fall 2017. I am a GA resident, so I will apply to the Dental college of Georgia. Based on my statistics, I would like advice on which out of state schools I would have the best chance at.

GPA
Overall GPA: 3.41
Science GPA: 3.18
BCP: 3.05
Non-science GPA: 3.75

DAT
Perceptual ability: 18
Quantitative Reasoning: 22
Reading Comprehension: 19
Biology: 23
General Chemistry: 25
Organic Chemistry: 23
Total Science: 24
Academic Average: 22

Any advice would be great! Thanks!

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[TheBigN89]

Let me guess. You went to Georgia Tech.

 

[JUSTaDentist]

Let me guess. You went to Georgia Tech.

Haha, no I actually go college out of state!

 

[alasra]

Hey! What do your ECs look like?

 

[JUSTaDentist]

Hey! What do your ECs look like?

Thanks for the response!
Volunteering: ~150 hours (mostly community service, 15 hours at a children's hospital)
Research (neuroscience): ~120 hours (received a grant, no publication)
Dental Shadowing: ~84 hours (64 general, 20 pediatric)
Campus involvement (peer discipline board): ~30 hours
Will go on a medical mission trip over spring break this March

 

[catman856]

I am planning on applying to dental schools for entrance in Fall 2017. I am a GA resident, so I will apply to the Dental college of Georgia. Based on my statistics, I would like advice on which out of state schools I would have the best chance at.

GPA
Overall GPA: 3.41
Science GPA: 3.18
BCP: 3.05
Non-science GPA: 3.75

DAT
Perceptual ability: 18
Quantitative Reasoning: 22
Reading Comprehension: 19
Biology: 23
General Chemistry: 25
Organic Chemistry: 23
Total Science: 24
Academic Average: 22

Any advice would be great! Thanks!

Not bad at all! I would apply to the 3 tx schools, your dat and gpa is competitive for oos applicant.

 

[mleu]

Roseman University

 

[JUSTaDentist]

Thank you for the replies! This is my first draft of 20 schools as of now. I don't plan on applying to all of these, but I would like input as to which schools should be removed or which schools should be added before I begin narrowing it down to fewer schools. Thanks!

1.) Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health
2.) Midwestern - Arizona
3.) University of Southern California
4.) Western University
5.) Lake Eerie College of Osteopathic Medicine
6.) Georgia Regents University
7.) Midwestern - Illinois
8.) University of Kentucky
9.) University of Louisville
10.) University of New England
11.) Boston University
12.) Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health
13.) University of Nevada, Las Vegas
14.) Columbia University
15.) New York University
16.) University of Tennessee
17.) Baylor College of Dentistry
18.) UT San Antonio School of Dentistry
19.) UT School of Dentistry - Houston
20.) Roseman University

I've heard advice to "apply broadly" and I've also heard that if you apply to too many schools, certain schools will ask about this in an interview or secondary application and feel as though you are not serious about attending their school if you applied to too many schools. Can anyone with experience in the application process offer their opinion as to how many applications would strike a middle ground between applying too narrowly and too broadly?

 

[FeralisExtremum]

Drop Houston - they don't take OOS students.

 

[jsptr986]

Thank you for the replies! This is my first draft of 20 schools as of now. I don't plan on applying to all of these, but I would like input as to which schools should be removed or which schools should be added before I begin narrowing it down to fewer schools. Thanks!

1.) Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health
2.) Midwestern - Arizona
3.) University of Southern California
4.) Western University
5.) Lake Eerie College of Osteopathic Medicine
6.) Georgia Regents University
7.) Midwestern - Illinois
8.) University of Kentucky
9.) University of Louisville
10.) University of New England
11.) Boston University
12.) Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health
13.) University of Nevada, Las Vegas
14.) Columbia University
15.) New York University
16.) University of Tennessee
17.) Baylor College of Dentistry
18.) UT San Antonio School of Dentistry
19.) UT School of Dentistry - Houston
20.) Roseman University

I've heard advice to "apply broadly" and I've also heard that if you apply to too many schools, certain schools will ask about this in an interview or secondary application and feel as though you are not serious about attending their school if you applied to too many schools. Can anyone with experience in the application process offer their opinion as to how many applications would strike a middle ground between applying too narrowly and too broadly?

i would remove all TX schools and columbia. look up the ADA guide to dental schools, the online version is i think $10. each school lists their average gpa and dat scores of accepted students from the year before along with how many OOS students they accepted. most also post which states their OOS students came from. i would look through the schools you want to apply to and see how your scores compare to theirs, see how many OOS students they accept and if any of them were from GA.

 

[HelicaseInitiator]

I would up your shadowing hours if I were in your shoes, but you don't have too! I would look into applying to schools that are OOS that boarder Georgia or very close, you will have a higher chance of getting into schools in TN, Florida, Kentucky. Tufts would be a great option too even though it's north, but those DAT scores are awesome, great job. Apply as early as you can!!

 

[JUSTaDentist]

Drop Houston - they don't take OOS students.

Thank you for the advice. Your notes helped me a lot in preparing for the biology section of the DAT. Best of luck in your future career as a dentist!

i would remove all TX schools and columbia. look up the ADA guide to dental schools, the online version is i think $10. each school lists their average gpa and dat scores of accepted students from the year before along with how many OOS students they accepted. most also post which states their OOS students came from. i would look through the schools you want to apply to and see how your scores compare to theirs, see how many OOS students they accept and if any of them were from GA.

That's good advice! I will get that.

I would up your shadowing hours if I were in your shoes, but you don't have too! I would look into applying to schools that are OOS that boarder Georgia or very close, you will have a higher chance of getting into schools in TN, Florida, Kentucky. Tufts would be a great option too even though it's north, but those DAT scores are awesome, great job. Apply as early as you can!!

Thank you! I will definitely apply early and try to add some more of those you are referring to, perhaps a few more private schools (tufts, temple, etc.) and southern schools (Alabama, South Carolina, etc.). Thank you for the input.

 

[sumin5924]

Rethink your list. Some very OOS unfriendly schools.

 

[JUSTaDentist]

Rethink your list. Some very OOS unfriendly schools.

Aside from the TX schools, which I've made a note of, which ones are you referring to? That would be helpful!

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

.

 

[JUSTaDentist]

The attached file will help tremendously in deciding which OOS unfriendly schools you need to remove. 20 schools is too many, that's a lot of money. Good luck!

Excellent resource. Thank you for sharing! I will use this to refine my school list and narrow it down to 10-15 ish schools. Congrats on your acceptance and good luck to you as well!

I still need help with weighing the effect of "OOS friendliness" and statistics. For example:

Kentucky
sGPA/oGPA: 3.46/3.55
DAT (AA/TS/PAT): 19.0/18.7/19.0
% OOS Interview: 8%
% interview accepted: 61%
% OOS enrollees: 44%

Detroit Mercy
sGPA/oGPA: 3.60/3.64
DAT (AA/TS/PAT): 20.4/20.4/20.2
% OOS Interview: 25%
% interview accepted: 58%
% OOS enrollees: 22%

Detroit Mercy clearly wins in "OOS friendliness" (25% interviewed compared to 8%). However, my GPA/DAT seem more competitive at Kentucky. Which school would I have a better chance at? (or are these both bad choices?)

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

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