06 Ranking of Dental School based on admission stats-COMPLETE LIST

[doc toothache]

This is a complete list of U.S (including Puerto Rico) dental school ranked by various statistics, including AA, PA, GPA-o, GPA-sci, composite of DAT scores and GPAs, ratio of applicants/enrollees, and percentage of in state enrollees. All of the relevant data was taken from the 2007 ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools. The data is that of the enrollees. This is intended to help prospective applicants for the 2008 entering class decide where to apply and help them evaluate their best chances for acceptance. It is not intended to replace the invaluable information found in the ADEA guide. All serious applicants are encourage to peruse the information available in the guide.

In evaluating the resident and non resident information, it should be noted that several states, such as Alabama, Missouri KC, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, and others, give special preference to neighboring states, especially those without dental schools.

Loma Linda did not give any information on the resident and non resident status of enrollees. Missouri KC did not report the mean PA score. The 2005 value of 17.1 was used for this analysis.

Any incorrect entries will be promptly corrected with humble apologies!

School	AA	School	PA	School	GPA-o	School	GPA-Sci
1	Harvard	24.4	Harvard	21.6	Nebras	3.78	Harvard	3.77
2	Columb	22.16	Washin	20.33	Harvard	3.77	SUNYsb	3.72
3	UCLA	22	UCLA	20	UT-SA	3.74	Neb	3.7
4	Washing	21.22	Boston	20	Colo	3.71	Colo	3.66
5	SUNY SB	21	S. Caro	19.89	SUNYsb	3.71	Iowa	3.63
6	Penn	21	Loma L	19.7	Iowa	3.7	Penn	3.63
7	UCSF	20.6	UOP	19.7	Penn	3.68	UCLA	3.6
8	UOP	20.5	Colo	19.6	UCLA	3.65	S Illin	3.6
9	Loma Lin20	Mich	19.25	S Illin	3.64	Missou	3.6
10	USC	20	UCSF	19.2	Missou	3.64	UT-SA	3.6
11	Conn	20	Louis	19.2	Minn	3.63	NOVA	3.58
12	Maryl	20	SUNY B	19.11	Miss	3.63	S Carol	3.58
13	Boston	20	Minn	19.1	Oklah	3.63	UCSF	3.57
14	Pitt	19.83	Creight	19.07	UCSF	3.61	Minn	3.57
15	N Carol	19.7	Columb	19.06	Florida	3.6	Oregon	3.57
16	Colo	19.6	USC	19	NOVA	3.6	SUNY B	3.56
17	Mich	19.58	Georgia	19	N Carol	3.6	Miss	3.55
18	Oregon	19.55	SUNYsb	19	S Carol	3.59	Oklah	3.54
19	Okla	19.51	Penn	19	UT-Hou	3.59	N Carol	3.53
20	Baylor	19.5	Ohio	18.98	Ala	3.58	UT-Hou	3.52
21	Minn	19.4	Oregon	18.87	Oregon	3.58	Mercy	3.51
22	Case	19.36	Nevada	18.78	Conn	3.57	Ala	3.5
23	SUNY B	19.35	Illinois18.74	Louis	3.57	Conn	3.5
24	Illinois19.3	Maryl	18.7	SUNYb	3.57	Florida	3.5
25	S Carol	19.3	Temple	18.7	Louis	3.56	Georgia	3.5
26	UMDNJ	19.28	Pitt	18.64	Mercy	3.54	Louis	3.48
27	Nevada	19.27	Case	18.5	Pitt	3.54	Louisv	3.46
28	Ala	19.2	Ind	18.46	W. Va	3.54	Washing	3.46
29	UT-Hou	19.19	Oklah	18.33	Creigh	3.53	Case	3.45
30	Louis	19.1	Ala	18.3	Ind	3.52	Ilndian	3.44
31	NY	19.06	Conn	18.3	Kent	3.52	Colum	3.44
32	Florida	19	Arizona	18.13	Ohio	3.52	Baylor	3.44
33	NOVA	19	S Illin	18.1	Mich	3.51	Pitt	3.43
34	Georgia	19	Tufts	18.1	Nevada	3.51	Marque	3.43
35	S Illin	19	Neb	18.1	Baylor	3.51	Creigh	3.42
36	Iowa	19	N Carol	18.1	Georgia	3.5	Mich	3.41
37	Tufts	19	Marque	18.08	Maryl	3.5	Maryl	3.4
38	Mercy	19	Florida	18	Case	3.5	UMDNJ	3.4
39	UT-SA	19	NOVA	18	Marqu	3.5	W. Va	3.4
40	Virgini	19	Iowa	18	Colum	3.49	Ohio	3.39
41	Ohio	18.98	Mercy	18	USC	3.47	USC	3.37
42	Creight	18.92	Tenn	18	UMDNJ	3.47	Kent	3.37
43	Temple	18.8	UT-SA	18	Arizona	3.46	Tenn	3.36
44	Ilndiana18.72	Virgi	18	Illinois3.45	Illinois3.35
45	Neb	18.6	NY	17.8	Tenn	3.45	Tufts	3.33
46	Arizona	18.59	Baylor	17.8	Washingt3.45	Puerto R3.33
47	Kentu	18.44	UT-Hou	17.8	Puerto R3.45	UOP	3.29
48	Marq	18.44	Kentu	17.64	Tufts	3.41	Nevada	3.26
49	Missou	18.3	UMDNJ	17.58	UOP	3.37	Virgini	3.25
50	Louisvil18	Misou	17.1	Virg	3.36	Loma Li	3.24
51	Tenn	18	Louis	17	Temple	3.33	Arizona	3.21
52	W.VA	18	W. Va	17	NY	3.29	Temple	3.19
53	Miss	17.4	Miss	16.9	Loma Lin3.27	NY	3.16
54	Howard	17	Howard	16	Boston	3.23	Boston	3.11
55	Meharry	16	Puerto R16	Meharry	3.1	Howard	3
56	Puerto R15	Meharry	15	Howard	3.09	Meharry	2.9
	Mean	19.29		18.43		3.52		3.44
	Std Dev	1.39		1.11		0.14		0.17


	School	AA+GPA	School	App/Enr	State	%In State
1	Harvard	53.54	Arizona	54	Georgia	100
2	UCLA	49.25	SUNyYsb	44	Miss	100
3	Wash	48.46	Case	42	UT-Hou	99
4	Colum	48.15	Marq	37	Illinoi	98
5	SUNYsb	47.43	Conn	35	Louisi  97
6	Penn	47.31	Boston	34	Puerto R95
7	UCSF	46.98	Nevada	34	Baylor	93
8	UOP	46.86	Creigh	33	UT-SA	93
9	Colo	46.57	Louisv	30	S Illin	91
10	S Carol	46.36	Temple	29	S Carol	91
11	Boston	46.34	Harvard	28	SUNYsb	90
12	Loma Lin46.21	Meharry	28	NOVA	88
13	USC	45.84	Columb	27	N Carol	84
14	Mich	45.75	Colo	26	Alabama	83
15	Minn	45.7	Kentu	26	UCLA	83
16	Maryl	45.6	W. VA	25	UCSF	83
17	SUNYb	45.59	UCSF	24	Oklah	83
18	Oregon	45.57	Howard	24	Washin	82
19	Pitt	45.44	Tufts	23	Iowa	81
20	Conn	45.37	Pitt	23	Ohio	75
21	Louis	45.34	NOVA	22	Kentucky73
22	Oklah	45.01	Loma Li	21	Nebraska72
23	Georgia	45	UOP	21	USC	69
24	Creigh	44.94	Mich	21	Ilndiana69
25	N Carol	44.93	Virgin	21	Oregon	69
26	Ohio	44.87	UCLA	20	Colo	68
27	Illinoi 44.84	SUNYb	20	Minn	68
28	Nevada	44.82	USC	19	Nevada	68
29	Case	44.81	Mercy	19	Mercy	67
30	Ala	44.58	Neb	19	Missou	67
31	S Illin	44.34	Penn	19	UOP	66
32	UT-SA	44.34	Ind	18	Tenn	64
33	Iowa	44.33	Maryl	18	W VA	62
34	Baylor	44.25	UMDNJ	18	Virginia61
35	NOVA	44.18	Washin	18	Michigan60
36	Neb	44.18	Illinois17	Florida	59
37	Ind	44.14	NY	17	Louis  57
38	Florida	44.1	Florida	16	SUNY b	55
39	UT-Hou	44.1	Baylor	15	Maryland54
40	Mercy	44.05	Alaba	13	Marque	50
41	Temple	44.02	S Illin	13	Conn	49
42	Tufts	43.84	Iowa	13	Pitt	40
43	UMDNJ	43.73	Oregon	13	Arizona	39
44	Virgin	43.61	S. Carol13	Temple	32
45	Marque	43.45	N. Carol11	Columbia30
46	Arizona	43.39	Ohio	11	NY	30
47	NY	43.31	UT-SA	11	Case	20
48	Kentu	42.97	Missou	10	Howard	19
49	Tenn	42.81	Oklah	10	UMDNJ	19
50	Missou	42.64	Minn	9	Tufts	18
51	Louisv	42.03	UT-Hou	9	Creight	18
52	W. Va	41.94	Puerto R7	Meharry	15
53	Miss	41.48	Louis	6	Penn	14
54	Howard	39.09	Tenn	6	Boston	8
55	Puerto R37.78	Georgia	4	Harvard	3
56	Meharry	37	Miss	4		
	Mean	44.69		20.5		62.20
	Std Dev	2.54		10.33		27.66

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[Pilot Mike]

NICE!!!! Thanks for putting all the time and effort into that!

 

[xdianaax]

Seriously, good job!!!

 

[burton117]

Outstanding Post!!!

 

[Drill2Fill]

Great info.

 

[DDSY]

You continue to amaze me.

 

[ItsGavinC]

The data is that of the enrollees.

Not for Arizona. That data is for applicants. Good post though, and any errors are likely ADEA errors, not yours. For Arizona enrollees the GPA is 3.6 (you have listed 3.46) and science GPA is 3.5 (you have listed 3.21). No big deal though. Nicely done!

 

[doc toothache]

Not for Arizona. That data is for applicants. Good post though, and any errors are likely ADEA errors, not yours. For Arizona enrollees the GPA is 3.6 (you have listed 3.46) and science GPA is 3.5 (you have listed 3.21). No big deal though. Nicely done!

Those are indeed the scores listed by ADEA. If that's the case then the 2005 figures, which are listed as 3.36 and 3.26, may also reflect an error. Do you know the correct stats for 2005? If 05 figures are correct, AZ saw a substantial increase in the GPA scores.

 

[KOM]

Great, except if you're going to rate the schools by factoring in both GPA and DAT scores you have to take into consideration that a much larger variation in GPA will equate to a much smaller effect in the overall "score" because the DAT is based on a larger point system (only 4 pt scale for GPA and up to 30 pts for DAT). If you simply add them they're not being weighed equally and hence DAT scores account for well over 50% of the overall score.

I'd be interested in the results after recalculation by either scaling down the DAT to be equivalent to the same pt total as GPA (or scaling up the GPA) to get them to represent 50/50 of the overall score.

The most apparent example of what I'm talking about is UoP where they're ranked #8 for AA, but way down at #49 for GPA. Add them together, their proposed overall ranking is still #8.

Thanks for entering all the school's stats though.

 

[DDSY]

How about DAT + GPA (30/4)? This will ensure that GPA and DAT will have 50/50 weighting. However, this is by no means an accurate/reliable gauge of a school's ability to attract quality (academically speaking) candidates.

Great, except if you're going to rate the schools by factoring in both GPA and DAT scores you have to take into consideration that a much larger variation in GPA will equate to a much smaller effect in the overall "score" because the DAT is based on a larger point system (only 4 pt scale for GPA and up to 30 pts for DAT). If you simply add them they're not being weighed equally and hence DAT scores account for well over 50% of the overall score.

I'd be interested in the results after recalculation by either scaling down the DAT to be equivalent to the same pt total as GPA (or scaling up the GPA) to get them to represent 50/50 of the overall score.

The most apparent example of what I'm talking about is UoP where they're ranked #8 for AA, but way down at #49 for GPA. Add them together, their proposed overall ranking is still #8.

Thanks for entering all the school's stats though.

 

[armorshell]

How about DAT + GPA (30/4)? This will ensure that GPA and DAT will have 50/50 weighting. However, this is by no means an accurate/reliable gauge of a school's ability to attract quality (academically speaking) candidates.

That would be the way to do it.

 

[DDSY]

Here's how it came out after using the formula. It's still a bit rough. For example, Nebraska, has an average of 3.78 but a DAT of only 18.6 and came out ranking #10. The DAT should probably be given a bit more weight.

DAT + GPA(30/4)

1 Harvard 24.4 3.77 52.675
2 UCLA 22 3.65 49.375
3 SUNYsb 21 3.71 48.825
4 Penn 21 3.68 48.6
5 Colum 22.16 3.49 48.335
6 UCSF 20.6 3.61 47.675
7 Colo. 19.6 3.71 47.425
8 Washing 21.22 3.45 47.095
9 UT-SA 19 3.74 47.05
10 Neb 18.6 3.78 46.95
11 Conn 20 3.57 46.775
12 Iowa 19 3.7 46.75
13 Oklah 19.51 3.63 46.735
14 N Carol 19.7 3.6 46.7
15 Minn 19.4 3.63 46.625
16 Oregon 19.55 3.58 46.4
17 Pitt 19.83 3.54 46.38
18 S Illin 19 3.64 46.3
19 Maryl 20 3.5 46.25
20 S Carol 19.3 3.59 46.225
21 SUNYb 19.35 3.57 46.125
22 UT-Hou 19.19 3.59 46.115
23 Alabama 19.2 3.58 46.05
24 USC 20 3.47 46.025
25 Florida 19 3.6 46
26 NOVA 19 3.6 46
27 Mich 19.58 3.51 45.905
28 Baylor 19.5 3.51 45.825
29 Louisi 19.1 3.56 45.8
30 UOP 20.5 3.37 45.775
31 Case 19.36 3.5 45.61
32 Missou 18.3 3.64 45.6
33 Nevada 19.27 3.51 45.595
34 Mercy 19 3.54 45.55
35 Creight 18.92 3.53 45.395
36 Ohio 18.98 3.52 45.38
37 UMDNJ 19.28 3.47 45.305
38 Georgia 19 3.5 45.25
39 Illinois 19.3 3.45 45.175
40 Ind 18.72 3.52 45.12
41 Kentuc 18.44 3.52 44.84
42 Louisv 18 3.57 44.775
43 Marque 18.44 3.5 44.69
44 Miss 17.4 3.63 44.625
45 Tufts 19 3.41 44.575
46 W. Va 18 3.54 44.55
47 Arizona 18.59 3.46 44.54
48 Loma L 20 3.27 44.525
49 Boston 20 3.23 44.225
50 Virgin 19 3.36 44.2
51 Tenn 18 3.45 43.875
52 Temple 18.8 3.33 43.775
53 NYU 19.06 3.29 43.735
54 PR 15 3.45 40.875
55 Howard 17 3.09 40.175
56 Meharry 16 3.1 39.25

 

[KOM]

Yeah, but a bit closer in my mind.

I think a 30 DAT score isn't equivalent to a 4.0 GPA. When I took the test and scored a 23 in Bio that was 99.6 percentile. I'm guessing a 24 or 25 AA would be practically 100 percentile for all intents and purposes.

Maybe you could scale it so a 24 or 25 DAT is equivalent to a 4.0. In which case you could do DAT + GPA (24/4) or DAT + (6)(GPA).

 

[DDSY]

Some of the very few highest DAT scores I've seen have been AA=25. Therefore I'll set that as essentially the equivalent of a 4.0. This also takes into account that the DAT is better at comparing the academic qualif. of different applicants (ie some schools, majors are easier than others)

DAT + GPA(25/4)

1 Harvard 24.4 3.77 47.9625
2 UCLA 22 3.65 44.8125
3 SUNYsb 21 3.71 44.1875
4 Penn 21 3.68 44
5 Colum 22.16 3.49 43.9725
6 UCSF 20.6 3.61 43.1625
7 Colo. 19.6 3.71 42.7875
8 Washing 21.22 3.45 42.7825
9 UT-SA 19 3.74 42.375
10 Conn 20 3.57 42.3125
11 Neb 18.6 3.78 42.225
12 N Carol 19.7 3.6 42.2
13 Oklah 19.51 3.63 42.1975
14 Iowa 19 3.7 42.125
15 Minn 19.4 3.63 42.0875
16 Pitt 19.83 3.54 41.955
17 Oregon 19.55 3.58 41.925
18 Maryl 20 3.5 41.875
19 S Illin 19 3.64 41.75
20 S Carol 19.3 3.59 41.7375
21 USC 20 3.47 41.6875
22 SUNYb 19.35 3.57 41.6625
23 UT-Hou 19.19 3.59 41.6275
24 Alabama 19.2 3.58 41.575
25 UOP 20.5 3.37 41.5625
26 Mich 19.58 3.51 41.5175
27 Florida 19 3.6 41.5
28 NOVA 19 3.6 41.5
29 Baylor 19.5 3.51 41.4375
30 Louisi 19.1 3.56 41.35
31 Case 19.36 3.5 41.235
32 Nevada 19.27 3.51 41.2075
33 Mercy 19 3.54 41.125
34 Missou 18.3 3.64 41.05
35 Creight 18.92 3.53 40.9825
36 Ohio 18.98 3.52 40.98
37 UMDNJ 19.28 3.47 40.9675
38 Georgia 19 3.5 40.875
39 Illinois 19.3 3.45 40.8625
40 Ind 18.72 3.52 40.72
41 Kentuc 18.44 3.52 40.44
42 Loma L 20 3.27 40.4375
43 Marque 18.44 3.5 40.315
44 Louisv 18 3.57 40.3125
45 Tufts 19 3.41 40.3125
46 Arizona 18.59 3.46 40.215
47 Boston 20 3.23 40.1875
48 W. Va 18 3.54 40.125
49 Miss 17.4 3.63 40.0875
50 Virgin 19 3.36 40
51 NYU 19.06 3.29 39.6225
52 Temple 18.8 3.33 39.6125
53 Tenn 18 3.45 39.5625
54 PR 15 3.45 36.5625
55 Howard 17 3.09 36.3125
56 Meharry 16 3.1 35.375

 

[Sprgrover]

Interesting!

 

[smile25]

The DAT and GPA lists rank the students going into the schools. Board scores would seem a more fair and accurate indicator of the quality education the schools produce.

I can imagine some good arguments for why incoming GPAs and DATs might correlate to board scores; they'd be interesting to compare side by side though.

 

[DDSY]

Unfortunately, there is no available list of board scores.

 

[armorshell]

The DAT and GPA lists rank the students going into the schools. Board scores would seem a more fair and accurate indicator of the quality education the schools produce.

I can imagine some good arguments for why incoming GPAs and DATs might correlate to board scores; they'd be interesting to compare side by side though.

Actually, if we had both pieces of information in hand (Entering GPA/DAT and board score performance) we could probably develop some sort of "correction factor" for selection bias and make an index of how well each individual school prepares it's students for the boards.

However, that would a de facto ranking, and dental schools have tried so hard for years to make that not happen. This is probably one of the reasons it's so hard to get schools to cough up their board scores.

 

[DDSY]

The last list definitely comes closer to emulating the list below (for medical schools):

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/med/brief/mdrrank_brief.php

The exception is that dental students are more "cost-conscious", therefore a lot of state schools are ranked relatively higher.

Of course, as the other posters correctly mentioned, it is interesting to see how schools perform on the boards relative to the type of students they have.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Board scores would seem a more fair and accurate indicator of the quality education the schools produce.

Board scores have little to do with quality of education, and as an even bigger point, education has little to do with board scores.

 

[jmick101]

The DAT and GPA lists rank the students going into the schools. Board scores would seem a more fair and accurate indicator of the quality education the schools produce.

I can imagine some good arguments for why incoming GPAs and DATs might correlate to board scores; they'd be interesting to compare side by side though.

Actually, some Harvard researcher did a comparison between board scores and DAT scores. One interesting relationship that they found was that Reading Comprehension translated to high overall scores. http://www.jdentaled.org/cgi/content/abstract/70/3/258

 

[armorshell]

Actually, some Harvard researcher did a comparison between board scores and DAT scores. One interesting relationship that they found was that Reading Comprehension translated to high overall scores. http://www.jdentaled.org/cgi/content/abstract/70/3/258

This bodes well

 

[burgler09]

This should be made a sticky so there are no more "What is the ranking of this Dental School" thread.

 

[burgler09]

I didn't mean to take it as a ranking but it definitely gives more insight on the students who ask "what are my chances". The post the user made is great starting grounds for picking out which school you want to apply to on terms of gpa standing. On top of that most people actually asking the question of what is the best dental school, will be satisfied by the table above. Most of the people asking that most likely don't care about their education and simply want to say their school is highly ranked.

 

[DDSY]

As for the other lists on this thread, I wouldn't pay attention to them. There is no scientific / statistical basis behind them. For those of you who came up with the formula, you obviously are not applying to one of the schools that require statistics because if you had taken a statisctics class, you'd know you can't just compromise on a formula like you did and consider it relevant.

I don't disagree with you that the stats given for each individual schools should not necessarily be used as a means for ranking dental schools. Each school is unique and each individual has unique needs and wants that they would need to explore to determine their #1 school.

As I've mentioned before, the lists I helped to create are by no means reliable/accurate. And they are simply a very rough estimation of the competitiveness of the applicants GPA/DATwise. They ARE NOT rankings of the quality of education provided by the school. . . You are right that sense. However, your comment about people who recommended/made the list not having taken statistics is completely unnecessary.

 

[trann]

Some of the very few highest DAT scores I've seen have been AA=25. Therefore I'll set that as essentially the equivalent of a 4.0. This also takes into account that the DAT is better at comparing the academic qualif. of different applicants (ie some schools, majors are easier than others)

DAT + GPA(25/4)

1 Harvard 24.4 3.77 47.9625
2 UCLA 22 3.65 44.8125
3 SUNYsb 21 3.71 44.1875
4 Penn 21 3.68 44
5 Colum 22.16 3.49 43.9725
6 UCSF 20.6 3.61 43.1625
7 Colo. 19.6 3.71 42.7875
8 Washing 21.22 3.45 42.7825
9 UT-SA 19 3.74 42.375
10 Conn 20 3.57 42.3125
11 Neb 18.6 3.78 42.225
12 N Carol 19.7 3.6 42.2
13 Oklah 19.51 3.63 42.1975
14 Iowa 19 3.7 42.125
15 Minn 19.4 3.63 42.0875
16 Pitt 19.83 3.54 41.955
17 Oregon 19.55 3.58 41.925
18 Maryl 20 3.5 41.875
19 S Illin 19 3.64 41.75
20 S Carol 19.3 3.59 41.7375
21 USC 20 3.47 41.6875
22 SUNYb 19.35 3.57 41.6625
23 UT-Hou 19.19 3.59 41.6275
24 Alabama 19.2 3.58 41.575
25 UOP 20.5 3.37 41.5625
26 Mich 19.58 3.51 41.5175
27 Florida 19 3.6 41.5
28 NOVA 19 3.6 41.5
29 Baylor 19.5 3.51 41.4375
30 Louisi 19.1 3.56 41.35
31 Case 19.36 3.5 41.235
32 Nevada 19.27 3.51 41.2075
33 Mercy 19 3.54 41.125
34 Missou 18.3 3.64 41.05
35 Creight 18.92 3.53 40.9825
36 Ohio 18.98 3.52 40.98
37 UMDNJ 19.28 3.47 40.9675
38 Georgia 19 3.5 40.875
39 Illinois 19.3 3.45 40.8625
40 Ind 18.72 3.52 40.72
41 Kentuc 18.44 3.52 40.44
42 Loma L 20 3.27 40.4375
43 Marque 18.44 3.5 40.315
44 Louisv 18 3.57 40.3125
45 Tufts 19 3.41 40.3125
46 Arizona 18.59 3.46 40.215
47 Boston 20 3.23 40.1875
48 W. Va 18 3.54 40.125
49 Miss 17.4 3.63 40.0875
50 Virgin 19 3.36 40
51 NYU 19.06 3.29 39.6225
52 Temple 18.8 3.33 39.6125
53 Tenn 18 3.45 39.5625
54 PR 15 3.45 36.5625
55 Howard 17 3.09 36.3125
56 Meharry 16 3.1 35.375

do you mind explaining to me what the numbers on the last column stand for?? also, the GPA's that u listed there is the average overall GPA of the entering class, right??

ps: did you get the statistics above from the individual school? (and it's the most recent one, correct?) thanks a bunch!

 

[DDSY]

do you mind explaining to me what the numbers on the last column stand for?? also, the GPA's that u listed there is the average overall GPA of the entering class, right??

ps: did you get the statistics above from the individual school? (and it's the most recent one, correct?) thanks a bunch!

First column consists of average DAT scores, second average GPA and the third is just the results of a "devised formula" to calculate the overall difficulty of getting into a specific dental school (DAT+GPA*25/4).

 

[armorshell]

The list of schools (provided by Doc Toothache and the ADEA) and where they fall as far as the average acceptance scores goes in comparison to other schools cannot be considered as a tool for ranking schools. The only thing it measures is that some schools have higher selection criteria than others. It says absolutely nothing about the quality of education that is provided. Maybe the thread should be sticky'ed as "Schools and Their Average Acceptance Scores" or something similar, but by no means a means of ranking the schools.

As for the other lists on this thread, I wouldn't pay attention to them. There is no scientific / statistical basis behind them. For those of you who came up with the formula, you obviously are not applying to one of the schools that require statistics because if you had taken a statisctics class, you'd know you can't just compromise on a formula like you did and consider it relevant.

Someone obviously decided to glaze over the portions of the posts that say: "This is not really representing anything of statistical or scientific value" that several people posted.

Guess you didn't apply to any of the dental schools that require reading classes lol omg.

 

[KOM]

As for the other lists on this thread, I wouldn't pay attention to them. There is no scientific / statistical basis behind them. For those of you who came up with the formula, you obviously are not applying to one of the schools that require statistics because if you had taken a statisctics class, you'd know you can't just compromise on a formula like you did and consider it relevant.

Let me guess...your school is at the bottom of the list. Ha.

We know that buddy; we're just playing with numbers...as we've all read the hundreds of threads discussing why there is no official ranking that governs the quality of education, etc. etc. etc.

 

[t man]

Well I was working under the assumption that this was THE definitive ranking of dental schools... now I don't know WHAT to think...

 

[Jaybe]

How about the obvious confounding variable that GPA is in no way comparable between colleges/universities or even between applicants from the same college/university who took different courses/majors? In other words, some colleges are hard, and some are easy. Also, some degree majors are hard, others are easy.

Think about that for just a second and you will realize that a 0.2 difference in average entering GPA between 2 dental schools really has no relevance or impact on any specific applicant's chance of gaining admission to one of the two schools.

This list is ridiculous. But thanks for spending 4,000 hours compiling it.

 

[doc toothache]

How about the obvious confounding variable that GPA is in no way comparable between colleges/universities or even between applicants from the same college/university who took different courses/majors? In other words, some colleges are hard, and some are easy. Also, some degree majors are hard, others are easy.

Think about that for just a second and you will realize that a 0.2 difference in average entering GPA between 2 dental schools really has no relevance or impact on any specific applicant's chance of gaining admission to one of the two schools.

This list is ridiculous. But thanks for spending 4,000 hours compiling it.

You are probably right; 4,000 hours might be a bit excessive. Some of us enjoy bending wires, while others enjoy working with numbers. More importantly, seeing the frenzy after pushing the "ranking" button .....priceless!

Whether or not a 0.2 difference in GPA between two schools has any relevance on any applicant's chance of admission may be debatable. What is not debatable is that most schools are clustered within very narrow range around the mean. There are 34 school with overall GPA and 33 with sci GPA that fall within the 0.2 point range.

 

[ucla2134]

How about the obvious confounding variable that GPA is in no way comparable between colleges/universities or even between applicants from the same college/university who took different courses/majors? In other words, some colleges are hard, and some are easy. Also, some degree majors are hard, others are easy.

Think about that for just a second and you will realize that a 0.2 difference in average entering GPA between 2 dental schools really has no relevance or impact on any specific applicant's chance of gaining admission to one of the two schools.

This list is ridiculous. But thanks for spending 4,000 hours compiling it.

 

[t man]

How about the obvious confounding variable that GPA is in no way comparable between colleges/universities or even between applicants from the same college/university who took different courses/majors? In other words, some colleges are hard, and some are easy. Also, some degree majors are hard, others are easy.

Think about that for just a second and you will realize that a 0.2 difference in average entering GPA between 2 dental schools really has no relevance or impact on any specific applicant's chance of gaining admission to one of the two schools.

This list is ridiculous. But thanks for spending 4,000 hours compiling it.

So, are you criticizing the list, or the fact that schools release average GPA for incoming students in the first place?

Do people from "hard" schools and majors only go to certain dental schools?

What are you talking about?

 

[DDSY]

Not to mention that many schools give more weighting to non-DAT non-GPA tangibles. Most likely these become apparent through the interview or from extracurriculars. Some schools even make it a point to recruit a large number of students from more competitive colleges. I know at least one school with low average GPA that does this.

You are probably right; 4,000 hours might be a bit excessive. Some of us enjoy bending wires, while others enjoy working with numbers. More importantly, seeing the frenzy after pushing the "ranking" button .....priceless!

Whether or not a 0.2 difference in GPA between two schools has any relevance on any applicant's chance of admission may be debatable. What is not debatable is that most schools are clustered within very narrow range around the mean. There are 34 school with overall GPA and 33 with sci GPA that fall within the 0.2 point range.

 

[toothpaste2006]

thanks for the wonderful listing.. goodjob!
MOST IMPORTANT POINT here: are the GPAs calculated with or without +/- grading system.... aadsas calculated my GPA with and without and there is SIGNIFICANT difference about 0.30...thats a lot! my school uses a +/- system and aadsas really screwed me up... any advice...

So is the post with the GPAs ..with or without the +/- system... A+=4.33 on the +/- system but it only equals a 4.0 on the one without +/- system.

thanks

 

[doc toothache]

I'd be interested in the results after recalculation by either scaling down the DAT to be equivalent to the same pt total as GPA (or scaling up the GPA) to get them to represent 50/50 of the overall score.
.

How about DAT + GPA (30/4)? This will ensure that GPA and DAT will have 50/50 weighting. However, this is by no means an accurate/reliable gauge of a school's ability to attract quality (academically speaking) candidates.

The composite score obtained by addition of GPAs and DATs scores was not meant to be a definite answer to the a possible ranking based on academic achievement. It was included simply to call attention to the fact that there is a disparity between schools in degree of importance placed on GPA and DAT scores. It was also intended to stimulate the applicant to do his/her own calculation in determining the chances for admission, as you have done. In terms of what is more accurate/reliable gauge is an open question since we do not have the information available to make such an assessment. As we view the ranking, however, it does appear that some schools place more emphasis on the DAT than on the GPA scores (Loma Linda, Boston U). And perhaps, others place more emphasis on the GPA score (Neb ?) than DAT scores. One school with clear indication on how DAT and GPA are weighed is UTSA (UTHSCSA), which uses the formula shown below.

The Management Score (total possible=1000)

[Science GPA x DAT-A/30 x4 + Overall GPA] x50= Overall Score

From the formula, it appears that PA scores are not even taken into account.
Since the sci GPA is essentially multiplied by 1, the ratio of science GPA to DAT is 4 to 1. The sci GPA/DAT to the overall GPA in turn becomes a 4:1 ratio. Clearly the sci GPA is rated as highest in importance, followed by DAT-A, and lastly by overall GPA.

http://dental.uthscsa.edu/admisssions/ddsgeninfo.html