Acceptance into UNC

[zehl3]

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Every time I mention UNC dental school people talk about how "impossible" it is to gain acceptance out of state. I understand that all dental schools are extremely hard to get into out of state but is UNC any different? Is it exceptionally harder to get into UNC out of state as opposed to other schools? I've heard the same for Ohio State as well. Someone set me straight.

 

[ECUpirate19]

I live in North Carolina and I have heard that they are very selective about who they accept out of state. I know for fact that if you live in state and have a decent GPA and good DAT score you have a good chance at getting an interview. I think alot of why UNC is harsh on out of state residents is because North Carolina has a very low number of dentists and they are trying to increase their numbers so by taking in state students it increases the chances that they will stay in NC and bring better dental care here. Hope that helps

 

[MoLLy1988]

I live in North Carolina and I have heard that they are very selective about who they accept out of state. I know for fact that if you live in state and have a decent GPA and good DAT score you have a good chance at getting an interview. I think alot of why UNC is harsh on out of state residents is because North Carolina has a very low number of dentists and they are trying to increase their numbers so by taking in state students it increases the chances that they will stay in NC and bring better dental care here. Hope that helps

He's right, here in North Carolina we have shortage of dentists. So much, that they even built a 2nd dental school to enroll their first class in fall 2011. So I believe they are focusing on in-state because they want their dentists to stay in-state. Well, either way I think they will be less selective when the new dental school opens and I read they will increase their number of seats from 81 students to 100 students(at UNC), because they are working together with the new dental school to increase the number of dentists. So depending on when you want to enroll I think it won't be as harsh if your planning to apply in the 2010 cycle.

Hey ECUpirate19, I'm guessing by your screen name you go to ECU? Are you going to be applying to the new dental school there? I'm planning to apply in 2010 to both schools UNC , ECU( I hope ECU doesn't delay it longer.)

 

[ECUpirate19]

Yes I do plan to apply to UNC and ECU in 2010 for fall 2011. you also guessed right I am a pirate Arghhhhhhhhhhh. are you going to school in NC?

 

[Carolina06]

I can actually speak to this from a somewhat informed manner, as I listened to Drs. Wilder and Morano from Carolina speak a few nights ago.

They receive roughly 1200 AADSAS applications a year for 81 current spots (to be increased to 100 with the new dental building in 2011). Of those 1200, around 850 complete the supplemental app. Out of that, about half are in-state applicants. They grant 256 interviews - Sept, Oct, Nov, Jan, with two acceptance dates - Dec and Jan. Of the 256 interviews they grant, around 170 or so are in-state.

In-state ACCEPTED, average GPA = 3.5, DAT = 19, Interview Score out of 9 = 8.9
Out-of-state ACCEPTED, average GPA = 3.7, DAT = 22, Interview Score out of 9 = 9

For in-state the ratio of completed applications to accepted applicants is 3.7:1
For out-of-state the ratio of completed applications to accepted applicants is around 10:1

There isn't a hard and fast rule, but 85% roughly matriculate from in-state.

 

[Carolina06]

He's right, here in North Carolina we have shortage of dentists. So much, that they even built a 2nd dental school to enroll their first class in fall 2011. So I believe they are focusing on in-state because they want their dentists to stay in-state.

NC, 4.4 dentists per 10,000 population.
National average, 6 dentists per 10,000 population.

NC is approaching 10MM residents. The dean's charge at UNC makes mention of enrolling applicants who plan to serve the State of North Carolina.

My money is that ECU will enroll 100% in-state when they open with heavy incentives to serve rural and underserved areas. This is the way their medical school operates - 100% in-state. Four NC counties currently lack dentists and five counties have only 1 dentist who's within 5-10 years of retirement. ECU will have 50 chairs for their first class. ECU will be systems based learning with a focus on rotations at 10 distance learning dental clinics in rural/underserved areas owned by ECU and the State of NC. An AEGD will supervise each location.

 

[ldm0208]

I can actually speak to this from a somewhat informed manner, as I listened to Drs. Wilder and Morano from Carolina speak a few nights ago.

They receive roughly 1200 AADSAS applications a year for 81 current spots (to be increased to 100 with the new dental building in 2011). Of those 1200, around 850 complete the supplemental app. Out of that, about half are in-state applicants. They grant 256 interviews - Sept, Oct, Nov, Jan, with two acceptance dates - Dec and Jan. Of the 256 interviews they grant, around 170 or so are in-state.

In-state, average GPA = 3.5, DAT = 19, Interview Score out of 9 = 8.9
Out-of-state, average GPA = 3.7, DAT = 22, Interview Score out of 9 = 9

For in-state the ratio of completed applications to accepted applicants is 3.7:1
For out-of-state the ratio of completed applications to accepted applicants is around 10:1

There isn't a hard and fast rule, but 85% roughly matriculate from in-state.

man...wow you've done some work, haven't ya..👍
just wanted to fix a minor thing.

they hold the committee meeting on Wednesdays of the first week in Dec & Feb. and give out the acceptance calls next morning(Thursday) around 8~11am.

I also think you are right about ecu-100% instate just like ecu-som.


I never knew the maximum pt of the interview was 9. UNC interview is laid back Even tho the interview takes up 40%. So it seems unless you screw it real bad, they are pretty generous about grading it based on the avg from carolina06.

 

[Carolina06]

man...wow you've done some work, haven't ya..👍
just wanted to fix a minor thing.

they hold the committee meeting on Wednesdays of the first week in Dec & Feb. and give out the acceptance calls next morning(Thursday) around 8~11am.

I also think you are right about ecu-100% instate just like ecu-som.


I never knew the maximum pt of the interview was 9. UNC interview is laid back Even tho the interview takes up 40%. So it seems unless you screw it real bad, they are pretty generous about grading it based on the avg from carolina06.

The specific dates as mentioned by Dr. Wilder:

Interviews, 2009/2010:
September 19, 2009
October 24, 2009
November 11, 2009
January 09, 2010

Selection dates, 2009/2010:
December 2, 2009
January 27, 2010

And yes, the break-down is 30% GPA, 30% DAT, 40% Interview.

 

[Carolina06]

Please note, if I could remember organic chemistry mechanisms like I can random numbers from a 45 minute speech, I wouldn't be stressed right now.

 

[ldm0208]

The specific dates as mentioned by Dr. Wilder:

Interviews, 2009/2010:
September 19, 2009
October 24, 2009
November 11, 2009
January 09, 2010

Selection dates, 2009/2010:
December 2, 2009
January 27, 2009

And yes, the break-down is 30% GPA, 30% DAT, 40% Interview.

so, maybe the selection dates are the dates they hold the meeting, which are still Wednesdays. I would say they might still make calls next moring.

I guess then for 09/10 cycle they hold the second meeting on W of the last week of Jan, which is a week earlier than 08/09 cycle, which is better for you guys bc you know the waiting is the hardest part.. GL y'll~

 

[MoLLy1988]

Yes I do plan to apply to UNC and ECU in 2010 for fall 2011. you also guessed right I am a pirate Arghhhhhhhhhhh. are you going to school in NC?

Yes, I'm in school in NC, I'm attending the local CC (Lexington, NC) don't know if you've heard of this lame town..lol, and I will be transferring in the spring. My advisor is telling me to transfer to ECU actually. I'm highly considering it. I was really tempted with going to NC State, but now with ECU and the New Dental School, it's a tough decision to make. I'm definately applying to ECU though. I also want to apply to both dental schools in 2010, so I'm going to have to bust out the 2 remaining years worth of university coursework in 1.5years(including the summer) If I want to graduate by Spring 2011. are there a lot of predents at ECU? 😀

 

[Carolina06]

Yes, I'm in school in NC, I'm attending the local CC (Lexington, NC) don't know if you've heard of this lame town..lol, and I will be transferring in the spring. My advisor is telling me to transfer to ECU actually. I'm highly considering it. I was really tempted with going to NC State, but now with ECU and the New Dental School, it's a tough decision to make. I'm definately applying to ECU though. I also want to apply to both dental schools in 2010, so I'm going to have to bust out the 2 remaining years worth of university coursework in 1.5years(including the summer) If I want to graduate by Spring 2011. are there a lot of predents at ECU? 😀

Lexington, NC, where barbecue goes to get smothered in ketchup and die.👎 At least at ECU you can get some real 'cue from B's. 👍

As a Carolina grad taking post-bacc at UNCW, I've been impressed with the science faculty, FWIW, in your transfer considerations.

Wilder gave some breakdown that I don't remember as well from the past 8 years maybe - something like 236 from UNC, 120ish (likely off on that) from NCSU, a surprisingly large number from Brigham Young (maybe in the 60s 😱 - curious how many are NC natives who are Mormon), and then 17 for UNCW and 16 for ECU. The bottom line was don't get caught up in raw numbers - you have to look at percentages.

Actual numbers I have from a handout for this class pf 2012 from NC institutions:
UNC: 26
NCST: 19
ECU: 3
UNCW: 3
Charlotte: 2
Pembroke: 2
dook: 2
Only 1: App State, Davidson, Guilford, Lenoir-Rhyne, NC A&T, Pfeiffer, Wake

 

[ECUMuscle]

Yes, I'm in school in NC, I'm attending the local CC (Lexington, NC) don't know if you've heard of this lame town..lol, and I will be transferring in the spring. My advisor is telling me to transfer to ECU actually. I'm highly considering it. I was really tempted with going to NC State, but now with ECU and the New Dental School, it's a tough decision to make. I'm definately applying to ECU though. I also want to apply to both dental schools in 2010, so I'm going to have to bust out the 2 remaining years worth of university coursework in 1.5years(including the summer) If I want to graduate by Spring 2011. are there a lot of predents at ECU? 😀

The way you have to think of it right now is that there is not a dental school at ECU, and might not be on the projected date of 2011 (my gut feeling is 2012). So just letting you, try not to base your decision with ECU's dental being here when you apply. Just a word from the wise. When asking the Dean of the dental school regarding the start date, his answer was not very positive. Financially we're ok, but it mainly depends upon hiring the faculty, and they're not going to rush anything with building. In addition, the state of the economy needs to be put into perspective as well.
As a current grad student, I will say this for ECU, however. They have an excellent science dept, and if you put in the hard work, you'll get accepted to dental school. The reason there is such a low number matriculating to UNC dental school is due to the fact that a large majority of science majors go to medical school. If you want to go to State, then I would go that route. By the look of the matriculating numbers, they have a history of putting a large number of pre-dents into UNC. So there is pretty good credibility there. Just my $0.02. Good luck.

 

[vlct0ria]

Man....I had UNC as my third choice (after my state schools). Maybe they'll let me in if I promise to stay in NC? 😀

 

[MoLLy1988]

Lexington, NC, where barbecue goes to get smothered in ketchup and die.👎 At least at ECU you can get some real 'cue from B's. 👍

LMAO...Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so, Can you believe they actually put it on the discovery channel for the world best BBQ???😕 anywho, your information is very useful. You have done some work!👍

Back to the OP, okay maybe UNC is a little harder to get into for out-of-state applicants, but don't let that discourage you! If you have the drive to do it, you can do it! You can be one of those of the small percentage of out-of-state who get in. You just need to figure out how...You need to stand out! What can you do that will set you apart from all of the other applicants? Obviously everyone will have shadowed dentist for who know how many hours,but don't just limit yourself to that and good grades and joining organizations at your college you should do some of those things and add community service. Get involved with other things that help the community, like can food drives, tutoring disadvantaged children, going to one of the high schools where the students are disadvantaged(low-income/not going to college) to motivate them. Just a few ideas, remember dentistry is a field of helping the community, you can help the community before becoming a dentist and that will show your committment to the community to ADCOM. Do not let something like percentages discourage you from applying to UNC or OHIO if it's somewhere you really want to go. Remember be unique and you may one of those out-of-state acceptances. 😉

 

[PSU SHC 414]

I can actually speak to this from a somewhat informed manner, as I listened to Drs. Wilder and Morano from Carolina speak a few nights ago.

They receive roughly 1200 AADSAS applications a year for 81 current spots (to be increased to 100 with the new dental building in 2011). Of those 1200, around 850 complete the supplemental app. Out of that, about half are in-state applicants. They grant 256 interviews - Sept, Oct, Nov, Jan, with two acceptance dates - Dec and Jan. Of the 256 interviews they grant, around 170 or so are in-state.

In-state ACCEPTED, average GPA = 3.5, DAT = 19, Interview Score out of 9 = 8.9
Out-of-state ACCEPTED, average GPA = 3.7, DAT = 22, Interview Score out of 9 = 9

For in-state the ratio of completed applications to accepted applicants is 3.7:1
For out-of-state the ratio of completed applications to accepted applicants is around 10:1

There isn't a hard and fast rule, but 85% roughly matriculate from in-state.

Wow, nice work here, Carolina06! 👍 These numbers make me even more proud to be a soon-to-be (out-of-state) UNCer 😀.

I don't think it's any secret that you have to have strong numbers to get into UNC from out-of-state - your numbers are what get you to the interview.

But I think what distinguishes UNC from other schools with tough admissions criteria is that they weigh the interview so heavily - 40% of your entire app. (In contrast to say, Columbia, where they are all about high DAT scores... as long as you're not a complete assh*le and you don't have the personality of a tree, you should get in). So despite how impressive your numbers might be, if you don't have strong personality attributes to back them up, as far as UNC is concerned, you're dead in the water.

This gives me confidence that the people in my class will not only be intelligent/talented, but that they'll be good (and hopefully interesting) people that I'd want to be friends with.

Plus, my fiance and I were just down a few weeks ago to do apartment-hunting, and holy crap the food is amazing down there!!

 

[PSU SHC 414]

Man....I had UNC as my third choice (after my state schools). Maybe they'll let me in if I promise to stay in NC? 😀

Crush the DAT, and you won't have to promise them anything 😉. Good luck!

 

[enfuego]

Man....I had UNC as my third choice (after my state schools). Maybe they'll let me in if I promise to stay in NC? 😀

I know! I'm from the South and I want to move back there to settle down. As much as I have enjoyed the North, it is not for me. I'd love to live in NC too. My GPA isn't high enough, though 🙁

 

[Carolina06]

Wow, nice work here, Carolina06! 👍 These numbers make me even more proud to be a soon-to-be (out-of-state) UNCer 😀.

I don't think it's any secret that you have to have strong numbers to get into UNC from out-of-state - your numbers are what get you to the interview.

But I think what distinguishes UNC from other schools with tough admissions criteria is that they weigh the interview so heavily - 40% of your entire app. (In contrast to say, Columbia, where they are all about high DAT scores... as long as you're not a complete assh*le and you don't have the personality of a tree, you should get in). So despite how impressive your numbers might be, if you don't have strong personality attributes to back them up, as far as UNC is concerned, you're dead in the water.

This gives me confidence that the people in my class will not only be intelligent/talented, but that they'll be good (and hopefully interesting) people that I'd want to be friends with.

Plus, my fiance and I were just down a few weeks ago to do apartment-hunting, and holy crap the food is amazing down there!!

Congrats on your acceptance. The folks I've met from the UNC SOD are great people, as I've said many times here. If you have any questions about locations, apartments, restaurants, etc, shoot me a PM. I love Chapel Hill. Just learn to hate all things red (NC State - there will be a lot of them in your class) and dark, evil dook blue (the only redeeming thing about Durham is its restaurants), and you'll be fine.

And yes, the Triangle is one of the best dining spots in the country. Be sure to check out the Carrboro Farmer's Market on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings - one of the best markets I've been to for a small town.

Edit to ask: I checked your Predents... Why Carolina over Penn, Columbia, Pitt, and Maryland?

 

[PSU SHC 414]

Congrats on your acceptance. The folks I've met from the UNC SOD are great people, as I've said many times here. If you have any questions about locations, apartments, restaurants, etc, shoot me a PM. I love Chapel Hill. Just learn to hate all things red (NC State - there will be a lot of them in your class) and dark, evil dook blue (the only redeeming thing about Durham is its restaurants), and you'll be fine.

And yes, the Triangle is one of the best dining spots in the country. Be sure to check out the Carrboro Farmer's Market on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings - one of the best markets I've been to for a small town.

Edit to ask: I checked your Predents... Why Carolina over Penn, Columbia, Pitt, and Maryland?

Thanks!. Hahaha... it's funny cuz my sister went to Duke undergrad, and she bought me a few Duke t-shirts... looks like I'll be burning those 😀. I'll def hit you up with any questions - thanks for the offer!

So to your question... I'll comment about each of the other schools; maybe it'll help out other pre-dents who are in the process of applying...

- Penn was too expensive. I told Corky that without the Dean's scholarship, I couldn't justify the cost of attendance there despite the increased chances for specializing or the "connections" you get as a Penn alumni. Plus, they'll supposedly be renovating the main clinic(s) just as the C/O 2013 starts clinical work, and the main clinic is already chaotic now (from what I saw when I shadowed a D4 for the day)... didn't want to risk dishing out all that money to have to deal with craziness in the clinic. On top of that they just got a new Dean - every dentist I've talked to has told me to avoid (like the plague) any school that's going through significant administration/faculty changes or renovations. Finally... the "dungeon" was depressing.

- Columbia: Expensive, and I wasn't feeling the Washington Heights area of NYC at all. Also, the D school didn't even have its own dedicated building... they had several floors of a medical building/hospital, and it just really felt like the dental program there was completely secondary (almost like an afterthought) of the med program. And, there's definitely truth to their notorious reputation for providing students with sub-par clinical training. On the interview day, Dr. MacManus flat out said "Don't come here if you want to be a general dentist..."; most of the D4s I talked to that day confirmed this. At this point, I'm not sure what I want to do one way or another, but that was just a big red flag to me!

- Pitt: Grew up in Pittsburgh so I wasn't crazy about spending another 4+ years there (I've never liked Oakland). And I just wasn't all that impressed by the school. One of my roommates from undergrad is a D3 there now and he said that the faculty there don't really seem to have a sincere or vested interest in helping you to succeed. He flat out said "Go to UNC..."

- Maryland: This was a really really tough decision btw Maryland and UNC. The programs are virtually identical in so many aspects. Not only are the technology & facilities at UMB amazing, but I really felt like the faculty were awesome too. I had the chance to make a second visit to the school after I was accepted and got to speak one-on-one with some faculty and to shadow some students - they were all great. Dr. Meehan was awesome throughout the whole process and was SO accomodating... I actually felt really bad telling her that I had decided not to attend. They even offered a small scholarship (that's all I'm willing to disclose out of respect for them), but in the end, I just couldn't see myself (or my fiance) being happy in Baltimore for 4 years.


Everything about UNC felt right to me when I interviewed there. I liked the location, class size, well-roundedness of the program, and facilities. Also, nearly every dentist I've talked to up here in "the north" has said, in one way or another, that they think UNC has one of the best programs in the nation... I think that says a lot coming from guys that were all trained at schools in the northeast and who have no affiliation whatsoever with UNC.

Sorry for the long reply (my writing is always long-winded 😉). Hope this helps!

 

[thebozz1975]

Everything about UNC felt right to me when I interviewed there. I liked the location, class size, well-roundedness of the program, and facilities. Also, nearly every dentist I've talked to up here in "the north" has said, in one way or another, that they think UNC has one of the best programs in the nation... I think that says a lot coming from guys that were all trained at schools in the northeast and who have no affiliation whatsoever with UNC.

I actually had a different response to UNC. I was a Duke grad and was interested in going back to the area. I was all about UNC dental until I interviewed there (I'm out of state). I withdrew my app after getting bad vibes from some of the faculty. UNC is a good school, but not what it used to be. And the RTP area had gone downhill also since the late 90s/early 2000s when I attended Duke. It's still a solid program, but I wouldn't consider it in the top 10, especially for clinical expertise. I agree with your comments on Penn. I turned down a Dean's Scholarship from them. I'm heading out West!

 

[Carolina06]

I actually had a different response to UNC. I was a Duke grad and was interested in going back to the area. I was all about UNC dental until I interviewed there (I'm out of state). I withdrew my app after getting bad vibes from some of the faculty. UNC is a good school, but not what it used to be. And the RTP area had gone downhill also since the late 90s/early 2000s when I attended Duke. It's still a solid program, but I wouldn't consider it in the top 10, especially for clinical expertise. I agree with your comments on Penn. I turned down a Dean's Scholarship from them. I'm heading out West!

This is why you never trust a dookie. 😀 Seriously, though, it would be helpful for those of us trying to distill information from all the dental schools and make a choice if people would qualify thier criticisms. I'm clearly biased towards UNC for many reasons - my dad and I both graduated from there and are huge Carolina sports fans, and I know a ton of top-notch generalists and surgeons who are Carolina products.

So I ask you, how is UNC not as good as it used to be? What sort of bad vibes did you get from the faculty? Why do you think RTP has declined since you were in Durham? What schools would you rank ahead of UNC clinically and why?

I'm not asking this to be a jerk. I really would like to hear some whys on the negatives, as I haven't really heard any negatives about Carolina from anyone in NC, including graduates of many other schools who choose to practice in NC.

Thanks.

 

[Carolina06]

Sorry for the long reply (my writing is always long-winded 😉). Hope this helps!

Good stuff 👍

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question.

 

[thebozz1975]

This is why you never trust a dookie. 😀 Seriously, though, it would be helpful for those of us trying to distill information from all the dental schools and make a choice if people would qualify thier criticisms. I'm clearly biased towards UNC for many reasons - my dad and I both graduated from there and are huge Carolina sports fans, and I know a ton of top-notch generalists and surgeons who are Carolina products.

So I ask you, how is UNC not as good as it used to be? What sort of bad vibes did you get from the faculty? Why do you think RTP has declined since you were in Durham? What schools would you rank ahead of UNC clinically and why?

I'm not asking this to be a jerk. I really would like to hear some whys on the negatives, as I haven't really heard any negatives about Carolina from anyone in NC, including graduates of many other schools who choose to practice in NC.

Thanks.

First of all it's a great school. I have good support for my thoughts on UNC, and if my schedule opens up a bit, I can get into them more here. But the big turnoff for me, something that really stands alone as a deciding factor, were the responses that I got to the questions I asked of my interviewers at UNC. Specifically, I was aware of their serious prejudice for black and hispanic applicants. Knowing that, I asked each interviewer to quantify the extent of the race bias. I was told pretty consistently that that a black/hispanic applicant could have an application 50-75% as good as mine, and would be placed above me in the selection process. I withdrew my application based on those numbers. I understand the need for promoting minorities. However, I do not want to be in a class with students who are 50% less qualified than I. It's not for me.

I think it's great what schools like Howard and Meharry do, but as an applicant who got into top schools, got the Dean's Scholarship, etc., I'm interested in a school that will push my skills to the max. It all works out though. By giving up my spot, maybe a spot was opened up for an out of stater like PSU who is really excited about UNC. When an out of stater turns down UNC, that spot is offered to in staters. Do your own research, and if you are stoked about the school you're going to, then be happy. Go to the school that will make YOU the best dentist (i.e., go to Harvard if you want the #1 research experience; go to Pacific if you want the #1 clinical focus, etc. There is a school out there for every set of criteria.)

 

[sarah_bellum]

First of all it's a great school. I have good support for my thoughts on UNC, and if my schedule opens up a bit, I can get into them more here. But the big turnoff for me, something that really stands alone as a deciding factor, were the responses that I got to the questions I asked of my interviewers at UNC. Specifically, I was aware of their serious prejudice for black and hispanic applicants. Knowing that, I asked each interviewer to quantify the extent of the race bias. I was told pretty consistently that that a black/hispanic applicant could have an application 50-75% as good as mine, and would be placed above me in the selection process. I withdrew my application based on those numbers. I understand the need for promoting minorities. However, I do not want to be in a class with students who are 50% less qualified than I. It's not for me.

I think it's great what schools like Howard and Meharry do, but as an applicant who got into top schools, got the Dean's Scholarship, etc., I'm interested in a school that will push my skills to the max. It all works out though. By giving up my spot, maybe a spot was opened up for an out of stater like PSU who is really excited about UNC. When an out of stater turns down UNC, that spot is offered to in staters. Do your own research, and if you are stoked about the school you're going to, then be happy. Go to the school that will make YOU the best dentist (i.e., go to Harvard if you want the #1 research experience; go to Pacific if you want the #1 clinical focus, etc. There is a school out there for every set of criteria.)

Thanks for your honest response. Frankly, I disagree with your assessments completely, but your candor is appreciated on a board that is often jam-packed with lies.

 

[Jim Halpert]

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[Waitlisted2009]

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[Jim Halpert]

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[NCToothDr]

Wow, nice work here, Carolina06! 👍 These numbers make me even more proud to be a soon-to-be (out-of-state) UNCer 😀.

I don't think it's any secret that you have to have strong numbers to get into UNC from out-of-state - your numbers are what get you to the interview.

But I think what distinguishes UNC from other schools with tough admissions criteria is that they weigh the interview so heavily - 40% of your entire app. (In contrast to say, Columbia, where they are all about high DAT scores... as long as you're not a complete assh*le and you don't have the personality of a tree, you should get in). So despite how impressive your numbers might be, if you don't have strong personality attributes to back them up, as far as UNC is concerned, you're dead in the water.

This gives me confidence that the people in my class will not only be intelligent/talented, but that they'll be good (and hopefully interesting) people that I'd want to be friends with.

Plus, my fiance and I were just down a few weeks ago to do apartment-hunting, and holy crap the food is amazing down there!!

PSU SHC, or others, do you know when deposits were/are due at UNC? I'm waitlisted and really, really hoping to get in there. It is my in-state school, so it is my obvious preference. I know there was an inital $500 deposit, but what are the other deadlines? Just curious for my own personal timeline to keep the dream alive.

 

[PSU SHC 414]

First of all it's a great school. I have good support for my thoughts on UNC, and if my schedule opens up a bit, I can get into them more here. But the big turnoff for me, something that really stands alone as a deciding factor, were the responses that I got to the questions I asked of my interviewers at UNC. Specifically, I was aware of their serious prejudice for black and hispanic applicants. Knowing that, I asked each interviewer to quantify the extent of the race bias. I was told pretty consistently that that a black/hispanic applicant could have an application 50-75% as good as mine, and would be placed above me in the selection process. I withdrew my application based on those numbers. I understand the need for promoting minorities. However, I do not want to be in a class with students who are 50% less qualified than I. It's not for me.

I think it's great what schools like Howard and Meharry do, but as an applicant who got into top schools, got the Dean's Scholarship, etc., I'm interested in a school that will push my skills to the max. It all works out though. By giving up my spot, maybe a spot was opened up for an out of stater like PSU who is really excited about UNC. When an out of stater turns down UNC, that spot is offered to in staters. Do your own research, and if you are stoked about the school you're going to, then be happy. Go to the school that will make YOU the best dentist (i.e., go to Harvard if you want the #1 research experience; go to Pacific if you want the #1 clinical focus, etc. There is a school out there for every set of criteria.)

Didn't need you to "give up your spot" to open up one for me, chief... I'm pretty sure I held my own.

NCToothDr - For Dec 1 acceptances, the $500 deposit was due Jan 15. We aren't required to put down a second deposit like at some other schools. Not sure what the deadline was for the Feb acceptances.

 

[Jennyollio]

UNC is VERY tough to get in if you are out of state. I don't remember the exact numbers from my interview, but they gave us a break down of the stats for out of staters and last year it was something like 600 or 700 out of state applicants, they interviewed 75, and accepted 9. And the interview does count for a lot which I completely botched. Needless to say I was not accepted, despite a 3.91 GPA and competetive DAT scores.

 

[yuppers]

UNC is VERY tough to get in if you are out of state. I don't remember the exact numbers from my interview, but they gave us a break down of the stats for out of staters and last year it was something like 600 or 700 out of state applicants, they interviewed 75, and accepted 9. And the interview does count for a lot which I completely botched. Needless to say I was not accepted, despite a 3.91 GPA and competetive DAT scores.

Great..... I guess I just threw some money out the window. 🙁

 

[MiamiNole20]

Great..... I guess I just threw some money out the window. 🙁

Relax. You have good DAT scores. Unless your GPA is horrible or you can't write coherently in their extremely long supplemental app., you still have a great chance of getting an interview. That being said, if you do get an interview, nail it--it's the factor that weighs heaviest in your application, as everyone here has stated. It's not bad at all--very laid back. Just be prepared for some interesting ethical questions. Be yourself and don't try to BS with Mother Teresa-like responses. Be positive. 😀 UNC is an amazing school, and it was really tough turning them down. You'll be extremely impressed by them when you visit for your interview. Good luck.