Applying for 26-27 cycle first post, any advice helps!

[ActivelyLAZY]

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Date of submission: Will probably apply early - mid July
Overall GPA: 3.45 (Strong Upwards Trend)
Science GPA: 3.3
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: Unsure
DAT score (include AA and all sections): 440 AA, 440 PAT, 440 TS, 450 OC, 430 GC, 440 Bio, 440 RC, 430 QR
State of Residence: NJ

Undergrad Attended:
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor:
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 150 hours general dentist, 30 hours ortho
Volunteering Experience: 100+ at a non profit dental clinic in Trenton, 80+ as a volunteer AHA CPR instructor, 50 hours licensed EMT
Employment: 350+ hours as DA/front desk in a general dentist office
Research: HS publication don't plan on including
Other Extracurriculars: President of a large religious organization on campus, vice president of the school's pre dental cub
Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? Nothing I can recall
Relevant Honors or Awards:
LOR type and strength: 1 Physiology professor, 1 Microbiology Professor, a Dentist I worked for and shadowed, a Dentist I work with at the non profit clinic (4 total)
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: My second and third semester were poor. I have a C+ in Gen Chem 1,2 and in Orgo 1. Grades have been solid since then, mostly As and B+
School list: Could I get away with applying to less? Anything I should get rid of or add?
ASDOH - AZ

Midwestern - AZ

Touro

Maryland

Detroit Mercy

Roseman

UNLV

Rutgers

Boston

VCU

Lecom

Nova

Temple

Kentucky

Louisville

UNE

LMU

Buffalo

Creighton

Marquette

Colorado

 

[macsak]

Date of submission: Will probably apply early - mid July
Overall GPA: 3.45 (Strong Upwards Trend)
Science GPA: 3.3
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: Unsure
DAT score (include AA and all sections): 440 AA, 440 PAT, 440 TS, 450 OC, 430 GC, 440 Bio, 440 RC, 430 QR
State of Residence: NJ

Undergrad Attended:
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor:
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 150 hours general dentist, 30 hours ortho
Volunteering Experience: 100+ at a non profit dental clinic in Trenton, 80+ as a volunteer AHA CPR instructor, 50 hours licensed EMT
Employment: 350+ hours as DA/front desk in a general dentist office
Research: HS publication don't plan on including
Other Extracurriculars: President of a large religious organization on campus, vice president of the school's pre dental cub
Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? Nothing I can recall
Relevant Honors or Awards:
LOR type and strength: 1 Physiology professor, 1 Microbiology Professor, a Dentist I worked for and shadowed, a Dentist I work with at the non profit clinic (4 total)
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: My second and third semester were poor. I have a C+ in Gen Chem 1,2 and in Orgo 1. Grades have been solid since then, mostly As and B+
School list: Could I get away with applying to less? Anything I should get rid of or add?
ASDOH - AZ

Midwestern - AZ

Touro

Maryland

Detroit Mercy

Roseman

UNLV

Rutgers

Boston

VCU

Lecom

Nova

Temple

Kentucky

Louisville

UNE

LMU

Buffalo

Creighton

Marquette

Colorado

how did you come up with this list?

 

[macsak]

Date of submission: Will probably apply early - mid July
Overall GPA: 3.45 (Strong Upwards Trend)
Science GPA: 3.3
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: Unsure
DAT score (include AA and all sections): 440 AA, 440 PAT, 440 TS, 450 OC, 430 GC, 440 Bio, 440 RC, 430 QR
State of Residence: NJ

Undergrad Attended:
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor:
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 150 hours general dentist, 30 hours ortho
Volunteering Experience: 100+ at a non profit dental clinic in Trenton, 80+ as a volunteer AHA CPR instructor, 50 hours licensed EMT
Employment: 350+ hours as DA/front desk in a general dentist office
Research: HS publication don't plan on including
Other Extracurriculars: President of a large religious organization on campus, vice president of the school's pre dental cub
Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? Nothing I can recall
Relevant Honors or Awards:
LOR type and strength: 1 Physiology professor, 1 Microbiology Professor, a Dentist I worked for and shadowed, a Dentist I work with at the non profit clinic (4 total)
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: My second and third semester were poor. I have a C+ in Gen Chem 1,2 and in Orgo 1. Grades have been solid since then, mostly As and B+
School list: Could I get away with applying to less? Anything I should get rid of or add?
ASDOH - AZ

Midwestern - AZ

Touro

Maryland

Detroit Mercy

Roseman

UNLV

Rutgers

Boston

VCU

Lecom

Nova

Temple

Kentucky

Louisville

UNE

LMU

Buffalo

Creighton

Marquette

Colorado

what was your gpa over the last year? last 2 years?

 

[ActivelyLAZY]

what was your gpa over the last year? last 2 years?

Since the spring of my sophomore year up until now (rising senior) I’ve had a cumulative 3.65 gpa. I’ve taken mostly upper level science electives like biochem, physiology, entomology, genetics, etc., and received mostly As with some B+. The spring of my freshman year, and fall of the sophomore year were the problem in terms of bringing down my gpa.

 

[ActivelyLAZY]

how did you come up with this list?

A large option of these schools are just what I understand to be oos friendly. I’m not too confident in getting into Rutgers (my instate) based on my stats. The rest are generally east coast schools which I feel like I may have a shot at geographically, and overall I’d like to stay on the east coast.

 

[macsak]

A large option of these schools are just what I understand to be oos friendly. I’m not too confident in getting into Rutgers (my instate) based on my stats. The rest are generally east coast schools which I feel like I may have a shot at geographically, and overall I’d like to stay on the east coast.

you get interview invites and acceptances by having mission fit with a program
"oos friendly" is not mission fit
you are correct in looking geographically, so why ASDOH - AZ Midwestern - Az Roseman UNLV Creighton Marquette Colorado?
have you checked if these schools have accepted lots of NJ residents recently?>

 

[macsak]

Since the spring of my sophomore year up until now (rising senior) I’ve had a cumulative 3.65 gpa. I’ve taken mostly upper level science electives like biochem, physiology, entomology, genetics, etc., and received mostly As with some B+. The spring of my freshman year, and fall of the sophomore year were the problem in terms of bringing down my gpa.

ok thanks
when did you decide to go towards dental?

 

[ActivelyLAZY]

ok thanks
when did you decide to go towards dental?

the summer after my freshman year, that's when I began shadowing

 

[ActivelyLAZY]

you get interview invites and acceptances by having mission fit with a program
"oos friendly" is not mission fit
you are correct in looking geographically, so why ASDOH - AZ Midwestern - Az Roseman UNLV Creighton Marquette Colorado?
have you checked if these schools have accepted lots of NJ residents recently?>

Thank you for the insight. One of my letter writers graduated from Colorado, was class president and is in touch with some faculty there so I thought it would be worth adding.
To be honest, Roseman intrigued me with the three year program, and UNLV I understand offers IS tuition after the first year. ASDOH I believe values community service and volunteering which I believe is a strength of my application, one of my LORs come from the non profit clinic.
I suppose midwestern, Creighton, Marquette, I had no real reason to add except I thought would improve my chances of being admitted.
I'm not familiar with NJ residents being accepted to these programs, would you say geography will play a large role in this?

 

[macsak]

Thank you for the insight. One of my letter writers graduated from Colorado, was class president and is in touch with some faculty there so I thought it would be worth adding.
To be honest, Roseman intrigued me with the three year program, and UNLV I understand offers IS tuition after the first year. ASDOH I believe values community service and volunteering which I believe is a strength of my application, one of my LORs come from the non profit clinic.
I suppose midwestern, Creighton, Marquette, I had no real reason to add except I thought would improve my chances of being admitted.
I'm not familiar with NJ residents being accepted to these programs, would you say geography will play a large role in this?

oops
strike marquette, it's ok for you
sorry...

 

[macsak]

Thank you for the insight. One of my letter writers graduated from Colorado, was class president and is in touch with some faculty there so I thought it would be worth adding.
To be honest, Roseman intrigued me with the three year program, and UNLV I understand offers IS tuition after the first year. ASDOH I believe values community service and volunteering which I believe is a strength of my application, one of my LORs come from the non profit clinic.
I suppose midwestern, Creighton, Marquette, I had no real reason to add except I thought would improve my chances of being admitted.
I'm not familiar with NJ residents being accepted to these programs, would you say geography will play a large role in this?

you already said it yourself...
"The rest are generally east coast schools which I feel like I may have a shot at geographically, and overall I’d like to stay on the east coast."

 

[macsak]

the summer after my freshman year, that's when I began shadowing

ok
thanks
i prefer your increase in grades to coincide with your committment to dentistry
and while 3.65 is an upward trend, IMO 3.8 or above is strong...

 

[macsak]

oops
strike marquette, it's ok for you
sorry...

there are 2 at stills and 2 midwesterns
why did you choose only the ones in arizona?

 

[ActivelyLAZY]

you already said it yourself...
"The rest are generally east coast schools which I feel like I may have a shot at geographically, and overall I’d like to stay on the east coast."

Do you think there are any schools on the east cost I’m not including that I could be competitive for?

 

[ActivelyLAZY]

ok
thanks
i prefer your increase in grades to coincide with your committment to dentistry
and while 3.65 is an upward trend, IMO 3.8 or above is strong...

Right that makes sense. Do you think because of the low gpa there are schools on my list I shouldn’t consider?

 

[macsak]

Right that makes sense. Do you think because of the low gpa there are schools on my list I shouldn’t consider?

the two that stand out are these
Kentucky
Louisville

you could probably find publics that are closer to NJ that are more favorable to NJ residents

 

[macsak]

Do you think there are any schools on the east cost I’m not including that I could be competitive for?

i think you should clean up your list first before you start adding schools
have you figured out how many schools you can afford to apply to?

 

[ActivelyLAZY]

i think you should clean up your list first before you start adding schools
have you figured out how many schools you can afford to apply to?

I figure 20-21 is the number im ok with, I'm fortunate enough to have to worry about the cost too much. Obviously still don't want to wast money throwing shots in the dark. I think if I were to remove schools I'd start with the Kentucky schools, Midwestern, maybe Colorado and Creighton. I'm not confident that the LOR is suddenly going to give me some sort of connection for Colorado.

 

[ActivelyLAZY]

the two that stand out are these
Kentucky
Louisville

you could probably find publics that are closer to NJ that are more favorable to NJ residents

Which schools would you think are more favorable, because I'd definitely love to stay as close as I can.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

You shouldn't be applying to more than 12 schools. Have you networked with any of the schools on your list rather than take your dentists' recommendations?

Geography plays a bit more into dental admissions. The I-95 corridor makes the most sense, though you should be reasonable (don't include the Ivys).
Rutgers, Temple, Tufts, BU, NYU, Touro, Yeshiva, UNE. Maybes: Maryland, VCU, Buffalo (maybe). I don't know much about High Point, but they seem to like not playing by AADSAS rules so it makes me very sus.

You should consider Eastern/Midwest private programs (UDM which also has a Vermont cohort, LECOM, NovaSE, Marquette). The further out into the midwest... I'm not sure you would love Creighton, DMU, or LMU.

Maybe your upward trend might appeal to three-year programs like UoP or Roseman, but I don't think you'd like the geographic change. I put in Yeshiva because they are newer... as long as you don't mind being a guinea pig.

Look up the COAs for each school and put your preferences on the programs that will not give you a ton of private loan debt. But be satisfied with any school you send an application to; be willing to attend if any one of them gave you an offer and you had no other alternatives. Remember, most matriculants get just one interview, and often that will happen in February or March.

 

[ActivelyLAZY]

Thanks for the in depth reply. Out of curiosity, why limit the number of school. If I’m willing to live in a lot of these places, even if I’m not the biggest fan of the locations, wouldn’t it make sense to apply broadly and to as many schools as possible (20 or so)? I haven't networked with schools, to be honest I didn't know that was possible beyond conferences like GoDental and such.

I feel as if I should apply to schools like Creighton, LMU, Roseman, etc., to boost my chances, because I know I'll still attend those schools if it came to be my only option.

 

[macsak]

Which schools would you think are more favorable, because I'd definitely love to stay as close as I can.

once again, i think you should clean up your list first
then continue to do your research on schools that fit better geographically
and most importantly, have mission fit...

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thanks for the in depth reply. Out of curiosity, why limit the number of school. If I’m willing to live in a lot of these places, even if I’m not the biggest fan of the locations, wouldn’t it make sense to apply broadly and to as many schools as possible (20 or so)? I haven't networked with schools, to be honest I didn't know that was possible beyond conferences like GoDental and such.

The overall average is about 11 applications per person. Also, more schools do in-person interviews vs. virtual, so if you are lucky, you have to pay to attend all of those interviews. Also, the profession of dentistry is much more regionalized unlike the academic medical center infrastructure of residency and fellowship. Because dentistry has its roots (ha) with independent practice, support structures with schools are built with regions and states in mind. We have regional licensure exams too, so you have to worry about INBDE plus the "right" regional exam that corresponds to the state where you ultimately want licensure.

Also the schools know their history and their missions to constituents closest to them. Admissions teams know students have other options, and most dental students behave to choose schools closest to families or where they intend to practice. Unlike undergrad, dental school is a true first committed step towards a career and potential one's own business. You are best served thinking with a similar mindset on where you want to practice (i.e., what is your mission).

I feel as if I should apply to schools like Creighton, LMU, Roseman, etc., to boost my chances, because I know I'll still attend those schools if it came to be my only option.

Have you visited their campuses? Talked with their admissions teams? Attended virtual recruitment events? Talked with students? I'm sure you'd go to their schools if it were your only option, but you'll be living there for 4 years under high stress relatively far away from friends and family. And you have to care for patients who go to those schools' clinics. The challenge is whether the admissions teams see you thriving at their programs.

Spending money on more than the average number of schools may sound more sensible with probability. However, each school will not behave as if it were an independent coin flip. They have history behind their behaviors.

Sure, you may be "the bachelor/ette" and love the idea of dating 60 people at once. You will get tired or overwhelmed very quickly. Or you'll run out of money trying.

Read

Admissions Committees: The Art of the Decision | Student Doctor Network | SDN

Faculty serve three to four year terms on admissions committees, so they can vary significantly year-to-year with shifting priorities over time.

www.studentdoctor.net

 

[macsak]

oops
strike marquette, it's ok for you
sorry...

you can keep colorado because of the LOR if you want...