applying to one dental school

[dentalwhiz]

I wanted to know how this'll affect my chances. I want to get into VCU's dental program but I won't be taking my DAT until next week and application won't be completed until the beginning of September. Is this too late to apply? Will it look bad if I only apply to VCU's dental program? I've heard rolling admissions plays a big factor in admissions so I only would want to apply to my number one choice. Any advice would be appreciated! For reference I have 3.6sGPA 200 hours shadowing.

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[caffeine jitters]

This will be extremely detrimental to your chances. I highly suggest you do NOT do this... apply to far more schools that are complimentary to your stats - and do so ASAP

 

[dentalwhiz]

This will be extremely detrimental to your chances. I highly suggest you do NOT do this... apply to far more schools that are complimentary to your stats - and do so ASAP

Wow it really plays that big a factor just by applying a couple months after admissions window open? Maybe I will reconsider not applying at all and take a gap year to build my resume if thats the case.

 

[dentalwhiz]

Is there anything I can do that will dramatically increase my chances? what DAT score do I need to make me competitive at this point of the admissions cycle?

 

[Faefly]

no even if you apply early you still need to apply to many schools.
Even if your scores are great you still need to do that.
Because chances are!
You compete against at least 1500 students each cycle!
even if you applied June the first, you are still competing against 1:500
even if you got an interview, you still might blow it there and they won't like you and that's why you need to apply to more schools?

What is so special about VCU anyway?

 

[dentalwhiz]

no even if you apply early you still need to apply to many schools.
Even if your scores are great you still need to do that.
Because chances are!
You compete against at least 1500 students each cycle!
even if you applied June the first, you are still competing against 1:500
even if you got an interview, you still might blow it there and they won't like you and that's why you need to apply to more schools?

What is so special about VCU anyway?

It's the only dental school in VA (home state). It's also a great dental school imho

 

[Faefly]

Yeah, we all have our home states, but we apply for others schools too.
I think you don't want to leave your family, or someone you love? If that is the case, bear in mind that if you didn't get accepted in dental schools, you will waste 2 years just doing nothing and regretting your decision to stay in Virginia.

Your gpa is good enough, you have a chance to get into many schools if you get a good dat.

but if you insist on applying to just VCU

it's just gonna cost you 245 dollar + secondary so why not!

Finish your app as soon as possible

 

[dentalwhiz]

Yeah, we all have our home states, but we apply for others schools too.
I think you don't want to leave your family, or someone you love? If that is the case, bear in mind that if you didn't get accepted in dental schools, you will waste 2 years just doing nothing and regretting your decision to stay in Virginia.

Your gpa is good enough, you have a chance to get into many schools if you get a good dat.

but if you insist on applying to just VCU

it's just gonna cost you 245 dollar + secondary so why not!

Finish your app as soon as possible

That's the least of my reasons why I'd like to stay in VA. Ideally I'd like to go to a dental school on the coast- NYU or UNLV would be a dream come true. It's the appeal of in state tuition that attracts me the most, of course I love the capital of Richmond as well. Do you think submitting around the beginning of September is early enough for me to apply and still be worth it?

 

[dentalwhiz]

The thing I'm most worried about is my lack of EC that stand out. I volunteer a decent amount (around 300 hrs total) but I lack involvement in clubs, etc.

 

[Faefly]

Yeah, I am late too, but I am still gonna try!

Yeah, I lack EC as well, you have more volunteer hours than me, how about Shadowing, Vcu loves 100 to 150 hours of shadowing?

I don't think EC would be a big problem

DAT+GPA first
Personal statement second or third
Shadowing and volunteering third or second
Evaluations fourth
and EC comes at the end.


Also, consider that some schools consider you in state after attending for one year.

 

[FeralisExtremum]

Applying to only one dental school is a bad idea and applying in September is bad idea. The combination of both is unlikely to end well. I'd wait until next cycle, and seriously consider applying to more than one place.

 

[doc toothache]

Kind of like Cinderella showing up late for the ball.

 

[dentalwhiz]

Rolling admissions is my kryptonite :/. It seems like the thread is suggesting I wait tell next cycle to apply, which is not exactly what I anticipated.

 

[summerlagrace]

I did this last year. I waited until September 2 to take my DAT and then only applied to one school. I didn't hear anything at all from them. HOWEVER, even though I did't get in last year. I spent this past year shadowing volunteering and such to help my resume and then reapplied. They sent me an email asking us to email the dean if we had applied before. I asked my mentor, whose friends with the dean why they asked, and he said it's good to apply even if you don't think you will get in because it shows your persistent, and they put our applications in their own pile to look at first as opposed to first time applicants. SO I say APPLY this year with no intentions of getting in, but I believe it will work in your favor next year.

 

[ProspectivePostPreDent]

Wow it really plays that big a factor just by applying a couple months after admissions window open? Maybe I will reconsider not applying at all and take a gap year to build my resume if thats the case.

It plays that big a factor no matter when you apply. Keep this in mind for the QR section of the DAT. And also in life, because nothing is more important than understanding probabilities.

Suppose you hit 18 on the DAT, with nothing below 17. Just a hair above average test-taker, and right where they start to give out interviews.
Okay, let's pair that with a 3.6sGPA. Assume you have average ECs since you only mentioned your shadowing.


That profile makes you an okay applicant for public IS admissions and privates. OOS publics and pickier schools are gonna be a struggle.
So let's say you're in-state for VCU and throw in a bunch of typical private schools.



So maybe you have a 1 in 8 chance of landing each interview. That would be 12.5 percent, and your chances of rejection given n comparable schools will be (1-.125)^n or .875^n.

Apply to:
1 school -> 12.5% chance of an interview
5 schools -> 49% chance of an interview
10 schools -> 74% chance of an interview
15 schools -> 86.5% chance of an interview


Obviously, this is just a model with arbitrary starting numbers (could be 1 in 8, 1 in 6, 1 in 10, etc), but the calculations reveal the issue with applying to just one.

That still applies even if you get a 20 on the DAT.

 

[Faefly]

I did this last year. I waited until September 2 to take my DAT and then only applied to one school. I didn't hear anything at all from them. HOWEVER, even though I did't get in last year. I spent this past year shadowing volunteering and such to help my resume and then reapplied. They sent me an email asking us to email the dean if we had applied before. I asked my mentor, whose friends with the dean why they asked, and he said it's good to apply even if you don't think you will get in because it shows your persistent, and they put our applications in their own pile to look at first as opposed to first time applicants. SO I say APPLY this year with no intentions of getting in, but I believe it will work in your favor next year.

but what were your stats?

 

[dentalwhiz]

Am I thinking to critically about the dental school I go too? should I just take apply and take the best school I'm offered? It seems like the general consensus on SDN is to apply broadly and just accept whichever is the best your offered. I'm not necessarily in a financial state where I can't go out-of-state, its more of a personal preference based off of what I've read/talked to where people say that dental school in general is not worth it due to the massive amount of loans (where in-state would drastically reduce that factor)

 

[caffeine jitters]

Am I thinking to critically about the dental school I go too? should I just take apply and take the best school I'm offered? It seems like the general consensus on SDN is to apply broadly and just accept whichever is the best your offered. I'm not necessarily in a financial state where I can't go out-of-state, its more of a personal preference based off of what I've read/talked to where people say that dental school in general is not worth it due to the massive amount of loans (where in-state would drastically reduce that factor)

"Best" is subjective to the person with the offer - not someone else on sdn. You SHOULD narrow down your schools based on YOUR preferences (clinical vs. academic emphasis, P/F or grading, tuition, number of chairs, etc. etc.)... However, you should not narrow down that list so much that you only apply to one school.

My suggestions would be to obtain the BEST marks you can on your DAT, fill in some of the gaps on your application, and apply very early next cycle (broadly). This is just my opinion, because right now it sounds like you would need to do a substantial amount of research on schools, applicant deadlines, etc. Plus you're taking the DAT pretty late - which is going to take more studying than you may initially think.

 

[isso1418]

I wanted to know how this'll affect my chances. I want to get into VCU's dental program but I won't be taking my DAT until next week and application won't be completed until the beginning of September. Is this too late to apply? Will it look bad if I only apply to VCU's dental program? I've heard rolling admissions plays a big factor in admissions so I only would want to apply to my number one choice. Any advice would be appreciated! For reference I have 3.6sGPA 200 hours shadowing.

are you a Va resident?

 

[2jz]

I applied late oct to three schools and got accepted. It's certainly doable, but it's a huge gamble. I figured I was really late to apply, so broadly applying felt like a waste of money, so I kept it to the three schools I could see myself at.

My mentor had a good piece of advice I liked, I wanted to go with one school but he suggested instead I should pick the school I wanted and also apply to at least two prestigious schools my stats gave me a realistic shot of getting into. Specifically for the "What other schools did you apply to?" question. His rationale was the only one school approach would seem foolish to interviewers, and the 15 safety schools approach would seem like I wasn't self-confident.

 

[JLT223]

Save yourself the headache and apply next cycle.

 

[ncide]

Apply to more than one school.

 

[dentalwhiz]

I applied late oct to three schools and got accepted. It's certainly doable, but it's a huge gamble. I figured I was really late to apply, so broadly applying felt like a waste of money, so I kept it to the three schools I could see myself at.

My mentor had a good piece of advice I liked, I wanted to go with one school but he suggested instead I should pick the school I wanted and also apply to at least two prestigious schools my stats gave me a realistic shot of getting into. Specifically for the "What other schools did you apply to?" question. His rationale was the only one school approach would seem foolish to interviewers, and the 15 safety schools approach would seem like I wasn't self-confident.

Hey, do you mind sharing your GPA, DAT, and any EC that made you stand out?

 

[dentalwhiz]

Apply to more than one school.

i noticed your signature, do you mind sharing your DAT/stats/EC? Im a tad bit jealous

 

[dentalwhiz]

are you a Va resident?

Yes, why do you ask?

 

[ncide]

i noticed your signature, do you mind sharing your DAT/stats/EC? Im a tad bit jealous

Sure. 3.5 GPA, 20AA, 21TS. I had somewhere close to 6,000 hours of dental experience (worked as a full time assistant for 30 dentists), and a few 200 or so volunteer hours. Some research experience. My stats were pretty average aside from the working experience.

 

[dentalwhiz]

Sure. 3.5 GPA, 20AA, 21TS. I had somewhere close to 6,000 hours of dental experience (worked as a full time assistant for 30 dentists), and a few 200 or so volunteer hours. Some research experience. My stats were pretty average aside from the working experience.

Hard to beat that experience! Was VCU your number one choice?

 

[ncide]

Hard to beat that experience! Was VCU your number one choice?

UW was my number 1, Colorado and VCU were both runner up. Got into VCU as OOS.

 

[Zippojake]

I'm hoping I'm not late. I took the DAT 7/10 and applied 7/28. I applied to 8 schools and so far have heard back from all of them but only for secondary's . No interviews as of yet. I've seen a lot of other people talk about getting interviews already. My stats are GPA3.87, GPAs3.82 , TS22/AA21/PAT22
I'm a Fl resident and applied to UF, Tenn, VCU, UK, Louisville, Nova, Tempe, Maryland. I'm taking a GAP year this year volunteering at A free Dental Clinic, working ar a dental office, shadowing a couple of dentists, volunteering at a children's hospital. I have over 300 hours of shadowing, 500 hours volunteering , research, clubs ... I'm working on getting a job to help with expenses while at school. But was wondering if anyone knows how long it might take to get an interview. Do I look like I might be set okay, or did I apply late. Is there anything I need to work on? Any help would be greatly apppreciated.

 

[ncide]

I'm hoping I'm not late. I took the DAT 7/10 and applied 7/28. I applied to 8 schools and so far have heard back from all of them but only for secondary's . No interviews as of yet. I've seen a lot of other people talk about getting interviews already. My stats are GPA3.87, GPAs3.82 , TS22/AA21/PAT22
I'm a Fl resident and applied to UF, Tenn, VCU, UK, Louisville, Nova, Tempe, Maryland. I'm taking a GAP year this year volunteering at A free Dental Clinic, working ar a dental office, shadowing a couple of dentists, volunteering at a children's hospital. I have over 300 hours of shadowing, 500 hours volunteering , research, clubs ... I'm working on getting a job to help with expenses while at school. But was wondering if anyone knows how long it might take to get an interview. Do I look like I might be set okay, or did I apply late. Is there anything I need to work on? Any help would be greatly apppreciated.

You're fine, just wait it out. My interviews started in November till February or March.

 

[Zippojake]

You're fine, just wait it out. My interviews started in November till February or March.

Thanks. Actually just got my first interview today with NOVA. Its not until Nov, is that normal? There were 2 days in Oct but I am hoping that UF lets me know soon and I can jump on that fast. I would love to go to VCU but being out of state the cost may push me out.

 

[plusalpha]

Thanks. Actually just got my first interview today with NOVA. Its not until Nov, is that normal? There were 2 days in Oct but I am hoping that UF lets me know soon and I can jump on that fast. I would love to go to VCU but being out of state the cost may push me out.

There's an October interview slot left for NOVA?

 

[Zippojake]

There's an October interview slot left for NOVA?

yes

 

[Zippojake]

yes

no not now, looked again