applying to too many?

[jmac81]

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Hi guys,

I have seen all thses threads about applying to too many...do the schools know how many you have applied to? The reason why i am asking is because i am currently taking a year off for personal reasons, so i applied to 20 schools just because i need to get in somewhere next year and i was nervous...i do not want to take another year off because i didnt get in.

Any replys on this would be greatly appreciated

 

[KorgTuner]

If you have the $$$, apply to as many schools as you want.



KorgTuner

 

[tinker bell]

On the top of your AADSAS sheet will have a list of all the schools that you applied. In fact, they can also check your acceptance, interview stats at other schools on their computers.

Or they will ask u straighforward question: Like how many schools do u apply to? How many acceptances have u received?

I was asked those questions at my BU and UOP interviews.

 

[StarGirl]

don't apply to that many...i applied to 16...didn't finish or cared to do at least 4 to 6 of them...and i put off some of the better school's secondaries...
chances are if you're a decent applicant pick a few safety schools and apply there 🙂 and you'll be fine 🙂
BUT MAKE SURE IT'S WHERE YOU WON'T MIND GOING...and you'll be at least satisfied w/ the area/school/weather etc etc

 

[ohgee]

If you apply to a lot of school, you really have to explain about it. I was asked during the interview from many schools of how I select the dental schools that I apply to....(UCONN, TEMPLE, UPENN, UCLA, UCSF), so you better have a good explanation of why you selected 20 schools.

 

[FMLizard]

Conversely, will a school look favorably on you if you only apply there, or perhaps to 2-5 schools?

I know it is risky, but at least the school you really want knows that you are serious about them and you are a guaranteed matriculant if you are accepted. I know that if I were to apply tomorrow, I would consider just applying at UMN and maybe a couple privates like Nova, AZ, and Marquette, because of my quasi-WI residency. The big city east coast life doesn't really appeal to me, which rules out a lot of the privates.

I have heard a lot about people applying to a ton of schools, getting accepted by only one, and having it be a school they really don't want to attend. They either have to suck it up and go there or explain why they applied to a school they didn't even want during the next cycle.

 

[ddstothecor]

Personally, I think it shows that you're dedicated to attending dental school. If you are asked why you applied to so many schools, you have the ability to reply about your enthusiasm for the dental profession, and your determination to matriculate in the upcoming cycle for dental school applicants.

Just be sure to have an answer ready for why you would choose to attend each shool that you apply to; e.g., "Why would you want to come to (insert school name/city here)?"

BTW, I applied to about 16 schools, and I will be at Nova this yr.

 

[scandalouslj]

I applied to 15 schools, but ended up only going to 3 interviews and declinging the rest. My advisor told me to only apply to 4 or 5, but I was too nervous and didnt listen to him. Now I wish I had becuase I wasted a lot of money, and would have not evben liked going to some of thses schools. So my advice is appply to around 6 or 7. Obvioulsy your state school and some privates where you are gonna have the best chance of getting in. If you cant get into those, your odds of getting into other schools is a lot lower, so why even bother?

 

[chrisdds]

Well, my opinion is a bit different than most of the replies here. I would say 15~20 schools are good numbers to apply. Unless you've done a lot of research before you applied and you're willing to go to only a few specific schools, I think it's a good idea to have many options open. You never know you might end up loving the school you've never thought you would. Of course, the only matter is money. But it's a lifetime investment!

I applied 20 schools, was offered interviews from 18 schools, went to 11 of them, and got accepted from 10 schools. As somebody mentioned above, it shows your commitment and passion to be in dental school. In fact, a few schools asked me why applied so many, and I simply said that I didn't think that I would be highly qualified, and asked me no more. So, based on my experience (also from my friends who applied as many as I did), how many schools you apply should not matter at all.

 

[CApredentgirl]

Wow! I didn't know that people really applied to 15-20 schools. Personally, I applied to the 5 California schools and one out-of-state backup. But cost was a factor and I also really wanted to stay in California. Nothing beats So Cal weather!😎

 

[UBTom]

Yep, that was my approach too... I wanted to stay in New York so I only applied to all four New York schools and just four more out-of-states.

I guess for those of us who are either lucky enough to live in a state with a lot of dental schools (like NY, CA and TX) or are confident enough of our grades, applying to just a few schools is good enough.

 

[ItsGavinC]

From a monetary standpoint I don't think applying to 20 schools will hurt you right off the bat, because you can always choose to decline an interview (which is where the bulk of the $$ involved happens).

But having said that, I would do a bit more research on the schools and narrow them down a bit.

Granted that ALL us dental schools will give you a superb education, there ARE factors which differentiate schools from each other, so perhaps focusing on these items would provide a basis for discretion.

I would research 4 or 5 schools that you REALLY want to attend, and feel that your applications matches nicely with (GPA, etc.). I would also choose 2 schools whose average numbers are lower than yours. To top it off, apply to 2 schools who would be considered "reach" schools.

Above all, don't apply to a school if you cannot see yourself attending there.