Applying to UoP and Texas schools

[bustahfoo]

Got a question about the course requirements for University of the Pacific and Texas dental schools. They all require 2 years of biology. I'm an economics major and I only have a year of bio. Can anyone with personal experience chime in on how strict these schools are on their requirements. I have a 3.7 science GPA and 22 PAT, 25 TS, 24AA. I realize that Texas schools are already a long shot since they mostly accept texas residents

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[HoustonDAT]

Got a question about the course requirements for University of the Pacific and Texas dental schools. They all require 2 years of biology. I'm an economics major and I only have a year of bio. Can anyone with personal experience chime in on how strict these schools are on their requirements. I have a 3.7 science GPA and 22 PAT, 25 TS, 24AA. I realize that Texas schools are already a long shot since they mostly accept texas residents

So you're asking if these schools' requirements apply to everyone except yourself?

 

[bustahfoo]

thanks texan, you're so helpful.

 

[bustahfoo]

btw, i'm only asking because I've heard schools sometimes overlook their letters of rec. requirements. e.g. not having 3 science professor letters for Columbia

 

[HoustonDAT]

btw, i'm only asking because I've heard schools sometimes overlook their letters of rec. requirements. e.g. not having 3 science professor letters for Columbia

From my experience, there is a little leeway with the LOR requirements as you previously mentioned. No one in my class at UTHSCSA has gotten in without fulfilling all the course requirements. Admissions goes over your transcript before you get an interview invite and after you've been accepted. So I believe you might be able to get an interview w/o course requirements done, but you will not be able to start dental school (even after you're accepted) without all the course requirements completed.

 

[HoustonDAT]

Also, all three TX dental schools require Biochemistry.

 

[txaggie03]

I realize that Texas schools are already a long shot since they mostly accept texas residents

I cant speak for san antonio or houston, but Baylor had 800 out of state applicants fighting for about 10 spots.

Even if they were to overlook an applicant not having one of their stated required courses, do you feel you are in the top 1.25% of out of state applicants without it?

 

[woox]

If you only have 2 years of bio you can forget about applying to baylor...they want to see a **** load of bio classes.

 

[txlonghorn]

If you only have 2 years of bio you can forget about applying to baylor...they want to see a **** load of bio classes.

I can attest to this. I had similar stats to what you have (higher gpa and a little lower DAT), yet did not get interviewed at Baylor. Oh, and I was in-state. When I called Baylor to find out why they decided not to interview a handsome fellow like me (they did have my picture from TMDASAS), they told me that I did not have enough science credits when I applied (I had about 24 credits hours completed when I applied and was told they wanted to see about 40 or so). Maybe it was just because I went to UT and they are affiliated with A&M. lol

 

[TXistheReason]

I can attest to this. I had similar stats to what you have (higher gpa and a little lower DAT), yet did not get interviewed at Baylor. Oh, and I was in-state. When I called Baylor to find out why they decided not to interview a handsome fellow like me (they did have my picture from TMDASAS), they told me that I did not have enough science credits when I applied (I had about 24 credits hours completed when I applied and was told they wanted to see about 40 or so). Maybe it was just because I went to UT and they are affiliated with A&M. lol

Dang Aggies!!!

 

[txaggie03]

The head of admissions at Baylor told me, on at least three separate occasions, that they do indeed want lots of science classes.

The list they have on their website would be an excellent starting point:

Source

 

[sweetdaises2000]

If you only have 2 years of bio you can forget about applying to baylor...they want to see a **** load of bio classes.

I can attest to this. Even though I got into Baylor, I was certainly advised to take even more bio classes during my interview. After my admission to Houston, I was asked to send transcipts to verify that I had indeed taken and completed Biochemistry by the time I graduated, since I took Biochem during the fall of my senior year. Still remember Dr. Jeske asking me how I was doing in the class. So yes, they check and they care.

 

[justdandi]

...they told me that I did not have enough science credits when I applied (I had about 24 credits hours completed when I applied and was told they wanted to see about 40 or so).

I'm sorry, but this is freaking me out a little bit (I'm in-state, and Baylor's my top choice).

If you don't mind me asking: Based on your calculation of the 24 credit hours completed, do the 40 credit hours also include pre-reqs and other sciences (i.e. Ecology)? Or did they mean strictly upper-level human-/cell-related Biology courses (Biochem, Neuro, etc.)?

Because I'm pretty much screwed if it's the latter.

 

[txlonghorn]

I'm sorry, but this is freaking me out a little bit (I'm in-state, and Baylor's my top choice).

If you don't mind me asking: Based on your calculation of the 24 credit hours completed, do the 40 credit hours also include pre-reqs and other sciences (i.e. Ecology)? Or did they mean strictly upper-level human-/cell-related Biology courses (Biochem, Neuro, etc.)?

Because I'm pretty much screwed if it's the latter.

I believe it was all bio based classes. However, when I spoke with them, they wanted to make sure you took many of the same classes that will be taught during years one and two before matriculating. When I applied, I only had micro and biochem 1 completed and was enrolled to take histology and cell bio in the fall and physiology and pham & tox in the spring after applying. The policy seems kind of dumb, as the point is to teach students this material when they enter dental school. However, it could be put in place based on the time commitment that Baylor requires of their students for lab work - they are known to make students do a lot of lab work when compared to other schools.

 

[txaggie03]

As it was explained to me, the reason was that if you can't handle upper level bio classes, you are going to have a hard time with first and second year. They essentially want you to prove to them you can handle it.

If it helps:


At the time of my interview I had completed

Bio I and lab
Bio II and lab
Chem I and lab
Chem II and lab
Ochem I and lab
Ochem II and lab
Micro and lab
Genetics and lab
Ecology
Anatomy and Physiology I and lab
Anatomy and Physiology II and lab



I was currently in:
Biochem I
Neuroscience I
Cell Bio and lab
Animal Phys and lab


At the interview, I told them I was planning on taking:
Biochem II
Neuroscience II
Histology
Immunology


They told me I was "doing everything right." However, they firmly stated that I shouldnt be disappointed if I wasnt in the first round of acceptances. They said they wanted to see more upper level science grades from me. They also stressed that if my plans deviated from what I told them, that I should call immediately and make them aware.

I was unable to get into immunology, called them, and they said medical bacteriology and lab would be fine.

I didnt hear anything Dec 1, I was waitlisted in February, and was called off it on in April.





As several other posters have mentioned above, they really want to see your performance in upper level bio classes.

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

First of all, stats are not everything. I saw one post in this thread where they had similar stats and they were in-state, yet they were rejected. Well, stats are only part of an application. There are people with killer stats that get passed over while people with much less than average stats get in. It is because of the rest of their application (and that doesn't necessarily mean that have a relative that attended the school.) So, the stats you have can get you into a Texas school. BUT, you need to met their requirements. Schools put education requirements out there for a reason. There are plenty of people who attend dental school who could excel even if they had never had a science class in their life. But, there is no way of the adcoms to know this. So, they set up minimum basic requirements where you need to prove you can do well in these courses so they know you not setting yourself up for failure. My recommendation is to complete your requirements as soon as you can and take as many upper level human biology courses you can that will allow the schools to see you can handle the course load.

I am one who can relate to your OOS desire of attending a Texas school. I was an OOS applicant the first time I went to dental school back in the mid-1990's. I had fairly similar stats and got in just fine. Yes, there were less OOS applicants, but only by about half. Get your requirements finished and you have a shot in Texas.

Got a question about the course requirements for University of the Pacific and Texas dental schools. They all require 2 years of biology. I'm an economics major and I only have a year of bio. Can anyone with personal experience chime in on how strict these schools are on their requirements. I have a 3.7 science GPA and 22 PAT, 25 TS, 24AA. I realize that Texas schools are already a long shot since they mostly accept texas residents

 

[HopefulDDStobe]

First of all, stats are not everything. I saw one post in this thread where they had similar stats and they were in-state, yet they were rejected. Well, stats are only part of an application. There are people with killer stats that get passed over while people with much less than average stats get in. It is because of the rest of their application (and that doesn't necessarily mean that have a relative that attended the school.) So, the stats you have can get you into a Texas school. BUT, you need to met their requirements. Schools put education requirements out there for a reason. There are plenty of people who attend dental school who could excel even if they had never had a science class in their life. But, there is no way of the adcoms to know this. So, they set up minimum basic requirements where you need to prove you can do well in these courses so they know you not setting yourself up for failure. My recommendation is to complete your requirements as soon as you can and take as many upper level human biology courses you can that will allow the schools to see you can handle the course load.

I am one who can relate to your OOS desire of attending a Texas school. I was an OOS applicant the first time I went to dental school back in the mid-1990's. I had fairly similar stats and got in just fine. Yes, there were less OOS applicants, but only by about half. Get your requirements finished and you have a shot in Texas.

NAVYDDS, I have two questions for you if you dont mind,
1. I am an RDH and I am moving to Houston next year, did you have to work for a year before you qualify as instate to take classes at Texas schools? or did you pay out of state tuitions? how hard is it as OOS to get accepted to Texas schools? I am debating maybe I might as well work another year to be instate, but that's another year wasted and im getting old!
2. I am taking upper level biology courses next semester and planning to reapply (2nd time) to dental schools next year, how many credits bio credits did you take per semester? and does it matter how much load you take per semester?

Thanks again for your help.

 

[slm266]

The average load is 12-15 hrs/semester. I took about 3 science classes and 1 or 2 non science.

Houston typically doesn't even interview OOS applicants so you must establish your residency before you apply by being "gainfully employed for at least 1 yr".

I'd guess you need 22AA+ AND 3.85+ to be a competitive OOS applicant.

 

[tfchentx]

Got a question about the course requirements for University of the Pacific and Texas dental schools. They all require 2 years of biology. I'm an economics major and I only have a year of bio. Can anyone with personal experience chime in on how strict these schools are on their requirements. I have a 3.7 science GPA and 22 PAT, 25 TS, 24AA. I realize that Texas schools are already a long shot since they mostly accept texas residents

Requirements = REQUIRED
not like LORs, required courses are not negotiable for TX schools for sure.

I can attest to this. I had similar stats to what you have (higher gpa and a little lower DAT), yet did not get interviewed at Baylor. Oh, and I was in-state. When I called Baylor to find out why they decided not to interview a handsome fellow like me (they did have my picture from TMDASAS), they told me that I did not have enough science credits when I applied (I had about 24 credits hours completed when I applied and was told they wanted to see about 40 or so). Maybe it was just because I went to UT and they are affiliated with A&M. lol

I have a 22/22/20 and 3.85 oGPA and sGPA. Graduated from non-TX school with biochemistry and chemistry majors. in-state for TX, but didn't get any interview last year with TX dental schools...
re-applying this year, but, since I already graduated, I am only taking statistics for TX dental schools' new requirement starting at next year's entry class. No more upper level sciences I guess. We'll see how this year goes. Sigh.

 

[slm266]

I have a 22/22/20 and 3.85 oGPA and sGPA. Graduated from non-TX school with biochemistry and chemistry majors. in-state for TX, but didn't get any interview last year with TX dental schools...

Thats crazy, did you apply super late? If not, somethings wrong with your PS or LOR, or you killed a man.

 

[tfchentx]

Thats crazy, did you apply super late? If not, somethings wrong with your PS or LOR, or you killed a man.

I submitted TMDSAS around mid-June last year with DAT and all LORs in already. As of Baylor, I can kind of see why since I was not biology major, so for sure, not that many upper level bio classes. For SA and Houston, don't know what happened...maybe I should focus on OOS private schools...

 

[sweetdaises2000]

Thats crazy, did you apply super late? If not, somethings wrong with your PS or LOR, or you killed a man.

I agree!! tfchenx, all I can say is wow! Especially since I graduated from a non-TX school as well. If you are positive your application(LORs, PS) is fine, I would advise visiting the schools possibly? Sit in on a few lectures to show interest..it never hurts.

 

[tfchentx]

I agree!! tfchenx, all I can say is wow! Especially since I graduated from a non-TX school as well. If you are positive your application(LORs, PS) is fine, I would advise visiting the schools possibly? Sit in on a few lectures to show interest..it never hurts.

When did you submit your TMDSAS and AADSAS application last year?
I applied to more OOS schools this year and we'll see. Hoping for a better result.

 

[sweetdaises2000]

When did you submit your TMDSAS and AADSAS application last year?
I applied to more OOS schools this year and we'll see. Hoping for a better result.

TMDSAS was submitted around the same time as you, in June. And I didnt even have my total application complete till end of July, because my committee letter was not sent out by my school till that time. The commitee letter was pretty much my rate-determining step, so same timeline for AADSAS. Do you live around the metro areas of any of the texas schools? If so, I really advise making a few calls to the dean of student affairs for each of the schools, and stating your interest in the schools, discussing your stats(which are excellent!), and setting up a time to sit in on some lectures, tour the school if possible, and discuss the mission statement/focus on community service of the school. I know this sounds like a mini-interview of sorts, but I just see it as going the extra mile and showing interest. Either way, never hurts to give the schools a call. I would really hate to see someone who has worked so hard and deserves to get into a Texas school not make it in....Best of Luck to you!

 

[tfchentx]

TMDSAS was submitted around the same time as you, in June. And I didnt even have my total application complete till end of July, because my committee letter was not sent out by my school till that time. The commitee letter was pretty much my rate-determining step, so same timeline for AADSAS. Do you live around the metro areas of any of the texas schools? If so, I really advise making a few calls to the dean of student affairs for each of the schools, and stating your interest in the schools, discussing your stats(which are excellent!), and setting up a time to sit in on some lectures, tour the school if possible, and discuss the mission statement/focus on community service of the school. I know this sounds like a mini-interview of sorts, but I just see it as going the extra mile and showing interest. Either way, never hurts to give the schools a call. I would really hate to see someone who has worked so hard and deserves to get into a Texas school not make it in....Best of Luck to you!

Thanks for the advise. I gained 500+ dental experiences (shadowing and working) since last year and am taking statistics right now at Austin, but will be going to California after the end of the class. I was thinking about contacting schools, but not sure what to ask since I wasn't invited to any of the TX schools.

BTW, I saw your profile and why is the Case interview so late? I am hoping for a case's interview this year as OOS. They are handing out interviews this month already.

 

[sweetdaises2000]

Thanks for the advise. I gained 500+ dental experiences (shadowing and working) since last year and am taking statistics right now at Austin, but will be going to California after the end of the class. I was thinking about contacting schools, but not sure what to ask since I wasn't invited to any of the TX schools.

BTW, I saw your profile and why is the Case interview so late? I am hoping for a case's interview this year as OOS. They are handing out interviews this month already.

I guess I'm suggesting this because I certainly visited one of the schools and did everything I stated above, before interview season, just to show that I was very interested in attending and their approach to dentistry. Yes, I was invited to Case but never went to my interview because it was soo late and I had already been accepted to Texas schools. Case starts sending interview invites super early, so that month lag that I had because of my committee letter, Case simply did not receive my application from AASDAS till they had filled all their pre-december interview slots. That's just Case's tendency though, one of my friends also had a late january interview with them, and submitted her application in the summer. But if your application is complete early summer, you should be fine.

 

[tfchentx]

I guess I'm suggesting this because I certainly visited one of the schools and did everything I stated above, before interview season, just to show that I was very interested in attending and their approach to dentistry. Yes, I was invited to Case but never went to my interview because it was soo late and I had already been accepted to Texas schools. Case starts sending interview invites super early, so that month lag that I had because of my committee letter, Case simply did not receive my application from AASDAS till they had filled all their pre-december interview slots. That's just Case's tendency though, one of my friends also had a late january interview with them, and submitted her application in the summer. But if your application is complete early summer, you should be fine.

My mailing date was 7/18 for AADSAS with everything in. I just hope to have an invitation from some schools soon, so I can stop worrying about TX doesn't give me any interview. I guess it's interviewing season now, but I will keep your suggestions in mind!

 

[slm266]

Predents would kill to have your stats and be a Texas resident. You can save SOO much money in tuition, it's worth calling the schools to find out why you never got interviews.

I'd be weary of using the same LORs and PS without having someone go over them.

 

[tfchentx]

Predents would kill to have your stats and be a Texas resident. You can save SOO much money in tuition, it's worth calling the schools to find out why you never got interviews.

I'd be weary of using the same LORs and PS without having someone go over them.

Totally right. TUITION!!! That's what kept me away from applying OOS last year. I re-write the entire PS (well...some elements are still the same my life can't change) and I have a new LOR from a new dentist. The two science LORs are still the same.

If I do call the schools, who should I talk to? Dean of the Admission? Dean of the Student Affairs? I will probably check Houston and SA at the end of August? Sept? I think if I don't get an interview invitation by mid-Sept, I need to worry again since my TMDSAS was transmitted around the end of May.

Anyway, it's good to have a conversation with a current student. Thx again!

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

NAVYDDS, I have two questions for you if you dont mind,
1. I am an RDH and I am moving to Houston next year, did you have to work for a year before you qualify as instate to take classes at Texas schools? or did you pay out of state tuitions? how hard is it as OOS to get accepted to Texas schools? I am debating maybe I might as well work another year to be instate, but that's another year wasted and im getting old!
2. I am taking upper level biology courses next semester and planning to reapply (2nd time) to dental schools next year, how many credits bio credits did you take per semester? and does it matter how much load you take per semester?

Thanks again for your help.

1. The first time I went to d-school and was accepted as an OOS student, San Antonio gave me a scholarship that gave me in-state tuition plus another $1,000. So, I didn't need to set up residency. But this time, my wife is the one who worked here for a year to set up residency. She is a pharmacist and transferred here with Walgreens (former employer). So, it was easy to claim why we moved here. As for how hard is it go get into a texas school as an OOS student, well, there were less applicants when I applied to d-school in 1995, so I didn't have to compete against as many people. Plus, stats to get in weren't nearly as high as they are now. So, I cannot accurately give you a comparison of difficulty of now vs then which would be beneficial to you.

2. At my school, for those who were applying to health profession schools, they had a general studies degree in Natural Science that most people took because it was a combination of all prereqs that med schools, d-schools, etc. required plus more. So, we didn't just concentrate on biology courses. We also had a bunch of chemistry as well. So, I think it is better for me to tell you how many science (not just biology) courses I took per semester. The easiest semester was 7 credits of science. The most difficult was 15 credits science plus (2) 3 credit psychology courses. I really didn't have an regular number of credits I took per semester because at my school we were limited when we could take certain courses. So, I took them as they came and where I could fit them into my schedule. Now, does it matter how many science courses you take per semester? Well, I cannot speak for how all schools look at this, but I speak from what I have seen. I know plenty of people who were not science majors, so they fit in their science pre-reqs into their schedules in different ways. They didn't always take 2 or 3 courses per semester and it didn't affect them getting into d-school. BUT, here is how I look at this topic. If you feel that you might not do well if you take more than 2 per semester, then seriously reconsider going into dentistry. In d-school, you take 20 to 25 credits of science courses per year in the first 2 years. It is a killer, not because of the difficulty, but because of the volume of info you are required to learn.

 

[slm266]

Call now to ask for their input on anything you can improve on for this cycle.

I dunno if they'll able to pull up your file from last cycle; you should have done this around march.