Choosing schools

[duvaldentist]

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Ok as we all know the 2011 application cycle is steadily approaching, and in preparation I am trying to get a solid grasp on which schools I want to apply to. With that being said I understand that there are a lot of threads like this but I was just wondering if there were any suggestions and or tips out there that are specific to the 2011 cycle and or specific to schools. So far I am analyzing the ADEA dental school guide and looking at their stats as well as the predents website. But I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to which schools either they are applying to or schools that are a must on anyone’s application list.

 

[Maygyver]

It's hard to help you without your stats, but definitely apply to your state school(s) for sure.

 

[iamjackbauer]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=10663177#post10663177

This thread really helped me choose schools last year.

 

[duvaldentist]

It's hard to help you without your stats, but definitely apply to your state school(s) for sure.

Hey Maygyver ya sorry about that i guess i was trying to fly under the radar without exposing myself :/ but your right... Well my GPA is quite frankly embarrassing i have a 3.2 cGPA and a 3.0 sGPA but i plan to make up for it with my DAT scores (I'm shooting for a 23AA)... That being said i have not taken the DAT yet but i have been studying religiously for the past month and a half and i plan to take it mid May. I unfortunately faced some life experiences in which i will try to convince adcom to slightly over look my GPA and look more towards my DAT. I have really good volunteer services, i have great shadowing, and i have some other good EC's. I also have pretty good LOR's so pretty much everything else is competitive besides my GPA. So my question is are there any schools that will be more likely to over look GPA and focus more on DAT or is a high DAT not sufficient enough to in this competitive process.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=10663177#post10663177

This thread really helped me choose schools last year.

And thanks for the tip iamjackbauer 😉

 

[321931]

Hey Maygyver ya sorry about that i guess i was trying to fly under the radar without exposing myself :/ but your right... Well my GPA is quite frankly embarrassing i have a 3.2 cGPA and a 3.0 sGPA but i plan to make up for it with my DAT scores (I'm shooting for a 23AA)... That being said i have not taken the DAT yet but i have been studying religiously for the past month and a half and i plan to take it mid May. I unfortunately faced some life experiences in which i will try to convince adcom to slightly over look my GPA and look more towards my DAT. I have really good volunteer services, i have great shadowing, and i have some other good EC's. I also have pretty good LOR's so pretty much everything else is competitive besides my GPA. So my question is are there any schools that will be more likely to over look GPA and focus more on DAT or is a high DAT not sufficient enough to in this competitive process.




And thanks for the tip iamjackbauer 😉

I highly recommend you look into post-bac/masters during the 2011 AADSAS cycle. A 3.0 sGPA is pretty much a rejection anywhere regardless of DAT score. It's highly unlikely to score a 23+, land interview with a 3.0 sGPA, and even if you do land a 23AA, the sGPA still will hinder your progress.

I guess you can apply this 2011 cycle, but I recommend doing a post-bac/masters while IN the 2011 cycle. Therefore, if you don't get 2011, then you still apply for the 2012 cycle with new grades/post-bac/masters etc.

 

[duvaldentist]

I highly recommend you look into post-bac/masters while the 2011 AADSAS cycle. A 3.0 sGPA is pretty much a rejection anywhere regardless of DAT score. It's highly unlikely to score a 23+, land interview with a 3.0 sGPA, and even if you do land a 23AA, the sGPA still will hinder your progress.

I guess you can apply this 2011 cycle, but I recommend doing a post-bac/masters while IN the 2011 cycle. Therefore, if you don't get 2011, then you still apply for the 2012 cycle with new grades/post-bac/masters etc.

Hey Rainee i understand that, but i was looking through the ADEA dental school guide book and for GPA range they have people in with 2.5 GPAs?!?!?!?! Do you know what kind of applicants they accept with those statistics? Are those the students who fall under the extreme minority group or what?

 

[321931]

Could be a variety of factors. Most likely:

A)URM (which helps tons)
B)Incredibly unique background)

That being said, the probability of getting in with a 2.5 out of 11,000 applicants is INCREDIBLY low. Yes you can get in with 2.5, but its like winning the lottery. Anyone can win the lottery, but the chances are astronomical.

Either way, you get my point. I think that you should apply this cycle to schools that have lower end GPAs, and hope for the best. In the meantime, you should continue schooling and raising that GPA. Therefore, if you don't get in, you will have a MUCH better shot for aadsas 2012.

 

[yappy]

I say:

-OOS that accept lots of OOS students
-your state school
-privite schools

Then

-reduce the list based on sci gpa.

This is a little bit different than what is said on this forum but all I have to go off of is the ADA guide and school web sites... the average entering sci gpa at many DS is not 3.6-3.8. It is more like 3.3-3.5. With that there is also going to be a standard deviation. Try to find the schools that have lower sci GPA's and hope you will be swept up in that stddev for an interview - then rock it.

I think with a 23 DAT (the average accepted is 19.x) you will have as good shot as you can for this cycle.

I do agree though... try to get that sci gpa to 3.3+ for next cycle just in case.

Ok as we all know the 2011 application cycle is steadily approaching, and in preparation I am trying to get a solid grasp on which schools I want to apply to. With that being said I understand that there are a lot of threads like this but I was just wondering if there were any suggestions and or tips out there that are specific to the 2011 cycle and or specific to schools. So far I am analyzing the ADEA dental school guide and looking at their stats as well as the predents website. But I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to which schools either they are applying to or schools that are a must on anyone's application list.

Keep the faith till the DAT then start thinking about what schools you're competitive at.

 

[duvaldentist]

Could be a variety of factors. Most likely:

A)URM (which helps tons)
B)Incredibly unique background)

That being said, the probability of getting in with a 2.5 out of 11,000 applicants is INCREDIBLY low. Yes you can get in with 2.5, but its like winning the lottery. Anyone can win the lottery, but the chances are astronomical.

Either way, you get my point. I think that you should apply this cycle to schools that have lower end GPAs, and hope for the best. In the meantime, you should continue schooling and raising that GPA. Therefore, if you don't get in, you will have a MUCH better shot for aadsas 2012.

Hey rainee ya i totaly get what your saying and i understand my chances are a long shot but i do beleive i have a pretty unique situation that i will drill into adcoms heads with my personal statement. But i understand its a numbers game and unfortunatly my GPA is low so im scared my app will be thrown aside from my GPA alone but then again on the other hand i hope they see my DAT scores right next to it and have a second thought. Im hoping that as long as they read my entire app i will have a shot. But do you know by anychance if they look at the entire app initialy or do they filter it down by strictly looking at GPA first then if you make it to the next round then will they look at the rest or how does it work?

PS: im sorry im somewhat new to the abreviations here on SDN can you please tell me what "URM" means :/ does it possibly mean "unique rare minority" lol idk im just using context clues.

I say:

-OOS that accept lots of OOS students
-your state school
-privite schools

Then

-reduce the list based on sci gpa.

This is a little bit different than what is said on this forum but all I have to go off of is the ADA guide and school web sites... the average entering sci gpa at many DS is not 3.6-3.8. It is more like 3.3-3.5. With that there is also going to be a standard deviation. Try to find the schools that have lower sci GPA's and hope you will be swept up in that stddev for an interview - then rock it.

I think with a 23 DAT (the average accepted is 19.x) you will have as good shot as you can for this cycle.

I do agree though... try to get that sci gpa to 3.3+ for next cycle just in case.




Keep the faith till the DAT then start thinking about what schools you're competitive at.

And yappy thanx for the encouraging words, i do intend on applying to the lower GPA schools. I mean lets be honest im not going to get into the top schools, but i would be happy with simply an admission from anywere at this point because i know i can not be as selective as others. With that being said do you know of any schools that may have a bettrer chance of being a "std deviation" besides simply looking at over all statistics. For example do you know of any schools that cherish life circumstances or great volunteer services more than others. And i intend to keep my hopes up because I've herd that its not all about GPA (but dont get me wrong it is the most important part) but also its about being the total package and besides my GPA i have evrything else so im just hoping admissions will somehow look past my GPA.

 

[iamjackbauer]

Hey rainee ya i totaly get what your saying and i understand my chances are a long shot but i do beleive i have a pretty unique situation that i will drill into adcoms heads with my personal statement. But i understand its a numbers game and unfortunatly my GPA is low so im scared my app will be thrown aside from my GPA alone but then again on the other hand i hope they see my DAT scores right next to it and have a second thought. Im hoping that as long as they read my entire app i will have a shot. But do you know by anychance if they look at the entire app initialy or do they filter it down by strictly looking at GPA first then if you make it to the next round then will they look at the rest or how does it work?

PS: im sorry im somewhat new to the abreviations here on SDN can you please tell me what "URM" means :/ does it possibly mean "unique rare minority" lol idk im just using context clues.





And yappy thanx for the encouraging words, i do intend on applying to the lower GPA schools. I mean lets be honest im not going to get into the top schools, but i would be happy with simply an admission from anywere at this point because i know i can not be as selective as others. With that being said do you know of any schools that may have a bettrer chance of being a "std deviation" besides simply looking at over all statistics. For example do you know of any schools that cherish life circumstances or great volunteer services more than others. And i intend to keep my hopes up because I've herd that its not all about GPA (but dont get me wrong it is the most important part) but also its about being the total package and besides my GPA i have evrything else so im just hoping admissions will somehow look past my GPA.

ASDOH really likes community service and involvement and is willing to look past lower GPA

 

[Just Peachy]

Western tends to look at the applicant as a whole instead of making it a numbers game, plus it's private.

I agree with someone who posted earlier to go ahead and apply this year (but apply smart) and be working on your backup plan (post bacc, 1 yr masters, etc) while you're going through this cycle. Worst case scenario, you're out some $$$. Best case scenario, you get in on your first try. Good luck!

 

[pogue]

Hey Rainee i understand that, but i was looking through the ADEA dental school guide book and for GPA range they have people in with 2.5 GPAs?!?!?!?! Do you know what kind of applicants they accept with those statistics? Are those the students who fall under the extreme minority group or what?

I had a 2.5 undergrad GPA, with an even lower science GPA. I talked to the director of admissions at my state school and he told me what to do to get into the school (complete 1-year MS). I followed his advice, lined up my letters of rec., and studied a lot.

I am not a minority (at least visibly or on paper), so that had nothing to do with things. I am older and I have work experience unrelated to dentistry. I do not know how that factored into the equation.

A 3.0 GPA with the right DAT scores and letters is not a lost cause regardless of what is said on here. Obviously it is not an ideal situation, but it can be overcome given the right strategy.

I would not hesitate to apply. If you do not, there is a 100% chance you will not get in anywhere.

 

[Osity]

URM=Underrepresented Minority (Blacks, Hispanics, American Indians/Pacific Islander).

 

[duvaldentist]

I had a 2.5 undergrad GPA, with an even lower science GPA. I talked to the director of admissions at my state school and he told me what to do to get into the school (complete 1-year MS). I followed his advice, lined up my letters of rec., and studied a lot.

I am not a minority (at least visibly or on paper), so that had nothing to do with things. I am older and I have work experience unrelated to dentistry. I do not know how that factored into the equation.

A 3.0 GPA with the right DAT scores and letters is not a lost cause regardless of what is said on here. Obviously it is not an ideal situation, but it can be overcome given the right strategy.

I would not hesitate to apply. If you do not, there is a 100% chance you will not get in anywhere.

Thanks Pogue, first off congrats to following your dreams and putting in the hours to acheive it. With that being said is there anyway you can go into a little further detail as far as what the director of admissions said, or did he simply say complete an MS program. Also what sort of MS program did you do, and did you get into dental school this past 2010 cycle or was this further back. And i totaly agree with your last statement, no applying = no chance but the only thing im concerned about is the fact that im absolutly broke and to apply costs a lot of money lol but i guess where theres a will theres a way right 😉

URM=Underrepresented Minority (Blacks, Hispanics, American Indians/Pacific Islander).

And thanks for the information Osity, but quick question i am Filipino do you if thats considerd asian or pacific islander?

 

[prsndwg]

Thanks Pogue, first off congrats to following your dreams and putting in the hours to acheive it. With that being said is there anyway you can go into a little further detail as far as what the director of admissions said, or did he simply say complete an MS program. Also what sort of MS program did you do, and did you get into dental school this past 2010 cycle or was this further back. And i totaly agree with your last statement, no applying = no chance but the only thing im concerned about is the fact that im absolutly broke and to apply costs a lot of money lol but i guess where theres a will theres a way right 😉




And thanks for the information Osity, but quick question i am Filipino do you if thats considerd asian or pacific islander? YES

 

[duvaldentist]

Lol prsdwg you answerd "yes" but my question was is being filipino classify me as either asian OR pacific islander... So which is it lol "yes" dosent help me very much... please clarify

 

[doc toothache]

Hey Maygyver ya sorry about that i guess i was trying to fly under the radar without exposing myself :/ but your right... Well my GPA is quite frankly embarrassing i have a 3.2 cGPA and a 3.0 sGPA but i plan to make up for it with my DAT scores (I'm shooting for a 23AA)... That being said i have not taken the DAT yet but i have been studying religiously for the past month and a half and i plan to take it mid May. I unfortunately faced some life experiences in which i will try to convince adcom to slightly over look my GPA and look more towards my DAT.

Hey rainee ya i totaly get what your saying and i understand my chances are a long shot but i do beleive i have a pretty unique situation that i will drill into adcoms heads with my personal statement.

If the 23 or the ps doesn't wow, the "drilling" certainly will get their attention.

 

[iamjackbauer]

sorry guys, i meant to post this link:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=635046

(the other link took you to the LAST post of the thread, when really, you should be reading the FIRST post). i dont have anything against detroit mercy!

 

[duvaldentist]

If the 23 or the ps doesn't wow, the "drilling" certainly will get their attention.

Thanks doc, i hope you wernt being sarcastic lol

 

[doc toothache]

Thanks doc, i hope you wernt being sarcastic lol

You mean that's an option?