Do dental schools care where you went for undergrad?

[chiralcarbons2]

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[uclaDDS101]

You go to a great school. However, if you're hoping that will make up for a low gpa, I don't think that's the case. As a general consensus from most of the admissions officers I've spoken to: If you believe that a subpar gpa is partly a product of a rigorous undergraduate program, then your true academic acumen should be demonstrated in your DAT scores. Adcomms aren't just going to look at the name of your school and assume you have a certain level of academic proficiency. They need some proof. My advice: Pick up that gpa (especially sci gpa) as much as you can before you apply (that means getting 4.0's w/ a good amount of science classes). You can also consider retaking the DAT. Since you've already taken it and are familiar with the test, I think you can get 21+ with a little more studying. Good luck with all of this. Just try to stay focused, and you'll be in very good shape for applications.

 

[Kkae]

You go to a great school. However, if you're hoping that will make up for a low gpa, I don't think that's the case. As a general consensus from most of the admissions officers I've spoken to: If you believe that a subpar gpa is partly a product of a rigorous undergraduate program, then your true academic acumen should be demonstrated in your DAT scores. Adcomms aren't just going to look at the name of your school and assume you have a certain level of academic proficiency. They need some proof. My advice: Pick up that gpa (especially sci gpa) as much as you can before you apply (that means getting 4.0's w/ a good amount of science classes). You can also consider retaking the DAT. Since you've already taken it and are familiar with the test, I think you can get 21+ with a little more studying. Good luck with all of this. Just try to stay focused, and you'll be in very good shape for applications.

Totally agree!
Don't hope for a free ride because of the school you went to.

Good Luck 👍

 

[pinetar321]

yea dont assume anything is gonna be handed to you. the only reason going to a great academic institution is going to help you is that it will prove to admissions that you can handle a challenge. If you have a low gpa like I do, you NEED to rock those DATs to show that you actually learned something in class and your gpa was a result of grade deflation and not you sucking lol. Just a little straight-talk from somebody who was in the exact same situation a year ago 🙂

 

[Futuredds2010]

Man I go to Knox College and its of the same caliber of UChicago so I totally know how you feel. My GPA is very similar to yours. I agree with the other people that you or we lol should rock the DAT 20's and above in each section. Good Luck!👍

 

[uclaDDS101]

Man I go to Knox College and its of the same caliber of UChicago so I totally know how you feel. My GPA is very similar to yours. I agree with the other people that you or we lol should rock the DAT 20's and above in each section. Good Luck!👍

Knox College is the same caliber as University of Chicago? I've never heard of Knox, but I don't think it's the same caliber. Maybe we just don't know that school over here on the west coast. But UChicago is pretty well-known, even over here. It's like top ten in the nation, right? I don't know. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[wantVCUdental]

Man I go to Knox College and its of the same caliber of UChicago so I totally know how you feel. My GPA is very similar to yours. I agree with the other people that you or we lol should rock the DAT 20's and above in each section. Good Luck!👍

I don't know what you are smoking, but Uchicago is definitely a much more highly regarded school than Knox college...
At my old school, they used to care a lot about Uchicago, Cornell and MIT students etc... However like UCLASDDS said, don't bank on it...
Uchicago is such a tough school, i am surprised you only scored 19TS and 19AA... a 2.9/3.0 from Uchicago should put you at least with a 21AA... retake and prove yourself...

 

[FutureDent020]

Knox College is the same caliber as University of Chicago? I've never heard of Knox, but I don't think it's the same caliber. Maybe we just don't know that school over here on the west coast. But UChicago is pretty well-known, even over here. It's like top ten in the nation, right? I don't know. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Knox is a good liberal arts school, but ranks high 70's or low 80's in national liberal art school ratings (Princeton Review, US News, etc). So, not University of Chicago caliber. And yea, University of Chicago is consistently rated as top 10 national university.

 

[Futuredds2010]

Knox College is the same caliber as University of Chicago? I've never heard of Knox, but I don't think it's the same caliber. Maybe we just don't know that school over here on the west coast. But UChicago is pretty well-known, even over here. It's like top ten in the nation, right? I don't know. Correct me if I'm wrong.

lol I hear that all the time. Well, Knox is a small liberal arts college so its obviously a lot smaller than UChicago. And Knox is also ranked as a top liberal arts college so you may not have heard of it. 😉

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/liberal-arts-rankings/page+4

 

[wantVCUdental]

lol I hear that all the time. Well, Knox is a small liberal arts college so its obviously a lot smaller than UChicago. And Knox is also ranked as a top liberal arts college so you may not have heard of it. 😉

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/liberal-arts-rankings/page+4

Uchicago's undergrad is also very small, and they have a highly selective student pool consisting of a large singporean student body (these are gunners who are on full scholarship from their country, competing against them is impossible!). That's why I believe their science gpas are greatly deflated.

 

[anonymousername]

knox is definitely not the same caliber of UChicago (in most departments) and going to UChicago with a two-point-anything will not help you in a significant way.

but knox does have some great departments that are known nationwide.

 

[Futuredds2010]

lmao hold the hell up. This isn't even about KNOX COLLEGE its about the person who started this thread who is having trouble with his DAT and GPA. Now let's please get off the topic of my college lol sheesh😱

 

[PChemGrad]

Knox College as tough as UChicago. HaHaHa.

The only Knox i know of is the School of Hard Knox.

 

[caloriefree]

I also went to a competitive college, graduated with a similar GPA, did well on the DAT.. but I was only able to get two invites, made waitlists and didn't get in. You definitely want to take the DAT again. There are some schools that will give you a chance. UChicago is notorious for grade deflation, but I wouldn't bank on d-school admissions being aware of this, especially many schools seem to just flat out reject 90% of their applicants based on just #s these days.

 

[pinetar321]

I also went to a competitive college, graduated with a similar GPA, did well on the DAT.. but I was only able to get two invites, made waitlists and didn't get in. You definitely want to take the DAT again. There are some schools that will give you a chance. UChicago is notorious for grade deflation, but I wouldn't bank on d-school admissions being aware of this, especially many schools seem to just flat out reject 90% of their applicants based on just #s these days.

amen.

 

[DeAngelo]

So since Undergrad school doesn't matter, are you saying it would be better off for me to transfer Out of the University of Michigan, where I have a 3.45, and go to Eastern Michigan University, where I could get a 4.0? I have a hard time accepting that schools don't matter, considering the vast difference in difficulty...

 

[FutureDent020]

So since Undergrad school doesn't matter, are you saying it would be better off for me to transfer Out of the University of Michigan, where I have a 3.45, and go to Eastern Michigan University, where I could get a 4.0? I have a hard time accepting that schools don't matter, considering the vast difference in difficulty...

Your school does matter, but not to the extent the OP has asked.

 

[Sarutobi231]

So since Undergrad school doesn't matter, are you saying it would be better off for me to transfer Out of the University of Michigan, where I have a 3.45, and go to Eastern Michigan University, where I could get a 4.0? I have a hard time accepting that schools don't matter, considering the vast difference in difficulty...

My professor who got his PhD at University of Chicago still works with the med school there and he told me the school you go to DOES matter and they weigh your GPA accordingly. It would be absurd if the college you went to didn't matter otherwise premed and predent students would have no incentive to go to these tough schools.

 

[Oracle DMD]

My professor who got his PhD at University of Chicago still works with the med school there and he told me the school you go to DOES matter and they weigh your GPA accordingly. It would be absurd if the college you went to didn't matter otherwise premed and predent students would have no incentive to go to these tough schools.

i have never heard of a dschool giving more than a 0.2 swing of the gpa for a "tougher school". if you went to harvard and got a 2.9, it wont look as good as the kid who pulled a 3.4 at Soutwestern Arkansas State. the DAT is supposed to serve as an equalizer of sorts, so if you get that 2.9 and dont kill the DAT, i guess you overpaid for that education boss.

 

[Oracle DMD]

Your school does matter, but not to the extent the OP has asked.

+1

 

[Tommy43087]

So since Undergrad school doesn't matter, are you saying it would be better off for me to transfer Out of the University of Michigan, where I have a 3.45, and go to Eastern Michigan University, where I could get a 4.0? I have a hard time accepting that schools don't matter, considering the vast difference in difficulty...

I hate when people pull this card, its pathetic...


If you believe that then you must have like a 26 on the DAT right?

 

[printer21]

i have never heard of a dschool giving more than a 0.2 swing of the gpa for a "tougher school". if you went to harvard and got a 2.9, it wont look as good as the kid who pulled a 3.4 at Soutwestern Arkansas State. the DAT is supposed to serve as an equalizer of sorts, so if you get that 2.9 and dont kill the DAT, i guess you overpaid for that education boss.

I agree, this is sadly true. A 3.1 at competitive university would be equivalent to 3.5-3.6 at a less competitive state school IMO.

 

[Oracle DMD]

I agree, this is sadly true. A 3.1 at competitive university would be equivalent to 3.5-3.6 at a less competitive state school IMO.

maybe lower! maybe 3.1=3.3!!

 

[kallie902]

I think undergrad school DOES matter. I had at least 4 separate interviews where my interviewer was like, wow, Boston College, what a great school.. and looked at me like my 3.47 gpa was a major accomplishment.

 

[beatsdre]

I went to UChicago for undergrad and my GPA is horrible 🙁

2.68 science GPA and 2.92 overall GPA

I took the DAT in October and got:
Bio 17
GenChem 22
OChem 19
PAT 19
QR 19
RC 19
AA 19
TS 19

I know my DAT scores are mediocre and my undergrad GPA is way below average. I'm currently taking upper-level science classes at a university and received a 3.7 last semester. Is there any chance of me getting into dental school in this cycle?

Like many others- Short answer: No

Maybe if you are URM, but I sincerely doubt it.

Pull up the gpa via post-bac or masters or something and retake the dat.

School doesn't matter, so pick and choose your fights when you go do your post-bac or masters. Don't make the same mistake and choose a hard post-bac or masters. It really doesn't matter where you attend- granted its not a CC.

Also imo, retake the DAT to, the scores are to low.

Best of luck- but don't make the same mistake again. Schools really don't care unless you go to an IVY and even then- it doesn't carry that MUCH weight.

 

[jroque3313]

I go the University of Florida, one of the largest pre-dental dental school applying student bodies. My buddy that goes to University of South Florida was advised to transfer to UF to get the best chance possible of getting into dental school because of the name. I mean idk how much of this was true...but he had a low GPA and didn't get in anywhere...he is doing a post bac now. So like the previous posts have said get on your stuff and raise that GPA and DAT...even if thats the with a post bac........persistency and consistency my friend. You will get there if you want it bad enough 👍

good luck 🙂

 

[pokes]

If it really matters, then these people with sub-par GPAs from really tough schools should have top-notch DAT scores

 

[wantVCUdental]

If it really matters, then these people with sub-par GPAs from really tough schools should have top-notch DAT scores

Most of them do, however, some of the URMs at those schools got in because of AA, so they are not really representative of the general population at those top-notch schools.
Generally you will see students from harvard with 3.1-3.3 gpa but 24 DAT, because DAT is very easy to score high on and those students got in because they can all at the very least dominate the standardize tests 🙂

 

[slight365]

I learned from an Ivy-league student once:

"Schools only care about the top students from any school, whether it's a community college, tier 3 school, or an Ivy".

 

[skiphotsauce]

1. School matters of course, but like FutureDent said, not to that extent. I know med schools have a point system based upon the undergrad you went to-- I don't think dental schools do this, but of course they take it into account. Multiple ADCOMs I have spoken with says it matters. It's part of your application that is taken into account along with EC's and your PS, etc.

2. To the OP, you need a post-bac, because those scores are too low, regardless of where you went to school.

3. From a personal experience, the undergrad definitely matters.

4. To the person who mentioned Knox College, you said "Man I go to Knox College and its of the same caliber of UChicago so I totally know how you feel." Besides from being slightly obnoxious, trying to tell posters to back off your college discussion is ridiculous after making this statement.

 

[Futuredds2010]

1. School matters of course, but like FutureDent said, not to that extent. I know med schools have a point system based upon the undergrad you went to-- I don't think dental schools do this, but of course they take it into account. Multiple ADCOMs I have spoken with says it matters. It's part of your application that is taken into account along with EC's and your PS, etc.

2. To the OP, you need a post-bac, because those scores are too low, regardless of where you went to school.

3. From a personal experience, the undergrad definitely matters.

4. To the person who mentioned Knox College, you said "Man I go to Knox College and its of the same caliber of UChicago so I totally know how you feel." Besides from being slightly obnoxious, trying to tell posters to back off your college discussion is ridiculous after making this statement.

First of all if you "posters" would not make such a big deal out me saying knox college is of the same caliber as uchicago maybe I would not have said back off the discussion of knox. Damn you guys are a bunch of lames! Get over your insecurities!!!!! 😉

 

[wantVCUdental]

First of all if you "posters" would not make such a big deal out me saying knox college is of the same caliber as uchicago maybe I would not have said back off the discussion of knox. Damn you guys are a bunch of lames! Get over your insecurities!!!!! 😉

I don't think you know what being insecure means 😉, in this whole thread, there's only 1 person who had to justify his/her gpa by saying knox is equivalent to uchicago... i am not saying who, but i think you might know that someone 😉. All discussions aside, are you the person in that display picture? because if you are, then you will probably get in to dental school 🙂, AA status is golden!

 

[billythekid]

First of all if you "posters" would not make such a big deal out me saying knox college is of the same caliber as uchicago maybe I would not have said back off the discussion of knox. Damn you guys are a bunch of lames! Get over your insecurities!!!!! 😉

hahahaha. i agree

 

[somethinpositiv]

Your school does matter, but not to the extent the OP has asked.

True. It might come into play if your GPA was over 3.0, but with a 2.X GPA, your application is dead in the water until you improve it.

I'd recommend both doing a Post-Bacc to increase your GPA/Science GPA to at least 3.0, and then doing an SMP with a 3.8-4.0. Barry University offers such a combined program: http://www.barry.edu/chs/msprograms/postba-msbiomed/Default.htm

It would take a couple extra years, but it'll be worth it in the long run.

 

[USCbiograd]

Quality points will be awarded to your GPA depending upon the undergraduate university that you attended. But with that said a GPA in the 2.5 range is still far below par, and to say that this is merely due to rigor of your institute is a little far fetched. If you had a 3.3 or something in that range you may have a case, but a GPA in the well below a 3.0 is not going to give you much of a chance. I would suggest a master's degree program, or possible retaking the DAT if you think you can score a 22-24 in each section.

 

[peerless218]

Some undergrads are known to some specific schools as the FEEDER schools. And by attending those undergrads, it'll increase your chance of getting an interview when you apply.

 

[pinetar321]

Some undergrads are known to some specific schools as the FEEDER schools. And by attending those undergrads, it'll increase your chance of getting an interview when you apply.

Ex: UVA and VCU dental 🙂

 

[girlygirl87]

Ex: UVA and VCU dental 🙂

huh...look at facebook VCU 2014

Everyone is from VT or VCU plus a few random small private schools...
not a single UVA or William and Mary

 

[AskJeeves]

Your GPA gets bumped up a little when AADSAS calculates your GPA if you go to a better school. If you go to an IVY, they round all minuses up, i.e., A- is an A, etc. I got a .1 bump in my GPA.