Does An Easy University Look Bad?

[ias2512]

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Hey does anyone know if dental schools look alot at what school u are in? For example, if you go to a easy university because the classes are easier and you get a better GPA than a harder university, will dental schools look and see what school your in and take that into consideration?

 

[thomasjm]

I think that it would be hard to attach labels such as "easy" but I would think they would def. be able to tell how competitive a curriculum it would be compared with other schools. For example, I go to a really small liberal arts college with small classes, compared with someone who attends a large univeristy type school, an adcom could tell what strengths and weaknesses both programs and schools may have.

 

[syn_apse]

some dental schools scale your GPA with respect to the reputation of your undergrad school. so yes, it matters to some schools. but that being said, strong GPA and DAT scores will trump whatever school you went to.

 

[polarnut]

some dental schools scale your GPA with respect to the reputation of your undergrad school.

which school is this????

 

[polarnut]

Hey does anyone know if dental schools look alot at what school u are in? For example, if you go to a easy university because the classes are easier and you get a better GPA than a harder university, will dental schools look and see what school your in and take that into consideration?

no. go to the ****tiest university and get the best grades possible. it's all numbers game, my friend.

 

[Lefty7]

It really doesn't matter if you are double majoring in electrical engineering and biochemistry with a music minor for well-roundedness at Stanford... the bottom line is *G P A*. If you pull below a 3.0, it will look bad. Sure, everything else helps in consideration and you might get in simply because you're a unique applicant, but some kid at a dinky school who scores a 4.0 and a high DAT will still be a leg ahead of you in the numbers game. Personally, I would have chosen something easier than my major if I had known how the admissions process worked as a freshman. I suppose it'll all even out in dental school. 👍

 

[PDizzle]

I would generally agree that GPA is the bottom line (especially since there are so many frig'n applicants nowa-days!!) but I still think schools consider your undergrad school.

A 3.5 from Harvard, Yale or Stanford is better then a 3.5 from Backwater U! They are not equal.

 

[INFNITE]

A 3.3 at a school like Cornell still looks infinitely better than a 3.6 at a local community college. Prestige of the school does make a difference, although you still need to earn a decent GPA even at a prestigious school. Going to an Ivy League doesn't mean you can just slack off and get a sub 3.0 GPA.

 

[whiskeysour]

Hey does anyone know if dental schools look alot at what school u are in? For example, if you go to a easy university because the classes are easier and you get a better GPA than a harder university, will dental schools look and see what school your in and take that into consideration?

i'd love to hear your definition of an "easy school" lol

 

[DUBS]

So long as you are getting a good GPA, doing the EC's, and do well on your DATs I don't think it matters much. I believe it has an influence on borderline applicants, but not if you've got a great overall application. I had a friend who went to a community college the first two years, then transferred to a 4-yr university and got accepted to UCLA, UCSF, and everywhere else he applied. Bottom line: just do well wherever you go

 

[PDizzle]

i'd love to hear your definition of an "easy school" lol

At the risk of offending some people, I can give you an example:

I'm from the East Bay Area (San Francsico/Oakland) so this will make less sense for non Nor-Cal's. Going to UC Berkeley and Hayward State is a huge difference! Just getting into UCB is an accomplishment onto itself where I don't even think Hayward even has an application cycle. I've never heard of someone not getting into Hayward State. You just walk onto campus and sign up for classes, much like a CC. In fact, some of my CC teachers also teach at state colleges and say that the students at Diablo Valley College(DVC, the local CC) do better then the state school students.

I know this, all the students know this, the teachers know this and I think the AdComs at D-Schools know this as well, especially the local schools. I took almost all my pre-req's from DVC but since around here it has a good rep I think it didn't hurt my app at all and may be partial why I got into UCSF. An east coast school would probably think differently.

 

[golfmontpoker]

I thought this would be an appropriate time to bring this up in this thread. I also go to a small private liberal arts college... But the thing that makes my school unique is the block system. You take one class at a time, 3 hours in the morning, and 2-3 hours of lab in the afternoon, 5 days a week, for 3 and a half weeks straight. How do you all think this would look? Im pretty sure i should probably mention it because when people look at my transcript they will see chem1 and 2, orgo chem 1 and 2, and biochemistry all back to back my sophmore year (which completely sucked a$$! 😡 ) Any comments?

 

[Yellow Snow]

There is a numeric value assigned to your school based upon a ranking determined by a national entity. Schools use this value, along with other quantifiables, to rank an application. I don't know how much this value counts for relative to other numbers in one's application but I get the feeling it isn't a huge amount. GPA and DAT are MUCH more important.

 

[INFNITE]

How easy a school is depends alot on the quality of students. For example, professors in Ivy League schools know the students in these schools can handle a high level of work, so they might give these students more work or tougher exams than lets say a professor who teaches a relatively unknown college. Not only that, the competitiveness of students makes it difficult to earn A's because everyone who got accepted into these elite schools got in because they are also achievers in high school. Many courses in Cornell are curved to a B. If the students are equally as smart as you (many smarter and/or work harder), there's only a certain percentage of students who can do significantly better than others and earn A's, while most students will end up earning B's in these courses. In an easy school, courses probably aren't even curved, and the level of work expected is probably significantly lower than the top schools in the country. The difference between an elite school and an easier school is that the elite schools want to challenge students to go beyond what the students are able to achieve in the easier schools. Exams are more challenging, and the average grade for an exam may be a 60, but you get much more out of your learning experience.

by the way, Golfmontpoker, to answer your question, I don't think block system and semester system makes much of a difference. In fact, many dental schools use the block system to organize their curriculum.

 

[ias2512]

How easy a school is depends alot on the quality of students. For example, professors in Ivy League schools know the students in these schools can handle a high level of work, so they might give these students more work or tougher exams than lets say a professor who teaches a relatively unknown college. Not only that, the competitiveness of students makes it difficult to earn A's because everyone who got accepted into these elite schools got in because they are also achievers in high school. Many courses in Cornell are curved to a B. If the students are equally as smart as you (many smarter and/or work harder), there's only a certain percentage of students who can do significantly better than others and earn A's, while most students will end up earning B's in these courses. In an easy school, courses probably aren't even curved, and the level of work expected is probably significantly lower than the top schools in the country. The difference between an elite school and an easier school is that the elite schools want to challenge students to go beyond what the students are able to achieve in the easier schools. Exams are more challenging, and the average grade for an exam may be a 60, but you get much more out of your learning experience.

by the way, Golfmontpoker, to answer your question, I don't think block system and semester system makes much of a difference. In fact, many dental schools use the block system to organize their curriculum.

Yes! THis is EXACTLY wat i meant when i meant "easy" school. In my case it is between University of Texas- Austin vs. University of Texas-Arlington, San Antonio, etc(which are much easier to get into) and after much debate i will decline UT-Austin and stay at UT-Arlington(b/c GPA will be much higher here). thanks again.

 

[BallDontLie]

Yes! THis is EXACTLY wat i meant when i meant "easy" school. In my case it is between University of Texas- Austin vs. University of Texas-Arlington, San Antonio, etc(which are much easier to get into) and after much debate i will decline UT-Austin and stay at UT-Arlington(b/c GPA will be much higher here). thanks again.

I wouldn't do that if I were you. If money/location isnt an issue, why not go challenge yourself at a good school like UT-Austin? I dont know much about it, but I know Texas is right up there with the best public schools in the country (UCLA, Mich, Berkley, UVa, etc..). I went to Michigan and honesty, if you put in a decent amount of effort, theres no reason you can't get a 3.3 - 3.4 despite the tough competition. I just dont get it when people take the easy road thinking they cant cut it competing with other high caliber students. Have some confidence in yourself and tackle the challenge. It will be for the better in the end. Besides, dental school is gonna be tough and you will be surrounded by other brilliant students. Better get used to it now while you can..

 

[colt]

I go to a small liberal arts school and compared to the local university it seems much easier to get good grades. In most of my class of 40 or less, only about <3 or 4 people get A's(even easy classes--music, art etc.). Checking the grades given, the public school has classes with 40, 50, 60+++ percent of the people getting A's.

This doesn't give my school a better rep, but I think it would be easier to get better grades at a larger public school. Of course, many schools probably don't do this, but I'm talking about the lesser known public schools. Having a large selection of teachers must rock 😎

 

[bpenly]

Yes! THis is EXACTLY wat i meant when i meant "easy" school. In my case it is between University of Texas- Austin vs. University of Texas-Arlington, San Antonio, etc(which are much easier to get into) and after much debate i will decline UT-Austin and stay at UT-Arlington(b/c GPA will be much higher here). thanks again.

Don't think for a minute that you can't get good grades at UT-Austin. I took about 50 science credit hours there as a post-bac and left with a 3.95. It is competitive, but the science programs are excellent and there a some outstanding opportunities for undergrads to get experience in some cutting edge labs.

The only classes I had that were curved against each other were in the physics department. In biology and chemistry you the master of your own destiny. Don't get freaked out by what may happen at other schools. UT-Austin is very fair in their grading, in fact, they may be too lenient.