GPA Weighting Based on University

[TalkingTom]

Do adcoms weight GPAs from various schools differently? Clearly it is harder to get into some undergraduate universities than others, and the coursework may be more challenging, but do adcoms take into account that a 3.3 at a competitive university may be vastly different than a 3.3 from a smaller less renowned school?

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[dentalWorks]

Do adcoms weight GPAs from various schools differently? Clearly it is harder to get into some undergraduate universities than others, and the coursework may be more challenging, but do adcoms take into account that a 3.3 at a competitive university may be vastly different than a 3.3 from a smaller less renowned school?

Short answer = No, or at least there is no evidence of it

At the end of the day, schools take pride in saying "Our entering class of 2011 had a cumulative GPA of 3.8"..... Its not based on WHICH school you went to, but rather how well you performed at the institute

 

[cbizzle7994]

Do adcoms weight GPAs from various schools differently? Clearly it is harder to get into some undergraduate universities than others, and the coursework may be more challenging, but do adcoms take into account that a 3.3 at a competitive university may be vastly different than a 3.3 from a smaller less renowned school?

People will say that which university you go to doesn't matter, but it does to an extent. If you go to a well known university that is known for being competitive, it will put you ahead of any applicants that have similar stats as you. At my interviews, nearly everyone I talked to went to well known universities. I don't know if that is simply coincidence or it actually means that dental schools prefer applicants coming from well known universities. It also is a plus when you interview to talk about how you chose to attend the school that would challenge you. Furthermore, attending a more challenging university better prepares you for the DAT, which is the moderator that is completely independent of GPA.

I have a less than stellar GPA from a fairly well known university and a pretty good DAT. I attended 4 pre-December interviews and was accepted at all 4. I also had 2 interviews, 1 pre-December and 1 post-December, that I didn't attend. Did going to a more well known university help me? I don't know. Would I do it again instead of going to my less reputable state school? You bet. I got accepted into my top choice school so I have no regrets.

 

[dantemac]

If you apply through a pre-health committee they can certainly compare you to the competition at your school. So always be scoring ahead of the curve!