Harvard, anyone?

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The Anhedonia

The Anhedonia

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Dentist
Is anyone applying at Harvard? if so, what does it take? what are your stats like (if i may ask)?

it just seems so out of league that i'm not sure that anyone seriously considers applying. but if you think you have what it takes, please post, i'd love to hear!!! thanks
 
hajibandeh said:
Is anyone applying at Harvard? if so, what does it take? what are your stats like (if i may ask)?

it just seems so out of league that i'm not sure that anyone seriously considers applying. but if you think you have what it takes, please post, i'd love to hear!!! thanks
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Well, I am. Don't think I will pass their first screen.😛
 
One thing i would like to say based on what i have seen. Harvard is very picky. Yes, numbers and stats are important but then you also need to have the personality. It is your personality that gets you the acceptance.
 
hajibandeh said:
so what would it take to past the "first screen"? will they look at the combination of GPA & DAT and say "this person does not meet our criteria of such and such" ?
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They read your whole application. They do not screen your application based on your stats. Your, stats, extra activities, PS and your life experience gets you through the first screen.
 
hajibandeh said:
but there must be a threshold that must be surpassed in oder for them to even see your personality. so where does this threshold lie?
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According to predents.com, I guess you need to have DAT22+ and GPA around 3.9 to be considered as a competitive applicant.
 
hajibandeh said:
but there must be a threshold that must be surpassed in oder for them to even see your personality. so where does this threshold lie?
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sajjy said:
They read your whole application. They do not screen your application based on your stats. Your, stats, extra activities, PS and your life experience gets you through the first screen.
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Two different committees read your whole application. When both the committees say yes then the applicant is invited for the interview. So, out of ~1500 applications, they invite ~120 applicants out of which 35 are selected.
 
whatzuppal said:
According to predents.com, I guess you need to have DAT22+ and GPA around 3.9 to be considered as a competitive applicant.
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Those are old stats. They do stress on the GPA more than the DAT. Average DAT for this year was 21 but average gpa was the highest in the nation with 3.82.
 
I worked for a young endodontist that went to Harvard for Dental School...He said their program was too academic and not too clinical and it really hurt him in the long run when he opened his practice...he actually doesn't recommend Harvard for those who want to practice dentistry...anyway, I'm still going to apply and hope for the best...the most appealing thing about Harvard is that almost everyone that graduates from there gets accepted into a residency program, which we all know is really hard to do, and I really want to specialize...as for my stats, PAT 21, AA 22, TS 23...3.9 for total GPA and science GPA from UC Berkeley...as for extracurriculars- 50+ hours shadowing, tutoring, and job experience (one job being with an endodontist as I've already mentioned)...so, I'm obviously depending on my stats more than anything else...it would be nice to be considered though...I mean come on, it's HARVARD! But my number one choice is UCLA.
 
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TS 22 (my Organic was a 26! rest were 21 and 22)
AA 21

I didn't apply to Harvard
I figured it will be a waste of my money 😕


I think I would be more stressed from the competitive environment?!
 
Eddie17 said:
I worked for a young endodontist that went to Harvard for Dental School...He said their program was too academic and not too clinical and it really hurt him in the long run when he opened his practice...he actually doesn't recommend Harvard for those who want to practice dentistry...anyway, I'm still going to apply and hope for the best...the most appealing thing about Harvard is that almost everyone that graduates from there gets accepted into a residency program, which we all know is really hard to do, and I really want to specialize...as for my stats, PAT 21, AA 22, TS 23...3.9 for total GPA and science GPA from UC Berkeley...as for extracurriculars- 50+ hours shadowing, tutoring, and job experience (one job being with an endodontist as I've already mentioned)...so, I'm obviously depending on my stats more than anything else...it would be nice to be considered though...I mean come on, it's HARVARD! But my number one choice is UCLA.
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If you want to practice general dentistry then definitely you will have to do GPR or AEGD. Otherwise when you specialize then you get more then enough practice on those procedures. Did he go to Harvard for pre-doc or for endo? I dont know how pre-doc at Harvard will hurt him in doing endo procedures in the private practice, when he was suppose to get endo expertise at his specialty school?
Like i have mentioned stats will NEVER guarantee you a seat at Harvard Dental. There were people with 26 and 4.0 rejected this year.

DrDentista said:
TS 22 (my Organic was a 26! rest were 21 and 22)
AA 21

I didn't apply to Harvard
I figured it will be a waste of my money 😕


I think I would be more stressed from the competitive environment?!
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HAHAHA, now that i am here, i laugh at how people stereotype the environment and stay ignorant. The whole environment is very laid back and chill. Seriously no competition at all. Actually for our first course, each student is making notes on the important topics. This then will be shared amongst all the 35 students using google documents.
 
Eddie17 said:
I worked for a young endodontist that went to Harvard for Dental School...He said their program was too academic and not too clinical and it really hurt him in the long run when he opened his practice...he actually doesn't recommend Harvard for those who want to practice dentistry...anyway, I'm still going to apply and hope for the best...the most appealing thing about Harvard is that almost everyone that graduates from there gets accepted into a residency program, which we all know is really hard to do, and I really want to specialize...as for my stats, PAT 21, AA 22, TS 23...3.9 for total GPA and science GPA from UC Berkeley...as for extracurriculars- 50+ hours shadowing, tutoring, and job experience (one job being with an endodontist as I've already mentioned)...so, I'm obviously depending on my stats more than anything else...it would be nice to be considered though...I mean come on, it's HARVARD! But my number one choice is UCLA.
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Our 4th years who do rotations at clinics in Boston consistently come back feeling much better prepared for clinical settings than BU and Tufts students. Concordantly, every class has a handful of students choose to practice general dentistry straight out of school and have no problem doing so. By saying the program is "too academic" I'm assuming he meant didactics involved too much medical curricula. However, I find this nothing but advantageous to have full medical knowledge of the body. Students here literally take medical school for 2 years with all head and neck classes on top of it, so it's not like we're giving one up for the other.
 
Its always funny when people try and hate on Harvard.....regardless of how hard they clinically train you I'm sure the class selection is self motivated enough to handle pretty much anything.
 
achilles2 said:
Its always funny when people try and hate on Harvard.....regardless of how hard they clinically train you I'm sure the class selection is self motivated enough to handle pretty much anything.
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👍👍
 
I'm living proof that they don't just screen by the numbers. I got an interview invite with a 3.47 gpa and a 20/20/25 on the DAT. I guess they really ARE looking at well-rounded applicants, two thumbs up for that!!!!
 
kallie902...that's great, congrats!

might i ask, when did you receive the 'application completed' email?

thanks!
 
ps. although their incoming class is 35, i'm sure they give more offers than that.... some people do turn them down. hell, i haven't been offered acceptance, but i'ts not my number 1 so i'm already contemplating not attending...
 
i applied to harvard, just so i can get their rejection letter and frame it :laugh:

stats: AA 23 TS 23 PA 24
GPA 3.85 sci GPA 3.92
 
I also applied to harvard with my stats below...just wishing for the best. Even and interview will be worth of money that I spent on that school. Lets see...BTW..I got mail from them on aug25 that..they have received my complete application but after that havent heard anything. 🙂🙄
 
w3u46 said:
kallie902...that's great, congrats!

might i ask, when did you receive the 'application completed' email?

thanks!
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I got an app complete email on 8/5, and I have no idea what I did to get noticed. Wrote a heartfelt personal statement and hoped for the best! The dentist I shadow (who wrote me a LOR) is affiliated with HSDM, which I'm sure helped, but I have no clue how much influence that sort of stuff has...
 
SuperPink said:
i applied to harvard, just so i can get their rejection letter and frame it :laugh:

stats: AA 23 TS 23 PA 24
GPA 3.85 sci GPA 3.92
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+++++
Pay me 200 bucks and I'll write you a rejection letter from Harvard !! Real seal and all.. lol.
I just want to get interviewed so i can pick up a hoodie sweatshirt...
 
I got a call from them 2 weeks ago inviting me for an interview. Scheduled for Oct 16th.
I was in the first batch to be sent out (july 2nd). App complete email dated July 29th.
 
Zubnaya Feya said:
I got a call from them 2 weeks ago inviting me for an interview. Scheduled for Oct 16th.
I was in the first batch to be sent out (july 2nd). App complete email dated July 29th.
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Zybnaya...

CONGRADU-FREAKIN-LATIONS. SUPER JOB !!~! HERE ARE KEYS TO YOUR NEW CAR.....

^^^^^^^^ there is the proper response one is supposed to get from their parents for getting an interview at harvard or upenn..... parents suck.
 
RUBME said:
Zybnaya...

CONGRADU-FREAKIN-LATIONS. SUPER JOB !!~! HERE ARE KEYS TO YOUR NEW CAR.....

^^^^^^^^ there is the proper response one is supposed to get from their parents for getting an interview at harvard or upenn..... parents suck.
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Then I will be intimidated for sure, because I would probably lose my new car if I screw up that interview😀
 
how do they notify your decision?

For those who interviewed before Dec. 1st, when do they start give out acceptace/rejection letters?
 
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Zubnaya Feya said:
Just had my interview last week. School and program are great in all respects.
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Oh! please tell me what it was like plz plz plz..
I'm going there next week..

Did they ask you about your thoughts on PBL curriculum?

Any good advices? Please..?
 
While I'm sure HSDM does not follow exactly the same model that Harvard College follows, I'm also quite sure that their model is not entirely different. I read this thread and some old Harvard threads, and I was really surprised that some people with superstats were rejected before even getting an interview and other people with lesser stats seemed to have no trouble getting in. "Whatever," I thought. "I'll just hope for the best; hope I have whatever mysterious thing it is that they're looking for." Then, completely on accident, I ran across this article in The New Yorker by Gladwell. If nothing else, its a good read. I have a strong suspicion, though, that the admissions criteria he discusses apply to us almost as much as the undergrads.

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/10/10/051010crat_atlarge?currentPage=all
 
ducksfly said:
While I'm sure HSDM does not follow exactly the same model that Harvard College follows, I'm also quite sure that their model is not entirely different. I read this thread and some old Harvard threads, and I was really surprised that some people with superstats were rejected before even getting an interview and other people with lesser stats seemed to have no trouble getting in. "Whatever," I thought. "I'll just hope for the best; hope I have whatever mysterious thing it is that they're looking for." Then, completely on accident, I ran across this article in The New Yorker by Gladwell. If nothing else, its a good read. I have a strong suspicion, though, that the admissions criteria he discusses apply to us almost as much as the undergrads.

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/10/10/051010crat_atlarge?currentPage=all
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If ultra-selective schools like Harvard rely heavily and solely on GPA and standardized test scores they wouldn't bother sending out secondary applications. Secondaries gauge the applicant's ambitions and abilities, and determine whether the applicant's personality is conducive to his/her career goals. Schools want positive representation from their alumni (somewhat like promoting a brand as mentioned in the article), and producing graduates who assume noticeable leadership positions in the community or in academia facilitates that. It obviously weren't my stats that got me interviewed at Harvard.
 
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I applied to Harvard Dental School and very early too. Was checking my mail yesterday and I got a letter from them. I opened it and what do you know, I got rejected.

Oh well, I am prepared for more blows.🙁
 
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