Help me to choose dental schools !

[yankies90]

Hi,

I have taken my DAT on July 18th and I am looking for the right schools.
It's been quite a while since I have been searching for different schools.
My top pick right now is UNLV since I am a Nevada resident.
I am thinking about Midwestern AZ (heard a lot of good things)
and also UCLA.
What other schools will you guys recommend me?
I think... It's not a good idea to apply to only one school so help me here please !

I am mainly looking for schools in the west coast, with tuition lower than 350K.

Here is my stats:
English is my second language.
GPA:4.0
DAT: AA:23 TS:22 PAT:24 RC:21 QR:27
I have about 150 hours of shadowing experience with a general dentist.
Also, I was hired as a dental assistant and worked about 450 hours.
Two research experiences, one during my sophomore year and the other during my senior year.

The problem is that I don't have much volunteer experiences.
My parents had to go back to my birth country for some complicated family issues.
And I started to live with my older brother since I was 16.
I had very hard time figuring out how to stand on my own.
During college years, I had to share a car with my brother and it was very hard to volunteer.
Also, majority of volunteer opportunities were on Saturdays which I always worked in a dental clinic.

Thank You,

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[WastedTime]

i don't think u will have any problem getting accepted at unlv... they accept a high percentage of in-state applicants and your stats are very good

 

[yankies90]

i don't think u will have any problem getting accepted at unlv... they accept a high percentage of in-state applicants and your stats are very good

I hope so too.
But you never know.. I heard 23DAT 3.8GPA getting rejected from UNLV...
So I still want to apply to several schools.
At least 6~8 schools.
Thanks for the input though ^^

 

[toothshine]

With your stats, I'm pretty sure you can get in anywhere (or at least, almost anywhere).

Try looking at UCSF, UOP, and Western (if you're looking purely at TUTION - not including living expenses - under 350k... otherwise these schools are pretty pricey). If you're open to not just the West coast, maybe try Penn (though overall will be 400k, including living expenses)? I think UConn and Pitt might let you switch to in state tuition after your first year - but you'd have to check up on that.

 

[yankies90]

With your stats, I'm pretty sure you can get in anywhere (or at least, almost anywhere).

Try looking at UCSF, UOP, and Western (if you're looking purely at TUTION - not including living expenses - under 350k... otherwise these schools are pretty pricey). If you're open to not just the West coast, maybe try Penn (though overall will be 400k, including living expenses)? I think UConn and Pitt might let you switch to in state tuition after your first year - but you'd have to check up on that.

Thank you for your advice..
Do you think they will accept someone without much volunteer work?

 

[xerxes106]

I'd agree and say with your stats you can probably get in anywhere. I would aim high if I were you, and pick schools you'd want to go to cities you'd really like to live in. For west coast, OHSU and UW rock, and both Portland and Seattle are a ton of fun.

As for volunteer work, why not get involved this weekend? Doesn't take much to compile hours and there's always people needing help.

 

[yankies90]

I'd agree and say with your stats you can probably get in anywhere. I would aim high if I were you, and pick schools you'd want to go to cities you'd really like to live in. For west coast, OHSU and UW rock, and both Portland and Seattle are a ton of fun.

As for volunteer work, why not get involved this weekend? Doesn't take much to compile hours and there's always people needing help.

Thank you xerxex106
I would love to get involved into volunteering as soon as I can but after my DAT,
I had to spend much of my time for packing up my stuffs since I am moving down to Vegas next week.
So as soon as I get there, I look for some volunteer works ^^
Thank you for your advice.

I don't really like the atmosphere of the east coast and I love the nature of the west coast.
When I become a dentist, I don't mind living in a rural area since I am a nature lover.
That's why I mainly want to stay in the west.

So, UNLV, Midwestern AZ, OHSU and UW seem like good choices to you?

 

[toothshine]

UW accepts very, very few OOS - I believe even those with very high stats may not get an interview invite. With that said, if you really like Seattle (it's a great city) and want to give it a try, you should go ahead and apply anyway - and let them decide.

 

[yankies90]

UW accepts very, very few OOS - I believe even those with very high stats may not get an interview invite. With that said, if you really like Seattle (it's a great city) and want to give it a try, you should go ahead and apply anyway - and let them decide.

That's what I have found too.
So I won't apply to UW.
I want to apply to schools that I have chance.

What are some good schools in your opinion?

 

[hitmans45]

UCSF would be a great addition to your list.

 

[toothshine]

What are some good schools in your opinion?

I think the schools everyone has suggested on this thread are good schools on the west coast (UCSF, OHSU, etc.). Going to any dental school will make you a dentist; it really just boils down to what you're looking for in a school.