How competitive is dental school

[mynameistino]

How hard is it to get accepted into dental school. What is a MUST before applying. What are the things you should do to get accepted?

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[ItsGavinC]

1) The title of your thread and the question you actually asked are two different things.

2) Gaining admission to dental school is competitive and can be VERY competitive depending on the school. You can break it down by volume: my school had ~2500 applications this year for 54 spots, and gives out about 80 acceptances. That's a 3% chance. You can break it down by statistics. Harvard and other top schools may only have 300 or so applications, but it doesn't matter because the *quality* of those accepted is far above average of the other schools.

3) What do you need to do? Get excellent grades, do well on the DAT, apply early.

4) Sorry, it's a highly generic question and most people, although helpful, will be too tired to lay everything out for you on a silver platter.

 

[grinningrice]

How hard is it to get accepted into dental school. What is a MUST before applying. What are the things you should do to get accepted?

This topic has been pretty common in the past, try searching for some of it. Good luck,

 

[Da ObtURator]

1) The title of your thread and the question you actually asked are two different things.

2) Gaining admission to dental school is competitive and can be VERY competitive depending on the school. You can break it down by volume: my school had ~2500 applications this year for 54 spots, and gives out about 80 acceptances. That's a 3% chance. You can break it down by statistics. Harvard and other top schools may only have 300 or so applications, but it doesn't matter because the *quality* of those accepted is far above average of the other schools.

3) What do you need to do? Get excellent grades, do well on the DAT, apply early.

3% chance? kinda fuzzy math. The 2500 applicants aren't solely applying and interested in attending arizona. Students apply to a wide range of schools in order to have a greater chance to get in somewhere. So 3% is kinda off. Anyways, dental school isn't very hard to get into if you are a decent undergrad student and don't bomb the DAT. Honestly, I had many pre-dent friends in undergrad and I didn't know a single one who didn't get in somewhere... this may be anectdotal but that's my experience.

You will have a great chance at being accepted if you have a >3.1 gpa (sci and overall), 18/18 DAT, 2 science LOR's, 1 other LOR, 1 dentist LOR, 1 Research LOR (if u did research), nice personal statement, and extracurriculars.

The stats above are the minimum you should strive for but a 3.5 gpa with 20/20+ DAT will almost guarantee you a spot in dental school unless you are an absolute tool and can't behave during the interview.

 

[BulsangHanNamja]

1) The title of your thread and the question you actually asked are two different things.

2) Gaining admission to dental school is competitive and can be VERY competitive depending on the school. You can break it down by volume: my school had ~2500 applications this year for 54 spots, and gives out about 80 acceptances. That's a 3% chance. You can break it down by statistics. Harvard and other top schools may only have 300 or so applications, but it doesn't matter because the *quality* of those accepted is far above average of the other schools.

3) What do you need to do? Get excellent grades, do well on the DAT, apply early.

4) Sorry, it's a highly generic question and most people, although helpful, will be too tired to lay everything out for you on a silver platter.

I have a question considering this. Throughout this forum you'll find with alot of ppl with around the avg of 3.2 science gpa and 3.4 overall.... with avg of maybe 20 DAT. Anyone with these scores have a fair chance to get in right? Is it the fact that these grades and scores are hard to obtain that only 3% get accepted? This prob. doesnt make sense... but yeah.

 

[Sprgrover]

3% chance? kinda fuzzy math. The 2500 applicants aren't solely applying and interested in attending arizona...

3% of 2500 is 80 - it doesn't matter if all of the 2500 applicants to Arizona have a serious interest in the school or not. Only 80 applicants out of that large stack are given an acceptance letter and even then not all take them up on the offer. Gavin's point illustrates the fact that some schools are swamped by applications and the sheer number of them makes the application process at those schools competitive.

 

[Sprgrover]

...Is it the fact that these grades and scores are hard to obtain that only 3% get accepted? This prob. doesnt make sense... but yeah.

The 3% statistic if for Arizona only, and that school is very upfront about the fact that it takes a lot more than just grades and scores to get in. They have a clear image of what kind of applicant they are interested - which is one of the reasons for their unique interview. A 3.2 science gpa and a 3.4 gpa are not hard to obtain and the average gpa of matriculants at many dental schools is at or exceeds them, so yes, with a 20 DAT and a 3.4 many applicants have a good shot.

 

[onetoothleft]

There are a few other considerations that are talked about often but are good to reiterate.

1. GPA/DAT
2. Apply early and get everything in on time (show them you are interested).
3. Shadow a dentist + get LOR
4. research + get LOR
5. volunteer + get LOR
6. get 3 LOR's from science professors
7. Create a good admissions essay
8. Prepare well for the interview
9. Learn all you can (just hanging out here will do wonders)

if you hit all of these points solidly you will be able to have an excellent chance of getting into dental school, or at least a better chance of getting into a school of your choice. You may be stuck with a GPA, but your DAT score you can always improve.

 

[Aero047]

ItsGavinC:

I just wanted to say I think you have a beautiful family! Your children are so cute 🙂

 

[BulsangHanNamja]

The 3% statistic if for Arizona only, and that school is very upfront about the fact that it takes a lot more than just grades and scores to get in. They have a clear image of what kind of applicant they are interested - which is one of the reasons for their unique interview. A 3.2 science gpa and a 3.4 gpa are not hard to obtain and the average gpa of matriculants at many dental schools is at or exceeds them, so yes, with a 20 DAT and a 3.4 many applicants have a good shot.

so making a 20 on the DAT is the challenge ?

 

[The Godfather]

There are a few other considerations that are talked about often but are good to reiterate.

1. GPA/DAT
2. Apply early and get everything in on time (show them you are interested).
3. Shadow a dentist + get LOR
4. research + get LOR
5. volunteer + get LOR
6. get 3 LOR's from science professors
7. Create a good admissions essay
8. Prepare well for the interview
9. Learn all you can (just hanging out here will do wonders)

if you hit all of these points solidly you will be able to have an excellent chance of getting into dental school, or at least a better chance of getting into a school of your choice. You may be stuck with a GPA, but your DAT score you can always improve.

The Only thing I'd add is 10. Keep an eye of AADSAS. They are notorious for losing parts of your ap. 11. Save up some cash, because the whole process, between AADSAS, DAT, secondary aps, travel, and haircuts gets pricey! 👍

 

[Bullfan16]

I would like to add my $.02 to this....although schools will tell you that application numbers are up, this is not the number to look at. What you should look at (if you are like me and like to figure out your chances) is how many a school interviews. If you are a person who was interviewed your chances go up significantly....forget the 2800-3000 people who applied...that number is totally unrealistic. A lot of people apply who dont meet the minimum cut offs and are considered part of the applicant pool, so you can cut them out of the mix (hard to estimate but probably a significant number). What really matters is how many people get secondaries, interviews and how many acceptances a school "usually" sends out in an application cycle. One school tried to tell me how numbers are up and blah blah blah...forget that...apply early and you dont go up against everyone (especially at schools that utilize rolling admissions). If you get an interview you know you can cut out at least half of the applicants....I would ask each school how many they interview and how many are accepted approximately.

When I received an interview at Temple, I called and asked how many were going to be interviewed...later I found out through Brian Hahn that about 450-500 were going to be interviewed...it gives you a much clearer understanding of where you sit. If you figure that there are 125 seats, they probably offer somewhere in the neighborhood of 200-225 people admissions each cycle. Those are pretty good odds...better than 1 out of 2800 (which I think is totally unrealistic and even if the number of applicants rises you shouldnt go by this number). Good luck...do well on the DAT and send your stuff in early, thats really the name of the game.

 

[GENERAL TSO]

1) The title of your thread and the question you actually asked are two different things.

2) Gaining admission to dental school is competitive and can be VERY competitive depending on the school. You can break it down by volume: my school had ~2500 applications this year for 54 spots, and gives out about 80 acceptances. That's a 3% chance. You can break it down by statistics. Harvard and other top schools may only have 300 or so applications, but it doesn't matter because the *quality* of those accepted is far above average of the other schools.

3) What do you need to do? Get excellent grades, do well on the DAT, apply early.

4) Sorry, it's a highly generic question and most people, although helpful, will be too tired to lay everything out for you on a silver platter.

Let me help, although this Gavin guy tries, most of his responses are off base.

YOU DO NOT need EXCELLENT grades to get into dental. And I know people that have gotten 15's on the DAT that have gotten in which is BAD in my opinion.

Talk to your guidance counselor at school or pre-med advisor and believe less than 10% of what you read on SDN.

Its a sad state when even the SDN moderators give bad advice.

poor....

 

[GENERAL TSO]

The Only thing I'd add is 10. Keep an eye of AADSAS. They are notorious for losing parts of your ap. 11. Save up some cash, because the whole process, between AADSAS, DAT, secondary aps, travel, and haircuts gets pricey! 👍

Once again a BAD reply.

You DO NOT NEED TO SHADOW OR VOLUNTEER.

I didnt and I got in.

I hate it when people give poor advice.

 

[GENERAL TSO]

There are a few other considerations that are talked about often but are good to reiterate.

1. GPA/DAT
2. Apply early and get everything in on time (show them you are interested).
3. Shadow a dentist + get LOR
4. research + get LOR
5. volunteer + get LOR
6. get 3 LOR's from science professors
7. Create a good admissions essay
8. Prepare well for the interview
9. Learn all you can (just hanging out here will do wonders)

if you hit all of these points solidly you will be able to have an excellent chance of getting into dental school, or at least a better chance of getting into a school of your choice. You may be stuck with a GPA, but your DAT score you can always improve.

OH I MISSED THAT ONE,....

YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO RESEARCH EITHER>

these people with their bad tips..................

 

[IWuvTeef]

Once again a BAD reply.

You DO NOT NEED TO SHADOW OR VOLUNTEER.

I didnt and I got in.

I hate it when people give poor advice.

G_T: Most of us don't have parents who are dentists, so it's obvious why you didn't have to do any shadowing.

I fail to understand how not volunteering and not shadowing a dentist is good advice (most people haven't been "behind the scenes" at a dental office)... 😕

How the heck will somebody know if they like dentistry if they have never seen all that a dentist does upfront? How is one to know if they like working with people if they have never volunteered in their community by dealing with different types of people upfront?

Some of the people who drop out of dental school are the ones who:
#1 Fail out due to grades
#2 End up realizing they hate certain aspects of dentistry (because they were never exposed to them beforehand)

Before I applied, I thought I had dentistry figured out. Once I finally shadowed a dentist, I realized I knew close to nothing. I learned so much from shadowing my dentist (the names of instruments and equipment, how to run an office, how to interact with patients professionally, observing different procedures, etc.). I ended up loving dentistry even more after my experiences at an office.

Volunteering for organizations that cater to under-served citizens is a great way for applicants to be exposed to people of different backgrounds and economic status. These are the types of people we will most likely be treating in our 3rd and 4th years in d-school. Being around different people will help us to understand issues that effect those from different races and economic status, which in turn will help us to deal with the "psychological" aspects of dentistry.

🙄

 

[Profchaos]

How hard is it to get accepted into dental school. What is a MUST before applying. What are the things you should do to get accepted?

Don't calculate the percentage, statistics don't make sense. The best advice is to get a good GPA, good DAT and apply to a ton of schools.
Then, you are in.

 

[organichemistry]

GeneralTso...

Just because you can have a bad DAT and get in, and can have no shadowing experience and get in, or can have mediocre grades and get in doesn't mean it won't VASTLY IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES if you fix those holes.

I bet very few if anyone gets accepted with a 17 or lower DAT, under 3.0 GPA, with no dental experience.

A 17 DAT can be made up for with a 3.8 or 3.9 GPA and lots of experience... just as a 2.9 GPA can be made up for by having a 23 DAT.

So, to the original poster, there are no hard and fast guidelines about what you need to have to get into medical school, but the stronger you can make each one of those points (GPA, DAT, experience, research, LORs, interview skills) the better off you are.

 

[The Godfather]

OH I MISSED THAT ONE,....

YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO RESEARCH EITHER>

these people with their bad tips..................

I think this guy wants advice about the "average" acceptance. You can always find extremes if you look for them. Obviously, plenty of folks (in any professional program) have been accepted without certain elements of the "equation" (although some elements, like shadowing are required by certain schools). The advice that we have given him will increase his chances. That's probably the reason he's posting on this forum in the first place. If a candidate had all of the mediocre attributes at the same time that you have described, he would have a tough time getting in d schools (maybe the one he wants to attend). If you, Gen Tso, were one of these lucky individuals that got in without this or that, you get a gold star, although, as mentioned, your familial background was probably a plus for you (unfortunately, that's a tough one for a prospective candidate to achieve by hard work).
The facts are that this dental thing is becoming very competitive (look at how the stats have jumped in just the last couple years), and it's going to get even more so in the next few years. Most people posting on this forum are here to help people (personally, I've received so much great advice that helped me realize my goal that I feel I owe it to the next guy). So keep asking questions, although the more specific, usually the better the quality of responses. SDN may not be perfect, but it's the best game in town! 👍

 

[ItsGavinC]

And I know people that have gotten 15's on the DAT that have gotten in which is BAD in my opinion.

Hmm, interesting. I also know people who have gotten into dental school with scores LOWER than 15 on the DAT. Those people are NOT the norm. Telling prospective applicants that it's easy to get into school based on those atypical applicants is the prime example of poor advice, not the other way around.

The AVERAGE accepted student has scores much higher than a 15. The average accepted student shadows (if not to bolster their application than at least for their own benefit!).

 

[ItsGavinC]

Talk to your guidance counselor at school or pre-med advisor and believe less than 10% of what you read on SDN.

Its a sad state when even the SDN moderators give bad advice.

Couldn't let this comment sit either. While my pre-dent advisor was spectacular, I've heard of pre-dent advisors at many schools who don't know the first thing about dentistry. In those cases listening to those advisors could hinder an applicant (like the advisor who insists that getting LORs turned in in October is okay, even though the applicant submitted AADSAS in July).

 

[ItsGavinC]

Let me help, although this Gavin guy tries, most of his responses are off base.

YOU DO NOT need EXCELLENT grades to get into dental.

Sorry, but one more thing.

If excellent grades aren't needed, then how can you tell this guy that his 3.1 GPA and 3.3 science GPA are "too low for dental"?

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=2473115#post2473115

 

[aphistis]

Let me help, although this Gavin guy tries, most of his responses are off base.

YOU DO NOT need EXCELLENT grades to get into dental. And I know people that have gotten 15's on the DAT that have gotten in which is BAD in my opinion.

Talk to your guidance counselor at school or pre-med advisor and believe less than 10% of what you read on SDN.

Its a sad state when even the SDN moderators give bad advice.

poor....

Yeah. Too bad we don't have more enlightened souls like yourself spotting all the idiots like Gavin and their bad information, and giving the unvarnished, indisputable straight dope on dental school & dentistry. After all, your opinion couldn't ever been wrong like all these other *****s'--you're you, after all!

 

[Pikeyman]

Don't forget.

You must be able to kiss your own ass.

 

[GENERAL TSO]

👎

G_T: Most of us don't have parents who are dentists, so it's obvious why you didn't have to do any shadowing.

I fail to understand how not volunteering and not shadowing a dentist is good advice (most people haven't been "behind the scenes" at a dental office)... 😕

How the heck will somebody know if they like dentistry if they have never seen all that a dentist does upfront? How is one to know if they like working with people if they have never volunteered in their community by dealing with different types of people upfront?

Some of the people who drop out of dental school are the ones who:
#1 Fail out due to grades
#2 End up realizing they hate certain aspects of dentistry (because they were never exposed to them beforehand)

Before I applied, I thought I had dentistry figured out. Once I finally shadowed a dentist, I realized I knew close to nothing. I learned so much from shadowing my dentist (the names of instruments and equipment, how to run an office, how to interact with patients professionally, observing different procedures, etc.). I ended up loving dentistry even more after my experiences at an office.

Volunteering for organizations that cater to under-served citizens is a great way for applicants to be exposed to people of different backgrounds and economic status. These are the types of people we will most likely be treating in our 3rd and 4th years in d-school. Being around different people will help us to understand issues that effect those from different races and economic status, which in turn will help us to deal with the "psychological" aspects of dentistry.




ok smart lady......quit reading my old posts for one.


you said, "How the heck will somebody know if they like dentistry if they have never seen all that a dentist does upfront? How is one to know if they like working with people if they have never volunteered in their community by dealing with different types of people upfront?"


WHATS YOUR MAJOR? BIOLOGY?

DID YOU SHADOW A BIOLOGIST BEFORE MAJORING IN BIOLOGY?

I rest my case.



🙄

 

[GENERAL TSO]

Sorry, but one more thing.

If excellent grades aren't needed, then how can you tell this guy that his 3.1 GPA and 3.3 science GPA are "too low for dental"?

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=2473115#post2473115

HE PM'ed me with extra info.


Gavin you have 2 kids and a wife and are in dental school.

how do you have time to read all these posts?

😴

 

[adamlc18]

How hard is it to get accepted into dental school.

Let me answer that question with another question: How hard is it to get into beauty school? Now multiply that by 2.

What is a MUST before applying.

I recommend filling out an application on AADSAS.

What are the things you should do to get accepted?

Apply.

 

[IWuvTeef]

ok smart lady......quit reading my old posts for one.


you said, "How the heck will somebody know if they like dentistry if they have never seen all that a dentist does upfront? How is one to know if they like working with people if they have never volunteered in their community by dealing with different types of people upfront?"


WHATS YOUR MAJOR? BIOLOGY?

DID YOU SHADOW A BIOLOGIST BEFORE MAJORING IN BIOLOGY?

I rest my case.

Way to avoid my questions! 👍 Try coming up with an answer that makes sense. I know you can, afterall, you got into dental school...