How many schools should I apply to?

[at17]

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I just got my DAT scores back:
PAT: 29
QR: 23
RC: 19
Bio: 22
GC: 22
OC: 23
TS: 22
AA: 22

I have a 3.8 at UVA and am in-state for Virginia. 150+ shadowing hours, in a sorority, extracurriculars with leadership, etc. I want to save as much time and money as possible and was wondering how many schools I could minimally apply to or how many schools you suggest. Thanks in advance.

 

[ProspectivePostPreDent]

I just got my DAT scores back:
PAT: 29
QR: 23
Reading: 19
Bio: 22
GC: 22
OC: 23
TS: 22
AA: 22

I have a 3.8 at UVA and am in-state for Virginia. 150+ shadowing hours, in a sorority, extracurriculars with leadership, etc. I want to save as much time and money as possible and was wondering how many schools I could minimally apply to or how many schools you suggest. Thanks in advance.

I feel like the minimum for anybody should be 10 - even when you have good stats, the opportunity cost is just way too great if something goes wrong for the interviews and you don't get in.

I had 3.7 science GPA, 23 DAT, took out a loan to apply to 24, 11 invites, attended 9, got into 6. Used air bnb, stayed with friends, mostly chose schools I could drive or bus to, so the whole thing was maybe 2500.

If I went on the cheap and applied to just a few, i'd be saving maybe a grand? The costs are non linear, obviously.

So I traded $1000 for much less Dec 1 stress than most of my interview trail buddies, tons of wonderful options on where to spend the next (difficult) four years, and vastly improved odds of not missing a year of six figure salary due to reapplication.

Of course, this strategy might not work out for someone from montana, etc, where every interview requires a flight. I'd still argue it would be worth taking out the loan for a more borderline candidate (not you), though.

Just my two cents.

 

[887194]

8-12 depending on how top heavy you want to go is a good ballpark.

 

[imastudent]

that PAT is beautiful

 

[bwc]

My own dentist told me that she only applied to one school and got in. That was essentially putting all of her eggs into one basket, and she definitely agreed that it was a risky move which I should not take. I know somebody who only applied to 5 schools this past cycle, and they did fine. I generally hear that the average is 10. I have heard as many as > 20, and I would be tempted to ask "did you do your homework?" in those cases.

Overall, I was told that 5 to 10 schools is fine for somebody who carefully does their research before applying. Some people who apply to 20+ school may easily have included schools for which they did not/will not meet their requirements (you almost certainly cannot meet the requirements of every single dental school that exists), and avoiding that can help you narrow down your list. Me personally, I eliminate schools from my list using the following criteria:

• OOS unfriendly: This is not to say you have to avoid these schools if you are really really interested, but if you are not so desperate about going to one of these schools, then don't waste your money there.
• Cannot meet prerequisites: I have already graduated and am working full time, and I do not want to spend more money taking extra courses for the sake of one or two schools. These may include schools for which I cannot fulfill their prerequisites if they will not accept my AP credit (for example, Rutgers), and schools which have prerequisites unique to them (for example, Ohio State).
• Cannot meet LOR requirements: I have my four letters for AADSAS (they only allow four) secured, and if a school wants a different combo and does not accept letters sent directly to their school, I will not bother applying there.

 

[at17]

that PAT is beautiful

Thank you!! literally had 15 mins left over too, super easy!!

 

[wengerout]

10-12 schools.

 

[MambaTime]

If you have a budget, apply to schools that you will be competitive for. Do some research on the schools (GPA, DAT, OOS vs In state) and apply accordingly.

I applied to about 25 schools, i know it is a lot. It was my first time applying and i was already late into the cycle (Submitted application around October), but i still got about 8 interviews and was able to accept one of the schools!

So if you don't have a budget apply to your reasonable schools and some non-reasonable just in case. Also with your stats you will be fine as far as i think.

 

[Likkriue]

8-10 imo.

 

[ProspectivePostPreDent]

I have heard as many as > 20, and I would be tempted to ask "did you do your homework?" in those cases.

I sure did. I'm just not presumptuous enough to assume that my stats being at or above average for a certain number of schools converts to a guarantee to land in one of their classes. The MD kids understand this; look at their application numbers (and our acceptance rates aren't much better than theirs).

Yes, throwing money at places for which you don't have the prereqs/stats/etc is a sign of poor research. However, if you take out a little time to construct a simple Excel sheet with prereqs/stats/ooc acceptance rates, then, on the contrary, you're ahead of the curve.

In the end, I was accepted to picky schools like UConn, Penn, and Stony Brook (from out of state, which is considered "throwing your money away" by many).

I was rejected by UNE and LECOM.

If I'd assumed everything based on average stats, applied conservatively on the top end and relied on "low stat" schools to bail me out with an acceptance, my whole cycle may have gone straight to hell, which may have cost me 250k on the back end of my career from reapplying. Instead, I coughed up another grand or two compared to what some do and my only stress in December was choosing between my dream schools.

A lot of homework, but it was worth it.

 

[joker937]

I made a huge mistake and applied to 23, had great DAT, average GPA. I was invited to interview at like 18 schools, actually went to maybe 12, and got into about 8 or 9.

If I had to do it again, I'd probably have chosen 15. If I were in your shoes, I'd apply to 12.

Stay at airbnb's or with family/friends if possible, fly southwest, eat cheap, etc.

 

[rolltidedumptruck]

Apply to all the schools you feel like are a good fit for you AND make sure you can see yourself living in the city these schools are in. No right number here everyone is different.