I heard applying to 20 schools is a headache..is it true?

[tissy]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I met a predent who applied to 24 schools and said it was headache. I keep changing my mind on how many schools I'm applying to. I first thought 15 and now it's up to 22. Is it going to be a headache if I apply to 22 schools? In need of your thoughts....

 

[r0entgen]

I met a predent who applied to 24 schools and said it was headache. I keep changing my mind on how many schools I'm applying to. I first thought 15 and now it's up to 22. Is it going to be a headache if I apply to 22 schools? In need of your thoughts....

honestly, i see no reason for applying to so many. you should apply for a few reach schools, a few in the middle, and a few 'backup' schools...

i mean, going to the interviews at all 22 of the schools you applied to (assuming you receive interviews from each school) will be very costly...

and if you choose NOT to attend all the interviews, then you wasted all your application fees...

 

[howui3]

I met a predent who applied to 24 schools and said it was headache. I keep changing my mind on how many schools I'm applying to. I first thought 15 and now it's up to 22. Is it going to be a headache if I apply to 22 schools? In need of your thoughts....

i applied to 15, dropped one, and ended up with 14. see if you would go to the school if you were accepted there (if no, cross it off). see if you are competitive at a particular school (no need to waiste $$$ and apply to Harvard or UoP if your DAT scores are low). then check to make sure you can apply (make sure they don't take all instate or large % of minorities if you are white). then see what % of out of state students they take, if it is really small, save your money and don't apply.

bottom line: go on a case by case basis, look at all the schools critically. if you want to specialize look for schools with high specialty rates and those that have the specialties at the school. look at location, cost, # of students (if you like small classes, dont apply to NYU, if you like it large then don't apply to Arizona.) Do you like a big city or a small town? East coast or west coast? etc.

but the more schools you apply, the more $$$ you will need, the more secondaries you will get, the more interviews you will have to go to, etc. but in the end, it's up to you.

good luck. happy school hunting!

 

[Pilot Mike]

Thats around $1200-1300, so its a tad pricey, not to mention the supplemental fees each school requires when you apply, or when you get a secondary, which is around $50-80. Organizing each school you apply to, and getting secondaries done in the time they allow will be a lot of fun. I'd get a filing cabinet just to keep track of everything and make sure you don't misplace anything.

 

[trowell460]

I agree totally w/ howui3 and pilot mike, you have to be a little scientific about it and find out the acceptance criteria about all of the schools that u could see yourself attending. Then tabulate the data and cut it down by weighing how much money you are willing to spend, desired location, tuition rate, etc. b/c it's gonna be pricey. I applied to 8 on 6/1, then added another 9 in mid July. I had 6 interviews( got into 4 schools, waitlisted by 1 and 1 wanted me to retake the DAT). After it was all said and done, I spent 5k on plane tickets, rental cars, secondaries (some are gonna just take your money and run but you gotta send them in, promptly I might add), AADSAS, DAT. I applied to so many b/c i am a non-traditional and I didn't know what to expect, so I kinda was grasping at straws when I chose schools like Iowa and Minnesota. Looking back on it I probably would have kept it at about 10-12 schools (that's just for my situation). It wasn't really a headache for me b/c I as I said before, I am a non-traditional student, so I had 1 class (Organic II) and I work full-time. I didn't have a full load, so I was able to make all the interviews, and respond in a timely manner to the secondaries. Your situation may be different. Can u leave town 6 times during a semester? Most of my interviews were on thurs. or Fri, one was on a Mon. just something for you to think about. When it is all over you will breathe a sigh of relief.

Hope this helps

Good luck!!!

 

[xxJuiceDxx]

Pretty much what everyone else said. Its not a headache. Its more a waste of money to apply to more than 10-15 schools. Best of luck! 👍 👍

 

[syn_apse]

if you can't get into the first 10 schools you apply to, you're not going to get into the rest. do your homework before you apply and save your money.

 

[VClovesteeth05]

yes, i applied to 15 or 16, and a few were TOTAL wastes. i suggest doing your research, and don't be too anal, but for example, Colorado, Arizona, Washingon and Illinois are nearly impossible to get into out of state (and others). Really don't waste your time on those (unless you are from that state). Apply to schools you would attend, but keep it around 10, becuase if you get 10 interviews, it's really draining to travel every week, not to mention expensive! Best of luck. 🙂

 

[INFNITE]

pick a few you think you can realistic get in (based on their average stats) and a few that are your reach schools even if you dont think you can realistically get in those schools. Pick a state school or two if you live in a state with state schools. Overall, you shouldn't be applying to more than 7 or 8 schools in total. Complete waste of money.

 

[golfmontpoker]

Agreed with everyone else, waste of money to apply to that many schools... With my stats, i researched on what schools i should apply. I need to change my profile, i believe some of these schools are out of my reach, but you never know... 10-12 MAX

 

[burton117]

According to this unofficial poll.... applicants applying to 16-20 schools is not the exception.


View Poll Results: How many dental schools did you apply to?

 

[dat_student]

I met a predent who applied to 24 schools and said it was headache. I keep changing my mind on how many schools I'm applying to. I first thought 15 and now it's up to 22. Is it going to be a headache if I apply to 22 schools? In need of your thoughts....

I applied to many schools and received ~20 interview invitations. It wasn't a headache for me. You don't have to go to all your interviews. I went to my top choices and a couple of safety schools. You never know how it's going to turn out. I don't regret it. Better to have many choices...

 

[superchris147]

Pretty much what everyone else said. Its not a headache. Its more a waste of money to apply to more than 10-15 schools. Best of luck! 👍 👍

It depends on your stats. I personally find this advice to be really bad advice. When I applied about two years ago I had a 22 AA and 18 PAT coming out of UCLA with a 3.45 gpa (avg gpa at ucla is like 3.0) and I applied to 24 schools. I got something like 8 interviews and 1 acceptance and 1 alternate position. If I had only applied to like 15 schools I wouldn't be attending school right now.

For those of you are saying it is a waste of money I also disagree with this advice. The cost of application is relatively small compared with your entire dental education. $100 to apply to one school is not a lot of money especially if your education is going to cost you 150,000. True I could have saved myself some money by doing better research (ie: I applied to colorado which takes very very few out of staters and didn't apply to NYU) but apply to as many schools as you think you can.

My point is . . . you only want to do this once, spend the extra 1 to 2 thousand dollars now (even though it seems like a lot) because you don't want to not get in anywhere (consider this a year of income lost).

 

[tinman831]

if you can't get into the first 10 schools you apply to, you're not going to get into the rest. do your homework before you apply and save your money.

I applied to 20 schools and got into only one school so far 😛

 

[deejay]

10 Max

 

[xxxTheDonxxx]

I met a predent who applied to 24 schools and said it was headache. I keep changing my mind on how many schools I'm applying to. I first thought 15 and now it's up to 22. Is it going to be a headache if I apply to 22 schools? In need of your thoughts....

26 ...i got to get in!

 

[m2thep23]

26 ...i got to get in!

I think you need to have alittle more confidence in yourself. I understand its important to get in, but there is such a thing as trying too hard. I would pick your top 10 schools and go with it.

 

[jmac44]

I applied to 8 schools and i'm still kicking myself for 2 of the schools I selected. If you have good stats 8 to 10 schools is plenty. I'd love to have those extra fee's back. Cut back your number of schools from 22 to 10 and spend the $1000 dollars on preping for the DAT and then you won't need to apply to 20+ schools.

 

[xxxTheDonxxx]

I think you need to have alittle more confidence in yourself.

calm down..no need to get personal here!! It's all about probabillity and plus I want more schools to choose from!!!
-read some of the posts above before you post your comment!

 

[burton117]

calm down..no need to get personal here!! It's all about probabillity and plus I want more schools to choose from!!!
-read some of the posts above before you post your comment!

I agree.. I would imagine that some components of the application process can just turn into a numbers game with so many qualified applicants out there!

 

[ArmoredTooth]

I met a predent who applied to 24 schools and said it was headache. I keep changing my mind on how many schools I'm applying to. I first thought 15 and now it's up to 22. Is it going to be a headache if I apply to 22 schools? In need of your thoughts....

Haha, don't worry tissy, as I will also be applying to a lot of dental schools.

I plan on applying to 22 schools, so close to your 24 school statistic!

The real "headache" though, is the $$$$$$ you and I will have to pay for applying to tons of dental school. 👎

Then there's the secondary application that requires more $$$$$$, another set of headaches.

 

[monstermouth]

It depends on your stats. I personally find this advice to be really bad advice. When I applied about two years ago I had a 22 AA and 18 PAT coming out of UCLA with a 3.45 gpa (avg gpa at ucla is like 3.0) and I applied to 24 schools. I got something like 8 interviews and 1 acceptance and 1 alternate position. If I had only applied to like 15 schools I wouldn't be attending school right now...

I completely agree with this statement. In recent application cycles, no school is a slam dunk. Researching the school profiles is important, and you must know which state schools aren't going to bother looking at your application if you are a non-resident, but the private schools are definitely worth applying to. Remember, you can always turn down interviews and open up spots for other applicants if you find yourself overwhelmed with invitations, because if that's the case, you're probably in good shape anyway.

Sure, applying is expensive, but to say that applying to more than 10 schools is a "waste of money" is a little presumptuous, especially on the part of some of you who haven't gone through this process yet...

The goal is getting into dental school as soon as possible, not being thrifty on your AADSAS application. There will be plenty of time to make up that extra grand or two you spent on AADSAS and supplemental applications when you are out of school a year sooner than you would have been if you sold yourself short.

 

[golfmontpoker]

I completely agree with this statement. In recent application cycles, no school is a slam dunk. Researching the school profiles is important, and you must know which state schools aren't going to bother looking at your application if you are a non-resident, but the private schools are definitely worth applying to. Remember, you can always turn down interviews and open up spots for other applicants if you find yourself overwhelmed with invitations, because if that's the case, you're probably in good shape anyway.

Sure, applying is expensive, but to say that applying to more than 10 schools is a "waste of money" is a little presumptuous, especially on the part of some of you who haven't gone through this process yet...

The goal is getting into dental school as soon as possible, not being thrifty on your AADSAS application. There will be plenty of time to make up that extra grand or two you spent on AADSAS and supplemental applications when you are out of school a year sooner than you would have been if you sold yourself short.

I agree with this statement completely... You are right. Why sell yourself short when you can possibly get in this year. Who knows, all those schools you apply to, some adcom might find your application appealing for some reason, either being a well written personal statement to who knows, maybe your last name! Apply to as many schools as you want, as long as they are in your reach and not state schools that wont even bother...

 

[monstermouth]

I agree with this statement completely... You are right. Why sell yourself short when you can possibly get in this year. Who knows, all those schools you apply to, some adcom might find your application appealing for some reason, either being a well written personal statement to who knows, maybe your last name! Apply to as many schools as you want, as long as they are in your reach and not state schools that wont even bother...

Exactly. You can always reapply if you don't make it the first time, but you will never get that year back that you spent applying, interviewing, and waiting. The whole thing is very scientific and it is a numbers game to an extent, but to say something to the effect of "if you don't get into the first ten schools, you won't get in anywhere" is ridiculous. That really only applies to people that are clearly not competitive applicants. The fact is there are many applicants right on the brink of being accepted every cycle, and school #11 just might be the lucky school, so if you have the means, go all out the first time around.

 

[Sprgrover]

I met a predent who applied to 24 schools and said it was headache. I keep changing my mind on how many schools I'm applying to. I first thought 15 and now it's up to 22. Is it going to be a headache if I apply to 22 schools? In need of your thoughts....

20 WAY TOO MANY SCHOOLS! I can't stress that enough. It will be both taxing in terms of your wallet and your time. After you go to a couple of interviews you'll have a good understanding of where you stand and you'll find yourself canceling or denying interview requests. I personally applied to ~15 schools (so foolish) and I ended up canceling several interviews. The application process is fraught with uncertainty; it's important not to give into the temptation to hedge your chances by putting your application in at many dental schools for the reasons I listed above. Best of luck!

 

[karebear20]

I was going to start a new topic about this, but since it's along these lines...

Is it true that your application says what schools you applied to, so each school knows who you applied to?

If so, doesn't this come off as being unsure of yourself? And doesn't that hurt your chances? As of right now I have 18-20 schools I am thinking about applying to... but I don't want to hurt my application by coming off not confidant.

Any thoughts?

 

[asalazar]

yes, i applied to 15 or 16, and a few were TOTAL wastes. i suggest doing your research, and don't be too anal, but for example, Colorado, Arizona, Washingon and Illinois are nearly impossible to get into out of state (and others). Really don't waste your time on those (unless you are from that state). Apply to schools you would attend, but keep it around 10, becuase if you get 10 interviews, it's really draining to travel every week, not to mention expensive! Best of luck. 🙂

I thought ASDOH took (according to Predents) 39 out of states and 15 instate..... What do you mean they don't take that many out of states compared to instates????

 

[double4life]

It's true. I posted in a similar thread (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=3562701#post3562701) talking about this issue. I got it directly from the horse's mouth at three very good schools that doing so is frowned upon.

I would take the advice of Sprgrover [his post is at the very bottom](http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=274559&page=1). By the time you start hearing back from schools, you should have a clear understanding of where you stand with your remaining choices and may end up pulling your app out of the running...who knows. Go with your gut and whatever is in your wallet .

 

[Wafa]

well i wouldn't apply to 22 schools because its EXPENSIVE. i have to pay $600 just for 8! 10 schools is usually a good number to apply to though...a lot of schools will just take your money, so its not worth it in my opinion.

 

[L8DYV]

I met a predent who applied to 24 schools and said it was headache. I keep changing my mind on how many schools I'm applying to. I first thought 15 and now it's up to 22. Is it going to be a headache if I apply to 22 schools? In need of your thoughts....

Heck yeah, lots of money and lots of time on secondaries! If your stats are good, dont worry, if not====worry and apply to a lot.

 

[burton117]

x