Is it possible for a school to not invite me for an interview if my GPA is too high?

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n1mZ

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I have heard that some schools, such as NYU, will not bother to call applicants for an interview if they have very high stats because they believe the applicant will not be interested in the school in the first place and aim for better schools. Is this true? My GPA will be about 3.85 and DAT 22+ on all sections, but I WILL NOT have a degree by the time I matriculate. Is there a possibility that these stats are "too high" for a school with an average acceptance GPA of 3.4 to invite me for an interview? Sorry if this sounds pretentious, it is a genuine concern I have.

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I have heard that some schools, such as NYU, will not bother to call applicants for an interview if they have very high stats because they believe the applicant will not be interested in the school in the first place and aim for better schools. Is this true? My GPA will be about 3.85 and DAT 22+ on all sections, but I WILL NOT have a degree by the time I matriculate. Is there a possibility that these stats are "too high" for a school with an average acceptance GPA of 3.4 to invite me for an interview? Sorry if this sounds pretentious, it is a genuine concern I have.

That could be the case or there could be applicants who had better stories, LORs, etc. This process can be very confusing and at times unnerving but a wise person once said trust in the process! I’m sure a lot of movement will happen mid January
 
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I have heard that some schools, such as NYU, will not bother to call applicants for an interview if they have very high stats because they believe the applicant will not be interested in the school in the first place and aim for better schools. Is this true? My GPA will be about 3.85 and DAT 22+ on all sections, but I WILL NOT have a degree by the time I matriculate. Is there a possibility that these stats are "too high" for a school with an average acceptance GPA of 3.4 to invite me for an interview? Sorry if this sounds pretentious, it is a genuine concern I have.
are you not planning on completing a degree? I thought that it is required to have a BS/BA by many schools.

additionally, just don't apply to NYU or any of those crazy expensive schools. I wouldn't worry too much about the rest of em.
 
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I have heard that some schools, such as NYU, will not bother to call applicants for an interview if they have very high stats because they believe the applicant will not be interested in the school in the first place and aim for better schools. Is this true? My GPA will be about 3.85 and DAT 22+ on all sections, but I WILL NOT have a degree by the time I matriculate. Is there a possibility that these stats are "too high" for a school with an average acceptance GPA of 3.4 to invite me for an interview? Sorry if this sounds pretentious, it is a genuine concern I have.
I can say thats probably the case because I also had similar situation. Got two acceptences at some prestige schools while haven't heard back from some private schools.
 
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are you not planning on completing a degree? I thought that it is required to have a BS/BA by many schools.

additionally, just don't apply to NYU or any of those crazy expensive schools. I wouldn't worry too much about the rest of em.
I plan on applying after my second year and only completing three years of a bachelor's. Some schools don't require it, such as NYU
 
I plan on applying after my second year and only completing three years of a bachelor's. Some schools don't require it, such as NYU
I also applied after my second year except I just accelerated my college credits by doubling up every semester in my junior year so I could graduate, so maybe you could consider that.

Again my main emphasis would be not to apply to schools that are so expensive unless someone else is paying for it - even if you have to take another year and finish up your degree. if you are an NY resident, try to go to UB, its much cheaper especially in-state.
 
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Science suggests that we should never say that something is impossible, although in this case it is very, very unlikely.
 
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I plan on applying after my second year and only completing three years of a bachelor's. Some schools don't require it, such as NYU
Take what I’m saying with a grain of salt but unless you’re in an accelerated program what’s the rush? More and more people are taking gap years and i’m sure soon that will be strongly recommended because they have more experience. Also, maturity plays a role. If you don’t mind what do your experiences look like?
 
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I have heard that some schools, such as NYU, will not bother to call applicants for an interview if they have very high stats because they believe the applicant will not be interested in the school in the first place and aim for better schools. Is this true? My GPA will be about 3.85 and DAT 22+ on all sections, but I WILL NOT have a degree by the time I matriculate. Is there a possibility that these stats are "too high" for a school with an average acceptance GPA of 3.4 to invite me for an interview? Sorry if this sounds pretentious, it is a genuine concern I have.
You took the DAT before finishing your second year?
 
Take what I’m saying with a grain of salt but unless you’re in an accelerated program what’s the rush? More and more people are taking gap years and i’m sure soon that will be strongly recommended because they have more experience. Also, maturity plays a role. If you don’t mind what do your experiences look like?
Do you mean general life experiences or those I'm putting on my application? I have 200+ volunteering hours, 100+ shadowing, and 100+ research. However, I am 20 years old which I'm aware is quite young, I just want to try applying this year (as my second year just ended) and see if I get lucky. I understand why people would want to take gap years, but it's just not for me. Feel free to comment on my experiences, any input is helpful.
 
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You took the DAT before finishing your second year?
I just took it in June, right after my second year ended, and I am applying this cycle. The GPA and DAT I wrote above was hypothetical and the real numbers are probably closer to a cGPA of 3.80 and an average DAT at best. Do you think my chances are still good with these stats? I also mentioned my experiences above.
 
I just took it in June, right after my second year ended, and I am applying this cycle. The GPA and DAT I wrote above was hypothetical and the real numbers are probably closer to a cGPA of 3.80 and an average DAT at best. Do you think my chances are still good with these stats? I also mentioned my experiences above.
please post complete stats, oGPA sGPA and DAT breakdown
 
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I just took it in June, right after my second year ended, and I am applying this cycle. The GPA and DAT I wrote above was hypothetical and the real numbers are probably closer to a cGPA of 3.80 and an average DAT at best. Do you think my chances are still good with these stats? I also mentioned my experiences above.
I know you may not be able to fill the whole thing out but it'll help us help you
Overall GPA:
Science GPA:
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA:
DAT score (include AA and all sections):
It is very hard for people to give you feedback without a score.
State of Residence: put either the state or Canada or International

Undergrad Attended: if you want to include this
Major: If double major, list both here
Minor: If double minor, list both here
Minority? Yes/No- Asians are NOT a minority
Reapplicant? Yes/No
Nontrad? Yes/No- Do not select yes if you took a gap year (or years) OR if you're doing a Masters; nontrads are usually career changers or military

Shadowing Experience: Hours and type
Volunteering Experience: Hours and type
Employment: Hours and type
Research: Hours and type; any publications or presentations? How many?
Other Extracurriculars: Hours and type; includes athletics, military, leadership, etc.
Relevant Honors or Awards:
LOR type and strength:
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags:
School list:
 
I just took it in June, right after my second year ended, and I am applying this cycle. The GPA and DAT I wrote above was hypothetical and the real numbers are probably closer to a cGPA of 3.80 and an average DAT at best. Do you think my chances are still good with these stats? I also mentioned my experiences above.
What is an average DAT at best??
 
I know you may not be able to fill the whole thing out but it'll help us help you
Overall GPA:
Science GPA:
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA:
DAT score (include AA and all sections):
It is very hard for people to give you feedback without a score.
State of Residence: put either the state or Canada or International

Undergrad Attended: if you want to include this
Major: If double major, list both here
Minor: If double minor, list both here
Minority? Yes/No- Asians are NOT a minority
Reapplicant? Yes/No
Nontrad? Yes/No- Do not select yes if you took a gap year (or years) OR if you're doing a Masters; nontrads are usually career changers or military

Shadowing Experience: Hours and type
Volunteering Experience: Hours and type
Employment: Hours and type
Research: Hours and type; any publications or presentations? How many?
Other Extracurriculars: Hours and type; includes athletics, military, leadership, etc.
Relevant Honors or Awards:
LOR type and strength:
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags:
School list:

Overall GPA: 3.80
Science GPA: 3.76
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA:
3.72 (all sGPA courses except math/calculus)
DAT score (include AA and all sections):
Not sure yet, but going to guess 19-21, will update when I know
State of Residence: Canada

Undergrad Attended: Canadian University
Major: Health Science
Minor: none
Minority? No- Asian Indian
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 105 at 2 general, 20 ortho
Volunteering Experience: 200+ at a Hospital - visiting patients, helping people locate around the hospital
Employment: 300 swim instructor and lifeguard
Research: 100 on tree rings - collecting samples and analyzing data. One poster presentation.
Other Extracurriculars: none I can think of
Relevant Honors or Awards: a few academic scholarships, Dean's list and President's honour roll for 3 semesters (4 fall/winter completed so far), Golden Key International Honour Society lifetime membership (by invitation only to top 15% of students in their faculty).
LOR type and strength: 3 science professors, one of whom is research supervisor, 1 orthodontist.
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags:
will not have bachelor's by time of matriculation. 22 courses (66 credits) completed so far, plan on completing 96 credits by the end of third year, then starting dental school. My aunt attended my top choice, NYU. Applying this cycle.

School list:

UAlabama
USC
Creighton
UNebraska
NYU
SUNY Buffalo
Nova Southeastern
Southern Illinois
UIowa
UNorth Carolina
Case-Western Reserve
UOklahoma
Temple
UPenn
UKentucky
ULouisville
UMaryland
UDetroit-Mercy
UMinnesota
UMissouri
UTexas San Antonio
Virginia Commonwealth
West Virginia University
Marquette
 
Overall GPA: 3.80
Science GPA: 3.76
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.72 (all sGPA courses except math/calculus)
DAT score (include AA and all sections): Not sure yet, but going to guess 19-21, will update when I know
State of Residence: Canada

Undergrad Attended: Canadian University
Major: Health Science
Minor: none
Minority? No- Asian Indian
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 105 at 2 general, 20 ortho
Volunteering Experience: 200+ at a Hospital - visiting patients, helping people locate around the hospital
Employment: 300 swim instructor and lifeguard
Research: 100 on tree rings - collecting samples and analyzing data. One poster presentation.
Other Extracurriculars: none I can think of
Relevant Honors or Awards: a few academic scholarships, Dean's list and President's honour roll for 3 semesters (4 fall/winter completed so far), Golden Key International Honour Society lifetime membership (by invitation only to top 15% of students in their faculty).
LOR type and strength: 3 science professors, one of whom is research supervisor, 1 orthodontist.
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: will not have bachelor's by time of matriculation. 22 courses (66 credits) completed so far, plan on completing 96 credits by the end of third year, then starting dental school. My aunt attended my top choice, NYU. Applying this cycle.

School list:
UAlabama
USC
Creighton
UNebraska
NYU
SUNY Buffalo
Nova Southeastern
Southern Illinois
UIowa
UNorth Carolina
Case-Western Reserve
UOklahoma
Temple
UPenn
UKentucky
ULouisville
UMaryland
UDetroit-Mercy
UMinnesota
UMissouri
UTexas San Antonio
Virginia Commonwealth
West Virginia University
Marquette
I am unsure how your Canadian status will play out. I think that will be the biggest hurdle here esp with you not having a degree.

take your DAT first, see how you do an then you can try applying. Worst case scenario you just apply again next year. Nbd
 
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I think yield protection is largely a myth. The high GPA for NYU's dental school last year was 3.93, so I don't think they screen people out for having a GPA that's "too high". More likely, it's that admissions for an international applicant is a lot more competitive.
 
I think yield protection is largely a myth. The high GPA for NYU's dental school last year was 3.93, so I don't think they screen people out for having a GPA that's "too high". More likely, it's that admissions for an international applicant is a lot more competitive.
I wonder what that person’s dat was though. If they were a US student my guess is low like a 17/18, or they emailed the admissions saying they are interested in going to that school so they took him seriously. But if international and its more competitive then that’d make sense theyd interview high stats applicants without a letter of interest. There were US people on here last cycle confused with high stats about not getting an nyu interview then they emailed admissions a letter of interest and promptly received an interview invite. I think it comes more from a place of nyu etc needing to interview sufficient people that will likely matriculate there, and not have 95% of their interviews taken by people who’ll most likely go someplace else. I didn’t apply there but fwiw with my n=1, I applied to tufts and didn’t get an interview but got an interview almost everywhere else I applied (Michigan oos, uab oos, etc.). Didn’t apply to nyu but it’s similar.
 
Admission criteria is not as cut and dry as you would think. Lot's of applicants have high grades and good DAT's. There is more to it than that. No one here is privy to a school's admission agenda.
 
I wonder what that person’s dat was though. If they were a US student my guess is low like a 17/18, or they emailed the admissions saying they are interested in going to that school so they took him seriously. But if international and its more competitive then that’d make sense theyd interview high stats applicants without a letter of interest. There were US people on here last cycle confused with high stats about not getting an nyu interview then they emailed admissions a letter of interest and promptly received an interview invite. I think it comes more from a place of nyu etc needing to interview sufficient people that will likely matriculate there, and not have 95% of their interviews taken by people who’ll most likely go someplace else. I didn’t apply there but fwiw with my n=1, I applied to tufts and didn’t get an interview but got an interview almost everywhere else I applied (Michigan oos, uab oos, etc.). Didn’t apply to nyu but it’s similar.
I took the Canadian DAT and it was 19/21/22/17 for chem/bio/reading comp/pat
 
I have heard that some schools, such as NYU, will not bother to call applicants for an interview if they have very high stats because they believe the applicant will not be interested in the school in the first place and aim for better schools. Is this true? My GPA will be about 3.85 and DAT 22+ on all sections, but I WILL NOT have a degree by the time I matriculate. Is there a possibility that these stats are "too high" for a school with an average acceptance GPA of 3.4 to invite me for an interview? Sorry if this sounds pretentious, it is a genuine concern I have.
Yes. NYU did that to me :)
 
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