Is undergrad rigor taken into account?

[future_nostalgia]

I've seen this discussed a few times but was just wondering what the general consensus was. I've heard that some dental schools don't really factor in the difficulty of your undergrad school when looking at your GPA. Is this true?

For example, would a 3.60 at a top 10 private school be considered about as good as like a 3.70/3.80 at a school that may not be as prestigious? Obviously having a high GPA anywhere is relatively difficult but I was just curious about other's thoughts on this!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Vicviper]

Maybe a bit, depends on the school, and the individual person who is reading the application. With your DAT, I don't think it would matter very much

 

[Moose A Moose]

No. Only the prestige of top-5.

 

[tiper15]

I think they only really judge the rigor of the courseload and courses you took.

 

[doc toothache]

Is it part of the contract to have all faculty at the “top 10 private school(s)” be equally demanding?

 

[bwc]

I think they do to some extent, as long as your numbers would overall still make it past the initial screening. If you are < 3.0, then you might still get screened out despite the rigor of your courses. If you can make it past the initial numbers screening, then you are in the game. Then, the DAT generally becomes the equalizer.

 

[FanOfCostco]

Nah Bro. All that matters is you do well.

 

[ThePersianDentist]

the whole package matters, i am a bcmb major biochemistry cell and molecular biology, this is obviously harder than a traditional biology major at my school. A biochemistry, chemistry or physics major is tougher than biology too. But then on the other hand some pre dentals major in history and that's easier than biology. They look at the whole package. Major, school, DAT, everything. The thing you need to do is prove to them you can handle dental school, because they want 4 years of your tuition money, that's it. If you drop out after 1 year they can't replace that seat, so they lose out on 3 years of tuition money. All you have to prove to dental schools is you're passionate and serious about becoming a dentist, and that you're able to handle the courseload. Thats it. A DAT can prove that. A GPA. Your school's rigor. Your personal statement. Volunteering or shadowing hours. Extracirculars. Whatever.

 

[JLT223]

Individual course-load >> where you went to undergrad.