it's not random, it's you!

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Dental DL

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there is a funny trend of blaming a "random" or "sketchy" application process when somebody who thinks they would get into a certain school doesn't.

won't somebody please stop making excuses and say "huh, i didn't get in... i guess i wasn't one of the best applicants!"

as one of those applicants with "weaker stats" and no rejections (yet :luck: ) let me be the first to tell you that it's not just numbers and adcom's methods are anything but random!

with many things in life... just because you don't undertstand it doesn't make it random.
 
As I said before.... Have to agree with you DL.
-C
 
hehe. i decided to make a new thread so it wasn't so clearly directed at another SDN member 😉
 
Dental DL said:
hehe. i decided to make a new thread so it wasn't so clearly directed at another SDN member 😉


No rejections yet 😀 and I did that without any of your...aSSets 😀
 
you can tell alot about the person from their interviews, personal statements and letters of recommendations. People always say ~ oh i have this GPA, this DAT, these extracurriculars, this amount of dental shadowing, but they often assume they nailed the interviews, and that the personal statements and letters of rec. are given passes. Personality and personal skills are very important in dentistry, and don't you think having an awkward quesiton--short answer--[pause]--question--short answer--[pause] interview (or something along those lines) may impact your application? Does the applicant show enough desire to dedicate his/her life to become a dentist? If they could just use stats, why didn't they just use a cutoff score for everything? Even if you have a 4.0 GPA and 25 DAT score or something along those lines, if you come across as a cocky bastard, you're not getting in.
 
Dental DL said:
there is a funny trend of blaming a "random" or "sketchy" application process when somebody who thinks they would get into a certain school doesn't.

won't somebody please stop making excuses and say "huh, i didn't get in... i guess i wasn't one of the best applicants!"

as one of those applicants with "weaker stats" and no rejections (yet :luck: ) let me be the first to tell you that it's not just numbers and adcom's methods are anything but random!

with many things in life... just because you don't undertstand it doesn't make it random.
I thought I read that you had a 3.8something GPA. You are not a weak applicant.......GPA is very important. I would know b/c I am about to be a third-year applicant due to my GPA.
I'll be the first to agree that presenting yourself well in the interview, volunteer work, shadowing experience, and EC's are all very important. But keep in mind that almost everybody has these qualities to varrying degrees. With that in mind you can see why stats shouldn't be taken lightly. The schools want people that will make their school look good via acceptance stats (which are released) and eventual board scores (also released).
No, stats are not everything but considering the competition of the applicant pool they are a huge factor. For example, my state school uses an equation to accept students (I know how they score you for the equation but not how they calculate it). They add your DATs (Ochem+Gchem+Bio+QR+RC+PA=?) and score your interview numerically......multiply by this and divide by that.......add up your overall, science, and last 30 credit hour GPA's.........if you are female you get an extra point....if you are an under-represented minority you get an extra point.........and boom. You are a 14.3 and the other guy is a 15.2........they take the other guy. Granted, I'm sure that some people get in for extra-ordinary reasons that do not calculate as highly, but they are even more rare then 4.0 applicants.
 
Dental DL said:
there is a funny trend of blaming a "random" or "sketchy" application process when somebody who thinks they would get into a certain school doesn't.

won't somebody please stop making excuses and say "huh, i didn't get in... i guess i wasn't one of the best applicants!"

as one of those applicants with "weaker stats" and no rejections (yet :luck: ) let me be the first to tell you that it's not just numbers and adcom's methods are anything but random!

with many things in life... just because you don't undertstand it doesn't make it random.

I just want to know what happened to your avatar.
 
I don't know...

I will put my stats side by side anyone's and I have gone to 1 interview!

I think there has to be some random component or I guess schools are just looking for different things.

Actually I know there is some random component because when I was at UCLA's inteview they say they don't have time to review all applications (now maybe that is after a quick initial screen but still...)
 
INFNITE said:
you can tell alot about the person from their interviews, personal statements and letters of recommendations. People always say ~ oh i have this GPA, this DAT, these extracurriculars, this amount of dental shadowing, but they often assume they nailed the interviews, and that the personal statements and letters of rec. are given passes. Personality and personal skills are very important in dentistry, and don't you think having an awkward quesiton--short answer--[pause]--question--short answer--[pause] interview (or something along those lines) may impact your application? Does the applicant show enough desire to dedicate his/her life to become a dentist? If they could just use stats, why didn't they just use a cutoff score for everything? Even if you have a 4.0 GPA and 25 DAT score or something along those lines, if you come across as a cocky bastard, you're not getting in.

Well said Chuck!
You know, for the most part the people I have met at interviews were pretty cool, but a few of them were real douche bags. This one guy at UNLV kept trying to make sure everyone knew that he knew the most about denistry, another girl at temple kept rolling her eyes behind the back of Brian as he was giving the tour. Everybody at Tufts was pretty cool, except for one guy from Utah who acted like he was too good to talk to any one, but maybe he was just shy.

On another note, one of my buddies hasn't been invited for an interview any where yet, he has a better GPA and DAT scores than I do, we both go to the same school and he's got more extra cirricular, and service stuff than me. He also applied in mid June and I applied in late August. I personally think the problem was his personal statement. He had me read it over and it was a nightmare. There was no organization to it, and he only seemed to bring up things in his life that were mediocre accomplishments. I tried to tell him, but he didn't take the criticism well and I think he sent it in just the way it was.

In short, yeah I agree with DL I think that schools try to look at the whole package and if you're not getting picked you might want to ask some one who will be honest with you to tell you where your weak spots are.

As a side note I've been reading Dental DL's, and I'mfeelingfine's other contributions to SDN, and I think they are really both dudes. Call me crazy, I just get that vibe from them.
 
mcshow2 said:
I don't know...

I will put my stats side by side anyone's and I have gone to 1 interview!

I think there has to be some random component or I guess schools are just looking for different things.

Actually I know there is some random component because when I was at UCLA's inteview they say they don't have time to review all applications (now maybe that is after a quick initial screen but still...)
I don't think that I want your stats "side by side" mine. Nice DAT's 👍 .

When did your application get submitted? Have you called these schools to see if they are missing anything? If you have applied to several schools you should have more than just one interview.....something is wrong. Did you mention in your essay that you are blind or missing fingers? I've heard that dental schools hate that.
 
mcshow2 said:
I don't know...

I will put my stats side by side anyone's and I have gone to 1 interview!

I think there has to be some random component or I guess schools are just looking for different things.

Your DAT score looks very solid. Did you achieve that score the first time you took the DAT, if so, impressive. If not, then not so impressive.

Is your GPA reflective of your DAT score? Do you have actual demonstrated interest in dentistry, as in shadowing hours over an extended period of time?

Did you apply late?

There has to be more flaws to your application than you lead on. The DAT score looks good though, but adcoms are not stupid or random.
 
MC Wiggles said:
Your DAT score looks very solid. Did you achieve that score the first time you took the DAT, if so, impressive. If not, then not so impressive.

Is your GPA reflective of your DAT score? Do you have actual demonstrated interest in dentistry, as in shadowing hours over an extended period of time?

Did you apply late?

There has to be more flaws to your application than you lead on. The DAT score looks good though, but adcoms are not stupid or random.

My GPA reflects my DAT, took the dat once, good letters of rec, two uncles in the dental field, over 100 hours of shadowing (not my uncles), played college basketball for a year, president of predental club, submitted my application in july, no community college work,

one flaw: will not be getting my degree this spring. But at all the schools I applied to it was not required and I thought the rest of the app would AT LEAST GET ME MORE THAN ONE INTERVIEW!
 
mcshow2 said:
one flaw: will not be getting my degree this spring. But at all the schools I applied to it was not required and I thought the rest of the app would AT LEAST GET ME MORE THAN ONE INTERVIEW!

Hmm, that could be the achilles heel. To my knowledge, no dental school requires a bachelors degree. However, the people that get into dental school without degrees are a MUCH smaller number than those who do have the degree. In many cases, people without the degree get into dental school because they're in some kind of joint program with the university that awards the B.S and D.D.S. jointly after 7 years. I know people do get into dental school without degrees, but the odds are significantly decreased due to no degree.
 
mcshow2 said:
My GPA reflects my DAT, took the dat once, good letters of rec, two uncles in the dental field, over 100 hours of shadowing (not my uncles), played college basketball for a year, president of predental club, submitted my application in july, no community college work,

one flaw: will not be getting my degree this spring. But at all the schools I applied to it was not required and I thought the rest of the app would AT LEAST GET ME MORE THAN ONE INTERVIEW!
When will you get your degree. I've seen plenty of people get in who were 4 years in college but no degree. If you are a year away from it then it is a different story.
 
Im in third year of undergrad, i would potentially have one semester (of mostly general education classes) left.

I contacted all the schools I applied to before I sent off, and they all said if your stats compare you will be considered without a degree. O well, I am not saying poor me or anything, the one interview/acceptance I got was to my top choice.

I guess I didn't think the ancient chinese art, speach class, ecology etc. would make such a difference at the other schools.

So I guess its not random... I just don't agree with it. If you require a degree, say you require a degree.
 
I would agree and disagree with several of the comments posted on this thread. I have now successfully applied and gotten into both medical and dental school (long story) and been heavily involved in the process for several years. I have been teaching discussion sections for a core required class at a major university and watched 8 years of students apply/interview for medical/dental schools. As a very friendly TA I have gotten to know most of the students passing through very well. I can safely say that I know most of them better than any admissions committee would ever be able to. I have seen dishonest students CHEAT their way through the course and get into good medical/dental schools (yes, they got caught and were failed). I have seen the most obnoxious and stupid people you could ever meet get in to medical/dental school. I have seen people get in who I would never ever in a million years choose to be my doctor. And I have watched those who I would choose slip through the cracks and get rejected. During one particular interview, a dean of admissions stated, "You know, a lot of this admissions process is just dumb luck. Just because you don't get in, doesn't mean you're not qualified. It depends on who interviews you, when the committee talks about you, and who was talked about before and after you."
After applying to medical school, I went and talked with the dean of admissions of my number one choice school (where I was not accepted). I asked him how I could improve my application, and he said I couldn't. He told me that there was absolutely nothing wrong with my application. Everybody on the ADCOM loved me. They had nothing negative to say. There were just too many white males applying to the school and I didn't get in (yes, being a white male puts me at a disadvantage and being a female gives you the advantage. We all know it, we just avoid/deny it - I'm not saying it's wrong, it's just the way it is). I will have to say that although you application/stats/personal statement play a large roll in the application process, there is a large random factor included in the acceptances. I have been told straight out that I would get into a particular dental/medical school by my interviewer and not gotten in. I have been told by interviewers and other students during group interviewers that I interview exceptionally well. When I applied to med school they had to make a special attachment for the application just for me because the original wasn't big enough to list all my extracurricular activities. The last interview I had I was told that the only reason I wouldn't get into that particular school was because they had already accepted too many people from my state. I got into 2/14 medical schools I applied to and so far only 1/14 dental schools. I say all this not to be cocky, but to make a point.

So, what have I learned from all this? First and most important: when you apply you have to be OK with the fact that you might not get in (or into your first choice school). You have to be OK with reapplying. You have to be OK with getting rejected from schools. It's not because you suck. There IS some randomness to the process. No, it's not fair, but it's just the way it is. Sometimes it's who you know. Sometimes it's cause you show your panties a lot on online forums and get male interviewers who are horn-dogs (it happens). Sometimes it's because daddy pays the school a lot of money. So to sum it all up, if you don't get in and you have a descent application, suck it up, swallow your pride, and apply again.
 
Fat_Man said:
I would agree and disagree with several of the comments posted on this thread. I have now successfully applied and gotten into both medical and dental school (long story) and been heavily involved in the process for several years. I have been teaching discussion sections for a core required class at a major university and watched 8 years of students apply/interview for medical/dental schools. As a very friendly TA I have gotten to know most of the students passing through very well. I can safely say that I know most of them better than any admissions committee would ever be able to. I have seen dishonest students CHEAT their way through the course and get into good medical/dental schools (yes, they got caught and were failed). I have seen the most obnoxious and stupid people you could ever meet get in to medical/dental school. I have seen people get in who I would never ever in a million years choose to be my doctor. And I have watched those who I would choose slip through the cracks and get rejected. During one particular interview, a dean of admissions stated, "You know, a lot of this admissions process is just dumb luck. Just because you don't get in, doesn't mean you're not qualified. It depends on who interviews you, when the committee talks about you, and who was talked about before and after you."
After applying to medical school, I went and talked with the dean of admissions of my number one choice school (where I was not accepted). I asked him how I could improve my application, and he said I couldn't. He told me that there was absolutely nothing wrong with my application. Everybody on the ADCOM loved me. They had nothing negative to say. There were just too many white males applying to the school and I didn't get in (yes, being a white male puts me at a disadvantage and being a female gives you the advantage. We all know it, we just avoid/deny it - I'm not saying it's wrong, it's just the way it is). I will have to say that although you application/stats/personal statement play a large roll in the application process, there is a large random factor included in the acceptances. I have been told straight out that I would get into a particular dental/medical school by my interviewer and not gotten in. I have been told by interviewers and other students during group interviewers that I interview exceptionally well. When I applied to med school they had to make a special attachment for the application just for me because the original wasn't big enough to list all my extracurricular activities. The last interview I had I was told that the only reason I wouldn't get into that particular school was because they had already accepted too many people from my state. I got into 2/14 medical schools I applied to and so far only 1/14 dental schools. I say all this not to be cocky, but to make a point.

So, what have I learned from all this? First and most important: when you apply you have to be OK with the fact that you might not get in (or into your first choice school). You have to be OK with reapplying. You have to be OK with getting rejected from schools. It's not because you suck. There IS some randomness to the process. No, it's not fair, but it's just the way it is. Sometimes it's who you know. Sometimes it's cause you show your panties a lot on online forums and get male interviewers who are horn-dogs (it happens). Sometimes it's because daddy pays the school a lot of money. So to sum it all up, if you don't get in and you have a descent application, suck it up, swallow your pride, and apply again.


....here's a serious question, so I hope you don't take offense to it. But are you "big-boned" or obese? I've always wondered if a person's asthetic qualities, particuliarly their weight, plays a factor in the admissions process into health professional schools.

There's a heart doctor in my city who is obese & chain smokes and yet is in a professional position to give others advice about improving their health. Weird.
 
accidental said:
I just want to know what happened to your avatar.

I second that!
 
MC Wiggles said:
....here's a serious question, so I hope you don't take offense to it. But are you "big-boned" or obese? I've always wondered if a person's asthetic qualities, particuliarly their weight, plays a factor in the admissions process into health professional schools.

There's a heart doctor in my city who is obese & chain smokes and yet is in a professional position to give others advice about improving their health. Weird.

To be honest, Fat Man is just a high school nick name. I'm 6'5'' and 150 pounds.

Medically speaking, there is no such thing as big boned anyway. If you ever get a chance to see an x-ray of a 350 pound person next to a 150 pound person, you will notice the bones are pretty much the same size . . .

I do believe that asthetic qualities do play a small roll though. Even if it's wrong, it happens. With plenty of business experience I have learned (unfortunately) that sex sells. Think about it. How many of us know who Dental DL is now, after just a few posts? Just be sure to look your best for your interviews.
 
6'5", 150lbs?! 😱 i'm sorry, but that's way too skinny!
 
You're tellin me? I know.

But for some odd reason, the ladies love it . . .

It's 150 pounds of pure love . . .
 
hmmmm, maybe you're on to something 😍
 
Dental DL said:
hmmmm, maybe you're on to something 😍

seriously, what happened to your avatars? They make SDN so much better... 🙄
 
i thought they were becoming too much of a distraction (and apparently annoying some people).
 
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