Ohio State Numbers Game

[bucknut2009]

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I was rejected from Ohio State, my state school in which I am currently enrolled, this year and went in a few weeks ago to have a required reapplication interview to talk about how to improve my application. What I was told was mind-boggling to me although maybe this is how it works everywhere. When I first sat down I was shown a computer screen that basically had an excel spreadsheet with different categories on it as well as a corresponding number for each category. At the bottom was a box with a bold border containing a number. The advisor started to walk me through what each number was and how it was derived. Essentially, they read all of your information (extra-curricular form, shadowing form, DAT form, and then your AADSAS info) and then give you a number grade from 1-100 with 100 being the maximum you can get for that particular category. All of those numbers go into some secret formula with each element weighted differently which spits out some big number. This number is used to compare you with all other applicants and determine if you get an interview.
The admissions advisors, of which there are two, are the ones that assign number grades to all of the qualitative info such as PS, experiences, etc. Additionally, things like research, volunteering, extra observation, ect. are all lumped into one category and the way she made it sound, one really only needs to have listed a few things to get the 100 for that category. Anything above that is not even factored into their formula. I asked how things like a rising GPA over the course of 3 years is considered and she told me that it wasn't...something I found disheartening as I have had 3.75-4.0s since the second quarter of my sophomore year (I am a senior now). Really, it is the 2.9-3.0s the first 2-3 quarters or so of my freshman year that is hurting my 3.62 gpa.
I was really disappointed to see just how impersonal the whole interview selection process really is. To determine what I needed to do to improve, she really just fudged around with the spreadsheet numbers to get my overall score above an 79.3 (I had a 77.6) which was the average final score for the people invited for interviews. She said that a Dr. Iannucci (not sure if spelled right) comes and asks for the top whatever final scores I mentioned above and invites those people for interviews. I then asked how they go about inviting people that had below a 79.3, since people with lower scores are certainly invited (it is an average after all). She really didn't offer any meaningful answer and I left the interview feeling like a number who wasn't evaluated as the type of person I was or experiences I had along with my DAT and gpa...something they claim is important on their website....The whole reapplication interview and application process in general left me feeling pretty bad. As it turns out...if I can increase my PAT score to an 18 from a 17..I will then be invited for an interview--thats all lol.

 

[hellonurse]

pretty crazy and I'm surprised they showed you all that. Is Ohio State a very competitive school?

 

[Persevere13]

.

 

[JamesOSU]

I am very, very well acquainted with this system. I was denied an interview the last cycle and had my reapplicant meeting and they showed me 'the spreadsheet'.

The upside - now you know the game and you can beat it. Change the numbers you need to change. Mine was especially brutal. At the time I applied I had a 3.69 GPA, 20AA/24PAT/19TS, but they scored me a 30/100 on the volunteer page. I neglected to report my 1000 hours of Mexico service trip among other small things, thinking it didn't really matter. Worse yet, when I discovered this in September that cycle, they didn't let me amend my volunteer record - talk about the biggest mistake, something so small as forgetting to put it on their supplemental kept me from an interview and a probably acceptance that year.

The next year I retook DAT (for other schools to to stay competitive) and did a LOT more service. My score the next time was 100, which gave me 'score' high enough to get an interview in November.

OSU does deserve some defense though - when you get 1000+ applicants you can't very well differentiate them ALL on qualitative factors like rising GPAs, ECs, personality. They take the most academically qualified, interview 180 of them, and offer 104 spots to the ones they like the best. Unlike some other schools, they do not interview several hundred people, so narrowing it down to 180 (and only ~100 of them are Ohio Residents) is tough.

There is a lot more than numbers that goes into acceptances after the interview - but it is ALL numbers to get to that point.

 

[JamesOSU]

pretty crazy and I'm surprised they showed you all that. Is Ohio State a very competitive school?

I think Ohio State is a sleeper. A great school, great atmosphere, all the students are very happy there - but its not really talked about much (here on SDN and elsewhere - this thread will prob die with me). It is very competitive for out-of-staters. 75% of the class is made up of Ohio Residents, probably why it isn't talked about as much on here.

Someone from Ohio with good ECs, a 3.6 and 20/20/20 on the DAT will get in.

 

[doc toothache]

I was really disappointed to see just how impersonal the whole interview selection process really is.

How would you suggest that the selection process be done to make it more "personal"?

 

[DDSjunior]

I can tell you as an OSU student that the point system, although used for a primary evaluative tool, is not the deciding factor when it comes to getting in. Before an interview everybody is a number too them. So with soo many people applying why not take the best? It is at the interview that the rest is important. I can tell you I had an average DAT, high GPA (3.9) and little to no extracurriculars. I got in because my interview went great and they liked me as a person. There were people with better stat stuffers than me but were not accepted. I wouldn't get too bogged down about the point system, every school uses it one way or another, OSU just simplifies it and makes it public.

 

[OhioStBuckteeth]

I can tell you as an OSU student that the point system, although used for a primary evaluative tool, is not the deciding factor when it comes to getting in. Before an interview everybody is a number too them. So with soo many people applying why not take the best? It is at the interview that the rest is important. I can tell you I had an average DAT, high GPA (3.9) and little to no extracurriculars. I got in because my interview went great and they liked me as a person. There were people with better stat stuffers than me but were not accepted. I wouldn't get too bogged down about the point system, every school uses it one way or another, OSU just simplifies it and makes it public.

bingo

I'd say it's the opposite of impersonal once you get to the interview.

 

[JamesOSU]

And here I thought no Ohio State students were on SDN, neat

 

[asdfa]

with a score at 79, i don't think you have to much to worry about. I'm pretty sure you'll get an interview. I think the top ohio percentages were in the low 80s if I remember correctly, and the lowest they accepted was in the high 60s (these came from waitlisted students).

I got accepted back in december. My score was around 77-78 (i thought it would be higher with all the community services, high gpa, extracurriculars, etc i have under m belt). It all boils down to the interview in my opinion, i think they said it counts for like 20% of their deciding factor (don't quote me on that).

They have a very unique interviewing system. You basically have 5 differents interviews, 10 mins with each interviewer and each interviewer focuses on a certain aspect of your application. It's very laid back in my opinion and the interviewers are easy to get along with (except for this one i had). On the bright side, they let you know that day if your in or not

 

[bucknut2009]

with a score at 79, i don't think you have to much to worry about. I'm pretty sure you'll get an interview. I think the top ohio percentages were in the low 80s if I remember correctly, and the lowest they accepted was in the high 60s (these came from waitlisted students).

I got accepted back in december. My score was around 77-78 (i thought it would be higher with all the community services, high gpa, extracurriculars, etc i have under m belt). It all boils down to the interview in my opinion, i think they said it counts for like 20% of their deciding factor (don't quote me on that).

They have a very unique interviewing system. You basically have 5 differents interviews, 10 mins with each interviewer and each interviewer focuses on a certain aspect of your application. It's very laid back in my opinion and the interviewers are easy to get along with (except for this one i had). On the bright side, they let you know that day if your in or not

I was rejected before Christmas. If they accepted people in the 60s then it was because they were a minority or something like that. When I talked to an admissions officer, I was told that everything else was based on numbers in order to get an interview. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if minorities just had a few points added to their "score". Anyway, it turns out I am going to Maryland's dental school in the fall. It's too bad because I really was looking forward to donating some money when I am rich in a decade or so as I got my undergrad there and wanted my DDS there too....oh well.

 

[kimnewcom]

TS:20 AA:20 PAT:23 GPA:3.42
Ohio resident and OSU senior majoring in biology and molgen.

barely got into OSU. Originally, i was the 12th on the waiting list and the second last person to offered a seat.😀

 

[bucknut2009]

TS:20 AA:20 PAT:23 GPA:3.42
Ohio resident and OSU senior majoring in biology and molgen.

barely got into OSU. Originally, i was the 12th on the waiting list and the second last person to offered a seat.😀

Wow, I was very similar to you in my stats...Based on the way that their excel formula is set up to get an interview, a higher PAT score, such as the one you have, is definitely worth a lot more than a few .1's in GPA. It sucks to think that I missed out at OSU based on a PAT score. The funny thing is that when I had my Maryland interview they told me that they do not even look at the PAT unless it is below a 15. I wonder what the "score" was that OSU's formula spat out for you based on your stats.

Anyway..I too am a senior at OSU but in Microbiology...looking forward to graduation! See you there.

 

[dentalstuff]

ok, so I'm a junior at OSU (bio major)... my scores are AA 20/TS 20/ PAT 24. My GPA is 3.6 (science gpa is about 3.4)... i have a good amount of community service, I'm in a sorority, I do research at OSU dental school, I worked in OSU's dental clinic last summer, i have a ton of shadow hours. Im a white female. My dad's a dentist and he went to OSU... do i stand a chance?? I'm just so nervous bc OSU is the only school I really really want to go to! I'm applying on June 1st 🙂

 

[JamesOSU]

ok, so I'm a junior at OSU (bio major)... my scores are AA 20/TS 20/ PAT 24. My GPA is 3.6 (science gpa is about 3.4)... i have a good amount of community service, I'm in a sorority, I do research at OSU dental school, I worked in OSU's dental clinic last summer, i have a ton of shadow hours. Im a white female. My dad's a dentist and he went to OSU... do i stand a chance?? I'm just so nervous bc OSU is the only school I really really want to go to! I'm applying on June 1st 🙂

Yes you have a chance, keep that GPA up. I won't give you a definitive yes/no, because it has been getting so competitive these last couple years, but I think you would have been offered an interview last cycle with those numbers.

good luck

 

[bucknut2009]

ok, so I'm a junior at OSU (bio major)... my scores are AA 20/TS 20/ PAT 24. My GPA is 3.6 (science gpa is about 3.4)... i have a good amount of community service, I'm in a sorority, I do research at OSU dental school, I worked in OSU's dental clinic last summer, i have a ton of shadow hours. Im a white female. My dad's a dentist and he went to OSU... do i stand a chance?? I'm just so nervous bc OSU is the only school I really really want to go to! I'm applying on June 1st 🙂

I am telling you right now that with those scores and your abundant ECs you will absolutely get an interview providing that you finish off this year with the same sort of grades you have received in the past. Getting an interview is the first battle but getting accepted after the interview is totally going to depend on your performance that day. Good luck and just don't blow of your application. If you put some thought in to it, the admissions advisors will not hesitate to give you the full amount of points allotted for the written part of your application when they go over it and enter your scores into their formula.

 

[dmd87]

how bad does a bad gpa hurt if you have stellar dat scores in this numbers game?

 

[KateRP]

My husband and I are both applying to OSU, and we both had meetings with the admissions advisors. They showed us our spreadsheets and estimated what DAT score we would need for an interview (assuming we have good ECs, volunteer, LOR, ect). I have a 3.75 GPA and was told I needed a 19/20 DAT in order to interview. My husband has a 3.1 GPA and was told he needed around a 24/25 on the DAT to interview. So I guess you can use those numbers to estimate where your DAT might need to be.

 

[JamesOSU]

My husband and I are both applying to OSU, and we both had meetings with the admissions advisors. They showed us our spreadsheets and estimated what DAT score we would need for an interview (assuming we have good ECs, volunteer, LOR, ect). I have a 3.75 GPA and was told I needed a 19/20 DAT in order to interview. My husband has a 3.1 GPA and was told he needed around a 24/25 on the DAT to interview. So I guess you can use those numbers to estimate where your DAT might need to be.

holy hell, good luck 🙁

 

[LNinlove]

I had some stupid comment lined up that involved a theoretical applicant with super high scores and no arms, but I'll save it for another day.

You guys know of any other schools that do this excel approach?