Only very small percentage of applicants actually enroll @ dental school?

[Buppy99]

I'm a biology/predentistry student, at college. I've been working really hard to make a high gpa, all semester. In trying to decide if my gpa is high enough, I went over admissions statistics from different schools listed in the "ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools 2011". I discovered that often less than 4% of dental school applicants at a specific school eventually become enrolled. I knew that the process was competitive, but that makes it sound much more difficult than I would have guessed.
On the other hand, the gpa ranges of accepted students often fall from somewhere from 2.44-4.00, which does not seem nearly as cut-throat.
So, why is there such a difference? How high does my gpa need to be, in order to be considered competitive? Thank you for the answers!

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[bing12]

of all the applicants that apply, 40% of them end up matriculating into a dental school(2010-ADA). so 60% dont get in at all, some states are clearly easier than others ( the percentage that get into medical school ( I am assuming both D.O and M.D in the U.S is 44%-website of AAMC). Good luck

 

[7 Iron]

4% enroll in a specific dental school maybe, but rememeber acceptance to any dental school (A, B, C, D) is different from enrolling in School A. That's why the numbers are so low.

 

[John Durian]

4% enroll in a specific dental school maybe, but rememeber acceptance to any dental school (A, B, C, D) is different from enrolling in School A. That's why the numbers are so low.

Yeah, and it's crazy low for Cali residents. I mean, the acceptance/applicants rate is like 1-3% for each school. But if I remember correctly, some southern states had an in-state acceptance of like 40% (due to lack of interest/qualified applicants).

No one in their right mind applies to only one school.

 

[youknowthedrill]

Generally it is much easier to gain acceptance to your state school(s). Usually only the top applicants are accepted to public institutions from other states.

 

[Maygyver]

If you take things seriously and really want it (not the I-really-want-it-but-I-want-to-slack-off-for-four-years-and-then-say-I-really-want-it like a lot of people seem to do) you will get an admission. Work hard, find something you love to do and things will work out.

 

[cmcner]

I'm a biology/predentistry student, at college. I've been working really hard to make a high gpa, all semester. In trying to decide if my gpa is high enough, I went over admissions statistics from different schools listed in the "ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools 2011". I discovered that often less than 4% of dental school applicants at a specific school eventually become enrolled. I knew that the process was competitive, but that makes it sound much more difficult than I would have guessed.
On the other hand, the gpa ranges of accepted students often fall from somewhere from 2.44-4.00, which does not seem nearly as cut-throat.
So, why is there such a difference? How high does my gpa need to be, in order to be considered competitive? Thank you for the answers!

Because school's don't admit numbers, they admit people. They're looking to fill a class that suits their mission. They will admit some for stats, some for character, some for extracurricular, some for community service, some for advanced degrees, some for DAT score, if you have a 3.8 and the GPA quota got filled by 3.9, 4.0s you have to have something else they're looking for to get to the top of the other list, like a top extra curricular candidate with one of the highest GPA to win you the spot. Most schools look at you as a whole person, not just 3 numbers, so that's why it varies. And other schools won't let you in because they think that they're just your safety school, and you will choose other schools over them so they will choose other candidates over you.

 

[dentalWorks]

Because school's don't admit numbers, they admit people. They're looking to fill a class that suits their mission. They will admit some for stats, some for character, some for extracurricular, some for community service, some for advanced degrees, some for DAT score, if you have a 3.8 and the GPA quota got filled by 3.9, 4.0s you have to have something else they're looking for to get to the top of the other list, like a top extra curricular candidate with one of the highest GPA to win you the spot. Most schools look at you as a whole person, not just 3 numbers, so that's why it varies. And other schools won't let you in because they think that they're just your safety school, and you will choose other schools over them so they will choose other candidates over you.

I respectfully disagree because its sounding like a "conspiracy to fill a dental class".... its nothing like that. If it were, you'd see a greater number of people being admitted with 2.0s and 2.5s because after all, all they need at this point is to boost-up ECs to great heights.

The students who demonstrate qualities to pass the demanding dental curriculum have a higher (statistical) chance of gaining admission. The end

 

[mr24]

I agree with dentalworks.

If you have a 21+ and a 3.5+ you will get in!
It's all about the numbers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[UFRalo]

I think what cmcner said is probably true for some schools, but maybe not a generality for every school.

However, there are definitely people who don't have awesome GPA or awesome DAT, but have really good EC and other personal attributes that maybe makes them a better fit in a class than another applicant with a 3.8 and a 21 DAT.

For example, UF takes a lot of people with really high stats, but most of those people also have nice EC's. They also take some people who will fit in with the class that may not have really strong numbers but would contribute other things to the class. I know for a fact that I have heard admissions peeps say that each class has a different personality and different types of people (in regards to the other classes within the school).

 

[doc toothache]

Yeah, and it's crazy low for Cali residents. I mean, the acceptance/applicants rate is like 1-3% for each school. But if I remember correctly, some southern states had an in-state acceptance of like 40% (due to lack of interest/qualified applicants).

What southern school did you have in mind? The claim of "lack of interest/qualified applicants" should be nominated for a prize.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=810649

The 1-3% that you claim for the CA schools may be a bit exaggerated, to say the least. In all likelihood, a large number of applicants are applying to all of the CA school although, admittedly, LL and the public schools may need additional qualifiers. Assuming that roughly both in and out of state applicants apply to all of the CA schools the numbers look a heck of a lot different.

 

[BombayBDS]

What southern school did you have in mind? The claim of "lack of interest/qualified applicants" should be nominated for a prize.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=810649

The 1-3% that you claim for the CA schools may be a bit exaggerated, to say the least. In all likelihood, a large number of applicants are applying to all of the CA school although, admittedly, LL and the public schools may need additional qualifiers. Assuming that roughly both in and out of state applicants apply to all of the CA schools the numbers look a heck of a lot different.

agreed. but thats a big assumption. CA schools are a diverse lot and what (for eg) western has to offer may not appeal to someone who is interested in what UCSF has to offer and visa-versa.

It may not be possible to come to an accurate or even almost accurate number for acceptance rates, but 4% definately sounds too low. when multiple applications are considered, the number is surely higher.

 

[doc toothache]

agreed. but thats a big assumption. CA schools are a diverse lot and what (for eg) western has to offer may not appeal to someone who is interested in what UCSF has to offer and visa-versa.

It may not be possible to come to an accurate or even almost accurate number for acceptance rates, but 4% definately sounds too low. when multiple applications are considered, the number is surely higher.

So 4% "sounds too low" while the rough estimate isn't to your liking. It is hard to imagine a CA resident who wouldn't apply to UCSF simply because he/she does not like what the school "has to offer". When it is all said and done, the national admission rates are probably a better reflection of the rates for single or multiple state schools. It is hard to place any significance on the rate of acceptance for school like Boston, Tufts, NY and Temple where 1/3 of the applicants have thrown applications.