Quality of University

[prez_al]

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Hey all,

Not sure if this is true for all dental schools, does the school you attended during undergrad have any bearing on how schools interpret your GPA?? I know Marquette looks at "quality of college/university", does any other school care where you went to for undergrad?

 

[mkogz5]

Hey all,

Not sure if this is true for all dental schools, does the school you attended during undergrad have any bearing on how schools interpret your GPA?? I know Marquette looks at "quality of college/university", does any other school care where you went to for undergrad?

i know a lot of people on here always say it doesn't matter and only GPA/DAT are the main focus for being asked to interview, HOWEVER, my university was brought up at every single interview i had.

i do believe that a high GPA at any university (with the other factors in the application above average also) will allow any student to be admitted to any of the numerous dental schools. I had a lower GPA than most people on here, didn't go to the best Ivy league undergrad school (although still a quality school), and got accepted after 3 years.

so basically, a high GPA looks good from anywhere, but if you have a lower or more average one it can definitely help if you went to a more competitive university. reputation is somewhat important with all professional programs (especially if applying to a dental school like Harvard).

[i also heard that at some schools (not sure if this is true or not, so don't hold me to it, but michigan in particular) have equating factors that "neutralize" each GPA from the many different undergraduate institutions. again, not sure if this is true or not, maybe someone else will know.]

 

[Sephisabin]

Hey all,

Not sure if this is true for all dental schools, does the school you attended during undergrad have any bearing on how schools interpret your GPA?? I know Marquette looks at "quality of college/university", does any other school care where you went to for undergrad?

At my columbia interview last year, it seemed like the who's who of top 50 universities... everyone was from John's Hopkins, Dartmouth, UC Berkeley, UCLA... I'm sure it has some bearing at most schools. In fact, Dr. McManus even asked me what school I go to once when I called him and he said that it's a very good school, so it's clearly something that they think about. On the other hand, I know that USC doesn't factor in what school you went to.

 

[Galen1]

Yes, I also remember that at Columbia. It was like an all-star line up of top 50s (if you look at the Times ranking). It felt kinda good to be recognized 🙂

 

[INFNITE]

yeah, quality of undergrad school is one thing Columbia focuses heavily upon. One of the main topics discussed during my interview was how one of the best preparations for studying in dentistry is having experienced a stressful and competitive environment of a top ranking undergrad school beforehand. I believe this is especially relevant in Columbia due to their heavy emphasis on sciences comparing to some of the other more clinical-focused schools.

 

[tbone91]

Yeah most schools I have talked to say that they have a rough conversion book that lists all the 4 year universities, and then convert what a B+ at a top 20 school is equal to at a lower tier school,etc.

 

[whiskeysour]

Yeah most schools I have talked to say that they have a rough conversion book that lists all the 4 year universities, and then convert what a B+ at a top 20 school is equal to at a lower tier school,etc.

with all the grade inflation at top tier schools i don't see why schools would even bother recomputing gpa's. as you all know, the DAT is a level playing field and is used to compare all students equally.

i hope just because i chose my state school over a "prestigious" college doesn't hurt my chances of getting into a top dental school. pay $30k/year or free tuition? hmmmm that's a toughie. i have the same degree as everyone else so whatev.

WS

 

[mlle]

with all the grade inflation at top tier schools i don't see why schools would even bother recomputing gpa's. as you all know, the DAT is a level playing field and is used to compare all students equally.

i hope just because i chose my state school over a "prestigious" college doesn't hurt my chances of getting into a top dental school. pay $30k/year or free tuition? hmmmm that's a toughie. i have the same degree as everyone else so whatev.

WS

I thought you went to Hahvard?!

 

[whiskeysour]

I thought you went to Hahvard?!

no sir/ma'am.....that's just a cover up 🙂

 

[syn_apse]

yes, it matters to some d-schools. some will even scale your GPA according to the 'academic reputation' of your alma mater.

that said, if you've got the numbers, it doesn't matter where you went to school. stats trump everything!

 

[prez_al]

yes, it matters to some d-schools. some will even scale your GPA according to the 'academic reputation' of your alma mater.

that said, if you've got the numbers, it doesn't matter where you went to school. stats trump everything!

Thats true... still kinda concerned about the reputation of my school... since it's not a top 20 school... probably top 50 in North America... and it's a Canadian school (is that a good thing or does it even matter?) and a lot of the schools I'm applying to, no one from my school got in the previous few cycles. And it's more of a research school.

 

[ArmoredTooth]

At first, I thought that dental school admissions was just the "numbers game."

But I've spoken to adcoms from three dental schools, and they were talking about undergraduate colleges being placed in categories.

There are three categories, category 1 being undergrad institutes in the top 50, category 2 - middle tier schools, and category 3 schools - you get the picture here.

on the other hand, dental school like Creighton, UMKC and USC don't care about your undergraduate institute's "rankings."

 

[M3Nick]

At first, I thought that dental school admissions was just the "numbers game."

But I've spoken to adcoms from three dental schools, and they were talking about undergraduate colleges being placed in categories.

There are three categories, category 1 being undergrad institutes in the top 50, category 2 - middle tier schools, and category 3 schools - you get the picture here.

on the other hand, dental school like Creighton, UMKC and USC don't care about your undergraduate institute's "rankings."

i just looked up my school and its third tier (crap) does that hurt my chances a lot

 

[mlle]

what if my college is a little past #50, gpa is 3.2 and the rest of the package looks great? what shot at an interview would you say I have?

I hope I didn't waste my money...

 

[KHANSAHAAB]

What kind of reputation does the University of Toronto have?

 

[prez_al]

What kind of reputation does the University of Toronto have?

Probably slightly better than Mac lol.. since U of T is full of hardcore smart people! In the 2005 rankings done by a Chinese University (can't recall the name), U of T ranked #19 in North America and #1 in Canada.

Here's the link with ALL the rankings of the various universities:

http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/ranking.htm

Enjoy!

 

[r0entgen]

Probably slightly better than Mac lol.. since U of T is full of hardcore smart people! In the 2005 rankings done by a Chinese University (can't recall the name), U of T ranked #19 in North America and #1 in Canada.

Here's the link with ALL the rankings of the various universities:

http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/ranking.htm

Enjoy!

that list looks pretty bogus to me...

 

[Galen1]

that list looks pretty bogus to me...

The most respected and most thorough University ranking in the world is performed by the London Newspaper "the Times." Visit the link below to view it:

http://www.alnaja7.org/success/Education/times_world_ranking_2005.pdf


The University of Toronto is #29 in the world and 16th in North America, to answer KHANSAHAAB. From first-hand experience, I agree 🙂

 

[dWiz]

Probably slightly better than Mac lol.. since U of T is full of hardcore smart people! In the 2005 rankings done by a Chinese University (can't recall the name), U of T ranked #19 in North America and #1 in Canada.

Here's the link with ALL the rankings of the various universities:

http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/ranking.htm

Enjoy!

UC san diego at no. 11, before upenn ...

 

[syn_apse]

rankings are ******ed -- and this is coming from somebody who went to a top school 🙄

 

[ddsjymaeng]

IS UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
good school?

hey u know what
I think what matters most is the state...
if u apply to marquette wisconsin-madison gets some good reputation
cuz it is the best univ in wisconsin 😍

i love ma school pride on it...especially science

 

[greenday]

Yes, I also remember that at Columbia. It was like an all-star line up of top 50s (if you look at the Times ranking). It felt kinda good to be recognized 🙂

Haha, I don't know if I'm the only one who attended a bottom 50 schools, but I was proud of stirring things around at my Columbia and Upenn interview. Loosen up people.

 

[ChadC]

It would be hard to put a lot of weight on the quality of the University an applicant went to. So many factors go into choosing a school. I'm going to a top 75 school b/c it was in-state, but I could have gone to a top 20 school and paid out the azz. I'm sure thousands of other applicants did the same thing I did.

 

[pine88]

Rankings are misleading and I'm sure the adcoms know that and don't follow them like the bible, but it makes sense to use them because all schools are not created equal. And this is speaking from experience-I've gone to 4 schools. Although I only had a 3.3 at my higher ranked undergrad, without much effort I've gotten all A's at the local universities, which are ranked lower. It amazed me too how my classmates at my last university would get so pissed at the teacher if they didn't get an A, when they didn't know how ridiculously easy they had it! The work was like being back in high school. My "A" level work would have gotten me a C at my 1st school.

There are smart people at all schools, but not all A's are equal.

But who knows what the adcoms do...if I were them I'd just close my eyes and pick. Beats reading thousands of "Why I want to be a Dentist"