"Safe" vs "Reach" Dental Schools

[itscoldoutside2018]

So I made my list for a while now to make sure I had my pre-reqs. I did the DAT and my scores are literally the average of acceptance to these schools. Give or take 1 point. My GPAs are currently higher than their average. My question is how can I tell if I have a shot at the school? I see people say to apply to "safe" schools and "reach" schools, but how can I classify a school "safe"?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[WolfsBane]

What are your stats, and the schools. Hard to give an opinion with such vague information.

 

[Lau Sang]

If you really want to classify the schools by reach or safety, you have to look at what each school is looking for. Residence is important for most state schools. Some schools look at grades more. Some schools look at ECs. Diversity is important to some schools. But if you're mostly average, then no school is really "safe." Best to apply to many schools.

 

[Kingfish23]

There is no such thing as a “safety” dental school. I went in with that mentality and schools that I thought were safety schools didn’t even offer me an interview. Apply broadly to schools that are within your stat ranges and don’t waste money on Columbia, UPenn or Harvard unless you have a solid gpa, DAT Score and incredible ECs.

 

[I-hate-alginate]

My DAT scores are 21 AA and 21TS.
oGPA=3.91 sGPA=3.76
I'm applying to UCLA, UoP, USC, UCSF, Colorado, Louisville, North Carolina, Alabama and Georgia (in-state)

Youre playing with fire! I applied to 6 schools in August with a 3.96 overall gpa and a 23AA and received only one pre December interview. I added more schools later on and yes Ive got few post December interviews, but I'm still worried and with your stats, it won't be that easy making California schools. So definitely add up at least 4 more schools. Add private schools, like lecom, nova, roseman, touro, etc

 

[itscoldoutside2018]

Youre playing with fire! I applied to 6 schools in August with a 3.96 overall gpa and a 23AA and received only one pre December interview. I added more schools later on and yes Ive got few post December interviews, but I'm still worried and with your stats, it won't be that easy making California schools. So definitely add up at least 4 more schools. Add private schools, like lecom, nova, roseman, touro, etc

Do you think if you applied earlier, you would have more interviews? Should I retake the DAT and try to score 23+?

 

[I-hate-alginate]

Maybe but I'm not sure, "if" time goes back, I would've applied earlier and I would've definitely added more schools. Don't retake, 21 is good, unless you want to take risks and if things don't go your way then oh well, you're in trouble. But my advice to anyone with great to excellent stats is to not have high expectations, I had high expectations but then I got treated with some humble pie and the taste.... is nothing nice lol.

 

[WolfsBane]

My DAT scores are 21 AA and 21TS.
oGPA=3.91 sGPA=3.76
I'm applying to UCLA, UoP, USC, UCSF, Colorado, Louisville, North Carolina, Alabama and Georgia (in-state)

Those are all VERY competitive schools with the exception of Louisville. Your stats are great but not incredibly better than others and many of those schools have scores above 21. I would add more schools not because 9 isn't enough but because of the competitiveness of the schools you chose. No school is a safety school as my friend @Kingfish said, and I could second it by saying I didn't get interviews at my safety schools either. You have to make sure you have great ec's and a great PS. All your schools are reaches really, meaning that they are all very competitive both DAT and GPA wise and UNC, Col, UCLA, UCSF Bama and Georgia ate incredibly hard to get into. I would take off USC because its sooooooo expensive and you may or may not like PBL.

 

[itscoldoutside2018]

Those are all VERY competitive schools with the exception of Louisville. Your stats are great but not incredibly better than others and many of those schools have scores above 21. I would add more schools not because 9 isn't enough but because of the competitiveness of the schools you chose. No school is a safety school as my friend @Kingfish said, and I could second it by saying I didn't get interviews at my safety schools either. You have to make sure you have great ec's and a great PS. All your schools are reaches really, meaning that they are all very competitive both DAT and GPA wise and UNC, Col, UCLA, UCSF Bama and Georgia ate incredibly hard to get into. I would take off USC because its sooooooo expensive and you may or may not like PBL.

Thank you for your input! I'll keep USC because I actually like PBL. It forces me to understand rather than to memorize.
What other schools do you recommend adding? I'm looking at Nova and Arizona (both schools). Those are really expensive also, but I guess thats the price to pay for not being competitive enough.

 

[itscoldoutside2018]

Maybe but I'm not sure, "if" time goes back, I would've applied earlier and I would've definitely added more schools. Don't retake, 21 is good, unless you want to take risks and if things don't go your way then oh well, you're in trouble. But my advice to anyone with great to excellent stats is to not have high expectations, I had high expectations but then I got treated with some humble pie and the taste.... is nothing nice lol.

is it possible to retake, but not have the scores submitted/viewed by the schools?

 

[I-hate-alginate]

is it possible to retake, but not have the scores submitted/viewed by the schools?

Tbh, I'm not sure but I don't think that's possible.

 

[knewstance]

I would suggest doing some research on how many OOS students each school on your list accepts. Your stats aren't bad but when something like 90% or more of the class is set aside for in state students, it may not be worth sending an application to that school.

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

My DAT scores are 21 AA and 21TS.
oGPA=3.91 sGPA=3.76
I'm applying to UCLA, UoP, USC, UCSF, Colorado, Louisville, North Carolina, Alabama and Georgia (in-state)

Why on earth is everyone so eager to move to California? The ridiculous traffic? The insane housing prices (California housing crisis affecting middle class the most: It's 'a broken system')? The sky high taxes? The terrible air quality (California's Air Pollution Causes Asthma, Allergies and Premature Births | DiscoverMagazine.com)? The ballooning poverty (Why is liberal California the poverty capital of America?)? What is it?! I seriously can’t figure it out. Maybe it’s just people looking to get in on the ongoing SoCal hepatitis A outbreak (Hepatitis A Outbreak). I don’t know.

Big Hoss

 

[WolfsBane]

Thank you for your input! I'll keep USC because I actually like PBL. It forces me to understand rather than to memorize.
What other schools do you recommend adding? I'm looking at Nova and Arizona (both schools). Those are really expensive also, but I guess thats the price to pay for not being competitive enough.

What about schools like UMD, Rutgers, Stonybrook, Uconn, BU, UMKC, UF? those are cheaper options albeit competitive. My friend don't take this the wrong way, but there is no excuse to spend extra money. You should have UGA or Bama, as your top choices and the cheapest option should be the top choice. USC, like NYU are the most expensive schools in the country, if you have the option don't go there. Please dont waste money, please. You will thank me later.

 

[WolfsBane]

Why on earth is everyone so eager to move to California? The ridiculous traffic? The insane housing prices (California housing crisis affecting middle class the most: It's 'a broken system')? The sky high taxes? The terrible air quality (California's Air Pollution Causes Asthma, Allergies and Premature Births | DiscoverMagazine.com)? The ballooning poverty (Why is liberal California the poverty capital of America?)? What is it?! I seriously can’t figure it out. Maybe it’s just people looking to get in on the ongoing SoCal hepatitis A outbreak (Hepatitis A Outbreak). I don’t know.

Big Hoss

My man! people don't think sadly. They want to be the happiest they can over 4 years and don't realize how much they will be suffering in the future.

 

[itscoldoutside2018]

When narrowing down the 70 dental schools, I first chose states where I had family there (California being one). Then branched out to surrounding states.
I do have GA and Alabama as my top choices, but I'm trying to have a list of 10-12 schools where I have a chance at getting accepted. And if I am accepted, I would go there. I don't want to apply to schools and then feel hesitant to enroll.
I looked at Texas but only like a handful, if that, get accepted. So I removed them.

Thanks for the help, really appreciate it!

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

When narrowing down the 70 dental schools, I first chose states where I had family there (California being one). Then branched out to surrounding states.
I do have GA and Alabama as my top choices, but I'm trying to have a list of 10-12 schools where I have a chance at getting accepted. And if I am accepted, I would go there. I don't want to apply to schools and then feel hesitant to enroll.
I looked at Texas but only like a handful, if that, get accepted. So I removed them.

Thanks for the help, really appreciate it!

UCLA, UCSF, and UNC will definitely be "stretches" with your DAT score. USC will cripple you with debt. Paying off USC will leave you coming up with $4,000 a month for the next 20 years of your life. I'd save my money and apply elsewhere.

Big Hoss

 

[shima29]

Schools like NYU and Tufts would be considered safety schools imo. They have massive class sizes, and tuition is higher than average for dental schools (so not the most desirable school to get into for a prospective students). Your chance of being accepted is probably highest to those schools - not counting the state school where you live if you have one.

 

[Kingfish23]

Schools like NYU and Tufts would be considered safety schools imo. They have massive class sizes, and tuition is higher than average for dental schools (so not the most desirable school to get into for a prospective students). Your chance of being accepted is probably highest to those schools - not counting the state school where you live if you have one.

Considering I know applicants accepted to schools like Rutgers and Penn that were overlooked by NYU and Tufts must make this statement false

 

[WolfsBane]

Schools like NYU and Tufts would be considered safety schools imo. They have massive class sizes, and tuition is higher than average for dental schools (so not the most desirable school to get into for a prospective students). Your chance of being accepted is probably highest to those schools - not counting the state school where you live if you have one.

Again, NO school is a safety school. I will use myself as an example. I was accepted at Rutgers, Touro, UMD, and Nova, but was never even given an interview at NYU or Tufts so go figure. Schools dont work the way we think they do and therefore there is no such thing as a safety school. I can reiterate enough of what @Kingfish23 is saying, you as an applicant would be foolish to apply to less than 7 schools, unless you are a legendary applicant with the likes of @FeralisExtremum or @DMikes so just understand that its a crapshoot.