just a quick heads up...i applied to one random OSS (UT-Memphis) and although i was accepted to baylor and houston, the admission's guy said he doesnt even look at applications from texas residents
Yeah UT-Memphis is very different from many schools (they do not even use AADSAS and in order to apply I think you have to turn in your application separately just for them).
When I said look into Out-Of-State options, make sure that you to do lot of researching before finding the right school to apply to (make sure to buy the ADEA Guide to Dental School which is about $40 that can be one of the best resources for this research)
Couple of things to look for when applying to OOS: (all these can be found from ADEA book)
1. Available Seats for OOS vs. In-state students
2. GPA/DAT range and Median
3. Accepted Student Numbers of race/ethnicity (e.g. some schools tend to take more Asians than others)
4. Tuition for OOS and whether you can get in-state tuition after the first year
5. If school has agreement with border states that do not have dental schools (you should be careful because although some dental schools accept OOS applicants, they only take them from border states that do not have dental schools)
6. Course Requirements (make sure you have pre-reqs for that school / have time to finish before summer)
7. Special Instruction (e.g. Boston University requires you to submit a letter/email from a dentist that tells them that you have met the minimum required shadowing hours)
Take your time when you're trying to choose which schools to apply to.