Undergrad...big university vs. small university?

[jvas103]

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Hello all!! I am a newbie on SDN and I was wondering....I have been given a wrestling scholarship at a small university in Va., my concern is that since it is a small school it will not hold the same weight as a large well known university. Will this be the case or will it not matter? :

 

[Darby_O'Gill]

I'm not sure it really matters where you go, at least thats what most people in the adcoms would tell you. But, you have to believe that a 3.2 from some small, no-name university will be treated differently than a 3.2 from a bigger university known more for its academic prowess. Honestly, if I could go back I would have chosen a smaller, less prestigious school, just because it seems like (at my school at least) you run up against tougher professors and smarter students that throw off the curve. My gpa is a 3.2 right now, which isn't bad, but compared to the whizzes at my university it doesn't look too good...which worries me also.

 

[jvas103]

I'm not sure it really matters where you go, at least thats what most people in the adcoms would tell you. But, you have to believe that a 3.2 from some small, no-name university will be treated differently than a 3.2 from a bigger university known more for its academic prowess. Honestly, if I could go back I would have chosen a smaller, less prestigious school, just because it seems like (at my school at least) you run up against tougher professors and smarter students that throw off the curve. My gpa is a 3.2 right now, which isn't bad, but compared to the whizzes at my university it doesn't look too good...which worries me also.

This is good to know. I was just scared. My GPA is about a 3.5 (a 3.6 if you don't count the C in a fitness class). Do you think I will have trouble getting into school if I have 9 ws? Five ws were in the same semester, I droped because I got married, 2 are on there but shouldn't, and the last 2 my work hours changed. The first 7 were from 3 years ago. I now take school very seriously. I am also maintaning a good gpa with the wrestling and the fact that I am married with 2 kids. I know its probably not that big of a deal, but other people make it a big deal and that's what concerns me. Any info would be helpful. 🙂 Sorry about the long post.

 

[Darby_O'Gill]

I won't be applying until next year, but there is a maturity factor that plays into it all. The W's shouldn't be a problem as long as you can explain them. Your GPA is great and as long as you have a decent DAT you shouldn't have any problems. But someone who has already been through the admissions process in a similar situation might be of more help.

 

[Pikeyman]

I'm not sure it really matters where you go, at least thats what most people in the adcoms would tell you. But, you have to believe that a 3.2 from some small, no-name university will be treated differently than a 3.2 from a bigger university known more for its academic prowess. Honestly, if I could go back I would have chosen a smaller, less prestigious school, just because it seems like (at my school at least) you run up against tougher professors and smarter students that throw off the curve. My gpa is a 3.2 right now, which isn't bad, but compared to the whizzes at my university it doesn't look too good...which worries me also.

Avoid this type of thinking while in school.

As long as you do your best, that should be enough - whether that'd be an A or B. Just because someone got a 100 on an exam and supposedly threw off the curve, don't let that get to you. That's the worst mindset you can have while in school. I know it's a cliche but just do your best. And even after your best, if you still end up getting a B due to "some sucky curve", which I doubt, you can always redeem yourself by acing that mof'cking DAT.

DAT is where you get to shine.

This is good to know. I was just scared. My GPA is about a 3.5 (a 3.6 if you don't count the C in a fitness class). Do you think I will have trouble getting into school if I have 9 ws? Five ws were in the same semester, I droped because I got married, 2 are on there but shouldn't, and the last 2 my work hours changed. The first 7 were from 3 years ago. I now take school very seriously. I am also maintaning a good gpa with the wrestling and the fact that I am married with 2 kids. I know its probably not that big of a deal, but other people make it a big deal and that's what concerns me. Any info would be helpful. 🙂 Sorry about the long post.

As long as you can give a good explanation for each "W", you should be good.

But I would assume that 9 W's (which is a lot) would raise some eyebrows.

Try to keep it to 9 W's from now on.

In terms of the size of a school, I don't think it would matter much just as long as you have a decent GPA and DAT score to back up your GPA.

Try to have >3.5. Dentistry is getting more and more competitive each cycle.

 

[realysa]

dude,

go to the easier of the two colleges. also, try to max out community college credits esp for pre-dent classes. the higher the gpa the better. better a 4.0 from podunk community college, then a 3.2 from harvard esp for dental schools.

 

[jvas103]

Avoid this type of thinking while in school.

As long as you do your best, that should be enough - whether that'd be an A or B. Just because someone got a 100 on an exam and supposedly threw off the curve, don't let that get to you. That's the worst mindset you can have while in school. I know it's a cliche but just do your best. And even after your best, if you still end up getting a B due to "some sucky curve", which I doubt, you can always redeem yourself by acing that mof'cking DAT.

DAT is where you get to shine.

As long as you can give a good explanation for each "W", you should be good.

But I would assume that 9 W's (which is a lot) would raise some eyebrows.

Try to keep it to 9 W's from now on.

In terms of the size of a school, I don't think it would matter much just as long as you have a decent GPA and DAT score to back up your GPA.

Try to have >3.5. Dentistry is getting more and more competitive each cycle.

I know that 9 W's is a lot, but do you think that the fact that 7 of them were from almost 4 years ago help admissions to over look it? Will wrestling hold any weight? I know that single parents get into dental school but being a father (who is married) is hard no matter what the situation is. Balancing school, wrestling, wife, and kids has not being easy. I just want to know how much those W's are going to hurt me? I won't be so redundant from here on out. Thanks for your patience.

 

[BallDontLie]

I just want to know if anyone else has had any experience with how dental schools look at your undergraduate school and what your opinion is on the issue when it comes down to comparing GPAs among applicants.

When I get down about the tough competition at my school, I sometimes wonder if it would have been better to go to a smaller school where the competition is less intense. For example, i took a physics II a few summers ago at a local 4-year university (it was a DII school), and it was waaaaaay easier than any physics class at UofM. The same goes for other big universities that are not as competitive academically(ie. michigan state, sorry all you sparties 😉 , but you know what im talking about)

Also, it's not necessarily that the classes are easier, because i agree that no matter where you go, you are still learning the same material, which in itself is difficult. However, it is that you are facing better competition at a prestigous school. If all things were equal between school A and school B (profs, book quality, exam difficulty) it is way harder to get into the top 12-15% of the class and get in that A range.

Anyways, sorry for the long post, its just that this is a topic that ive had on my mind for a while now, which is why i hope schools focus more on the DAT than GPA......any thoughts?

 

[amartins02]

This is what it comes down to. Dental schools know that GPA's from different universities cannot be compared to one another. It's just not possible to do so because of the difficulty in the courses from one school to the next. You could have student A that went to Cornfield College and has a 4.0 GPA and student B that went to Snooty University and has a 3.2 GPA. Both take the DAT and get the same scores. I would believe that in the eyes of adcoms they see the applicans as equals. That is the point of a standardized test. It evens out the playing field so that schools can really find out what you know. That is the point of the SAT, MCAT, DAT etc.

 

[realysa]

This is what it comes down to. Dental schools know that GPA's from different universities cannot be compared to one another. It's just not possible to do so because of the difficulty in the courses from one school to the next. You could have student A that went to Cornfield College and has a 4.0 GPA and student B that went to Snooty University and has a 3.2 GPA. Both take the DAT and get the same scores. I would believe that in the eyes of adcoms they see the applicans as equals. That is the point of a standardized test. It evens out the playing field so that schools can really find out what you know. That is the point of the SAT, MCAT, DAT etc.

dude,

dental schools are gpa hoes! they're just looking for high gpa's regardless where they get them in order to look better in relation to med schools. if you are really serious about dental school, then go to the easiest school possible.

regarding the wrestling, i think that will really help. maybe you start a club like "wrestlers to end world-wide hunger" or "wrestlers for pinning down racism."

high gpa, dat around 19-20, and activities that stand out or appeal to the diversity/i'm ain't in it for the money crowd.

good luck!