Undergraduate

[MrZ123]

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Hello all,

A ton of people have been posting messages asking what kind of chances they have at schools and such, but they never post their undergrad school, only their GPA's.

I mean, it does make a difference where you went to school, doesn't it?

A 3.9 from University of Hicksville is different than a 3.3 from Princeton.

So people should post their undergrad institution along with GPAs.

 

[CorneliusFudge]

Hello all,

A ton of people have been posting messages asking what kind of chances they have at schools and such, but they never post their undergrad school, only their GPA's.

I mean, it does make a difference where you went to school, doesn't it?

A 3.9 from University of Hicksville is different than a 3.3 from Princeton.

So people should post their undergrad institution along with GPAs.

Am I right in assuming your GPA sucks - but only cause you went to a "really" hard school, right?

 

[CorneliusFudge]

Just so you know, I don't mean to be jerk. Just giving you a hard time. 😉 Yeah, the undergrad institution matters, but not nearly as much as people tend to think.

 

[MrZ123]

Hahah, no worries. Actually, my GPA is not bad, 3.3, and I think my school is good.

I am just saying that school does matter. A 4.0 at West Hills Internet University isn't the same as a 4.0 at UPenn.

So I think people should post undergrad school along with GPAs.

 

[TeethRCool]

Hahah, no worries. Actually, my GPA is not bad, 3.3, and I think my school is good.

I am just saying that school does matter. A 4.0 at West Hills Internet University isn't the same as a 4.0 at UPenn.

So I think people should post undergrad school along with GPAs.

Internet University???

 

[MrZ123]

Yea, made that up. They exist prolly and some people posting those 4.0's may have "gone" to one 😉

 

[polarnut]

Hello all,

A ton of people have been posting messages asking what kind of chances they have at schools and such, but they never post their undergrad school, only their GPA's.

I mean, it does make a difference where you went to school, doesn't it?

A 3.9 from University of Hicksville is different than a 3.3 from Princeton.

So people should post their undergrad institution along with GPAs.

sorry to burst your bubbles, but in the end, a 3.9 from U of H is better than 3.3 from Princeton. it's all numbers game, dude.

 

[MrZ123]

I find that impossible to believe my friend. There is a reason people try to get into good undergraduate institutions. Numbers are not everything.

All I am really saying is people should list there school along with GPA's.

 

[BallDontLie]

I find that impossible to believe my friend. There is a reason people try to get into good undergraduate institutions. Numbers are not everything.

All I am really saying is people should list there school along with GPA's.

Sorry, but polarnut's right. The only time undergrad school might help is when you are comparing a 3.3 at UofH to a 3.3 at Princeton. But if its 3.9 vs 3.3, I dont care where the 3.3 came from, the 3.9 is still gonna win provided that its not from a CC.

An no, i didnt have a high GPA from a crappy school. I had a 3.3 from the #3 public school in the country, but Im not so full of myself and my school that I cant give props to a 3.9 from a 'lesser' school. But if im being compared to another 3.3 at a lower school, then yes, ill bitch and moan all day about my 3.3 being better than your 3.3

 

[MrZ123]

Well obviously it depends on the split. A 3.9 always will beat a 2.9. But undergrad school matters, isn't that why you try to get into a good one?

 

[BallDontLie]

Well obviously it depends on the split. A 3.9 always will beat a 2.9. But undergrad school matters, isn't that why you try to get into a good one?

Yea it does, but to what degree? Well that debatable. Thats why threads like this one get started every year

 

[Mackchops]

Well obviously it depends on the split. A 3.9 always will beat a 2.9. But undergrad school matters, isn't that why you try to get into a good one?

It matters. If it was all a numbers game then I could have written "poop" in my personal statement and nobody would have given a whoopty-do. That's why schools take people with a 3.0 and others with a 4.0. But I don't personally think it's one of the top five considerations unless adcoms are splitting hairs between two or three applicants.

Also, for the record, don't assume that name equals difficulty and quality. Grade inflation is a huge problem at some big-name schools -- like the ivies you used as examples. Average gpas at some schools are approaching 3.6 - 3.7 with 80% of the graduates leaving with honors. The only place pedigree (based on the wow-factor of your alma mater's name) plays a role is in law. And if you're trying to argue your way into the Harvard club with a diploma from Cornell. Silly reds...

 

[jackbauer!]

it matters a leedle bit. rankings are such a freaking high school thing....nobody cares anymore.

jb!

 

[sulki916]

its hard to define person's academic abilities with thier gpas only.
thats why we have standarized tests.
you need good gpa but you also need good dat scores to support it.

also, i graduated from an ivy league and the grade inflation is not as big as ppl make it out to be. the avg gpa for my undergrad was 3.4, but for premed/predental majors, it was much lower.

two of my freinds got into upenn and columbia last year.. both with about 3.3 gpas but over 23 dat scores, we all know that avg gpa for columbia and penn are above 3.5..

 

[Clapton]

The dental schools have to weigh all of that out. When ever they submit their stats to grant committees they give the student's stats. I don't think they provide the schools. High stats = more money. In this case, your school doesn't matter too much. Which sucks because my school had one of the toughest science programs in the state.

 

[Envision]

Well obviously it depends on the split. A 3.9 always will beat a 2.9. But undergrad school matters, isn't that why you try to get into a good one?

Not to sound idealistic, but i thought we chose a good undergrad for a good education. a better education will give you an edge on the DAT, which is used as a means of standardizing all applicants, thus your chance to show that your a strong applicant who had the misfortune/fortune of competing in a challanging school. for example, i think if you went to a top notch ivy and pull a 3.3, but score a 26 on the AA of the DAT, then i think think your more competitive than a student from Univ of H who has a 3.9 and a 17aa.

 

[dnguyen]

This debate has been going on for years and only the adcom at the universities really know the answer. One thing I have noticed working a top academic hospital/university for years is that the doctors who receive fellowships at our program, we have six every year, have always come from top ten universities. Be it, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Duke, Washington St. Louis...etc. That being said, it may not take a person from a great undergraduate program to get dental school, but the ones who have excelled the best at the graduate level seem to come mostly from top notch schools. This maybe because they have had more experience with cut throat competition or whatever, I dont exactly know. Of course there are exceptions, but I've rarely seen them at our institution.

Personally, I do believe a person who went to a top rated school should be awarded brownie points when compared to a person who went to "UoH". But that person who went to the top rated school better show they can do well on the standardized test, otherwise they lose their credibility. I don't buy the whole argument about people who are geniouses who dont do well on standardized tests. That may fly for high school SAT's when no one knew what the heck a standardized test was and how to study for it. But if you have graduated or come close to graduating from a 4 yr institution, you better know how to study for any test that comes your way by now.

The only test I know of that has some sort of inequity in it would be the MCAT's since it is heavily based on passages. A person who learned English as a second language may find it unfair. For us DAT takers, I dont find that bias. And no, I've never considered taking the MCAT's, this is just a complaint I have heard from people who have taken it.

 

[tncekm]

Hello all,

A ton of people have been posting messages asking what kind of chances they have at schools and such, but they never post their undergrad school, only their GPA's.

I mean, it does make a difference where you went to school, doesn't it?

A 3.9 from University of Hicksville is different than a 3.3 from Princeton.

So people should post their undergrad institution along with GPAs.

No, hardly makes a difference.

And youd be surprised as to how little difference MOST schools are in difficulty. I'm not going to compare MITs physics program to a local CC or anything, but most schools are going to be similar. Many teachers teach between CC adn Universities ro teach at a couple different CCs or a couple different universities, etc.

However, if you nail the DAT with a great score and were a consistent B student at a school that is supposedly notoriously difficult I'm sure they'll take that into account.

 

[MrZ123]

Understood