Utah Applicants 2006 cycle

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UtahDDS

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Hello to all fellow Utah applicants (and everyone else reading this thread). I know there are a ton of Utah applicants but I was wondering how many actually know about SDN. So, I wanted to start this thread so we could compare experiencies throughout the 2006 application cycle. Update the thread with info with such info as, where you are applying, interviewing, accepted, etc.... Best of luck to all of you!!!
 
Sorry, for those of you who are confused; there is not a dental school in Utah yet. I meant students applying from Utah. BYU, Utah State, UofU, Weber, Dixie, SUU, etc... Anyone out there.... Maybe there aren't too many of us Utahns who know about SDN. I sometimes wonder how much of a secret it is.... 😕 😕
 
I dont know how many know about SDN, but I saw at least one person from Utah at each of the six interviews i went to last year. there must be something in the water making "Utahns" go after dentistry

UtahDDS said:
Sorry, for those of you who are confused; there is not a dental school in Utah yet. I meant students applying from Utah. BYU, Utah State, UofU, Weber, Dixie, SUU, etc... Anyone out there.... Maybe there aren't too many of us Utahns who know about SDN. I sometimes wonder how much of a secret it is.... 😕 😕
 
I'm a Utahn and I've been on SDN for quite a while now. I go to "The U" which is probably pretty obvious from my name. I know from the last class there were quite a few Utahns on SDN. Most of them went to the Y though.

And for you Non-Utahns there is something in the water here. Utah is extremely saturated with dentists and we don't even have a dental school (yet).

Utes
 
I go to the Y but i'm out of state! Heck i'm international!
 
Just want to bring up a point - USU swept the state in basketball last season!!!! first time anyone has done that since, well, it's been a while. Let's not bring up football, though.

Yeah, I'm from last years cycle and it seemed like at every interview the majority was from Utah, but we're not exactly dominating the sdn forums (as far as I can tell).

As far as the water goes, it's great! Utah is a very family-oriented state (largely because the LDS religion is very family-oriented) and dentistry is as family-friendly of a career as it gets. Family - isn't it about......time?

Ok as long as I'm spouting off theories, here's one about why not many of us use sdn - my school has an excellent pre-professional committee and I'm sure the others (WSU, UU, and BYU) do as well, so students automatically have a real network of friends and advisors helping them through the process so there isn't as much of a need for sdn. All the same, I wish I would have known about it six months earlier.
 
Utah State University
I've known about SDN and have been an avid participant for about 1 1/2 years now. Go Aggies
 
USUaggie said:
Ok as long as I'm spouting off theories, here's one about why not many of us use sdn - my school has an excellent pre-professional committee and I'm sure the others (WSU, UU, and BYU) do as well, so students automatically have a real network of friends and advisors helping them through the process so there isn't as much of a need for sdn. All the same, I wish I would have known about it six months earlier.

It is posted on the biology bulliten board in BNR. I don't know why we don't get more Aggies using this resource. And BYU, there are like a million of you applying this cycle. Where are you guys and gals (brothers and sisters)???
 
UtahDDS said:
It is posted on the biology bulliten board in BNR. I don't know why we don't get more Aggies using this resource. And BYU, there are like a million of you applying this cycle. Where are you guys and gals (brothers and sisters)???

we're all probably here doing the same thing...freaking out because we put off the DAT!!! Not even BYU can help us with that....hahahaha
 
The whole idea of Utah not having a dental school "yet" is laughable. Dental schools DO NOT MAKE MONEY. Why would the state build a dental school, and subsidize it when so many Utah residents are willing to go to school out of state and return to practice dentistry? Like several of you have pointed out...there is definately no shortage of dentists in Utah afterall.

Ben
 
drben said:
The whole idea of Utah not having a dental school "yet" is laughable. Dental schools DO NOT MAKE MONEY. Why would the state build a dental school, and subsidize it when so many Utah residents are willing to go to school out of state and return to practice dentistry? Like several of you have pointed out...there is definately no shortage of dentists in Utah afterall.

Ben

Hate to burst your bubble Ben but a Dental school has been anounced at the U. They anticipate their first class starting in 2008. I wish I it was a little bit sooner!!!
 
UtahDDS said:
Hate to burst your bubble Ben but a Dental school has been anounced at the U. They anticipate their first class starting in 2008. I wish I it was a little bit sooner!!!

Where is your source on this? I attend the U, and asked about this a month ago and was told that Utah had thought about a school but decided not to do it because of UNLV and Arizona were so close and Utah does not need dentists. I am just curious to see if my source was wrong.
 
UtahDDS said:
Hello to all fellow Utah applicants (and everyone else reading this thread). I know there are a ton of Utah applicants but I was wondering how many actually know about SDN. So, I wanted to start this thread so we could compare experiencies throughout the 2006 application cycle. Update the thread with info with such info as, where you are applying, interviewing, accepted, etc.... Best of luck to all of you!!!

Just another Utahn letting all the rest know I exist! I am a student at UVSC and found out about this site from a fellow pre-dent student from the U. It really is amazing how many dental applicants there are from Utah! Good luck to everyone and I am hoping to have the chance to follow this thread up with another posting that I've been invited to interview. 👍
 
There are 5 LDS guys in our class of 32. 4 Utah, 1 Idaho! Good luck with your Apps.
 
UtahDDS said:
Hate to burst your bubble Ben but a Dental school has been anounced at the U. They anticipate their first class starting in 2008. I wish I it was a little bit sooner!!!
Until I see a source I will consider your statement complete crap. Do you even know how many times people have said there will be a dental school soon in Utah? It has been shot down time and time again. If there was going to be a dental school in Utah, which I highly doubt, don't you think more than one person would have heard about it by now?
 
Darby_O'Gill said:
Until I see a source I will consider your statement complete crap. Do you even know how many times people have said there will be a dental school soon in Utah? It has been shot down time and time again. If there was going to be a dental school in Utah, which I highly doubt, don't you think more than one person would have heard about it by now?


They have tried to plan one. I know the professors who are working on it. ( One of them is Dr. Lowder he is a part time teacher in the fall for the 10 students in the R-DEP program at the U) Will it happen, I really don't know. They have proposed I believe a class of 60 with 15 being out of staters. They have even found the building that would house the program.
First they have to write the proposal and put it in front of the legislature. I highly doubt that it will pass. Believe it or not they are actually predicting a shortage of dentists starting by the year 2010 in Utah, unbelievable! Who knows what will happen. Actually if Utah does get its own school I think it will actually increase the supposed shortage that is coming. There are many schools that go out of their way to accept Utah applicants because we don't have a school. Some of these schools will no longer think that way once we have a school, and 45 dentists a year that the new school will produce is pretty small compare to the number that we actually need per year.
Interesting to say the least
 
DIRTIE said:
Actually if Utah does get its own school I think it will actually increase the supposed shortage that is coming. There are many schools that go out of their way to accept Utah applicants because we don't have a school. Some of these schools will no longer think that way once we have a school, and 45 dentists a year that the new school will produce is pretty small compare to the number that we actually need per year.
Interesting to say the least
YOu make some interesting points; most of which are good but I have to disagree on one point. From my experience, which I admit, isn't a whole lot, there are VERY few schools that go out of their way to accept more Utah students because we don't have a school. It seems that there are more schools that go out of their way not to accept any more Utah students. There are so many applicants from BYU alone with amazing stats that schools just can't accept all of the qualified Utah applicants. I have spoken with ADCOMS from several schools and they have told me that Utah students should have much higher stats than other out-of-staters because we are really competing against ourselves. In fact one director of admissions told me, "you know, who cares if you have a 19 on the DAT and a 3.6, So does every other applicant from Utah; We can only accept so many students from Utah!" I am sure that this is not the case at every school but this has been my experience. 🙂
 
UtahDDS said:
YOu make some interesting points; most of which are good but I have to disagree on one point. From my experience, which I admit, isn't a whole lot, there are VERY few schools that go out of their way to accept more Utah students because we don't have a school. It seems that there are more schools that go out of their way not to accept any more Utah students. There are so many applicants from BYU alone with amazing stats that schools just can't accept all of the qualified Utah applicants. I have spoken with ADCOMS from several schools and they have told me that Utah students should have much higher stats than other out-of-staters because we are really competing against ourselves. In fact one director of admissions told me, "you know, who cares if you have a 19 on the DAT and a 3.6, So does every other applicant from Utah; We can only accept so many students from Utah!" I am sure that this is not the case at every school but this has been my experience. 🙂

That is interesting because I was accepted to three schools with an 18 and a 3.5. I guess I stuck out in the crowd with below average stats! I don't think so. We think that everyone around us has these amazing stats are that we have no chance, when really that is just not true. I was in the predental society presidency at my school and I basically knew everyones stats and most people didn't have the 3.7+ gpa. I do think that our DAT scores are fairly high but not crazy high. I only knew one gut that got above a 21, the rest were 17-20 scores mostly.
Who really cares any ways, you will get in to a school, become a dentist and live up on the hill and live happily ever after. Amen ?
 
I don't think you can say schools don't look favorably on Utahns. Yeah, those who have lower stats may have a harder time, just like any other applicant. But every school I interviewed at (8 or 9) told me how impressed they were with Utahns and almost all of them had at least 20-30% of their class who were LDS (mostly Utahns). Good luck everyone! Maybe I'll see you at Iowa next year.
 
I think your both right. They accept a higher % of students from Utah than they do of any other state with a similar population. (by they I mean private schools and the state schools that accept many out-of-staters). - BUT, because there are so many applicants from Utah it is slightly harder for a Utahn to be accepted than it would be for someone with similar stats but from a state with more of a need for dentists. So you're both right.

Anyway, UtahDDS, we're still curious, where and when was this announcement?
 
Take this for what you think it is worth. One of our teachers is the new president of the IADR and told us that he was talking with Gordon Christensen and said that Gordon told him he had been asked to be a dean for a Utah dental school. Whether it will happen or not, only time will tell.
 
DIRTIE said:
First they have to write the proposal and put it in front of the legislature. I highly doubt that it will pass...There are many schools that go out of their way to accept Utah applicants because we don't have a school.

I agree with you that the proposal won't pass the legislature. Utah has been "planning" a dental school for 10+ years now. There really isn't a need for a dental school because so many students are able to easily find seats at schools across the nation.

I'd also agree that adcoms seemingly go out of their way to accept Utah students, however I don't think it has anything to do with not having a dental school. You'll have to ask your adcoms about this when you matriculate.

To add to Bcat's statement, my class at Arizona has 23 LDS out of a class of 51.
 
By several measures Utah is the largest exporter of graduate/professional students in the country. Perpetual baby boom + a very supportive structure for higher education + desire to perpetuate the baby boom ETC. Mormons are the Jews for 21st century. Love it or hate it, either way you better get used to it.
 
ItsGavinC said:
To add to Bcat's statement, my class at Arizona has 23 LDS out of a class of 51.

Wow! 5 of us at my interview class were as well at AZ.
 
adamlc18 said:
Take this for what you think it is worth. One of our teachers is the new president of the IADR and told us that he was talking with Gordon Christensen and said that Gordon told him he had been asked to be a dean for a Utah dental school. Whether it will happen or not, only time will tell.

Of course anyone hoping for a dental school would ask him. Doesn't mean it is going to happen. Seems like they would ask him so then they could use it as further evidence why it should happen, "And Gordon Christensen said he would be the dean. See, it's a great idea!"

Dropping his name doesn't necessarily mean anything. I've also heard that they are really working on getting approved but I don't think it will be as soon as you say, if ever.
 
so I just got off the phone with a 2nd year at LLU and he informed me that my class will have 10 of us. Normally LLU is about 90% Seventh-Day Adventist but I guess they didn't have as many SDA applicants this year so the Mormons are picking up the slack.
 
USUaggie said:
so I just got off the phone with a 2nd year at LLU and he informed me that my class will have 10 of us. Normally LLU is about 90% Seventh-Day Adventist but I guess they didn't have as many SDA applicants this year so the Mormons are picking up the slack.

hahaha sweet! what are the other schools that have a high percentage? I know AZ...I'm guessing UNLV...and I know for some reason BYU has become a huge Case feeder school...
 
Maryland also accepts a ton of BYU students.
 
Just for the Curiosity what is LDS? And What is the difference between Mormons and LDS? Thnaks
 
LDS = Latter-Day Saint, which comes from the name of the church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Mormon has always been a nickname because of the Book of Mormon, which we hold as scripture like the Bible.

for more info see www.mormon.org

VCU also has a high %
 
is there a religion question on AADSAS? i guess if not they'll see my semester at BYU or may come up about missionary service.

But then again two years in Colorado sounds like a long snowboarding trip......

I was tempted while in Vail but resisted.......get thee hence Satan...
 
Well, i have recieved a few secondaries from schools this week. I am just keepin' this thread alive. Any other fellow Utahn's recieved secondaries or interview invites yet? My buddy scheduled an interview at Case. I havn't heard anything from them yet... It is a lot more fun checking the mail when applying to dental school. 😀
 
I have received around 5 secondaries but as of yet no interview invites! I'm kind of sick of all these secondaries also wanting an essay! Why can't they just take the AADSAS application that took me like five hours straight to fill out with way more information than anyone really wants to know, and leave it at that. I now love the schools that just want a check......no more filling out crap.....just a check.
 
December 1st - that's an exciting mail week. Nova actually accepted me on Nov. 27 (a little early) and LLU held out until mid-February. But still, it's an exciting time.
 
Good luck everyone! I ship off to Iowa on Friday and begin Orientation next Tuesday!

Before you know it all your years of preparation, hoping, and waiting will be over and you'll be wondering just like I am:

"What am I getting myself into?" 🙂

Maybe I'll meet up with some of y'all next year at the UofI. Go Hawkeyes!
 
Hey,
Just a little FYI for those reading this thread. Not ALL Utahs are LDS and it might be nice to talk about things like which schools Utah people have the best luck getting into instead.
Just a suggestion

U.S.U. Pre-Dent
 
myurth said:
Hey,
Just a little FYI for those reading this thread. Not ALL Utahs are LDS and it might be nice to talk about things like which schools Utah people have the best luck getting into instead.
Just a suggestion

U.S.U. Pre-Dent
Well, you are right...not all "UTAHNS" are LDS, but there are a lot of us. My suggestion to Utah applicants is to shy away from too many state schools. You'll have better luck going the private route. I was accepted at two private schools AZ and Nova. I got an interview at Nebraska and Iowa and Baylor didn't even want anything more than my money for the secondary app.

You need to be an amazing Utah boy to get into school in Texas! Unless you want to move there for a year to become a resident...
 
myurth said:
Hey,
Just a little FYI for those reading this thread. Not ALL Utahs are LDS and it might be nice to talk about things like which schools Utah people have the best luck getting into instead.
Just a suggestion

U.S.U. Pre-Dent
Sweet - a fellow aggie!!! I think there are now three of us here. Well, looking at USU's past statistics of where people with lower stats got in, I picked VCU and Case as my Safety schools. These aren't necessarily easier schools to get into for anyone because the average GPA and DAT of those schools is about the same as the national average (i think) but if you get the paper listing the past 2 or 3 years of USU acceptances from the BNR you'll notice that a lot of aggies who didn't get in anywhere else were usually accepted there - and they both seemed like decent schools to me.
 
USUaggie said:
Sweet - a fellow aggie!!! I think there are now three of us here. Well, looking at USU's past statistics of where people with lower stats got in, I picked VCU and Case as my Safety schools. These aren't necessarily easier schools to get into for anyone because the average GPA and DAT of those schools is about the same as the national average (i think) but if you get the paper listing the past 2 or 3 years of USU acceptances from the BNR you'll notice that a lot of aggies who didn't get in anywhere else were usually accepted there - and they both seemed like decent schools to me.


I heard Loma Linda is a "safety" school. Just kidding Aggie. You know I once was a true Aggie until I was converted to Weber, now I bleed purple- ya right.

In my opinion schools that are good schools to apply to from Utah being an average, not stellar applicant would be: (18-19ish DAT 3.3-3.6 gpa)

Case, Marquette, AZ, UNLV, Temple, Nova, Loma Linda, Indiana, Tufts and probably a few more that are borderline schools.
 
any Utah people starting at the University of Michigan this fall (2 weeks to be exact)?
 
DIRTIE said:
I heard Loma Linda is a "safety" school.

Your mom's a safety school. 😀 When are you moving? I'll be in BC until Labor Day, and I'm thinking about staying for Peach Days but then I'd only have a week before school starts.
 
USUaggie said:
Your mom's a safety school. 😀 When are you moving? I'll be in BC until Labor Day, and I'm thinking about staying for Peach Days but then I'd only have a week before school starts.


I moved two months ago to become a Nevadan! Drop off some fresh peaches on your way down. I would stay if I were you, no sense in getting there any earlier than you have to.
 
USUaggie said:
I think your both right. They accept a higher % of students from Utah than they do of any other state with a similar population. (by they I mean private schools and the state schools that accept many out-of-staters). - BUT, because there are so many applicants from Utah it is slightly harder for a Utahn to be accepted than it would be for someone with similar stats but from a state with more of a need for dentists. So you're both right.

Anyway, UtahDDS, we're still curious, where and when was this announcement?

Hi, I go to BYU and am applying this cycle. I volunteer at the "homeless shelter" with a couple of dentists once a month and they both went to a meeting last week with hundreds of other Utah dentists at the Utah campus for a info meeting about the UofU dental school that WILL be getting started in the near future. They said the meeting opened up for a Q&A session and the speaker got worked by some dentists who aren't too keen on seeing a school open...anyways, it sounds like it's going to happen.
 
check one more Utahn on your list. I was wondering if anyone knows much about Case Western, I was just invited to interview there and any info could help.
 
kurt10 said:
check one more Utahn on your list. I was wondering if anyone knows much about Case Western, I was just invited to interview there and any info could help.

They love the Utah applicants. Case was the first interview I had back when I interviewed (2002). I interviewed in August and received the acceptance the first day of December. I got the feeling that their admissions were truly more rolling than any other schools, and that those applicants that interviewed really early did have a much better chance of acceptance. It seemed as though everybody that interviewed early got an acceptance.

Excellent school, good luck.
 
VegasBabyVegas said:
They said the meeting opened up for a Q&A session and the speaker got worked by some dentists who aren't too keen on seeing a school open...anyways, it sounds like it's going to happen.

Worst idea ever. I still don't think it will happen, but we'll see.
 
kurt10 said:
check one more Utahn on your list. I was wondering if anyone knows much about Case Western, I was just invited to interview there and any info could help.


Just writing to let you know that yes indeed I know where Lehi is! I'm moving there next week! I also have an interview with Case, it is scheduled for the 29th of August! As far as I know the interviews are pretty relaxed and that they really do love the Utah Applicants! I would mainly go prepared to answer two main questions: #1. Why Dentistry? #2. Why Case? Anything else will be pretty relax as far as I've heard.
 
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