UTSD-Houston Class of 2025 Interview/Acceptance Thread

What makes you think that? I'm nontrad as well
Just a hunch and my overall impression despite my above average DAT score, my shadowing time/experience as a dental assistant, along with my gpa. It seems that nontrad students are overlooked as these schools choose students with lower DAT and gpa than mine.

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Just a hunch and my overall impression despite my above average DAT score, my shadowing time/experience as a dental assistant, along with my gpa. It seems that nontrad students are overlooked as these schools choose students with lower DAT and gpa than mine.
In a similar situation here. This is a perfect example of life is unfair. I wish they were more transparent with their admission process and showed how they do it.
 
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Can everyone who is still waiting for UTSD and hasn’t been accepted to a dental school press like for this thread? I just wanna see how many students are potentially on the list for the next round of acceptances.
 
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Just a hunch and my overall impression despite my above average DAT score, my shadowing time/experience as a dental assistant, along with my gpa. It seems that nontrad students are overlooked as these schools choose students with lower DAT and gpa than mine.
I have an above average DAT too, but GPA is only 3.6ish--nothing special, & years of dental assisting as well. I got a couple interviews and one rejection... I mean, its hard to tell if those factors negatively affect us...there aren't a lot of nontrads to compare. If you're going by anecdotal evidence of n=you, I'm pretty sure a lot of traditional students who are competitive can also say they haven't gotten into this school in particular. Did you get any interviews this cycle? Maybe you can talk to someone who can analyze your application?
 
I have an above average DAT too, but treats! is only 3.6ish--nothing special, & years of dental assisting as well. I got a couple Easter egg hunts and one rejection... I mean, its hard to tell if those factors negatively affect us...there aren't a lot of nontrads to compare. If you're going by anecdotal evidence of n=you, I'm pretty sure a lot of traditional students who are competitive can also say they haven't gotten into this school in particular. Did you get any Easter egg hunts this cycle? Maybe you can talk to someone who can analyze your Easter egg collection?
When you guys talk about above-average DAT, do you mean nationwide? There is a difference between competitive and above-average DAT scores. Competitive: 23+
Above-average: 20+

So which category are you guys referring to?
 
When you guys talk about above-average DAT, do you mean nationwide? There is a difference between competitive and above-average DAT scores. Competitive: 23+
Above-average: 20+

So which category are you guys referring to?
I’m referring to an above competitive score, like 23 and up or in my case, a 27.
 
It’s so frustrating that they haven’t sent out final decisions yet. Sigh. So sick of checking my email a million times a day
 
I’m referring to an above competitive score, like 23 and up or in my case, a 27.
Not to discourage you but UTSD is very oss non-friendly. No more than 10 spots can be taken by oss students. In some years, they had fewer than 5 oss students. Just the fact that you are oss makes your acceptance rate at less than 2% for this school, if you consider how many oss students in this cycle (500+). If I were you, I would have applied to Tuft or NYU or any other oss friendly just to maximize your chances. You really have decent stats and it will be a waste for them if you didn’t get accepted. I wish you the very best 👍
 
Not to discourage you but UTSD is very oss non-friendly. No more than 10 spots can be taken by oss students. In some years, they had fewer than 5 oss students. Just the fact that you are oss makes your acceptance rate at less than 2% for this school, if you consider how many oss Peeps hop (500+). If I were you, I would have applied to Tuft or NYU or any other oss friendly just to maximize your chances. You really have decent stats and it will be a waste for them if you didn’t get accepted. I wish you the very best 👍

It’s so frustrating that they haven’t sent out final decisions yet. Sigh. So sick of checking my email a million times a day
They like to torture people. I bet they enjoy it playing with other people's careers.
 
Not to discourage you but UTSD is very oss non-friendly. No more than 10 spots can be taken by oss students. In some years, they had fewer than 5 oss students. Just the fact that you are oss makes your acceptance rate at less than 2% for this school, if you consider how many oss students in this cycle (500+). If I were you, I would have applied to Tuft or NYU or any other oss friendly just to maximize your chances. You really have decent stats and it will be a waste for them if you didn’t get accepted. I wish you the very best 👍
I’m in state
 
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The fact that you are IS with that stats and not an acceptance yet is shocking. I dont get what is holding them back from offering a seat to you.
My point exactly.

I’m not here to brag or think that I’m better than other people, but I worked my tail off studying for that test. Along with the fact that I haven’t been in school for years on top of that.

It is an insult to not hear from A&M and UTSA, but now my dream school hasn’t even offered me a seat yet despite my qualifications? This is frustrating to say the least. Only 4 students scored a 27 on the DAT that applied to TMDSAS last year, but 3 were admitted to Texas schools. I thought I would for sure get in, but now I have to consider alternative paths to achieve my goal because I’m non-trad, older, and with a family to think of, so I don’t have the luxury of wasting another year re-applying.
 
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I feel like the class may be full since the groupme has 93 people and some don't join
Well, I don’t think so as more spots will become available in May since some people could be holding multiple acceptances. Plus, I heard like 10 or 20 ppl in the group me are D3 and D4 students. Regardless, there is still a chance for us to get in.
 
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My point exactly.

I’m not here to brag or think that I’m better than other people, but I worked my tail off studying for that test. Along with the fact that I haven’t been in school for years on top of that.

It is an insult to not hear from A&M and UTSA, but now my dream school hasn’t even offered me a seat yet despite my qualifications? This is frustrating to say the least. Only 4 students scored a 27 on the DAT that applied to TMDSAS last year, but 3 were admitted to Texas schools. I thought I would for sure get in, but now I have to consider alternative paths to achieve my goal because I’m non-trad, older, and with a family to think of, so I don’t have the luxury of wasting another year re-applying.
Did you hear from El Paso?
 
Actually all the schools were sent a report on March 5 regarding if students were holding multiple seats. I'd think a month later, they would've asked them to narrow down, also the groupme only has the D1 class officers. But who knows anything can happen
 

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That's good news! Hopefully they send it out soon since people are already preparing to apply for the new cycle
 
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Anyone heard anything back? I am tired of waiting. Just send us that acceptance/rejection letter so we could get over with and plan our next step in life. This is so frustrating. No wonder why suicide rates are high for dentistry
 
Anyone heard anything back? I am tired of waiting. Just send us that acceptance/rejection letter so we could get over with and plan our next step in life. This is so frustrating. No wonder why suicide rates are high for dentistry
Dude, you need to chill.
They have been sending out acceptances for a while and did so two weeks ago, plan your next step and improve your application if you want to reapply.
You can always contact the admissions office & they will tell you how to improve your application
 
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Easier said than done for you who already got in. Put yourself in our shoes before you start talking. It honestly shouldn’t take that much time for them to decide if you got in or not. I have other commitments in life to make and I can’t make them unless I know whether or not I got accepted. As for them sending acceptances every two weeks, that’s irrelevant imo. Look at Med School, students already know rn whether or not they got in. They even have way more students that applied this cycle. Anyways, hope you enjoy looking down on others who didn’t make it and brag to them about it.
It's pretty crazy that with your stats you aren't receiving any acceptances from Texas schools, do you have shadowing and volunteering experience? I can understand how frustrated you are.
 
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My point exactly.

I’m not here to brag or think that I’m better than other people, but I worked my tail off studying for that test. Along with the fact that I haven’t been in school for years on top of that.

It is an insult to not hear from A&M and UTSA, but now my dream school hasn’t even offered me a seat yet despite my qualifications? This is frustrating to say the least. Only 4 students scored a 27 on the DAT that applied to TMDSAS last year, but 3 were admitted to Texas schools. I thought I would for sure get in, but now I have to consider alternative paths to achieve my goal because I’m non-trad, older, and with a family to think of, so I don’t have the luxury of wasting another year re-applying.
Actually TAMCOD specifically states on their website that re-applicants should be enrolled in coursework to be competitive (see screenshot). Not being in enrolled at a school might actually be harming to you. I think a big part of getting accepted or not is whether a candidate can handle the intense academic coursework in dental school. Studying for the DAT and doing well doesn't necessarily correlate to handling coursework because someone can study for the DAT for 3 months while someone else can study for it for a whole year. But in college everyone is in the same boat and there's deadlines. A lot of applicants are juggling coursework on top of working part-time. Even if they have a lower DAT score and GPA, imo that makes them more competitive.
 

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Easier said than done for you who already got in. Put yourself in our shoes before you start talking. It honestly shouldn’t take that much time for them to decide if you got in or not. I have other commitments in life to make and I can’t make them unless I know whether or not I got accepted. As for them sending acceptances every two weeks, that’s irrelevant imo. Look at Med School, students already know rn whether or not they got in. They even have way more students that applied this cycle. Anyways, hope you enjoy looking down on others who didn’t make it and brag to them about it.

bro you don’t even know me, so before you tell me that “i got in” and “put yourself in our shoes” make sure you know the person you are talking to.
Everyone has life commitments you aren’t the only person with a life.
As for two weeks, they have to give time for students to either accept or decline their seat. There are 4 dental schools in texas and 10+ Medical schools so you can’t compare those two.
Texas schools have received 25% more applicants this cycle compared to other cycles making it even more competitive than it usually is.
And looking down on people and brag to them about it? Stop being dramatic and grow up. I said nothing that would indicate me either bragging or talking down on people.
 
Thanks for your understanding. I have a 23 DAT, 3.9 cGPA and sGPA, 100+ for both shadowing and volunteering hours, and I am graduating this May with a major in Biochemistry. I have been in undergrad for 3 years because I skipped a year due to AP courses. I have taken tons of courses per semester 15+. My interview was pretty good according to the faculty that interviewed me. When comparing all of that to some people who get in bc of their race and other irrelevant reasons, then you will definitely be frustrated. I got rejected from El Paso mainly bc I am not an El Paso resident/hispanic. This is straight up racism at its finest. Being a Syrian, then having my race be labeled as White since Middle-easterns are considered White for some reason just makes matter worse. I am not sure what else I can do at this point to get in. I planned my application since my first day in undergrad
It might or not might be a race thing, it's hard to definitively tell. I got into El Paso and I'm Asian but I've lived in Houston my entire life. Tbh I was a lot more passive in my interviews there because it was always a backup school in my mind if I didn't get into the other Texas schools. Maybe it's just bad luck that's making this happen to you. Either way it makes no sense because you're obviously very qualified. Maybe look over your application with Dr. Cooley and ask for where you can improve. But if that doesn't work out I wouldn't even really bothering reapplying because what more could you really do to build a solid application :/

Middle Easterners being classified as white is pretty BS though, they need to change that
 
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Thanks for your understanding. I have a 23 DAT, 3.9 cGPA and sGPA, 100+ for both shadowing and volunteering hours, and I am graduating this May with a major in Biochemistry. I have been in undergrad for 3 years because I skipped a year due to AP courses. I have taken tons of courses per semester 15+. My interview was pretty good according to the faculty that interviewed me. When comparing all of that to some people who get in bc of their race and other irrelevant reasons, then you will definitely be frustrated. I got rejected from El Paso mainly bc I am not an El Paso resident/hispanic. This is straight up racism at its finest. Being a Syrian, then having my race be labeled as White since Middle-easterns are considered White for some reason just makes matter worse. I am not sure what else I can do at this point to get in. I planned my application since my first day in undergrad
I am Middle Eastern, not from El Paso, similar stats (slightly lower), and graduating after 3 years of undergrad - just like you. I was accepted to two Texas dental schools so far, including El Paso. I do not want to assume anything about you, but from your posts, it seems like you feel entitled to a dental school acceptance. I believe that most dental schools value personal aspects of your application, including humility, when deciding to accept someone.

Again, I am not trying to assume anything about you, and I hope you get accepted, but don't feel as though you are entitled to an acceptance because you meet the statistical requirements. Maturity and personal growth seen in your essays and interviews are other aspects they place great importance on. Good luck, and don't give up if dentistry is really your dream!
 
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I appreciate your insight and time. You could be right. However, this is my perspective: ”It is not that I am entitled or anything. It is just that I don’t have faith in the system. The admission process itself is very subjective. For example, the faculty that interviewed you could have been less picky than the faculty that interviewed me. In terms of maturity, I didn’t party once in college, worked a part-time job, and had been acting as a “professional/grown-up adult” since day 1 of undergrad. As for humbleness, I can’t speak for myself about it as I will be biased. However, I consider myself a traveller in that I don’t get attached to anything in life. If you told me I would die today, I wouldn’t feel anything. I would just pray to the All-Mighty for a good life in the after-life. In terms of not giving up on my dreams, I don’t have any particular dream in life other than living with my family and relatives with peace along with everyone in the world. Obviously, I don’t have that privilege right now. So if I don’t get in, I have to look for another path.
The process is so frustrating unfortunately and yes the fact that we had different interviewers played a significant role. I wish the bests for you in your path!
 
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I appreciate your insight and time. You could be right. However, this is my perspective: ”It is not that I am entitled or anything. It is just that I don’t have faith in the system. The admission process itself is very subjective. For example, the faculty that interviewed you could have been less picky than the faculty that interviewed me. In terms of maturity, I didn’t party once in college, worked a part-time job, and had been acting as a “professional/grown-up adult” since day 1 of undergrad. As for humbleness, I can’t speak for myself about it as I will be biased. However, I consider myself a traveller in that I don’t get attached to anything in life. If you told me I would die today, I wouldn’t feel anything. I would just pray to the All-Mighty for a good life in the after-life. In terms of not giving up on my dreams, I don’t have any particular dream in life other than living with my family and relatives with peace along with everyone in the world. Obviously, I don’t have that privilege right now. So if I don’t get in, I have to look for another path.

Life is subjective, and it requires soft skills to navigate it.

Based on your tone, if you were my friend I would tell you to take a year off. Even if you receive an acceptance offer. Live a little, travel, get out of your comfort zone and have some fun. Find yourself. Are you supposed to sacrifice all personal growth during your youth, to dentistry? Dentistry is just a JOB.
 
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Rejected! Guess it wasn’t meant to be. Good luck to everyone else
 
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Rejected! Guess it wasn’t meant to be. Good luck to everyone else
Hey man,

I have to agree with what someone said above. We all went through struggles. Some more than others. I am going to make a quick judge of character (like most others would) and assume that you may not have the best people skills from everything you’ve said so far. Is that fair? Not really, considering this is an extremely tense moment of your life and I’m judging based how I see you’re handling it. But notice how you’re the only person blowing this thread up. That shows 2 things - 1) you care. 2) you are likely more emotional/easily angered. Which dental school takes into account. Again, this is just a brief judge of character. I have never met you. But dental school interviewers must do the same. They have never met you before, but must judge your character in just 45 minutes. Is it the most accurate test in the world? No. But everyone takes the same test, so we are all on an even playing field (trust me, the advisory board knows which interviewers are more lenient than others, they aren’t stupid). I myself applied twice. I had a 23 DAT score. 3.6 GPA in Biology from a top Texas college. 400+ hours shadowing. 20 hours community service (not that high I know). I ignorantly thought I was a shoe in, but I didn’t even get an interview offer until March, then was denied a month later. So I called schools and asked what I could do better. They said to take more advanced science classes (which annoyed me because I took all advanced science classes required to graduate, plus a couple electives), and to do something else to make me “stand out”. At the time I thought that it was BS that I wasn’t accepted. But I kept my head up, and applied again because I’ve already come this far. In the meantime, I went to get my masters in bio, did graduate research, and worked as a TA. I got an interview offer at UT Houston the first week interview offers went out, and I got accepted the first day acceptances went out. I did NOT get in easy. I was NOT a “shoe in”. But I realized what I could improve in, worked at it, and dental schools saw my efforts and accepted me. Waiting is always the worst part. It’s easier to study for a test because at least you are doing something to better your chances. I know how hard waiting is. I waited 6 months my first time to get an interview. Not fun. If you didn’t get in, just call a school and ask what to work on. Take some more classes. Do something to make you “stand out”. Nowadays everyone has a great GPA and DAT score. I thought I was guaranteed a spot my first time, but reality hit me in the face. It seems that you are going through the same thing. And I’m sorry. It sucks. But you just have to keep going man. If dental schools see you put in a continued effort and applied again, they will love that. You should definitely continue your education in the meantime, because I’ve heard that they don’t like seeing you take breaks. You definitely should not give up considering all the hard work you put in since high school to now. You have an awesome GPA and DAT score. Try and do something else to make you “stand out” like I had to do. You’re almost there man you just have to keep going.
 
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