WAMC: Help me decide which schools to apply to!

[risa707]

Date of submission: June 2024
Overall GPA: 3.95
Science GPA: 3.95
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.95 (?)
DAT score (include AA and all sections):
PAT: 20
QR: 20
RC: 30
BIO: 25
GCHEM: 24
OCHEM: 22
TS: 24
AA: 24

State of Residence: PA

Major: Biology (pre-dental)
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 100 hrs (75 hrs w/ general dentist and 25 hrs w/ cosmetic dentist).

Volunteering Experience:
- Orientation Leader for 100 hours
- Volunteer at a private nonprofit middle school for 2 school years (2 hrs/week = total of 130 hours for now, will volunteer my senior year as well)

Employment: Administrative Assistant at Student Health Services for a school year as part of the work-study program. I worked about 300 hours.

Research: None. (I don't think papers done in class counts.)

Other Extracurriculars:
- Crochet Club (Since Sophomore year)
- Biology and Chemistry Club (Since Freshman year)
- Activities Council (Freshman year only)

Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? No

Relevant Honors or Awards: Deans list, Honors program, Delta Epsilon Sigma

LOR type and strength: Committee letter w/ 2 science prof, 1 general prof, 1 dentist

Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: Nothing I can think of.

School list:
Maryland
Tufts
Boston Uni
NYU
Touro
University of Buffalo
Rutgers
Temple
UPenn
Pittsburgh

Please let me know if I should add more schools and/or take away some schools. I prefer to stay on the East Coast near my family. I feel like I don't have enough schools.

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[Ryxndek]

I’d consider removing NYU due to the sheer cost of tuition. I’d consider Stony Brook, Louisville, and maybe if you’re feeling it, Columbia. They love their 24AA+’s. Otherwise I think your list is fine. Given your stats you’d want to aim for 10-12 schools. Don’t think you’d need more than that.

While you’re certainly a beast in the didactics, your ECs seem a little light. How much time was spent in your school clubs and did you hold any board positions?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Volunteer at a private nonprofit middle school for 2 school years (2 hrs/week = total of 130 hours for now, will volunteer my senior year as well)

Volunteer.... tutor/teacher? Volunteer principal? Volunteer basketball coach? More details, please.

I agree that overall, the described hours feel very light with clinical experience and with campus-related activities. You don't describe hours for all of your activities. Did you work to support yourself at school?

Substitute CWRU for NYU. (Heck, you have Buffalo on your list.) Consider LECOM since they have a dental clinic in Erie.

LECOM Dental Clinics - Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

Everyone loves a bright smile! Now there is a place nearby where anyone can receive professional quality dental care in a state-of-the-art facility at an affordable cost.

lecom.edu

 

[macsak]

Date of submission: June 2024
Overall GPA: 3.95
Science GPA: 3.95
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.95 (?)
DAT score (include AA and all sections):
PAT: 20
QR: 20
RC: 30
BIO: 25
GCHEM: 24
OCHEM: 22
TS: 24
AA: 24

State of Residence: PA

Major: Biology (pre-dental)
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 100 hrs (75 hrs w/ general dentist and 25 hrs w/ cosmetic dentist).

Volunteering Experience:
- Orientation Leader for 100 hours
- Volunteer at a private nonprofit middle school for 2 school years (2 hrs/week = total of 130 hours for now, will volunteer my senior year as well)

Employment: Administrative Assistant at Student Health Services for a school year as part of the work-study program. I worked about 300 hours.

Research: None. (I don't think papers done in class counts.)

Other Extracurriculars:
- Crochet Club (Since Sophomore year)
- Biology and Chemistry Club (Since Freshman year)
- Activities Council (Freshman year only)

Have you volunteered/shadowed/attended events at any dental schools? No

Relevant Honors or Awards: Deans list, Honors program, Delta Epsilon Sigma

LOR type and strength: Committee letter w/ 2 science prof, 1 general prof, 1 dentist

Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: Nothing I can think of.

School list:
Maryland
Tufts
Boston Uni
NYU
Touro
University of Buffalo
Rutgers
Temple
UPenn
Pittsburgh

Please let me know if I should add more schools and/or take away some schools. I prefer to stay on the East Coast near my family. I feel like I don't have enough schools.

why do you feel you don't have enough schools?

 

[risa707]

I’d consider removing NYU due to the sheer cost of tuition. I’d consider Stony Brook, Louisville, and maybe if you’re feeling it, Columbia. They love their 24AA+’s. Otherwise I think your list is fine. Given your stats you’d want to aim for 10-12 schools. Don’t think you’d need more than that.

While you’re certainly a beast in the didactics, your ECs seem a little light. How much time was spent in your school clubs and did you hold any board positions?

Thank you so much for replying!

I was considering removing NYU but I'm a little scared that I wouldn't make it in to dental school because of my lack of ECs. I am applying for the HPSP scholarship so hopefully it could cover some costs, but I will definitely take your words into consideration.

Regarding my ECs, I do crochet once a week for 2 hours during the semester. I was considering doing a leadership role but I would have to talk to the current president about it. Bio club is only like once a month for an hour. I wish I could improve my ECs.

I have a question regarding Stony Brook. I heard it's in-state preference but would my 24 DAT score help much? I am a little hesitant to apply for a school that's primarily IS.

 

[macsak]

I’d consider removing NYU due to the sheer cost of tuition. I’d consider Stony Brook, Louisville, and maybe if you’re feeling it, Columbia. They love their 24AA+’s. Otherwise I think your list is fine. Given your stats you’d want to aim for 10-12 schools. Don’t think you’d need more than that.

While you’re certainly a beast in the didactics, your ECs seem a little light. How much time was spent in your school clubs and did you hold any board positions?

why do you think 10-12 schools?

 

[risa707]

Volunteer.... tutor/teacher? Volunteer principal? Volunteer basketball coach? More details, please.

I agree that overall, the described hours feel very light with clinical experience and with campus-related activities. You don't describe hours for all of your activities. Did you work to support yourself at school?

Substitute CWRU for NYU. (Heck, you have Buffalo on your list.) Consider LECOM since they have a dental clinic in Erie.

LECOM Dental Clinics - Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

Everyone loves a bright smile! Now there is a place nearby where anyone can receive professional quality dental care in a state-of-the-art facility at an affordable cost.

lecom.edu

Thank you for replying!

I was a tutor for an afterschool program for fifth graders. I tutored math/vocabulary for an hour and supervised other activities like STEM/Spanish club for an hour afterwards.

I have considered LECOM and will put it on my list. I am a little hesitant about CWRU since it is in Ohio but I will do more research about it.

As for work, I did a work study during my sophomore years, which cut into my volunteering hours since I had to work whenever my clubs had activities.

Is there a problem with Buffalo? Should I remove it?

 

[macsak]

Volunteer.... tutor/teacher? Volunteer principal? Volunteer basketball coach? More details, please.

I agree that overall, the described hours feel very light with clinical experience and with campus-related activities. You don't describe hours for all of your activities. Did you work to support yourself at school?

Substitute CWRU for NYU. (Heck, you have Buffalo on your list.) Consider LECOM since they have a dental clinic in Erie.

LECOM Dental Clinics - Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

Everyone loves a bright smile! Now there is a place nearby where anyone can receive professional quality dental care in a state-of-the-art facility at an affordable cost.

lecom.edu

sorry, MS12, i disagree with LECOM...

 

[macsak]

Thank you so much for replying!

I was considering removing NYU but I'm a little scared that I wouldn't make it in to dental school because of my lack of ECs. I am applying for the HPSP scholarship so hopefully it could cover some costs, but I will definitely take your words into consideration.

Regarding my ECs, I do crochet once a week for 2 hours during the semester. I was considering doing a leadership role but I would have to talk to the current president about it. Bio club is only like once a month for an hour. I wish I could improve my ECs.

I have a question regarding Stony Brook. I heard it's in-state preference but would my 24 DAT score help much? I am a little hesitant to apply for a school that's primarily IS.

i would definitely recommend removing NYU
and also touro...

 

[macsak]

sorry, MS12, i disagree with LECOM...

but case western is a good choice...

 

[risa707]

why do you feel you don't have enough schools?

Because of my lack of ECs. I'm not sure which schools on my list would be considered safe, reach, etc, for me.

 

[risa707]

i would definitely recommend removing NYU
and also touro...

I understand NYU but why not Touro? Is it because they are new?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

but case western is a good choice...

I was hesitating about LECOM vs. Buffalo for a PA resident...

 

[macsak]

I was hesitating about LECOM vs. Buffalo for a PA resident...

lecom is 3 years in FL, and i'm not sure if erie is guaranteed
and i don't know if being from PA will increase OPs chances

i feel bad because i seldom disagree witn mr.s12 and ryxn, and here i am disagreeing with them both in one thread...

 

[macsak]

I understand NYU but why not Touro? Is it because they are new?

touro doubled their class this time last year and accepted a whole ton of people that had zero acceptances
they now have 220 students in their classes and labs for the first 2 years where they were designed for 110

 

[macsak]

Because of my lack of ECs. I'm not sure which schools on my list would be considered safe, reach, etc, for me.

you have a nearly perfect gpa, and high 90th percentile DATs, you just have to have a smarter school list...

 

[risa707]

you have a nearly perfect gpa, and high 90th percentile DATs, you just have to have a smarter school list...

Thank you for your advice! I really really appreciate it.

So far, I should drop NYU, Touro, and apply to Case Western. Earlier, Mr.Smile12 said something about Buffalo, which I didn't understand. Is Buffalo not a good choice for me?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you for your advice! I really really appreciate it.

So far, I should drop NYU, Touro, and apply to Case Western. Earlier, Mr.Smile12 said something about Buffalo, which I didn't understand. Is Buffalo not a good choice for me?

Where in Pennsylvania did you grow up? Have you reached out to Buffalo?

I agree on the metrics are great, and OP could shoot a bit higher. If I knew more about the activities or there were more hours, I could suggest some brand names, but is it worth a shot for them...?

I'm missing from the activities what communities you feel most passionate about when it comes to working as a dentist.

(Darn ADEA DSE outage... it's fixed now.)

 

[macsak]

Thank you for your advice! I really really appreciate it.

So far, I should drop NYU, Touro, and apply to Case Western. Earlier, Mr.Smile12 said something about Buffalo, which I didn't understand. Is Buffalo not a good choice for me?

you need to make your own school list
research it on your own
find mission fit
"prefer to stay on the east coast near my family" is not mission fit...

 

[risa707]

Where in Pennsylvania did you grow up? Have you reached out to Buffalo?

I agree on the metrics are great, and OP could shoot a bit higher. If I knew more about the activities or there were more hours, I could suggest some brand names, but is it worth a shot for them...?

I'm missing from the activities what communities you feel most passionate about when it comes to working as a dentist.

(Darn ADEA DSE outage... it's fixed now.)

I grew up in Northeastern PA. I have not reached out to Buffalo (I did not know that I should have. What should I ask them?).

Would it help that the place that I volunteered at is a Catholic school that is focused on serving the underprivileged in the area?

The students are mostly children of immigrants. I really like volunteering there since I am also first gen/child of an immigrant. I get along with a lot of the students there because of my background and also since a lot of them are interested in the medical/dental field. Once, we invited students from a local medical school to come over and teach them about the circulatory system. I started volunteering there Freshman year but I stopped Sophomore year since I had to work. Junior year, I decided not to work anymore so I can start volunteering/doing more club activities again.

I really appreciate your advice.

 

[risa707]

you need to make your own school list
research it on your own
find mission fit
"prefer to stay on the east coast near my family" is not mission fit...

I understand!

I did compile a list of their mission/highlights and I compiled the list above from it. I just filtered it against the other schools in the East Coast. I'll do more research in the meantime though with everyone's advice. I did not see anything wrong with Buffalo though. It has a good ratio of IS/OOS from what I can remember.

Thank you for your advice though.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I'm taking a fresh look at your profile. You still need the hours to give me a better idea of mission fit outside your region. But you have the metrics that should put you in a position for brand-name schools.

So what is the appeal of Buffalo? They seem to have admitted 1 or 2 PA candidates into their incoming class on the DSE, among the 18 non-NY students in their 92-person class.

What did you do volunteering at an underprivileged Catholic school? How many hours were you involved directly with students? Any opportunities to observe dentists in a free clinic or community health/screening setting?

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Our Services Mission of Mercy operates a mobile medical and a mobile dental clinic providing free care including medications. The clinics travel in tandem to four sites in Maryland and two sites in Pennsylvania. Primary Medical Care Dental Care Medications […]

www.amissionofmercy.org

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You should try to do something that doesn't involve education. Food pantry, shelter volunteer, housing rehabilitation, job/tax prep, or transportation services. In addition, any opportunity to work in free clinics (with or without a dental clinic component though see above) puts your application in a stronger position to stay on par with the applicants who share your metrics but apply to Penn, Harvard, or Columbia IMO.

 

[risa707]

I'm taking a fresh look at your profile. You still need the hours to give me a better idea of mission fit outside your region. But you have the metrics that should put you in a position for brand-name schools.

So what is the appeal of Buffalo? They seem to have admitted 1 or 2 PA candidates into their incoming class on the DSE, among the 18 non-NY students in their 92-person class.

What did you do volunteering at an underprivileged Catholic school? How many hours were you involved directly with students?

You should try to do something that doesn't involve education. Food pantry, shelter volunteer, housing rehabilitation, job/tax prep, or transportation services. In addition, any opportunity to work in free clinics (with or without a dental clinic component) puts your application in a stronger position to stay on par with the applicants who share your metrics but apply to Penn, Harvard, or Columbia IMO.

Oh, I see. Thank you for pointing that out! I will remove Buffalo as well then. I thought that they had IS preference but not that much which was why I chose it.

When I volunteered at the school, I was directly one-on-one tutoring with students in math/English. If none of the students needed a lot of help, then I would just supervise the quiet time and help answer homework problems. There would be around 20 students to supervise if I wasn't doing direct tutoring. After 1 hour of tutoring, the afterschool activity has the students do an hour of EC with teachers, like sports, STEM, Spanish, and music. I have helped students play violin in music class since I have some basic understanding of music since I used to play throughout middle school and high school. I also helped out with STEM. They had to learn how to use a light-and-switch circuits. I also helped out with Spanish since I speak/understand a good bit (I've been studying it since middle school, high school, college) and a lot of the students are Spanish-speakers.

There is a food pantry on campus. If I start volunteering there, would it look bad to start so late?

I will take into consideration the schools you have suggested, especially since I'm thinking of dropping Touro, NYU, and Buffalo. Do you think the rest of the schools on my list would be enough for me? I would consider Penn, Harvard, and Columbia as reach schools after all, and I am afraid not to get into a school.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

If you get a copy of the ADEA Dental School Explorer, filtering for schools by science GPA (3.5+) and DAT TS (22.5+)*, you get four schools: Columbia, Harvard, Penn, and UCLA. They are also some of the more challenging schools to get accepted at. They also prefer significant community service in both clinical and non-clinical experiences. While research isn't generally required, most students will be attracted to these programs because they feel they can specialize. But they want to ensure you know what to expect when you become a dentist through your shadowing and dental exposure. (You need to apply to more than these, but outside of your metrics, it's hard to know if they see that you have enough community service experience that they would like to see.)

It's not too late to get started with food pantry activities, but you should plan on continuing during your summer when classes are not in session (how many more weeks of classes do you have?). It might look like you just thought about doing it by waiting until now, but it's better to start now and not do it. I don't know how your campus pantry handles the familiarity of seeing peers using the food pantry given the appearance of "shame" of not being able to afford food.

* You can argue more about getting more precise filters for the DSE, and I'll go along with it.

 

[risa707]

If you get a copy of the ADEA Dental School Explorer, filtering for schools by science GPA (3.5+) and DAT TS (22.5+)*, you get four schools: Columbia, Harvard, Penn, and UCLA. They are also some of the more challenging schools to get accepted at. They also prefer significant community service in both clinical and non-clinical experiences. While research isn't generally required, most students will be attracted to these programs because they feel they can specialize. But they want to ensure you know what to expect when you become a dentist through your shadowing and dental exposure. (You need to apply to more than these, but outside of your metrics, it's hard to know if they see that you have enough community service experience that they would like to see.)

It's not too late to get started with food pantry activities, but you should plan on continuing during your summer when classes are not in session (how many more weeks of classes do you have?). It might look like you just thought about doing it by waiting until now, but it's better to start now and not do it. I don't know how your campus pantry handles the familiarity of seeing peers using the food pantry given the appearance of "shame" of not being able to afford food.

* You can argue more about getting more precise filters for the DSE, and I'll go along with it.

I see. I will try to volunteer at the food pantries near me then. Regarding the on campus food pantries, I do use them and I personally feel unashamed? At first I did, but the people there are so nice that you don't really mind.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you for sharing that information. Have you thought about how you might mention this during your application cycle (essays or interviews)?

 

[risa707]

Thank you for sharing that information. Have you thought about how you might mention this during your application cycle (essays or interviews)?

I have not actually but now I see that it might be a good thing to bring up.

I have prepared my "Why Dentistry?" answer to be largely based on my sister's poor oral health (despite all preventative measures, her root canals get infected, more cavities, etc., and we've been to several dentists so it's not like the prognosis is based off of a single one). She's really my inspiration on why I wanted to chose dentistry. For me, I wanted to be able to tell her why was her oral health declining no matter what she tried. She's really diligent about her oral health, always flossing, brushing her teeth, mouthwashes, and changing her toothbrushes frequently. It's just unfortunate that no dentist can tell her what's "wrong" with her and her teeth just keep getting worse. I can imagine that there are similar people in the world like her, who no matter what, have to spend lots of money that they cannot afford to, to fix a problem that they for some reason cannot prevent. I really want to change that.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I have not actually but now I see that it might be a good thing to bring up.

I have prepared my "Why Dentistry?" answer to be largely based on my sister's poor oral health (despite all preventative measures, her root canals get infected, more cavities, etc., and we've been to several dentists so it's not like the prognosis is based off of a single one). She's really my inspiration on why I wanted to chose dentistry. For me, I wanted to be able to tell her why was her oral health declining no matter what she tried. She's really diligent about her oral health, always flossing, brushing her teeth, mouthwashes, and changing her toothbrushes frequently. It's just unfortunate that no dentist can tell her what's "wrong" with her and her teeth just keep getting worse. I can imagine that there are similar people in the world like her, who no matter what, have to spend lots of money that they cannot afford to, to fix a problem that they for some reason cannot prevent. I really want to change that.

On food security, here is where the search for mission fit helps you. We can talk about how you see patients with similar challenges in food security in the dental clinics where you have shadowed or worked.

Resources from Becoming a Student Doctor

Food Access & Affordability | Dental School

www.bu.edu

At the dental school, the dietitian is in | Penn Today

Matthew Whipple, a registered dietitian at the School of Dental Medicine, consults with patients in clinics and educates students about the importance of spreading nutrition advice. He also cooks up a mean chicken and sausage gumbo.

penntoday.upenn.edu

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jdd.13344

On your personal/family motivation:

How my childhood influenced my need to pay it forward

I grew up on an acre of land with fruit trees, a massive vegetable garden and just a few animals to care for. While it may sound like I grew up with a luxury many lack, the reality is that my family of 14 was hardly scraping by. We used public help services from time to time, although my...

www.asdablog.com

 

[risa707]

On food security, here is where the search for mission fit helps you. We can talk about how you see patients with similar challenges in food security in the dental clinics where you have shadowed or worked.

Resources from Becoming a Student Doctor

Food Access & Affordability | Dental School

www.bu.edu

At the dental school, the dietitian is in | Penn Today

Matthew Whipple, a registered dietitian at the School of Dental Medicine, consults with patients in clinics and educates students about the importance of spreading nutrition advice. He also cooks up a mean chicken and sausage gumbo.

penntoday.upenn.edu

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jdd.13344

On your personal/family motivation:

How my childhood influenced my need to pay it forward

I grew up on an acre of land with fruit trees, a massive vegetable garden and just a few animals to care for. While it may sound like I grew up with a luxury many lack, the reality is that my family of 14 was hardly scraping by. We used public help services from time to time, although my...

www.asdablog.com

Once again, thank you so much for your advice. I will look into everything.

 

[risa707]

If you get a copy of the ADEA Dental School Explorer, filtering for schools by science GPA (3.5+) and DAT TS (22.5+)*, you get four schools: Columbia, Harvard, Penn, and UCLA. They are also some of the more challenging schools to get accepted at. They also prefer significant community service in both clinical and non-clinical experiences. While research isn't generally required, most students will be attracted to these programs because they feel they can specialize. But they want to ensure you know what to expect when you become a dentist through your shadowing and dental exposure. (You need to apply to more than these, but outside of your metrics, it's hard to know if they see that you have enough community service experience that they would like to see.)

It's not too late to get started with food pantry activities, but you should plan on continuing during your summer when classes are not in session (how many more weeks of classes do you have?). It might look like you just thought about doing it by waiting until now, but it's better to start now and not do it. I don't know how your campus pantry handles the familiarity of seeing peers using the food pantry given the appearance of "shame" of not being able to afford food.

* You can argue more about getting more precise filters for the DSE, and I'll go along with it.

Sorry, one more question, Mr.Smiles12!

I'm currently researching and thinking of applying to Maryland, Tufts, Boston University, Harvard, Case Western, Columbia, Rutgers, Temple, UPenn, and Pittsburgh. Do you think that is enough schools for me, or should I apply to more schools to be safe?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I'm currently researching and thinking of applying to Maryland, Tufts, Boston University, Harvard, Case Western, Columbia, Rutgers, Temple, UPenn, and Pittsburgh. Do you think that is enough schools for me, or should I apply to more schools to be safe?

Hopefully we can have a small consensus with Ryxndek and macsak now. This list seems more reasonable. Let us know if your homework tells you to scratch a school from the list. The average number is 11 applications per candidate in AADSAS, so you should be okay.

With your metrics, I think you should be picky, but it's the experience hours and reflections that you want to concentrate on by submission.
Boston University: The Admissions Committee conducts a holistic review of all components of the application. The applicant’s academic accomplishments, letters of evaluation, personal history, background and experiences are considered, including community service and volunteering, extracurricular activities, paid employment, and exposure to dentistry through shadowing or work experience.

 

[risa707]

Hopefully we can have a small consensus with Ryxndek and macsak now. This list seems more reasonable. Let us know if your homework tells you to scratch a school from the list. The average number is 11 applications per candidate in AADSAS, so you should be okay.

With your metrics, I think you should be picky, but it's the experience hours and reflections that you want to concentrate on by submission.
Boston University: The Admissions Committee conducts a holistic review of all components of the application. The applicant’s academic accomplishments, letters of evaluation, personal history, background and experiences are considered, including community service and volunteering, extracurricular activities, paid employment, and exposure to dentistry through shadowing or work experience.

I hope so too!

I'm a little on the fence with Harvard since it seems that it leans towards specializing than general but I want to keep an open mind (never say never). I'm planning on doing a senior honors thesis my senior year. So hopefully, it can count as research?

Based off of my school's website, "The Honors Thesis is the capstone of the Honors Program at [Name] University. The thesis is a scholarly paper in your discipline that is treated as independent study worth 3 credits. You work with a committee made up of a faculty director, a reader, and the honors program director over the course of 2 semesters to complete the research and writing requirements.

The thesis provides the opportunity for you to tailor your interests and develop your expertise in a specific subject area. Such skills also give you a competitive advantage on scholarship or graduate school applications. Theses are published every year in Scientia."

FYI, Scientia is my school's science journal. Do you think that this could count as a research experience? If so, how many hours would I list it for? (And, should my research topic relate to dentistry or other things that I am passionate about? Not saying that I'm not passionate about dentistry but I don't want them to think that I forced myself to choose it.)

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I hope so too!

I'm a little on the fence with Harvard since it seems that it leans towards specializing than general but I want to keep an open mind (never say never). I'm planning on doing a senior honors thesis my senior year. So hopefully, it can count as research?

Based off of my school's website, "The Honors Thesis is the capstone of the Honors Program at [Name] University. The thesis is a scholarly paper in your discipline that is treated as independent study worth 3 credits. You work with a committee made up of a faculty director, a reader, and the honors program director over the course of 2 semesters to complete the research and writing requirements.

The thesis provides the opportunity for you to tailor your interests and develop your expertise in a specific subject area. Such skills also give you a competitive advantage on scholarship or graduate school applications. Theses are published every year in Scientia."

FYI, Scientia is my school's science journal. Do you think that this could count as a research experience? If so, how many hours would I list it for? (And, should my research topic relate to dentistry or other things that I am passionate about? Not saying that I'm not passionate about dentistry but I don't want them to think that I forced myself to choose it.)

Any form of student scholarship such as a thesis should be considered research experience. (So says me who had been involved in supervising undergraduate research institutionally.) Basically it's a low-risk audition for traditional graduate school, and grad school admissions committees (MS or PhD) will appreciate it.

We do research in dentistry, but unlike medical school, we want you to master dentistry (and the intensity of surgical training) first. (ADDING: it's definitely a hoop to jump through to set up a specialty application in the lucrative areas.)

How many hours are you working on the project? I'd keep it to those hours... maybe add some hours that you set aside to thesis-writing and preparing for your "defense."

 

[macsak]

I hope so too!

I'm a little on the fence with Harvard since it seems that it leans towards specializing than general but I want to keep an open mind (never say never). I'm planning on doing a senior honors thesis my senior year. So hopefully, it can count as research?

Based off of my school's website, "The Honors Thesis is the capstone of the Honors Program at [Name] University. The thesis is a scholarly paper in your discipline that is treated as independent study worth 3 credits. You work with a committee made up of a faculty director, a reader, and the honors program director over the course of 2 semesters to complete the research and writing requirements.

The thesis provides the opportunity for you to tailor your interests and develop your expertise in a specific subject area. Such skills also give you a competitive advantage on scholarship or graduate school applications. Theses are published every year in Scientia."

FYI, Scientia is my school's science journal. Do you think that this could count as a research experience? If so, how many hours would I list it for? (And, should my research topic relate to dentistry or other things that I am passionate about? Not saying that I'm not passionate about dentistry but I don't want them to think that I forced myself to choose it.)

you still need to do more research if you believe this
harvard, columbia and upenn all "lean towards specializing"...

 

[risa707]

Any form of student scholarship such as a thesis should be considered research experience. (So says me who had been involved in supervising undergraduate research institutionally.) Basically it's a low-risk audition for traditional graduate school, and grad school admissions committees (MS or PhD) will appreciate it.

We do research in dentistry, but unlike medical school, we want you to master dentistry (and the intensity of surgical training) first. (ADDING: it's definitely a hoop to jump through to set up a specialty application in the lucrative areas.)

How many hours are you working on the project? I'd keep it to those hours... maybe add some hours that you set aside to thesis-writing and preparing for your "defense."

I see! Since I'm doing my thesis my senior year, I suppose it won't be included in my application for dental school that I will be submitting Summer 2024. Do you have any recommendations on how I can show schools that I am going to undertake some research?

 

[risa707]

you still need to do more research if you believe this
harvard, columbia and upenn all "lean towards specializing"...

Sorry for the dumb question but what do you mean more research?

I read that Harvard and Columbia are both Pass/Fail except for Penn. There is some conflicting information saying that Pass/Fail schools are more geared toward specializing than the other kind of school but then others are saying that they don't help anymore. Therefore, should I not believe whole specializing thing with those schools? I'd really appreciate your insight!

 

[macsak]

Sorry for the dumb question but what do you mean more research?

I read that Harvard and Columbia are both Pass/Fail except for Penn. There is some conflicting information saying that Pass/Fail schools are more geared toward specializing than the other kind of school but then others are saying that they don't help anymore. Therefore, should I not believe whole specializing thing with those schools? I'd really appreciate your insight!

you need to research their specialization stats if you think that only school on your list that people perceive as schools that "lean towards specializing" is harvard...

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I see! Since I'm doing my thesis my senior year, I suppose it won't be included in my application for dental school that I will be submitting Summer 2024. Do you have any recommendations on how I can show schools that I am going to undertake some research?

I don't know what advice you are getting from your prehealth advisors, but do you have to enroll for a research credit to be eligible for research honors? Again, dentistry isn't that uptight about research.

 

[risa707]

you need to research their specialization stats if you think that only school on your list that people perceive as schools that "lean towards specializing" is harvard...

I see! Thank you for your patience.

While I understand that Harvard isn't the only school on my list that leaned towards specialization, I think I see where I was mistaken. Please feel free to correct me but specialization rates isn't really dependent on the school? Based on what I've read, it seems that students that go to the "Ivy" schools are more likely to specialize, not because of their school but because of how competitive their stats are. However, that doesn't mean that students from non-Ivy schools aren't inclined to specialize. It just depends on the student.

 

[risa707]

I don't know what advice you are getting from your prehealth advisors, but do you have to enroll for a research credit to be eligible for research honors? Again, dentistry isn't that uptight about research.

From what I know, I have to enroll in the thesis course for me to be able to do research. I am meeting with my advisor next Wednesday so I will ask him about your question. I understand that research isn't really needed for dental school but I was hoping that it could help make up for my lack of ECs. For some reason, I am not really confident in my stats.

However, even if I can't put my thesis on my application, I still want to do my honors thesis! I really do enjoy learning and being able or not being able to use it to strengthen my application doesn't really effect me.

 

[macsak]

From what I know, I have to enroll in the thesis course for me to be able to do research. I am meeting with my advisor next Wednesday so I will ask him about your question. I understand that research isn't really needed for dental school but I was hoping that it could help make up for my lack of ECs. For some reason, I am not really confident in my stats.

However, even if I can't put my thesis on my application, I still want to do my honors thesis! I really do enjoy learning and being able or not being able to use it to strengthen my application doesn't really effect me.

please, please, PLEASE let this go...

 

[macsak]

I see! Thank you for your patience.

While I understand that Harvard isn't the only school on my list that leaned towards specialization, I think I see where I was mistaken. Please feel free to correct me but specialization rates isn't really dependent on the school? Based on what I've read, it seems that students that go to the "Ivy" schools are more likely to specialize, not because of their school but because of how competitive their stats are. However, that doesn't mean that students from non-Ivy schools aren't inclined to specialize. It just depends on the student.

please do some more research
pass/fail and the quality of the students that they accept are not the only reason for the higher specialization rates at the ivies...

 

[Mr.Smile12]

From what I know, I have to enroll in the thesis course for me to be able to do research. I am meeting with my advisor next Wednesday so I will ask him about your question. I understand that research isn't really needed for dental school but I was hoping that it could help make up for my lack of ECs. For some reason, I am not really confident in my stats.

However, even if I can't put my thesis on my application, I still want to do my honors thesis! I really do enjoy learning and being able or not being able to use it to strengthen my application doesn't really effect me.

Your thesis course credit can be listed as "In progress" in your transcript entry. I agree you need not obsess over lack of research, but don't believe it makes up for a lack of extracurriculars. That thinking doesn't work for medical school apps either, so don't drink that Kool-Aid.

We have identified areas where you are vulnerable, so focus on those experiences. Don't stray off the focus.

 

[risa707]

Your thesis course credit can be listed as "In progress" in your transcript entry. I agree you need not obsess over lack of research, but don't believe it makes up for a lack of extracurriculars. That thinking doesn't work for medical school apps either, so don't drink that Kool-Aid.

We have identified areas where you are vulnerable, so focus on those experiences. Don't stray off the focus.

Understood!