WAMC?

[fishy19_]

Date of submission: May 30th (hopefully)
Overall GPA: 3.98
Science GPA: 3.95
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.96
DAT score (include AA and all sections): It is very hard for people to give you feedback without a score. PAT:20, QR: 27, RC:26, BIO: 23, GC: 24, OC: 26, TS: 24, AA: 25
State of Residence: MA

Undergrad Attended: UMass Amherst
Major: Biochemistry
Minor: N/A
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 3 General Dentist Practices 233 Hours
Volunteering Experience: Food Pantry: 142 Hours, Tutoring: 98 Hours, Non-Profit Consulting: 132 Hours, Total: 372
Employment: Dental Assisting: 352, Chemistry TA: 260 Hours, Biochemistry TA: 156 Hours, Biochemistry Peer Advisor: 104, *Before College* : Tennis Coach (550 Hours)
Research: Biology Research (very unique, micromanipulation, great for manual dexterity): 550 Hours, will be published by end of summer 2023.
Other Extracurriculars: Club Varsity Tennis Team: 4 semesters, Non-Profit Consulting Club: 6 Semesters, Pre-Dental Society (4 Semesters), Organic Chemistry Tutoring
Relevant Honors or Awards: Deans List every semester
LOR type and strength: 2 Biochemistry Professors (TA'd for both), 1 General Dentist (Assisted for), and my PI. I expect they are all going to be pretty strong.
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: PS should be pretty unique, everyone who has read it says they haven't seen anything like it before.
School list:

• Tufts, UConn, Columbia, Penn, Michigan, UNC, UCLA, Texas A&M

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[Mr.Smile12]

Awesome. Fine manual dexterity?

 

[macsak]

Date of submission: May 30th (hopefully)
Overall GPA: 3.98
Science GPA: 3.95
Bio-Chem-Physics GPA: 3.96
DAT score (include AA and all sections): It is very hard for people to give you feedback without a score. PAT:20, QR: 27, RC:26, BIO: 23, GC: 24, OC: 26, TS: 24, AA: 25
State of Residence: MA

Undergrad Attended: UMass Amherst
Major: Biochemistry
Minor: N/A
Minority? No
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 3 General Dentist Practices 233 Hours
Volunteering Experience: Food Pantry: 142 Hours, Tutoring: 98 Hours, Non-Profit Consulting: 132 Hours, Total: 372
Employment: Dental Assisting: 352, Chemistry TA: 260 Hours, Biochemistry TA: 156 Hours, Biochemistry Peer Advisor: 104, *Before College* : Tennis Coach (550 Hours)
Research: Biology Research (very unique, micromanipulation, great for manual dexterity): 550 Hours, will be published by end of summer 2023.
Other Extracurriculars: Club Varsity Tennis Team: 4 semesters, Non-Profit Consulting Club: 6 Semesters, Pre-Dental Society (4 Semesters), Organic Chemistry Tutoring
Relevant Honors or Awards: Deans List every semester
LOR type and strength: 2 Biochemistry Professors (TA'd for both), 1 General Dentist (Assisted for), and my PI. I expect they are all going to be pretty strong.
Misc Info/Things not stated elsewhere/Red Flags: PS should be pretty unique, everyone who has read it says they haven't seen anything like it before.
School list:

• Tufts, UConn, Columbia, Penn, Michigan, UNC, UCLA, Texas A&M

why tufts?
why texas a&m?

 

[fishy19_]

Awesome. Fine manual dexterity?

Yes, I have a few things that are strong for manual dexterity. Was wondering if you had any opinions on this school list and if it is good. Looking for a competitive program that can be affordable (state schools).

 

[fishy19_]

why tufts?
why texas a&m?

I live 40 minutes away from Boston currently. Most of the dentists I have shadowed in the area are all tufts graduates and I believe that graduates from there carry a lot of weight behind their degrees in the area. I have lots of family in Texas and see the potential of living there in the future. If I were able to get into texas I would heavily consider it for its low cost of attendance. Do you think I have a decent chance of getting accepted to this school list? Or have any recommendations for other schools that have a low cost of attending, but still, have a strong specialty match rate?

 

[Ryxndek]

I live 40 minutes away from Boston currently. Most of the dentists I have shadowed in the area are all tufts graduates and I believe that graduates from there carry a lot of weight behind their degrees in the area. I have lots of family in Texas and see the potential of living there in the future. If I were able to get into texas I would heavily consider it for its low cost of attendance. Do you think I have a decent chance of getting accepted to this school list? Or have any recommendations for other schools that have a low cost of attending, but still, have a strong specialty match rate?

You stand a chance for TX schools but it’s a chance. Less than 10% of their student body is OOS. UT San Antonio only had 3 OOS students for their class of 2024 for a class size of 100. On average, each TX school received about 550 OOS applicants and they only interviewed ~30 students and accepted <50% of those interviewed. So it’s slim pickings. I’d say apply to TX schools but don’t expect anything and apply to other schools on top of that.

You’re competitive for all the schools on your list, but some of them are some of the most selective programs in the country. Just make sure you apply to a couple safety schools and 1-2 midrange schools. I’d aim for 7-9 schools total. You don’t need to go past 12 if you target the right schools. Your IS school will be your best option for reduced tuition so I would start there.

Seems like a strong app, good luck and make sure to apply early!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

State schools for Massachusetts... uh... how about UNE? I don't get UCLA, Michigan, A&M, or UNC on your list. Stony Brook? Touro? You apply to Columbia and Penn but not Harvard... ok. How did you come up with this list?

Assuming your fine manual dexterity doesn't elicit a bad response from screeners and faculty, you can go for it. Stay regional if you want to cap your costs. Hence my suggestions.

Again I am a fan of mission fit, and I'm not sure where you're going with that. I guess from your question on matching, you want a brand school. Have you done any networking with schools to get a better idea of their programs? Sounds like Tufts is covered a bit.

 

[macsak]

I live 40 minutes away from Boston currently. Most of the dentists I have shadowed in the area are all tufts graduates and I believe that graduates from there carry a lot of weight behind their degrees in the area. I have lots of family in Texas and see the potential of living there in the future. If I were able to get into texas I would heavily consider it for its low cost of attendance. Do you think I have a decent chance of getting accepted to this school list? Or have any recommendations for other schools that have a low cost of attending, but still, have a strong specialty match rate?

texas schools accept less than 5% OOS students every year
and most of them have stellar stats (fortunately, you fall in this category)
unfortunately, they are looking for a STRONG connection to the state
"lots of family" and "potential of living there in the future" is not enough
and especially NOT "heavily consider it for its low cost of attendance"

you have a "decent" chance of getting accepted this cycle, but you need to realize that 5 out of your 7 non-texas schools are within the top 10 most difficult schools to get into
you need to have a range of schools, from reach to safety
if you are going to keep those five (and uconn is pretty close to top 15, i would guess), you are gonna need a few more publics
fortunately for you, your safety schools are public schools...
and i'd guess that it's quite likely that you will get yield managed out of tufts...

as for recommendations, you will need to do your own research...
Please include a list of schools you are interested in applying to! It is much easier for users to help you when you have taken the time to construct your own school list first!

 

[OncePreDent]

Why not Boston University? or even Harvard?

 

[fishy19_]

Why not Boston University? or even Harvard?

I think BU is going to be added to my list, but Harvard I don't think is worth it for me. Research heavy program with not as much clinical foundation does not seem like a good fit for me. I would want to attend a program with good clinical skills as I may not want to specialize.

 

[fishy19_]

State schools for Massachusetts... uh... how about UNE? I don't get UCLA, Michigan, A&M, or UNC on your list. Stony Brook? Touro? You apply to Columbia and Penn but not Harvard... ok. How did you come up with this list?

Assuming your fine manual dexterity doesn't elicit a bad response from screeners and faculty, you can go for it. Stay regional if you want to cap your costs. Hence my suggestions.

Again I am a fan of mission fit, and I'm not sure where you're going with that. I guess from your question on matching, you want a brand school. Have you done any networking with schools to get a better idea of their programs? Sounds like Tufts is covered a bit.

Could you explain more about why fine manual dexterity is a bad thing?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Could you explain more about why fine manual dexterity is a bad thing?

Not giving any description of what you are actually manipulating is bad strategy if you want advice on your application. If you let us screeners assume anything by being vague, chances are I will assume incorrectly.

Also, for whatever reason, some faculty rather like to see hobbies that show fine manual dexterity instead of or in addition to lab techniques. I don't always understand that argument, but it exists.

 

[fishy19_]

Could you explain more about why fine manual dexterity is a bad thing?

State schools for Massachusetts... uh... how about UNE? I don't get UCLA, Michigan, A&M, or UNC on your list. Stony Brook? Touro? You apply to Columbia and Penn but not Harvard... ok. How did you come up with this list?

Assuming your fine manual dexterity doesn't elicit a bad response from screeners and faculty, you can go for it. Stay regional if you want to cap your costs. Hence my suggestions.

Again I am a fan of mission fit, and I'm not sure where you're going with that. I guess from your question on matching, you want a brand school. Have you done any networking with schools to get a better idea of their programs? Sounds like Tufts is covered a bit.

The reason I have those state schools on the list is because they are good clinical programs with high specialty match rates, should i chose to go down that path. I thought that with my academics, DAT scores, and involvement in extracirriculars would make me a strong applicant at these schools.

 

[fishy19_]

Not giving any description of what you are actually manipulating is bad strategy if you want advice on your application. If you let us screeners assume anything by being vague, chances are I will assume incorrectly.

I see. I apologize for not being clearer initially. My research involves isolating a single live nucleus from a cell. Then suspending the nucleus in between two micropipettes that I have fashioned to have roughly 4.5 micrometer openings and stretch the nucleus by moving it fractions of a micrometer at a time. This allows me to measure the force response, aka the strength, of a nucleus. A hallmark of human disease is weakened nuclear mechanics so my lab aims to understand what contributes to abnormal nuclear morphology and mechanics. This technique is highly sensitive and is only performed by our lab in the world. I also string tennis racquets and play the viola which I think contributes to my manual dexterity aswell.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

That's really cool

You mentioned a few things. What else? I have a guess on one other thing but I wanted to be sure.

 

[fishy19_]

That's really cool

You mentioned a few things. What else? I have a guess on one other thing but I wanted to be sure.

One other big thing was that I have worked as a dental assistant so I have also developed my manual dexterity directly in the context of dentistry. I think those are my big strengths in the manual dexterity department. Do you think that the reasoning I gave prior to this is valid for why I would be a strong candidate at those state schools or should I be looking elsewhere? I understand they are highly competitive but I figured I had a competitive profile.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

One other big thing was that I have worked as a dental assistant so I have also developed my manual dexterity directly in the context of dentistry. I think those are my big strengths in the manual dexterity department. Do you think that the reasoning I gave prior to this is valid for why I would be a strong candidate at those state schools or should I be looking elsewhere? I understand they are highly competitive but I figured I had a competitive profile.

You should be okay if you describe what you were trained to do there.

 

[macsak]

The reason I have those state schools on the list is because they are good clinical programs with high specialty match rates, should i chose to go down that path. I thought that with my academics, DAT scores, and involvement in extracirriculars would make me a strong applicant at these schools.

no one is saying you are not a strong applicant at these schools
it's just that your list is too narrowly focused on the most difficult schools to get into
and tufts...

 

[fishy19_]

@macsak @Mr.Smile12 @Ryxndek

Hello! I updated my school list after conducting a bit more research and it now is: Tufts, BU, Harvard, UConn, Pitt, UNC, Michigan, Columbia and Penn.
I was also considering adding Ohio State and Case Western.
Do you think this is a better range of schools to be applying to?

 

[Ryxndek]

It seems okay but you have 6 of the hardest schools to get into. With stats to back up, but admissions can be weird and nothings guaranteed. I would add OSU and case western for sure

 

[macsak]

It seems okay but you have 6 of the hardest schools to get into. With stats to back up, but admissions can be weird and nothings guaranteed. I would add OSU and case western for sure

as usual most of the time, i agree with ryxn...