What are my chances of getting in?

[MeltingPot3]

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Hey guys, first time using this forum! Wanted to see what you thought my chances were with just taking the DAT in December and having plenty of time to work on my resume. I'll note that my GPA is not the greatest by any means and so I'm worried if this will kill my chances with my other accolades. Here's some things I should note:

-DAT: AA: 22, TS: 23, PAT: 22
-cGPA: 3.4, sGPA: 3.1
-Experience: Worked (Still work) in a dental office for 2 years now (clinical and business)
-Shadowing: About 215 hours between two general dentists and one orthodontist
-Volunteering: About 200 hours between 3 separate organizations
-LOR's: 2 from well-known dentists and 2 science professors (got 4 just in case)
-Misc: Xray License, worked in a hospital for 2.5 years (when I was Pre-Med), changed to Dent after I graduated from Ohio State (personal statement thoroughly explains this reasoning), African American (I don't dwell on this too much, but I know it's definitely a factor)
-State of Residence: Ohio
-Schools Considering:
-Ohio State, UNC, UCLA, UCSF, Western (CA), Augusta (GA), LEOCOM (FL), Nova (FL), NYC, Colorado, Arizona

I just want to make sure I'm shooting for the right schools. I also wanna know if I have a shot at harder schools like UM or Columbia. Is there anything that I need to improve my resume? Definitely let me know 🙂

 

[DSchoolorBust202X]

Hey guys, first time using this forum! Wanted to see what you thought my chances were with just taking the DAT in December and having plenty of time to work on my resume. I'll note that my GPA is not the greatest by any means and so I'm worried if this will kill my chances with my other accolades. Here's some things I should note:

-DAT: AA: 22, TS: 23, PAT: 22
-cGPA: 3.4, sGPA: 3.1
-Experience: Worked (Still work) in a dental office for 2 years now (clinical and business)
-Shadowing: About 215 hours between two general dentists and one orthodontist
-Volunteering: About 200 hours between 3 separate organizations
-LOR's: 2 from well-known dentists and 2 science professors (got 4 just in case)
-Misc: Xray License, worked in a hospital for 2.5 years (when I was Pre-Med), changed to Dent after I graduated from Ohio State (personal statement thoroughly explains this reasoning), African American (I don't dwell on this too much, but I know it's definitely a factor)
-State of Residence: Ohio
-Schools Considering:
-Ohio State, UNC, UCLA, UCSF, Western (CA), Augusta (GA), LEOCOM (FL), Nova (FL), NYC, Colorado, Arizona

I just want to make sure I'm shooting for the right schools. I also wanna know if I have a shot at harder schools like UM or Columbia. Is there anything that I need to improve my resume? Definitely let me know 🙂

DCG is very out-of-state unfriendly, so I would maybe reconsider that. Schools I had success at as an out-of state applicant included University of Kentucky and Indiana University, so I would give those a look as well. Just curious, but why would you not apply to Case Western?

Overall, I think your application looks great! If I were you, I’d look at applying to about 10-15 programs total. Good luck!

 

[Cthuluhoop]

Application looks very solid! Although your GPA is a bit lower, you got a great DAT score, so nice work!
I personally would say you don't have a great chance at schools like Columbia with your GPA, but I also personally think the ivy league dental schools are a bit overrated and way too expensive unless you get HPSP or NHSC scholarships. Also note, that schools like Columbia have insane letter of rec requirements you have to meet, so if you do want to apply, buy the ADEA Guidebook and also research what you need to apply so you don't waste money if you don't meet their requirements and your app gets tossed in the bin before even being reviewed.

For extremely competitive public OOS schools you might have a decent chance, you're very strong in almost all other areas outside of your GPA, but that GPA may keep you out of some of those very competitive OOS schools, including UNC.

Definitely aim for Ohio State though, your objective should be to get accepted at the cheapest dental school, and that is Ohio State for you (I would assume). Be careful, and really consider the cost of the dental schools you are applying to. Do some loan calculations and basic interest calculations if you plan on taking the full amount out to service dental school without using the military or NHSC. Going back I would have removed any dental school that would cost over $400k, or if the school did cost more, I would remove schools that didn't frequently give out scholarships in the off chance that I would get one.