**What Schools Should I Apply To? / What Are My Chances?** (Read if this is you)

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UCSD6 said:
what are my chances? and is this enough schools?
will be a re-applicant, (applied late october, received 3 interviews, waitlisted at 2 schools), GPA: sci 3.3 cum 3.4, DAT: 19 AA 21 TS 21 PAT (low QR: 15 bought down my AA), good EC's volunteering, shadowing specialists and general dentists, getting involved with research right now. I will be applying the 1st day the cycle opens so I hope this will increase my chances!

Schools that I'll apply to,
ASDOH, MIDWESTERN, LLU, UCSF, UCLA (LONG SHOT I KNOW), UOP, USC, WESTERN, UNLV, NYU

what do you guys think?
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Depending on how good the entering 2015 class is, wait to see how many interview offers you get. If you get 6+ before DEC 1st, I would say you have a really good chance.
 
There has recently been a wave of about a dozen predents asking me for advice, who have clearly not read my guide. It would take way to much time to explain the contents of my original post via PM, therefore I will not answer any questions before you have read my original post. I want to tear my hair out when people are PMing me and their entire list contains OOS public schools that they have no shot at, even if their scores were high... Please show that you have at least tried to read and comprehend my original post if you are asking me for my opinions/advice, thanks.
 
What are my chances??

3 years in a CC, I earned 9 W's (mostly gen sci & cal 1 classes) the first 2 years along with one C and a few B's, B+'s, A-'s without studying at all. I was doing Pre-Pharmacy because my parents wanted me to go into Pharmacy, but I hated it and I would keep dropping classes to piss my parents off or earning w/e grades I didn't care (I know I was an idiot back then lol ), and finally they gave up and agreed and let me study whatever I wanted, and I picked dentistry; since then, I busted my butts for A's/A+'s. I earned 4.0 in two semesters, transferred to Wayne State right afterwards(couldn't believe they accepted me) to finish my pre-reqs; and when I was eventually done, the following was my status.

cGPA: 3.8
sGPA: 3.93
DAT: 24/25 (I was shocked when I got the score ;P but of course super happy)
I shadowed a dentist for a year, 2 days a week.
I worked as a nail tech/florist ever since I was 17 to support myself.
I volunteered at hospice/red cross/hospital/make a wish foundation for 2 years.
I got one LOR from a dentist, and 2 others are from my Cal/A&P instructors at the University.
Schools applied: UM , UW


I don't have a lot of experience, which sucks; and those W's have been haunting me ever since the minute I learned about how they would kill my chances of getting accepted to a good dental school. So What are my chances for the school I applied to and in general? Thanks for any input.
 
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Ix3 said:
What are my chances??

3 years in a CC, I earned 9 W's (mostly gen sci & cal 1 classes) the first 2 years along with one C and a few B's, B+'s, A-'s without studying at all. I was doing Pre-Pharmacy because my parents wanted me to go into Pharmacy, but I hated it and I would keep dropping classes to piss my parents off or earning w/e grades I didn't care (I know I was an idiot back then lol ), and finally they gave up and agreed and let me study whatever I wanted, and I picked dentistry; since then, I busted my butts for A's/A+'s. I earned 4.0 in two semesters, transferred to Wayne State right afterwards(couldn't believe they accepted me) to finish my pre-reqs; and when I was eventually done, the following was my status.

cGPA: 3.8
sGPA: 3.93
DAT: 24/25 (I was shocked when I got the score ;P but of course super happy)
I shadowed a dentist for a year, 2 days a week.
I worked as a nail tech/florist ever since I was 17 to support myself.
I volunteered at hospice/red cross/hospital/make a wish foundation for 2 years.
I got one LOR from a dentist, and 2 others are from my Cal/A&P instructors at the University.
Schools applied: UM , UW


I don't have a lot of experience, which sucks; and those W's have been haunting me ever since the minute I learned about how they would kill my chances of getting accepted to a good dental school. So What are my chances for the school I applied to and in general? Thanks for any input.
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I think your stats are obv. great (gpa/DAT), but only applying to 2 schools is not smart. I would add at least 8 more in my opinion.
 
Ix3 said:
What are my chances??

3 years in a CC, I earned 9 W's (mostly gen sci & cal 1 classes) the first 2 years along with one C and a few B's, B+'s, A-'s without studying at all. I was doing Pre-Pharmacy because my parents wanted me to go into Pharmacy, but I hated it and I would keep dropping classes to piss my parents off or earning w/e grades I didn't care (I know I was an idiot back then lol ), and finally they gave up and agreed and let me study whatever I wanted, and I picked dentistry; since then, I busted my butts for A's/A+'s. I earned 4.0 in two semesters, transferred to Wayne State right afterwards(couldn't believe they accepted me) to finish my pre-reqs; and when I was eventually done, the following was my status.

cGPA: 3.8
sGPA: 3.93
DAT: 24/25 (I was shocked when I got the score ;P but of course super happy)
I shadowed a dentist for a year, 2 days a week.
I worked as a nail tech/florist ever since I was 17 to support myself.
I volunteered at hospice/red cross/hospital/make a wish foundation for 2 years.
I got one LOR from a dentist, and 2 others are from my Cal/A&P instructors at the University.
Schools applied: UM , UW


I don't have a lot of experience, which sucks; and those W's have been haunting me ever since the minute I learned about how they would kill my chances of getting accepted to a good dental school. So What are my chances for the school I applied to and in general? Thanks for any input.
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Great scores, but like the previous poster said, applying to 2 schools is not smart, and you could find yourself in a reapplication cycle despite your scores. Especially since you're applying OOS to UW, it would be no surprise that they turn down out of staters with those scores on a regular basis. Spend a few more dollars and add a few more school, as insurance if nothing else.

Since you're in Michigan, add Detroit Mercy, it would be easy to get to the interview. Add UoP and Columbia, as they love a high DAT. Add UPenn, they will likely give you a $100K Dean's Scholarship. Now you've got 6 schools, 5 schools that you have a great chance at getting into, and as long as you don't screw up the interview you're pretty much guaranteed to get into at least one of those schools.
 
somethinpositiv said:
Great scores, but like the previous poster said, applying to 2 schools is not smart, and you could find yourself in a reapplication cycle despite your scores. Especially since you're applying OOS to UW, it would be no surprise that they turn down out of staters with those scores on a regular basis. Spend a few more dollars and add a few more school, as insurance if nothing else.

Since you're in Michigan, add Detroit Mercy, it would be easy to get to the interview. Add UoP and Columbia, as they love a high DAT. Add UPenn, they will likely give you a $100K Dean's Scholarship. Now you've got 6 schools, 5 schools that you have a great chance at getting into, and as long as you don't screw up the interview you're pretty much guaranteed to get into at least one of those schools.
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Agree! Make sure you apply to all instate schools even if you dont plan on attending them! Who knows, they may be the only one who accepts you!
 
This is the most helpful thread I've ever read.
That rhymed. I'm so talented.
 
Thank you everyone for the great advice and positive opinion, especially somethinpositiv.

I still have a concern about the W's I earned during the first 2 years though. Will they be looked upon very negatively during the admission process? I've read quite a few W's related threads on here and it seems to be quite a serious issue that pretty much leads to my current worry. Thanks again.



somethinpositiv said:
Great scores, but like the previous poster said, applying to 2 schools is not smart, and you could find yourself in a reapplication cycle despite your scores. Especially since you're applying OOS to UW, it would be no surprise that they turn down out of staters with those scores on a regular basis. Spend a few more dollars and add a few more school, as insurance if nothing else.

Since you're in Michigan, add Detroit Mercy, it would be easy to get to the interview. Add UoP and Columbia, as they love a high DAT. Add UPenn, they will likely give you a $100K Dean's Scholarship. Now you've got 6 schools, 5 schools that you have a great chance at getting into, and as long as you don't screw up the interview you're pretty much guaranteed to get into at least one of those schools.
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Yes having W's is pretty bad. That will almost certainly come up in your interview and the school is probably expecting an answer like you were in a car accident or some legitimate reason. Not liking your classes obviously was lack of maturity and I'm sure you'll try to explain that you've changed but W's are usually considered only for extenuating circumstances according to most schools. I'd call and ask specifically to those two schools to see if its even worth applying to them or you'd need to apply to others that don't take W's as seriously.
 
ashes2ashes said:
is the midwestern on the OOS friendly list the one in IL or AZ??
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When one refers to Midwestern, it is almost always Midwestern in AZ. For the most part, Midwestern IL is referred to as such. Midwestern IL is a brand new school, therefore there is no data available for it, though one can assume that Midwestern IL will follow suit with Midwestern (AZ) and also be OOS friendly. Especially when it's the school's first year, it can't really afford to be too picky about the location (and caliber) of the students it admits.
 
Hi. How and where do we actually apply for the NHSC and/or HPSP? Thank you.
 
Ix3 said:
What are my chances??

3 years in a CC, I earned 9 W's (mostly gen sci & cal 1 classes) the first 2 years along with one C and a few B's, B+'s, A-'s without studying at all. I was doing Pre-Pharmacy because my parents wanted me to go into Pharmacy, but I hated it and I would keep dropping classes to piss my parents off or earning w/e grades I didn't care (I know I was an idiot back then lol ), and finally they gave up and agreed and let me study whatever I wanted, and I picked dentistry; since then, I busted my butts for A's/A+'s. I earned 4.0 in two semesters, transferred to Wayne State right afterwards(couldn't believe they accepted me) to finish my pre-reqs; and when I was eventually done, the following was my status.

cGPA: 3.8
sGPA: 3.93
DAT: 24/25 (I was shocked when I got the score ;P but of course super happy)
I shadowed a dentist for a year, 2 days a week.
I worked as a nail tech/florist ever since I was 17 to support myself.
I volunteered at hospice/red cross/hospital/make a wish foundation for 2 years.
I got one LOR from a dentist, and 2 others are from my Cal/A&P instructors at the University.
Schools applied: UM , UW


I don't have a lot of experience, which sucks; and those W's have been haunting me ever since the minute I learned about how they would kill my chances of getting accepted to a good dental school. So What are my chances for the school I applied to and in general? Thanks for any input.
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WOW!! Congrats on your scores!! I had the similar situations as you (parents wanted me to be a pharmacist and I could careless about my grade in the beginning until I found what I was passionate for 🙂 ) so HOW DID YOU DO IT???? Your scores are great!!! I have less than a mo. until my test date. Any advise? Thanks.
 
IBelieve said:
Hi. How and where do we actually apply for the NHSC and/or HPSP? Thank you.
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If you haven't been to an interview yet, don't worry about it. When you are at the interview, mention that you are interested in the HPSP and they will direct you to a recruiter for that school/state. I have no idea about the NHSC, perhaps you can glean it from their website or ask the main forum.
 
I am leaving for Europe for the summer, with limited internet access, so I no longer will be able to answer any PMs about school choices. Take it upon yourself to figure it out based on the guide I created, and you will be fine. Good luck everyone!
 
somethinpositiv said:
If you are wondering "What Schools Should I Apply To?" or "What Are My Chances?" you've come to the right place!

There's no reason to have a ton of individual threads about this in the forum, and since we don't have a subforum for this, everyone, you just need to educate yourselves with the wealth of information that is already out there. If you're on these boards, you're an intelligent person; this stuff isn't rocket science, you can figure it out.

Start by going to www.PreDents.com, and go to Ranking > Sort Schools By > xxxxx
You can arrange them by GPA, DAT, or more importantly, % Out-of-State students; the higher the better. If the Out-of-State (OOS) percentage is lower than 30%, generally it would be a waste to apply to those places (note that NYU, Western, and Midwestern are mistakenly 0%, because there is no current data for those schools; these schools are OOS friendly. Kentucky may be the exception to the 30% rule). Some percentages can be deceiving though: Washington’s OOS and OHSU's OOS is almost entirely WICHE, UMKC’s OOS is almost entirely Kansas residents, Minnesota’s OOS is entirely regional and Wisconsin residents, UMDNJ's and WVU's OOS numbers are deceptively high, Colorado’s OOS is entirely regional, Tennessee's OOS is mostly Arkansas residents, and Alabama’s OOS is entirely Georgia and regional residents. Also, unless you are URM (African-American, Latino/a, Native American), ignore all data for Howard and Meharry, although Howard does accept a good number of Asians.

Obviously, if you have an In-State public school (and your scores are within a reasonable range), apply there. However, eliminating OOS unfriendly state schools (as well as Howard/Meharry), you end up with the following schools to choose from (number of OOS seats in parenthesis, based on 2009 ADEA figures):

1. NYU (168)
2. Tufts (121+52, they are gradually adding 52 additional seats by 2011 as part of the Vertical Expansion Initiative.)
3. Temple (98)
4. Boston University (91)
5. Midwestern (82)
6. Creighton (79)
7. Louisville (76, they added 35 more OOS seats this year)
8. Pittsburgh (72)
9. Western (64 total)
10. Maryland (57)
11. USC (55)
12. Case Western (50)
13. Buffalo (48)
14. Virginia Commonwealth (45)
15. Nova (43)
16. Michigan (42)
17. Marquette (40)
18. Indiana (30)
19. Detroit Mercy (27)

20. UConn (19, Has very few seats, and tends to accept OOS students with higher stats than their average would indicate)
21. Kentucky (17, I consider this school to be OOS friendly based on anecdotal evidence. I will remove it if that evidence is refuted.)
22. UNLV (33, This is a school that will give you a chance OOS only if you apply early.)
23. ASDOH (46, Do you have hundreds of hours of community service and volunteering? If so, you should apply here.)
24. Loma Linda (44, Are you heavily religiously inclined? More specifically, are you of the Seventh-day Adventist Church? They will ask you about it in the secondary application, and it is very difficult to get in if you're not SDA.)

The following schools have a DAT average of 21 or higher, thus if you have a 19 DAT forget it, if you have a 20 DAT you perhaps have an outside chance of getting in, and if you have 21+ DAT, these schools might be for you. (UCLA, UW, and Stony Brook are in this category but were eliminated for not being OOS Friendly).

25. Penn (48)
26. University of Pacific (46)
27. Columbia (44)
28. Harvard (35)
29. UCSF (25)

So essentially, if you do not have an in-state public school and are not URM, you have these 29 schools to choose from when applying, 29 out of 57 total schools. If you're too lazy to read the rest of the guide in detail, and you have average or reasonably competitive stats, you could apply to the first 19 schools I listed as well as your state schools and you might be alright, though I recommend against this...

The next thing you want to do is to read Doc Toothache's 09 Ranking of Dental Schools Based on DAT/GPA (which is more accurate than PreDents.com): http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=602109

Also, make sure you check out Fodog's Every Statistic About Every Dental School, a guide based on the figures from the 2010 ADEA Guide To Dental Schools and the 2008-2009 Survey of Dental Education, compiled by Fodog (02-08-2010). It's amazing, very useful, I highly recommend using it: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=700459

Based on your GPA/DAT, choose schools that fit your range of scores. If you're not sure if you are competitive, you could use the modified UTHSCSA formula by plugging your numbers into: Science GPA x ([DAT AA/30]x4 + Overall GPA, and compare your values with the values in Doc Toothaches chart for UTHSCSA formula. For example, if you had a 3.5 GPA, 3.4 Science GPA, and 19 AA, you would calculate: 3.4 x ([19/30]x4 + 3.5 = 12.11, which is your UTHSCSA value, and says that you are competitive for schools that are below this value (if these are your scores, there are 15 schools within your range, not including Howard-Meharry-Puerto Rico, and prior to eliminating public schools which you are out-of-state). The formula does neglect the PAT score (check PreDents for that), and does not take into account individual sections (which many schools have a cut-off of 17 for each individual section). The formula itself has no real validity or meaning, but it is a tool to help you choose schools that are within your range. Generally, you want to apply to schools that have DAT averages of less than 1 point over your DAT, and at most 0.2 GPA points from your overall GPA and Science GPA (not a hard and set rule, just some parameters to consider).

[The following charts were compiled by Doc Toothache] For DAT/GPA, you can also look at the DAT-GPA trends and Range of DAT scores. Also, different schools value different DAT/GPA/other selection criteria. In general, schools tend to look the most heavily for AA/TS/RC/scienceGPA/overallGPA/Interview, and not so much on QR & non-scienceGPA, with half the schools looking specifically for high PAT and good LORs. If your undergrad GPA is low, consider an SMP (Special Masters Program), a 1 year Masters with no thesis (Barry University in Miami offers an SMP, there are others.. you can often use your DAT to apply in lieu of a GRE), and many schools favor an applicant with a Masters Degree. If you are wondering how much your Race plays into particular schools (as well as choice of Major and Gender), check out these charts on the Affirmative Action Myth and Minority Acceptance in Dental Schools. As you can see, some schools are almost all white (06 Data: Louisville-85%, Marquette-85%, Indiana-84%, Buffalo-80%, Pitt-76%), and some schools accept very few Asians (06 Data: UConn: 1/211 Asian applicants accepted, Marquette:1/179 Asian applicants accepted, Louisville:1/151 Asian applicants accepted). If you're wondering about how much Age plays a factor, over 200 older "Non-Traditional" applicants were accepted last year. Also, the number of Shadowing Hours Required by Schools is different. In general, you want at least 30 Hours, with 100 Hours being ideal. Applying early is so important. Take a look at the Acceptances with Pre and Post Dec. Interviews 2009.

Another thing to consider is the course requirements (Pre-Reqs). Some schools require 1 year of English, others, 1 semester. Some schools require 1 year of Calculus, others, 1 semester. Statistics, Psychology, Sociology, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry II, Microbiology, Physiology, and Anatomy are also courses that some schools may require and others may not; check the school’s websites or consult the ADEA 2010 Official Guide to Dental Schools for this information. If you are applying as a college Junior, you may be able to take these school-specific required courses during your second semester Senior year, after finding out what school you are going to after December 1st (hopefully). As long as you finish these school-specific required courses before attending that dental school, you’ll be fine. Also, keep in mind that some schools DO NOT accept Pre-Reqs from Community College, such as Tufts, NYU, BU, and Temple. In fact, Tufts won't accept any CC credits, so you can effectively remove it from your list if you went to CC before you went to a 4-year institution.

So at this point you know which schools are Out-of-State friendly, know which schools match your stats and would give you the maximum chance at acceptance, and know which schools you can’t apply to because of school-specific required courses. Your list still might be over 20 schools at this point, and you want to narrow it down more. Consider things like: Location (Urban, Suburban, Rural), Region (Northeast, South, West, Midwest), Cost (Buffalo is one of the best values), Facilities (Maryland and Detroit-Mercy have some of the best facilities), Overall Reputation (do you care if it’s an Ivy League or UC?), Clinical Reputation (UoP, Temple, Tufts, Detroit-Mercy), class size (NYU, Tufts, and USC have the largest classes), PBL curriculum (USC, Indiana, Case, Harvard, soon-to-be UIC), possible religious undertones (Loma Linda, Marquette, Creighton), racial diversity (Midwestern, Marquette, and Louisville are known for their lack thereof), research opportunities, proximity to home and family, safety of the area, ect. ect… Ultimately it is up to you to decide what factors are most important, and to choose your schools based on that.

You can disregard the most important consideration, Cost, if you are getting the scholarship for National Health Service Corps (NHSC) or the US Military's Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP). The full scholarship pays for all of your tuition and living expenses, and for the HPSP, gives you a $1,900 monthly stipend and a $20,000 signing bonus as well. Each requires a pay-back period of 4 years if you take the full scholarship, meaning that you will serve as a military dentist for 4 years with HPSP, or serving a high-need area such as a prison or Indian reservation with NHSC. For the military HPSP, you can join Army, Navy, or Air Force, with the Air Force being the most competitive (Read the following guide for the HPSP). If you have a 3.5 GPA and 20 DAT, you automatically qualify if there are still scholarships available (apply early), but if your scores are lower you can still apply. The NHSC is competitive as well. These are especially popular options for those going to expensive private schools such as NYU, USC, Tufts, or Penn.

For the Canadian/International applicant, your choice of schools is very limited. For the most part, you will bank on the large expensive private schools (or should I say, they will bank on you, zing!). This list is not comprehensive, but to my knowledge, the schools that are Canadian applicant friendly are: NYU, Tufts, BU, USC, UoP, Temple, Buffalo, Detroit Mercy, Pitt, Penn, Case, Nova, Columbia, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Michigan, and Midwestern (no information on the new school Western is available). If you are a Canadian applicant, I'd recommend further investigation into these particular institutions. Also, if you have only taken the Canadian DAT, check with each school individually to see which schools will only accept the American DAT.

Thanks to Doc Toothache and PDizzle for compiling so much information for the benefit of dental school applicants on SDN. Let me know (by PM) if any of this information is outdated and I will update it.

Good luck this cycle everyone!

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If you'd done everything in the guide and tried to formulate a list for yourself, and STILL can't figure it out (it's not hard folks), you can send me a PM and I'll tell you which, in my opinion, are the best schools for you to apply to, that you might be happiest at and have the best chance of getting into.

Send me a PM with the following information, and I will give you a list of 10 schools you should apply to which would give you the best chance at acceptance. Make sure to include ALL of the following information (for example, I cannot make a list for you without your DAT score, I will ignore any PM with a hypothetical DAT range).

- State Residence
- Race/Ethnicity
- DAT (AA, TS, PAT, any section 17 or lower)
- GPA (cumulative & science)
- Location(s) Preferred: West Coast / East Coast / Midwest / South
- Location(s) Preferred: Urban / Suburban / Rural
- Rank the following factors - Location, Price, Facilities, Research, Reputation
- Are you Christian conservative and would prefer a school that was?
- Shadowing Hours (if you do not answer, I will assume 100 hours)
- Schools you are definitely applying to no matter what
- 10 other schools you were considering applying to

Again, make sure to include ALL of the information above (again, I cannot make a list for you without your DAT score, I will ignore any PM with a hypothetical DAT range). I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.

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After You Get Interviews:

Make sure you read Burton117's ***Official: Can you answer these questions about your dental school?*** thread, it provides some deeper insight on the inner workings of each school.

Also, before your interview you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO READ SDN INTERVIEW FEEDBACK!!!
It presents the most common interview questions from the schools you are interviewing at to help you prepare, and also presents some useful data.
New SDN Interview Feedback: http://www.studentdoctor.net/schools/
Old SDN Interview Feedback: http://more.studentdoctor.net/schoollist.php?type=3


Hey can you help me with where should I apply and what are my chances, plz!!! Here is my stat
State Residence TX
- Race/Ethnicity Asian Indian
- DAT (AA, TS, PAT, any section 17 or lower)
AA 20 TS 19 PAT 24 (NO section lower than 18)
- GPA (cumulative & science) 3.13/305
- Shadowing Hours (if you do not answer, I will assume 100 hours) 500+
- Schools you are definitely applying to no matter what - All 3 TX Schools
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Hi somethinpositiv,
I cant seem to send you a PM in order to give you my information so that you could give me a list of 10 schools to apply to...
 
beautiful1 said:
Hi somethinpositiv,
I cant seem to send you a PM in order to give you my information so that you could give me a list of 10 schools to apply to...
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A couple of posts above yours "somethinpositiv" posted that he would be in Europe for most of the summer and not be able to answer PMs.

Read through the info posted and work from there. Unless someone else wants to step up to field your questions. 🙂
 
i talked to a representative from Tufts and they told me that if someone retook their CC pre-reqs at a 4-year, they would accept that, but according to this guide, it says that they don't accept any CC credits?
 
Oracle DMD said:
under represented minority (read: all minorities except sometimes asain)
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all minorities? uRm. the R is what matters. Asian and middle eastern applicants are not under represented in the profession in any way. urm generally only applies to hispanics and african americans.
 
-Ca
-Korean born in America
-19AA, 19TS, 20PAT, 16RC
- 3.1 overall gpa, 2.9 science gpa
-Any where/factors are fine
-I'm christian, but no preference for school
-No shadow hrs, but tons of community service hr, and lab experience

I really wanna go to dental school. Where is my best 10 chance? thanx
 
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I'm a Canadian interested in applying to American Dental schools. I graduated from the University of Western Ontario with an honors degree in biochemistry. My application went out 7/27, and I applied to Buff, Michigan, Stony Brook, Detroit Mercy, and New Jersey. I have a 3.98 Science GPA, 3.94 overall GPA, 19 AA and PAT on DAT. Do I have a realistic shot at any of these schools? Should I be applying to more? Which ones? Thanks alot
 
homer448 said:
I'm a Canadian interested in applying to American Dental schools. I graduated from the University of Western Ontario with an honors degree in biochemistry. My application went out 7/27, and I applied to Buff, Michigan, Stony Brook, Detroit Mercy, and New Jersey. I have a 3.98 Science GPA, 3.94 overall GPA, 19 AA and PAT on DAT. Do I have a realistic shot at any of these schools? Should I be applying to more? Which ones? Thanks alot
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I don't understand why people are not looking at the website of these schools, call them, get lat years stats and talk to them ??

Most of these schools will talk to you, give you advice and help when they see you have done your research and your homework .

With a 3.98 GPA, you can get in any school in Canada 🙂 Why go to US ?
 
.


shahinc said:
I don't understand why people are not looking at the website of these schools, call them, get lat years stats and talk to them ??

Most of these schools will talk to you, give you advice and help when they see you have done your research and your homework .

With a 3.98 GPA, you can get in any school in Canada 🙂 Why go to US ?
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@Relign: My friend started dent at UMN last week! Small world.
@somethinpositiv: Thanks for all the helpful posts =)

I am a Canadian student with a 3.2 overall and 3.19 sci GPA. I completed 2 years of a BSc in pharmacology, but will be switching to a more liberal/general degree this year so that I can achieve a better GPA and take more electives to get the highest GPA possible. In November I intend to write the Canadian DAT, possibly the American one if I have time. Not sure if I should apply for Fall 2011 matriculation, especially with such a low GPA (year 2 killed my GPA).

In Canada, most schools will take students after at least 2 years of study. Is it similar in the US?

Do I have an advantage if I complete 4 years of study? That is, will a BSc give me a competitive advantage over another applicant with similar credentials? When scoring applicants, do some schools drop the GPA of the worst grade/worst academic year?

Will it be a waste of money to apply at the end of this cycle, when I could just wait a few months and apply at the top of the next one (and counting on a higher GPA)?
 
I just took the DAT and was not sure if I should retake or will my stats be competitive enough?

Science GPA: ~3.55
Overall GPA: 3.759
DAT AA: 20
Avg. Sci: 20
PAT: 21
BIO:19
GC: 21
OC: 23
RC: 20
QR: 18

Additionally, I am applying later than I should be (missing the early selection). I applied to only 4 schools (one being my state school and undergrad school - Indiana University) because of the high costs for additional schools. Furthermore, I was charged with an OWI a little over 5 years ago and was not sure how much that played a factor. I was an immature, freshly-turned 18 year old. I explained in my personal statement how I was basically fell under the many pressures of high school causing me to disregard consequences but led to a self-discovering experience. I have about 12 hours of dental shadowing and on/off community service. Thanks for the help! 🙂
 
very nice thread for medical students to search for the best school of dental...thanks for sharing this information
 
- Colorado
 - White
 - DAT: scheduled to take it, assume 18-20 across the board
 - GPA (3.42 cumulative & 3.39 science), currently doing post bacc at UPenn
 - Location(s) Preferred: Colorado
 - Location(s) Preferred: Urban / Suburban
 - Rank the following factors - Location, Price, Facilities, Research, Reputation
- Are you Christian conservative and would prefer a school that was? No
 - Shadowing Hours (if you do not answer, I will assume 100 hours) 100+
 - Schools you are definitely applying to no matter what: CU, UNC
 - 10 other schools you were considering applying to
Not sure, inquiring as to where to apply.

Any advice would help!
 
26. University of Pacific (46)

This is a silly, nit picky correction but UoP actually has 143 seats for incoming DDS students. :]
 
I recieved a 24 TS, 23 AA
it is 99.7% TS and 99.7% AA

what do they mean?
what are my chances of getting into a place like columbia or harvard?
my gpa is a 3.69 with a science gpa of a 3.67
 
missNo said:
26. University of Pacific (46)

This is a silly, nit picky correction but UoP actually has 143 seats for incoming DDS students. :]
Click to expand...

Aren't ~1/2 of those seats reserved for students in their 2+3 and 3+3 programs?
 
Any info would be greatly appreciated!

I have a GPA of 2.99, I am finishing up my chem, organ chem, bio and physics. My undergrad is in healthcare mgmt, so it didn't cover all my sciences. I'm hoping to raise my science gpa.

Does your experience weigh heavy on your acceptance? I did five years in the Navy as a dental tech and now work part time as a dental assistant. I have plenty of volunteer experience.

I am worried that I just don't have the numbers to cut it. 🙁

Thanks!
 
somethinpositiv said:
As I said in the original post, I consider Kentucky to be OOS friendly based on anecdotal evidence. I will remove it if that evidence is refuted. As a public school, they set aside a fair number of seats for OOS, but more importantly, they have comparable admissions standards for OOS and In-State. Many or most state schools only consider OOS students with stats that are much higher than their mean stats shown in the literature (prime examples being UNC and UW), which means that their admissions processes are inherently biased against OOS. Kentucky seems to be less biased against OOS than most public schools, though I will remove it if evidence of the contrary is shown.

UMDNJ is a school I consider to not be OOS friendly based on anecdotal evidence, and I will remove it if that evidence is refuted. From the people I've talked to who have been at the UMDNJ interview, they were told "If you're not from New Jersey... good luck..." There are a fair number of OOS accepted to UMDNJ every year, but if you look at the demographics, they seem to almost always be from the surrounding area (NY, PA, Delaware). If you are from that area, UMDNJ might be a good choice. However, I made this guide without consideration for state and regional residence. If one were specifically from the Northeast, California, or Texas, there would be specific schools that those people should probably apply to.
Click to expand...

I am a CA resident and I submitted a primary to UMDNJ. I haven't yet submitted my secondary fee, and now I'm wondering if it's even worth it? Do I basically not have a chance at all?
 
Hey, so I really screwed up my freshman year of undergrad. I got arrested for petty theft during my first quarter of school. The stress from that screwed me up HARD. I finished my first year with 1.8

Since then, I have recovered and gotten nothing but A's. After my second year my GPA was 2.8

I'm still in my third year and my straight A streak has been going strong with no signs of stopping. If I can keep getting A's and get my GPA to 3.5+ will I have a chance at getting in?

Oh yeah, I havent even started my Pre-reqs yet, so I am planning on a 4.0 for those.

I am planning to study my brains out for the DAT. I don't care what I have to do, I will get a 23+ if I need to. Do you think a score this high is needed? I am a Psychology major by the way.

I also want to volunteer in a dental office as much as possible... I havent started yet but I am planning on doing 4 hours a week for 1 year. so about 200 hours.

Right now I am working 18-19 hours a week doing odd ends at a company that produces skin care and hair care products. Will this effect my odds of getting in? Been there for a little over 1 year.

My goal is to become an orthodontist. I live in Southern California, so I am thinking UCLA. Don't wanna go to far away.

Thanks to anyone who responds to this
 
missNo said:
26. University of Pacific (46)

This is a silly, nit picky correction but UoP actually has 143 seats for incoming DDS students. :]
Click to expand...

46 is the number of seats given to students outside of California, OOS. This number was from the ADEA book, not the newest edition, so that number might be outdated. But I don't think there's 143 seats for OOS students at UoP 😉
 
corpus luteum said:
Aren't ~1/2 of those seats reserved for students in their 2+3 and 3+3 programs?
Click to expand...

That very well may be the case, not sure. But if the total number of students is 143, and there are 46 seats for OOS and 97 seats for In-State, than the seats reserved for 2+3 and 3+3 students would come from out of the 97 In-State seats. That sounds like the seats for the OOS, In-State, and 2+3/3+3 students are split into equal thirds. Not sure though.
 
Ryan08 said:
Hey, so I really screwed up my freshman year of undergrad. I got arrested for petty theft during my first quarter of school. The stress from that screwed me up HARD. I finished my first year with 1.8

Since then, I have recovered and gotten nothing but A's. After my second year my GPA was 2.8

I'm still in my third year and my straight A streak has been going strong with no signs of stopping. If I can keep getting A's and get my GPA to 3.5+ will I have a chance at getting in?

Oh yeah, I havent even started my Pre-reqs yet, so I am planning on a 4.0 for those.

I am planning to study my brains out for the DAT. I don't care what I have to do, I will get a 23+ if I need to. Do you think a score this high is needed? I am a Psychology major by the way.

I also want to volunteer in a dental office as much as possible... I havent started yet but I am planning on doing 4 hours a week for 1 year. so about 200 hours.

Right now I am working 18-19 hours a week doing odd ends at a company that produces skin care and hair care products. Will this effect my odds of getting in? Been there for a little over 1 year.

My goal is to become an orthodontist. I live in Southern California, so I am thinking UCLA. Don't wanna go to far away.

Thanks to anyone who responds to this
Click to expand...

This kind of question belongs in the regular forum. As a second year dental student, I really don't have the time (or the knowledge) to answer these types of questions anymore.. Sorry.. if you posted in the regular forum, I'm sure your peers and other dental students could give you their opinions and help you out.
 
Hi everyone, I've been checking out this website for a while and just made a membership. I was wondering if anyone had any advice in regards to going from Dental Hygiene to Dental school. I'm 21 and doing my undergrad in Dental Hygiene at a University. I'll be finished with my Bachelors in the Science of Dental Hygiene when I'm 24. While I'm doing this I've also been fitting in the main Dental school pre-req's. When I graduate I'll have done:

Gen Chem 1+2
Org. Chem 1+2
Physics 1+ 2
A+P 1+2
Microbio
Biochem

Are there any more classes that ya'll suggest I fit in?
I was also wondering if anyone had any advice in regards to how dental schools look at DH students. I've already done a ridiculous amount of shadowing (volunteer work) and plan to continue with that. I have my heart set on Uconn because I'm from CT so if anyone has any thoughts on this I'd really appreciate it.
By the way I plan to take the DAT the summer after I graduate and plan on having a GPA of at least 3.7 and a Science GPA of at least 3.7 if not higher.
Thanks! 🙂
 
somethinpositiv said:
This kind of question belongs in the regular forum. As a second year dental student, I really don't have the time (or the knowledge) to answer these types of questions anymore.. Sorry.. if you posted in the regular forum, I'm sure your peers and other dental students could give you their opinions and help you out.
Click to expand...

Sorry didn't see this post before I posted a similar question. Any specific suggestions on which thread to post on? Thanks
 
Ix3 said:
What are my chances??

3 years in a CC, I earned 9 W's (mostly gen sci & cal 1 classes) the first 2 years along with one C and a few B's, B+'s, A-'s without studying at all. I was doing Pre-Pharmacy because my parents wanted me to go into Pharmacy, but I hated it and I would keep dropping classes to piss my parents off or earning w/e grades I didn't care (I know I was an idiot back then lol ), and finally they gave up and agreed and let me study whatever I wanted, and I picked dentistry; since then, I busted my butts for A's/A+'s. I earned 4.0 in two semesters, transferred to Wayne State right afterwards(couldn't believe they accepted me) to finish my pre-reqs; and when I was eventually done, the following was my status.

cGPA: 3.8
sGPA: 3.93
DAT: 24/25 (I was shocked when I got the score ;P but of course super happy)
I shadowed a dentist for a year, 2 days a week.
I worked as a nail tech/florist ever since I was 17 to support myself.
I volunteered at hospice/red cross/hospital/make a wish foundation for 2 years.
I got one LOR from a dentist, and 2 others are from my Cal/A&P instructors at the University.
Schools applied: UM , UW


I don't have a lot of experience, which sucks; and those W's have been haunting me ever since the minute I learned about how they would kill my chances of getting accepted to a good dental school. So What are my chances for the school I applied to and in general? Thanks for any input.
Click to expand...

Something is off.
 
Hi i am planning to buy a dental decks at a lesser price.Can anyone help me in this?
 
Hello everyone,
A little about my background first.

BA in MIS from CSU at Bakersfield 2003.

I am doing my pre-req for dentistry at two different community colleges.

I am planning to take the Kaplan this summer & DAT right after.

I am making A's and B's in all my pre-req and graduted with a 3.5 gpa undergrad.

I am a California resident and other then California and Texas, where all should I apply???

I have a list of all the schools but am confused about which schools give priority to California residents and even out of state students. I am willing to move anywhere in the states to go to Dental school??

I am hoping someone can also tell me which schools other then Tufts does not accept community college work so I do not waste my time and focus of schools that will.

Please help???
 
Last edited:
shedara2008 said:
thats really funny. thats why you cant let people tell you what you are capable of.
Click to expand...

I know the guy, I asked him about his comment because I knew I never said that. (wtf man?? haha). He said he was joking haha. so yeah.

That said, your statement shedara is very true. Believe in yourself! (but be realistic..)
 
EDIT: I added a section under "Cost" about "Income Based Repayment." I feel it is a very important repayment option and should be considered, especially for those going to expensive private schools and planning to do general dentistry.
 
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