which undergrad you went

[NavyDDS1990]

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this question im about to ask can be very controversial.

let's say we have a group of people with exact same GPA from different undergrad like Harvard, Princeton, yale, and including other low ranked universities.

what I want to know is this:

I heard dental adcoms don't really look at which school you went to, just the GPA.
Then what is the point of people trying so hard to get into good universities like Harvard UPenn etc.
I just thought it was unfair how they don't consider the undergrad into admissions factors.
I thought 3.5 GPA from, lets say Harvard, and 3.5 GPA from much much much lower ranked universities should be weighed differently.

what do you guys think?

 

[squigloo]

If everybody in that group had the exact same DAT scores, shadowing, service, leadership, LoRs, and PS, then where they went to undergrad might matter. If not, then it probably doesn't matter. To answer your "want to knows" (in order):

1) They don't really, unless it's like a community college vs ivy, or if they have no other way to choose between candidates (which is unlikely)
2) Because they think that it matters more than it really does (or they just want to show off)
3) ;___;
4) Adcoms have no way of knowing whether or not the lower ranked university's programs are more or less difficult than harvard, so why would they do that?

 

[NavyDDS1990]

If everybody in that group had the exact same DAT scores, shadowing, service, leadership, LoRs, and PS, then where they went to undergrad might matter. If not, then it probably doesn't matter. To answer your "want to knows" (in order):

1) They don't really, unless it's like a community college vs ivy, or if they have no other way to choose between candidates (which is unlikely)
2) Because they think that it matters more than it really does (or they just want to show off)
3) ;___;
4) Adcoms have no way of knowing whether or not the lower ranked university's programs are more or less difficult than harvard, so why would they do that?

I get your point, but I wasn't going that far haha.
It was just my assumption that higher ranked schools have more challenging programs than lower ones.
I know some schools have their grading systems work by competition rather than a scale.
Top 10% would get an A, and others get B and some gets C, in this manner.

 

[BlackThought]

It was just my assumption that higher ranked schools have more challenging programs than lower ones.

Nope. Don't assume that.

Also, what is considered 'challenging' is so relative and subjective that there really isn't any point in even considering it as a marker of a school's perceived difficulty .

 

[kdrp]

this question im about to ask can be very controversial.

let's say we have a group of people with exact same GPA from different undergrad like Harvard, Princeton, yale, and including other low ranked universities.

what I want to know is this:

I heard dental adcoms don't really look at which school you went to, just the GPA.
Then what is the point of people trying so hard to get into good universities like Harvard UPenn etc.
I just thought it was unfair how they don't consider the undergrad into admissions factors.
I thought 3.5 GPA from, lets say Harvard, and 3.5 GPA from much much much lower ranked universities should be weighed differently.

what do you guys think?

I don't think there is a real way to actually answer this question. However, I can tell you that I went 2 years CC straight into a low tier university for 2 years (can't argue w/ $0 graduation debt!) ~3.7 GPA, got 6 interviews and 3 acceptances and I did pretty mediocre job on the DAT too (19AA/19TS -- 3 weeks studying). So from my own experience, I'd say they don't care.

 

[KeepersWay]

Doesn't mean anything, as long as it is not a community college and even then it might not matter much depending on the school. stop focusing on undergrad its basically like high school for dental school as long as it was completed on something accredited and not one of those advertised universities you'll be fine, just do well.

 

[ktran17]

The dat is the equalizer 🙂

 

[djd0516]

I honestly don't think it makes much difference where you went to undergrad. Basic prerequisite courses for science majors seem to have some degree of content standardization. I went to a "no name" undergrad and would watch lecture videos and study with practice exams I found online from schools like MIT, Dartmouth, and Harvard, and to be honest they were all similar to the difficulty level of my courses. Sometimes easier. I think the major difference is that students getting accepted to Ivy League schools for undergrad have been high achievers most of their lives (especially through high school). I don't see why people get on here and complain that their 3.5 at an ivy should be worth a 4.0 at some state school. 1. You will get accepted to dental school...you went to Harvard. 2. You got accepted to Harvard for undergrad, why don't you have a 4.0?

 

[Gaucho4Life]

You got accepted to Harvard for undergrad, why don't you have a 4.0?

Was this a serious question?

 

[djd0516]

Was this a serious question?

Why would that not be a serious question? A person getting accepted at an ivy likely took a ton of AP classes, participated in a lot of ECs, and still had a 4.0 in high school. Most people can only dream of going to a school like that. IMO it's unacceptable to waste that kind of opportunity with anything less than a 4.0.

 

[Glimmer1991]

Why would that not be a serious question? A person getting accepted at an ivy likely took a ton of AP classes, participated in a lot of ECs, and still had a 4.0 in high school. Most people can only dream of going to a school like that. IMO it's unacceptable to waste that kind of opportunity with anything less than a 4.0.

0_0

I was the valedictorian at my high school (10 AP classes, straight As, multiple ECs) and made a 2240 on the SAT without preparation (I changed my efforts for the DAT... LOL!).

Even at UNC (which ain't no Harvard!), there is no way I would have had a 4.0, especially with a science degree.

I have multiple friends with IQs that are SKY HIGH at Harvard/Princeton/MIT/Yale/Cornell who do not have 4.0s... And they are pure geniuses. Truly.

I'm pretty smart, but I am nowhere near as smart as quite a few of them. One of them, for example, made a perfect 1600 on the SAT in the seventh grade. (Back before they added the writing section.)

If they can't do it, who in the world could?

Now... back to the OP's question.

I heard dental adcoms don't really look at which school you went to, just the GPA.
I would say that this isn't exactly true. I'm sure they notice where you went to school. However, by and large, the GPA seems to matter much more than the "prestige" of the school. Also, in my opinion, a high DAT score can totally validate a high GPA at a lesser-known school. That was at least my personal viewpoint when I went in to take the DAT. I went to a school where I was the only pre-dent and there were only 1-2 *serious* pre-meds. Our science program is actually dang good, but I'd say 99.9% of American citizens haven't heard of my school. It isn't prestigious at all, but it was exactly where I needed to be for undergrad. The lack of "prestige" was never brought up in an interview. However, my GPA and DAT were. 🙂

Then what is the point of people trying so hard to get into good universities like Harvard UPenn etc.
I think there are other instances where having an Ivy league degree can help. For example, some of my genius friends who want to go into politics are at Harvard. Others who want to be engineers are at MIT. It makes sense for them. If the goal is dental school, though, I don't think it's really worth it. The price is so high, and it doesn't give you much of a leg up. And, if we're honest, I'm almost sure it will cause most peoples' GPAs to take a hit.

I just thought it was unfair how they don't consider the undergrad into admissions factors.
A lot of stuff in the admissions process (and life!) seems unfair. Oh well, that's why you've got to figure out the "system" and beat it. Go to the school that is cheapest and where you can best succeed. Kill the DAT to prove how smart you are--it is the only true equalizer, after all. And, like I said earlier, I'm sure they notice. If two people have very similar applications but one went to Harvard, I'm sure the Harvard grad gets the leg up.

I thought 3.5 GPA from, lets say Harvard, and 3.5 GPA from much much much lower ranked universities should be weighed differently.
Sure, I agree with you if all else is equal. But there are so many other factors. What if the 3.5 GPA from the "lower ranked" school is accompanied by a 25AA, while the 3.5 GPA from Harvard is accompanied by a 19AA? Then what? You have to consider the whole package.

 

[Gaucho4Life]

0_0

I was the valedictorian at my high school (10 AP classes, straight As, multiple ECs) and made a 2240 on the SAT without preparation (I changed my efforts for the DAT... LOL!).

Even at UNC (which ain't no Harvard!), there is no way I would have had a 4.0, especially with a science degree.

I have multiple friends with IQs that are SKY HIGH at Harvard/Princeton/MIT/Yale/Cornell who do not have 4.0s... And they are pure geniuses. Truly.

I'm pretty smart, but I am nowhere near as smart as quite a few of them. One of them, for example, made a perfect 1600 on the SAT in the seventh grade. (Back before they added the writing section.)
If they can't do it, who in the world could?

Now... back to the OP's question.
I heard dental adcoms don't really look at which school you went to, just the GPA.
I would say that this isn't exactly true. I'm sure they notice where you went to school. However, by and large, the GPA seems to matter much more than the "prestige" of the school. Also, in my opinion, a high DAT score can totally validate a high GPA at a lesser-known school. That was at least my personal viewpoint when I went in to take the DAT. I went to a school where I was the only pre-dent and there were only 1-2 *serious* pre-meds. Our science program is actually dang good, but i'd say 99.9% of American citizens haven't heard of my school. It isn't prestigious at all, but it was exactly where I needed to be for undergrad. The lack of "prestige" was never brought up in an interview. However, my GPA and DAT were. 🙂
Then what is the point of people trying so hard to get into good universities like Harvard UPenn etc.
I think there are other instances where having an Ivy league degree can help. For example, some of my genius friends who want to go into politics are at Harvard. Others who want to be engineers are at MIT. It makes sense for them. If the goal is dental school, though, I don't think it's really worth it. The price is so high, and it doesn't give you much of a leg up. And, if we're honest, I'm almost sure it will cause most peoples' GPAs to take a hit.

I just thought it was unfair how they don't consider the undergrad into admissions factors.
A lot of stuff in the admissions process (and life!) seems unfair. Oh well, that's why you've got to figure out the "system" and beat it. Go to the school that is cheapest and where you can best succeed. Kill the DAT to prove how smart you are--it is the only true equalizer, after all. And, like I said earlier, I'm sure they notice. If two people have very similar applications but one went to Harvard, I'm sure the Harvard grad gets the leg up.

I thought 3.5 GPA from, lets say Harvard, and 3.5 GPA from much much much lower ranked universities should be weighed differently.
Sure, I agree with you if all else is equal. But there are so many other factors. What if the 3.5 GPA from the "lower ranked" school is accompanied by a 25AA, while the 3.5 GPA from Harvard is accompanied by a 19AA? Then what? You have to consider the whole package.

Great post.