Who would you choose?

[Dr.Smiley-OR]

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hey you guys,
This post is a "survey" game, so if you do not like it, please ignore it. 😍
Now, let pretend that you are the Admission Committe and you must choose 1 out of the 3 applicants below for 1 spot left, who would you choose ? (given that all three are EQUALLY exceptional in their community service, dental experiences, personal essay, LORs, etc....). Please response with justification for your choice.

Applicant 1:
Overall GPA: 3.8
Science GPA: 3.6
PAT: 16
AA: 18
TS: 17
Major: Biology
Undergraduate at: Harvard

Applicant 2:
Overall GPA: 3.3
Science GPA: 3.2
PAT: 20
AA: 22
TS: 23
Major: Biochemistry
Undergraduate at: Cornellius

Applicant 3:
Overall GPA: 3.5
Science GPA:3.4
PAT: 18
AA: 19
TS: 18
Major: Chemistry
Undergraduate at: Boston

these are made up numbers, so feel free to comment! They are not belonging to anyone that I know.


Thanks for playing the game! : 😎

P.S I have edited and added more info to the applicants' profiles as being requested.

 

[busupshot83]

hey you guys,
This post is a "survey" game, so if you do not like it, please ignore it. 😍
Now, let pretend that you are the Admission Committe and you must choose 1 out of the 3 applicants below for 1 spot left, who would you choose ? (given that all three are EQUALLY exceptional in their community service, dental experiences, personal essay, LORs, etc....). Please response with justification for your choice.

Applicant 1:
Overall GPA: 3.8
Science GPA: 3.6
PAT: 16
AA: 18
TS: 17


Applicant 2:
Overall GPA: 3.3
Science GPA: 3.2
PAT: 20
AA: 22
TS: 23


Applicant 3:
Overall GPA: 3.5
Science GPA:3.4
PAT: 18
AA: 19
TS: 18

these are made up numbers, so feel free to comment! They are not belonging to anyone that I know.


Thanks for playing the game! : 😎

Applicant 1; his/her long term success is greater, as seen through the overall GPA.

 

[Biogirl361]

applicant 3

#1 has too low of dat scores. i would value gpa higher than dat because gpa represents a long term investment in education while the dat is just a one day test that you study for a month for. however 16/18/17 is just too low and undercuts the high gpa. makes me think that somehow the high gpa is misleading.

#2 has too low of a gpa. like i said above the dat is just one test one day and high dat in my mind couldn't make up for the cumulative effort put in (or not put in) to get the gpa.

#3 has more or less average on both gpa and dat. the numbers seem to match and say that the candidate is within normal standards to be accepted.

of course, i would interview all 3 and at least give 1 and 2 a chance to explain the discrepancies in their gpa and dat scores during interview.

 

[Mr. Teethpulla]

i like applicant 2, i think all three got good enough gpa to get into d. school, but i like the fact that applicant 2 got the execeptionally high DAT scores. There might be a reason for his gpa being what it is, but the DAT scores put everyone on the same level.

 

[Dr.Smiley-OR]

bump

Hey, thanks for all the responses. It is very interesting to see that 3 people have 3 different picks with 3 different reasons. Let see what other people think and I will tally up after 20 responses (if we can get that many).

😀 😛 🙄

 

[superman]

Applicant 2-- decent/pretty good GPA and great DAT scores.

 

[JavadiCavity]

For one more spot! Based on the info you provided, I'd go with #3. That applicant seemed to most well-rounded stat wise.

But honestly, I'd have interviewed each of these people, and I'd trust my gut feeling over all of the info you provided. Everyone has their hiccups, but I think in an interview you can get a fairly good read on people.

 

[superman]

Also, what kind of university did they attend and what were their majors? Very competitive, piece of cake, ? Applicant 1 might have gone to a relatively less competitive university with a relatively "easier" major whereas applicant 2 might have gone to a very comp. university with a difficult major...

 

[busupshot83]

Also, what kind of university did they attend and what were their majors? Very competitive, piece of cake, ? Applicant 1 might have gone to a relatively less competitive university with a relatively "easier" major whereas applicant 2 might have gone to a very comp. university with a difficult major...

So? Everyone chooses their path (major)...

DAT scores aside, I'd rather accept person who majored in Art (no offense to art majors), and had a 3.9 overall GPA, than one who majored in Engineering and had a 3.0.

However, I agree with Superman that there needs to be more information.

 

[v&andy_yankee]

applicant2

sorry dears but DATs is a damn good indicator of how you would do nationally, compared to other kids. same reason why SATs exist: a 4.0 from a magnet high school is very different from a 4.0 from some high school in armpit town, which is why a 3.2 from a top twenty college holds more weight than a 3.8 from college X.

hence, GPAs can't really be gauged against each other unless if the applicants were from the same tier of college and from similiar majors (common sense would dictate that a sociology major would have a higher GPA than a biochemical engineer).

 

[2thDk]

vandy yankee,

I agree completely!

 

[Dr.Smiley-OR]

bump

Thanks everyone for playing the game of "Admission Committee" so far. I have made some update, please see the top post.

Dr. Smiley-OR

 

[BONAFIED]

#2
GPA isn't offensive.
"The race isn't always to the swift or the strong -but that's the way to bet" -Murphy's Law

After the update:

Still #2, Harvard already had his chance to be a star, move over rover.

 

[2thDk]

After the updates...I still go with #2. I mean who's ever heard of Havard?

Since you corrected your spelling mistake my joke is no longer funny 🙁

 

[Mo007]

"Finally, we come to my number two man. His name? Number Two." - Dr. Evil from Austin Powers, Man of Mystery. 😀

Totally #2, a well balanced stats. Fewer weaknesses compared to #1 and #3.

 

[45540]

Number 2 looks attractive to me. Number 3 looks promising from the DAT score, but that could have been a fluke that he scored so high. Number 2 looks average and in the middle of the road; which would probably mean he's been trying at courses and has a good work ethic.

 

[busupshot83]

Well since the OP changed the stats on me, I'm switching to applicant 3. The GPA and DAT is on point with the accepted averages around the U.S. of A.

 

[dane4695]

And the funny thing is that I've seen so many dang people with higher GPA and DAT scores than #3... on this forum 🙂

 

[LSR1979]

Okay PreDents settle down. Unless you are applying late, any/all of those three candidates will get in to dental school. The whole key is to APPLY EARLY. If you are applying for next year and have not completed the AADSAS application yet you are putting yourself behind the curve. With the exception of a few schools (UOP, Harvard, UCLA, UCSF, UCONN, etc) you are a shoe in at several schools. If you have a 3.3 on cum and science GPA and 17 across the board, you will get into multiple schools if you apply in July. If you want to guarantee your acceptance, you will need to spend significant time in a dental office and be able to share what you learned during you interview. Be able to throw around dental terminology and also BS a little about the future of dentistry regarding tooth regeneration with the use of synthetic tooth buds, new implant technologies, etc. Also, spend time in specialty offices so that you get a broad spectrum of the field of dentistry. Unlike medical school, dental schools are a little less sensitive to the overall numbers and pay much more attention to extra activities related to dentistry that you have done in the past. Anybody with a 3.0 + GPA and 16s on the DAT will have a decent shot at being accepted as long as that person has showed a true interest in dentistry, has a strong interview, and most importantly, applies early. Dental schools do not want to "have" to accept students late in the year (Feb/March) to fill their rosters and will therefore accept candidates early that would not have gotten in later. So don't worry too much about your scores and apply!! Good luck to all. Dentistry and dental school are both amazing.

 

[Dentist 2 be]

LSR1979: Thanks for reassuring us!!!! Where do you gto to school by the way?

 

[JavadiCavity]

Okay PreDents settle down. Unless you are applying late, any/all of those three candidates will get in to dental school. The whole key is to APPLY EARLY . . .

Are you on the same page? The idea is to pretend you are the Adcom and you have to pick one of these applicants. No one on here needs to "settle down."

. . . .

After looking at these guys files again, I'd pick #2 on stats alone. But, I may choose someone else based on their interview. It's a close call.

 

[Dr.Smiley-OR]

bump

Hi Everyone 😍
Thank you again for participating in this game called "Admission Committee." 🙂 I will tally up the number soon , but before doing so I would like to address to those who are worried about their status when reading this post. The purpose of this game is for you to feel relax, as now you become a member of the "Admission Committee," and have fun with choosing the made-up applicants. 😴 This game is not to make you feel anxious about your application, because as you can see, so far every made-up applicant is chosen by someone, regardless of his or her status. It is supposed to be fun 🙄 and let you know what it feels like to be on the Admission Committee, [ and maybe you may gain an appreciation for those who do interview and make selection during this cycle, (I say maybe 😛 , you don't have to). Sincere Thanks!

 

[badabooom]

if there's only 1 spot left this year for these 3 applicants
and assuming these applicants all have similar extracurricular activities...
i'll interview applicant 2 and 3
and see which one presents him/herself better

 

[LSR1979]

Are you on the same page? The idea is to pretend you are the Adcom and you have to pick one of these applicants. No one on here needs to "settle down."

. . . .

Dude who are you? You aren't a dentist nor a dental student. What credentials do you have to determine who gets into school and more importantly, where do you get off backtalking me? Last I checked, stockbrokers from the very commercialized state of Idaho don't get much say on who gets into dental school. I was trying to post a helpful message and all you can do is complain. Get a life.

 

[jdcinza13]

Dude who are you? You aren't a dentist nor a dental student. What credentials do you have to determine who gets into school and more importantly, where do you get off backtalking me? Last I checked, stockbrokers from the very commercialized state of Idaho don't get much say on who gets into dental school. I was trying to post a helpful message and all you can do is complain. Get a life.[/QUOTE]


Whoa! Relax. Now your getting kind of personal don't you think? You sound pretty insecure, and last I checked, HP is pretty commercialized and they are based in Idaho, but what do I know anyway...

 

[quakinator]

Are you on the same page? The idea is to pretend you are the Adcom and you have to pick one of these applicants. No one on here needs to "settle down."

. . . .

Dude who are you? You aren't a dentist nor a dental student. What credentials do you have to determine who gets into school and more importantly, where do you get off backtalking me? Last I checked, stockbrokers from the very commercialized state of Idaho don't get much say on who gets into dental school. I was trying to post a helpful message and all you can do is complain. Get a life.

Hey, I gotta back up my buddy JavadiCavity, actually stockbrokers from Idaho are the Bizzzzomb!!! And by the way this is what the originator of the post asked for. He didn't say give your opinion if any of these 3 would get in, he said If you HAD TO PICK 1 which would it be. I would personally pick the one who has shown consistency. I agree that the DAT is supposed to put everyone on the same level but come on, does it really? I know some people that have money to spend on prep courses, take the summer off to study for the DAT, then I know others that have family responsibilites so that they have to work full-time while taking summer courses. Anyway, I would take the person who has shown consistency over the 3 years of undergrad, and performed well on the dat versus the one who studied for 2 months for the dat, but didn't for O-chem. And for the person with a low DAT score...it's hopeless, even if your GPA is high, what does it say about the material you have "learned" in taking all the pre-req's?

 

[Dr.Smiley-OR]

Hey you guys! 😍
As the originator of this thread, I would like to ask people not to post "attacking notes" toward each other. It is supposed to be a friendly, uncompetitive game. Don't you all have enough to worried about with your application? Please do not take anything person because I am sure each of you are right in your own perspective. Please be kind and respectful to other.
Thank you! 😍

 

[BONAFIED]

You aren't a dentist nor a dental student.

Thanks for pointing that out, confusion abounds without these observations -especially in a forum with the misleading title of PRE-DENTAL.

What credentials do you have to determine who gets into school..

Maybe you missed the boat on the purpose of this thread. It was meant to be hypothetical. Just an exchange of opinions. I think it's entertaining and not entirely unproductive to see how different people value different aspects of an applicant's credentials. Except for you, no one needs to settle down.

where do you get off backtalking me?

I think it was at the point when you came off as a condecending wet blanket.

Last I checked, stockbrokers from the very commercialized state of Idaho don't get much say on who gets into dental school.

Oh snap! Nice dig on a man's profession and location. Not only does it reinforce your missing the point of this thread, but it also shows what a bad-tempered and arrogant **** you must be.

 

[Dr.Smiley-OR]

Hey you guys! 😍
As the originator of this thread, I would like to ask people not to post "attacking notes" toward each other. It is supposed to be a friendly, uncompetitive game. Don't you all have enough to worried about with your application? Please do not take anything person because I am sure each of you are right in your own perspective. Please be kind and respectful to each other.
Thank you! 😍

Let me give you a brief summary with all the votes so far:

Applicant # 1
Stellar GPA, Low DAT
was chosen by 0 people so far


Applicant #2
Average GPA, Stellar DAT
was chosen by 7 people so far
Mr.Teethpulla, superman, vandy yankee, 2thDk, bonafied, Mo007,
CJWolf

Applicant #3
High GPA, Average/High DAT
was chosen by 3 people so far
biogirl361, javadicavity,busupshot83 (switch from # 1 to #3),

P.S There were people who posted their opinion but did not choose, which is fine, but I will not include their opinion as a vote. Thanks!
And any vote after this post will be included later.

 

[sidewalkman]

I'd pick #3.


First, even though all the applicants may be equal, their choice of major is not. There will not be an equal number of bio, biochem, and chem majors in the pool. #1 is gone - test scores are a bit low for a Harvard applicant, and he's an ever-common bio major. The difference between #2 and #3 is a bit more tricky, so they'd both get interviews. Ultimately, I'd go with #3 IF the research he/she did proved valuable to dentistry (and I'm assuming it is). The balance in scores plus the increased rarity of chemistry majors (even more so if female) would put #3 over the top for me.

 

[quakinator]

I pick 3

 

[Supernumerary]

Number 3's getting into Supernumerary's College o' Teeth Fixin'. He has a respectable GPA and respectable DAT. It shows he plugs along and keeps up with things though he may not be at the top of his class. His DAT shows he understands things and can retain the information for later use.

Number 2 is obviously capable of high academic performance judging from his DAT, but he has obviously chosen not to employ that talent in his schoolwork. He is probably just a tad on the lazy side and might be one to cut too many corners - especially in clinic.

Number 1 has impressive grades but it looks like they might be a little inflated from the looks of his respectable but rather average DAT. Plus, the PAT is pretty low. I would be very tempted to let this boy in, but not before #3.

 

[ASUgrad]

My choice would be 3 because...

#1 is probably a Harvard snob who feels that the DAT is a trival test that shows no merit and does nothing that his GPA hasn't already done for him. Harvard probably got beat up the night before because of a heated argument about defense spending and technology with an MIT student. Harvard probably didn't study for the DAT and his killer headache from the MIT students head butt left him for roses, thus driving down his DAT score. Poor Harvard!

#2 is the guy/gal you never see in class and gets by with the grades to keep Mom and Dad proud and a check out to Ithaca (Cornell). Daddy is a major player on wall street and mommy is skiing with Haans "The Ski Instructor" in the Alps. Cornell doesn't need to go to D-school he will probably run an insurance company for his father and develop lost cost dental insurance that ties the hands of the doctors while driving up premiums. Van Wilder is the guy that when placed in a situation will put up stellar scores for the "Hell" of it. Van Wilder will be okay without a dental degree.

#3 is the guy/gal who has to go to BU, the so close to cambridge but so far away people. He/She is not bitter, they are the hard worker, the club hound, the nights with the coeds volleyball club, this person buts as much effort into being a great person as they do in school. They have priorities besides themselves, like providing ample time for studies and for DAT. They have average brains with average abilities that try their hardest to do what's right. I pick 3 because it the person that most of us can relate to and know that that person will make an excellent all around dentist.

BillE

 

[BONAFIED]

headache from the MIT students head butt ...

I don't know any MIT students that would use their head this way 🙂

I do agree with your sentiments on the Harvard guy though. I didn't read as much into his personal story. But I feel that going to Harvard will get you a lot of attention in most circles. He went. And with the rampant grade inflation at Harvard, combined with his unimpressive DAT score, I would say it's time for him to go to a school no one has ever hear of. His performance would also make me question how he got into Harvard (probably the fancy prep school, legacy status, and connections).

 

[Sprgrover]

For me to pick amongst the three I would have to fall back on the interview and my personal impressions of each applicant. To me it seems that each one is balanced with the other - if not by scores then by the calibur to the school, degree, etc. I would have liked to have seen a couple of really interesting candidates (think a reality show) - a non-traditional student with oodles of volunteer experience, a liberal arts major that has worked with public health, someone that put him/herself through undergraduate school while juggling the role of single parent, and so on. I want more of a selection in the buffet line! 🙂

 

[ShakaZulu]

Applicant 2. The biochemistry major seems to be well rounded. His test results prove that he has the potential to perform well on national exams.