USA School Interviews

[Guest Tonick]

For past applicants of American schools:

 

How quickly did you guys receive interview invites? Some schools say they interview people as early as October, so I was just wondering when I should expect to get invites (I've got 20s on the DAT and a cGPA of 3.6).

 

Also I'm interested to know the stats of some people who were offered admission to some U.S schools (BUSDM, Harvard, Tufts, CASE, NYU etc.) regardless of whether they accepted or not.

 

Thanks everyone.

[Guest belledentiste]

I submitted my US applications pretty late (december) and I was invited for all three schools (University of Pennsylvania, Temple and NYU) that I had applied to in January.

If I were you, I wouldn't apply to NYU. The facilities are very impressive, but the classes are very large. I hear from people that there are so many students that the administration does not have the time to help out each individual student, i.e. if you do not do so well in terms of academics.

If you submit your applications early, you will receive an interview as early as october, provided that your grades and DAT are high.

20s on the DAT are good enough; my scores for the Canadian DAT were all above 20, so I'm sure your marks are fine. Regarding the GPA, some schools like NYU don't care if your GPA is in the lower range (3.2), however, other schools like Harvard or UPenn do favor students with higher grades because these schools are very academically oriented.

US dental schools are very, very expensive... which schools are you planning to apply to? If you'd like some info on the interviews and the three schools that I applied to, feel free to ask.

[Guest Tonick]

Thanks, that's encouraging, I was worried that if I send out my applications in October it would be too late because most of the spots have filled up in all the schools.

 

As far as NYU is concerned, the tuition I think is around 50K U.S? I'm also guessing that the cost of living near Manhattan is very high as well.

 

For Temple, I was interested in their DMD/MBA program and their regular DMD program as well. I was discouraged however by some people saying that the area around the school was pretty "ghetto". From what I've heard though most Dental Schools in the States are found in downtown centres near unfavourable neighborhoods (on the plus side I guess you have access to a larger patient pool).

 

Since those are 2 schools that I'm also applying to I'd really appreciate it if you could give me some info on them especially if you visited them in person and attended the interview.

 

[Guest belledentiste]

Living in NY is going to cost you a lot of money. Overall, you may be spending about $75,000 US for first year, incl. living expenses. The facilities are great, but the classes are very big-- one of the biggest dental classes in the US. The interviewer was not friendly... he asked me how old I was twice (this is considered to be confidential information.. they have no right to ask you that!). He was obnoxious and I hated the school after the interview, just based on the one interview. The questions were very easy though... why NYU, etc

Temple is in the more ghetto area of Penn. The facilities are not as new as the ones in NY. Temple is supposed to have a very good program-- they focus a lot on the clinical aspect of dentistry. If you decide to go there, leave by early evening. And if you have a car, make sure there are no currency bills lying around your car. A student got his windows smashed b/c money was in front of his car. The interview is a group interview (I found that out just before the interview!). It was horrible b/c I felt like I had to outshine the other applicants. I hate having to brag about myself to make others look underachieved. It was very awkward.

I suggest that you apply to UPenn. What have you got to lose? They also give their students the option of doing the DMD/MBA program. I got accepted there and was tempted to go, but it's around $70,000 US. They're a very well-known and recognized school across the US. Many of their students go on to specialty programs that they want to get into. I've already seen the stats. The school does a very good job at helping their students achieve their academic goals. They will cater to your needs. UPenn is in the safer part of Penn. It has a beautiful campus, students and staff are extremely friendly, facilities are great and the patient population is large.

Of the three, I was extremely impressed by UPenn. Harvard is also a good dental school, but there aren't many spots available. Also, a lot of the american dental applicants did not like Columbia that much.

Why don't you apply to some Canadian schools? You can apply to both US and Canadian. Good luck with your applications. Although I applied late during the year, I suggest that you get in your applications early. That way, you can get an interview earlier and possibly an offer to attend their school. It feels good to know that you're going to dental school in october/november.

[Guest Tonick]

Yeah I'm applying to UWO and U of T of course cause I'm at Toronto now. I'm worried about the high gpa cut offs though, my top 2 yrs avg out to a 3.7, I doubt that'll be good enough for any CDN schools.

 

Just to clarify, Penn and Temple are both in Philadelphia, not Pittsburgh right?

[Guest belledentiste]

Yes, both Temple and UPenn are in Philly. Are you going into fourth year at U of T? I also came from U of T. If your top two years average out to a 3.7, I think you'd be granted an interview at Western (don't take my word for it though!). I think 3.7 average will get you an interview to a few places; I'm not sure what the conditions at U of T are though. But honestly, do you want to spend another 4 years of U of T? I know I didn't... that's why UWO was my first choice.

I believe two years of 3.7 are a prerequisite for an interview invite at UWO. I know this is true for medicine, so I'm pretty sure it's the same for dentistry. In my opinion, just apply to all the schools that you're interested in... actually, if you're willing to spend money on applications for dental school, you may as well apply to all the ones that you're eligible for. You never know what the admissions committee is thinking! What's another $200 compared to your career for the next few decades!

[Guest Tonick]

Yes I am in my 4th year at U of T, but my first choice is actually UWO as well, I can't take much more of this school. And yeah, you're totally right about applying to anywhere and everywhere, because you never know where you'll get lucky. Thanks for all the helpful advice