It's been eons since I've applied to dental school and gone through this process.
I am a D4 now at UCSF.
Every year there are a lot of disgruntled intelligent people who are upset about being rejected, which stresses out the "average" people who don't feel worthy. Regardless of how you categorize yourself, each person is reviewed on a case by case basis. As students, we know nothing about the behind-the-scenes admissions process. But we go to school with the people that they accept and interact with them every day. My classmates and those in classes below me are our only perception of the types of things they are looking for. There is no perfect formula that you need to be accepted. You just need to be yourself and hope for the best.
I considered my undergrad grades and DAT not very competitive. I'm a CA resident and applied with a 3.1 GPA and 19/21/19 DAT. I like to think my extracurriculars were extensive, but regardless somehow I was chosen to be interviewed. I'm sure there were people with similar credentials who weren't.
I interviewed in October, the first day of interviews for the cycle. I remember James said "You guys are first, you're the best!" And afterwards we went on our merry way. December 1st came around and I heard nothing.
As time went on I got very anxious. Eventually in January I got my first acceptance to another dental school but still nothing from UCSF. It wasn't until February that I was notified of being waitlisted. Once I was waitlisted, I was given a waitlist number. Somewhere in the 30's. Every month on a specific day an email went out to update you of your rank. It wasn't until mid-May that I got the phone call I was accepted.
From my interview day, only one person is actually in my class besides me. Meaning 23 people from that stressful day are not in my class. If I had to estimate, I'd say at least half of my class was on the waitlist at some point.
The dental school application process is a journey and a process. It takes time, it drags out, and it's stressful. But it is completely out of your control and you can't let it consume you.
The biggest thing to understand is that all dental schools are basically the same. You may perceive one better than the other, or compare and contrast different aspects, but essentially it's a 4 year program and you graduate to enter the profession you've worked so hard for. If it's not UCSF it will be somewhere else and you will still have a great education and experience. I love my school and I know it has prepared me well so I hope it continues to keep that tradition.
My biggest piece of advice is not to listen to the SDN crazies on here. They don't know anything and they will just stress you out unnecessarily. Be patient and good things will come.
Best of luck!
good luck to everyone else!
