WAMC only applying to the four dental schools in TX and is it a dumb idea

[hawwasg]

Recently my dad has been yelling at me to apply to more than just the 4 texas dental school and I'm really torn about this. My main deterrent is the cost difference of attending an OOS school (300k+) vs in-state (under 200k). For that reason, I have a strong preference for tx schools but ig I'd go OOS if I really didn't get into any of the tx ones.

My question is, are my chances decent to get into texas schools? If I have a level of confidence then I can save thousands on applications to other OOS schools, so that's why I wanted to decide soon if I wanna take the risk. I know my stats are pretty decent but idk if that should be TOO comforting since this cycle just feels oddly competitive to me (at least after perusing these threads and seeing that lots of people score high)

Overall GPA: 3.86
Science GPA: 3.77
DAT score : 24AA, 23TS, 19PAT, 23 BIO, 24 Chem, 21 Ochem, 26 QR, 25 RC
State of Residence: TX

Undergrad Attended: UTD
Major: Biology
Minor: Psychology
Minority? No, South Asian
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 150 hours including general and ortho and oral surg
Volunteering Experience: 200+
Employment: Dental Assisting for 8 months, around 800 hours
Research: 100 hours in a Bio Lab
Other Extracurriculars: In a sorority, Volunteer Coordinator for an on-campus org, took my schools MSA to a state-wide competition as Showdown Coordinator
Relevant Honors or Awards: National Merit Scholar
LOR type and strength: 1 from my Dentist I worked for and 2 from profs that I don't have yet but they should be strong ish.

School list:
A&M Baylor
Houston
San Antonio
Texas Tech El Paso

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[macsak]

Recently my dad has been yelling at me to apply to more than just the 4 texas dental school and I'm really torn about this. My main deterrent is the cost difference of attending an OOS school (300k+) vs in-state (under 200k). For that reason, I have a strong preference for tx schools but ig I'd go OOS if I really didn't get into any of the tx ones.

My question is, are my chances decent to get into texas schools? If I have a level of confidence then I can save thousands on applications to other OOS schools, so that's why I wanted to decide soon if I wanna take the risk. I know my stats are pretty decent but idk if that should be TOO comforting since this cycle just feels oddly competitive to me (at least after perusing these threads and seeing that lots of people score high)

Overall GPA: 3.86
Science GPA: 3.77
DAT score : 24AA, 23TS, 19PAT, 23 BIO, 24 Chem, 21 Ochem, 26 QR, 25 RC
State of Residence: TX

Undergrad Attended: UTD
Major: Biology
Minor: Psychology
Minority? No, South Asian
Reapplicant? No
Nontrad? No

Shadowing Experience: 150 hours including general and ortho and oral surg
Volunteering Experience: 200+
Employment: Dental Assisting for 8 months, around 800 hours
Research: 100 hours in a Bio Lab
Other Extracurriculars: In a sorority, Volunteer Coordinator for an on-campus org, took my schools MSA to a state-wide competition as Showdown Coordinator
Relevant Honors or Awards: National Merit Scholar
LOR type and strength: 1 from my Dentist I worked for and 2 from profs that I don't have yet but they should be strong ish.

School list:
A&M Baylor
Houston
San Antonio
San Diego

san diego has a dental school in texas?

 

[hawwasg]

LOL sorry i meant TT el paso haha

 

[macsak]

LOL sorry i meant TT el paso haha

similar spelling, easy mistake...

 

[macsak]

while your DAT scores are awesome and GPA is really good, realize that the texas schools could fill their classes with 4.0 23-25 dat students
but they don't, because that would increase the chances of having a very difficult class dynamic
this is why dental schools have a holistic admissions process
so while you have stats that will likely get you into many schools, it will depend on your PS and the rest of your AADSAS app, your interview, and your school list
yes, the choice of schools to apply to matters
you should have a few reach schools, mostly in-range schools, and a couple safety schools
it's your choice what you want to do, but if you want to avoid waiting a year and reapplying to more schools, you should listen to your father...

 

[hawwasg]

I see, thank you. When you say it also depends on the school list, you mean that they can see where else I've applied right? I've heard some people are asked that in interviews as well. In that case, would having a solely TX list make them see me as risky in a bad way or as someone who prioritizes tx schools in a good way?

 

[LFA20]

I would apply to some tuition friendly OOS schools.

 

[Allsmiles!]

At minimum, apply to the DS where you can get in-state tuition after a year…there are only a few but UCONN comes to mind.

 

[Ryxndek]

Solid chances for dental schools, but don’t put your eggs all in one basket. Admissions can be weird, and some folks who fit their profile may still not get in. I would listen to the folks above and apply to a couple more OOS schools to hedge your bets. Unless you’d want to spend another year rebuilding your application and trying again which takes time/money.

 

[macsak]

I see, thank you. When you say it also depends on the school list, you mean that they can see where else I've applied right? I've heard some people are asked that in interviews as well. In that case, would having a solely TX list make them see me as risky in a bad way or as someone who prioritizes tx schools in a good way?

no

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What is the volunteering experience about?

 

[hawwasg]

What is the volunteering experience about?

My main categories are:
Helping hands, I sorted and packed cloth donations into categories to be shipped to disaster-stricken third world countries like Turkey after the earthquake. I've done almost 80 hours over 2 years.
Tango Tab: I made sandwiches in mass amounts, sectioned chip bags, fruits, etc to make lunch bags to be distributed to the local impoverished community. Around 40 hours over 2 years
M'aruf: I worked directly with refugee children from Afghanistan, mainly in an educational or fun setting, to provide them with distraction from the stress of dislocation, and also worked on distributing goods to their families
Day of Dignity: assembly line style distribution event for my metroplex homeless community, face-to-face event once a year, 6 hours for the last 5 years
I was also the Volunteer coordinator for a non-profit org at my school, so I arranged several events at school and outside
I also volunteered through my sorority

That's the bulk of it!

 

[entireparsley]

At minimum, apply to the DS where you can get in-state tuition after a year…there are only a few but UCONN comes to mind.

Buffalo as well

 

[Sic'emBears]

Buffalo as well

Unc, Ohio state, unlv and Maryland as well

 

[Mr.Smile12]

TMDSAS is excellent with information for applicants. Pay attention to it. Attend office hours. Prepare for Casper. Network.