Chance me for BS/DMD [VA resident, 3.9 UWGPA, 1430 SAT]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Demographics

  • US citizen
  • State/Location of residency: VA
  • Type of high school (or current college for transfers): Public High School + Magnet (Governor’s School)
  • Other special factors: Central Asian, Muslim

Cost Constraints / Budget: Cheapest and most merit scholarships provided. <$150K income

Intended Major(s): Pre-Dentistry and BS/DMD Programs

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.9
  • Weighted HS GPA: 4.648/5.5
  • Class Rank: 11/469
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 1430 SAT (1450 composite)

List your HS coursework

(Indicate advanced level, such as AP, IB, AICE, A-level, or college, courses as well as specifics in each subject)

  • English: AP Lang (4) + AP Lit
  • Math: AP Calc AB (5), AP Precalc (5), Honors Algebra II, AP Calc BC
  • Science: AP Environmental Science (4), AP Biology (4), DE Chemistry, AP Physics
  • History and social studies: AP European History (5), AP US Gov (5), APUSH (4)
  • Language other than English: 3 years of Spanish
  • Visual or performing arts: 2 years of Orchestra
  • Other academic courses: AP Seminar (4), AP Psychology (5), AP Micro + Macro (both 4), Anatomy and Physiology

Awards: Academic Excellence Award, Presidential Academic Award, Top 16 in Anatomage Tournament, CPR certified, Stop the Bleed, Basic Life Support

Extracurriculars:

Volunteer Academic Coach (UPchieve): ~64 hours

Volunteer English Tutor (ENGin): ~55 hours

Volunteer at Pre-Health Shadowing: New, ~ 3 hours

Volunteer at Tutoring Chicago: will start in fall

Soccer Referee for 5+ years

Dental-related research for 4 years, resulting in 2 literature reviews and presentations (nanotechnology, nanorobots)

VCU Dental Exploration

Clubs: Unicef Unite, HOSA, MSA

~ 84 hours currently, ~ 150 by end of summer (most general)

Schools

  • VCU GAP (1st choice)
  • NJIT/Rutgers or any to Rutgers
  • Howard
  • Augusta
  • Pitt
  • Stony Brooke
  • UDM
  • Case Western
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You want to consider Marquette University, located in Wisconsin. There are also other B.S./D.M.D. programs available at Adelphi University/NYU Dental & Touro University, a couple more NY options in addition to Stony Brook (already on your list). Some of these are very competitive programs with a really small number of available slots for new undergraduates (I read a range of 5-30 depending on the program). There are a couple of FL programs, University of Florida & Nova Southeastern. UF is tough to get into for the OOS applicant (like 15% OOS vs. 45% FL) and not a lot of merit aid available for OOS. The merit aid availability could be more promising at Nova. I would apply to at least ten programs unless you’re completely set on VCU GAP.

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I am 100% set on VCU as its instate and makes the most sense financially right now, unless another program offers heavy aid. NYU’s high price tag is something that’s throwing me off. University of Florida also requires you to already be enrolled, I think you can apply during first semester or something like that, if I am correct. Nova I will look more into. I am also thinking of applying to non BS/DMD programs, to ser if I can lots of aid in undergrad if it makes more sense financially. I think 6 to 7 BS/DMD is my application number right now.

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Welcome to College Confidential, @Kingse!

Cheapest possible is not a budget. Can your family afford $20k/year? $40k/year? Other? Additionally, has your family run the Net Price Calculator (NPC) at any universities? Although some colleges (like NYU) have extremely high sticker prices, they offer significant quantities of need-based aid which can make them affordable. Until your family runs the NPCs, you (and we) won’t know.

It may be your top choice, but if you’re looking for a combined BS/DMD program, then I strongly suspect it is highly competitive (as BS/MD or BS/PA or other such programs usually are). So VCU might be an extremely likely admit for just the college portion and you could be one and done for your college applications, but if you want a BS/DMD program, you will likely need to apply more widely.

If you’re hoping to be matched to non-BS/DMD programs, what are you looking for from your college experience? Some ideas that might spark your thinking include:

  • States/regions you prefer (or prefer to avoid)
  • Climate
  • Size of school
  • Size of classes
  • Urban/suburban/college town/remote preferences
  • Importance of Greek life (fraternities/sororities)
  • Importance of significant enthusiasm for intercollegiate athletics
  • Particular interests you want to pursue in college
  • Vibe of students you hope to find
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For the coat portion, I considered no only undergrad, but also the dental school portion of it, and NYU comes to about 500K on tuition alone without living costs and interest, if I am not wrong. I would consider cheapest and the one who offers the most merit aid and makes sense financially as a viable option. NYU makes absolutely no sense to me. I would say I am expecting about maybe ~15K yearly contributions from my parents. Our income is around 100K a year give or take. That doesn’t really apply to many heavy need based aids. For VCU, if I got into the program, it is my first choice as its instate and would ultimately be cheapest. I am applying to other programs that are close geographically to where I want to live and practice. For non BS/DMD, I am focusing on schools that are instate, offer good merit aid, and somewhere where I wouldn’t mind attending and having the lowest COA as possible to save all of the 200K cap on students loans avaliable for dental school. With these considered, how would my stats line up with someone who wants such things? Thanks!