The OP stated upthread that the cost of NEU for the family would be $85 - $90k/year. OSU would be about $52k and they are waiting to hear from UMass (in-state public option). Dental school is the current plan.
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Again I askâŠdoes your daughter already have acceptances to tOSU and Northeastern. I thought NEU anyway hadnât sent their early decisions out as of two days ago.
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Your daughter can do equally well as a grad of Northeastern, or tOSUâŠor UMass.
Since she is deciding amongst several colleges, it appears that none were early decision. That being the case, Iâd just let this college decision stuff go until March or so. She doesnât have to commit until May 1âŠand even her perspectives (and yours) could change between now and May 1.
All of these are fine universities.
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It looks like Northeastern did not come out yet and OS is rolling out.
My D had a good experience working in an undergraduate research position for the School of Dentistry at Ohio State.
Look into living learning communities (application is still open) if your D didnât apply for scholars.
Scholarship information doesnât come out with decisions. Has she submitted her Scholarship Universe application for college/department merit money yet? In addition to money, these are great to list in the âhonors and awardsâ section of a CV.
I think itâs too early to decide, since itâs unlikely you know exactly what Ohio State can offer at the moment. Now is the time to explore and learn more about all of the schools.
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THIS!
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I thank you all for the guidance and insight. We finally have a better picture, which is that neither NEU, nor OSU is giving any merit aid. However, we may be able to transfer some credits over. From what I see, both schools have great academics and strong programs in biology but OSU might be worth it if you can do 3 years biology + dds program. Similarly, at NEU itâs better if you can transfer enough credits to complete the degree in 3 years with 1 year of co-op. Even then, there will be a cost difference of about 70k overall, NEU being more costly. However, you get a chance to do co-op and experiential learning, and the area has great dental schools and other hospitals. We are still split, and finances are definitely a big factor. We still donât know the outcome from state schools, but I am not sure if that would be a fair comparison because it seems, after all, the prestige and rankings may play a role somewhere in the process, and ultimately it probably comes down to what a student can gain and how the student performs.
I think you can go to OSU, NEU, or a zillion other schools - and your odds for dental school will be similar.
U could go to UMASS Lowell or UMass Dartmouth -and you can still go to dental school.
Why these two schools in particular?
If budget matters, Iâm sure you can find cheaper.
The âbig namesâ wonât matter.
And dental school is expensive.
Bio, as a major, if you didnât continue schooling is, on average, a more difficult degree to work with.
Good luck.
Here is a solid dental schoolâs requirementsâŠthe where is less important than the other parts:
A minimum of 87 semester credits or 130 quarter credits of courses from an officially accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university is required. A maximum of 64 semester credits from community or junior colleges will be applied to the 87 semester credits. (One semester credit is equivalent to 1.5 quarter credits.) While acceptance is based primarily on performance quality, applicants are encouraged to have a broad liberal education.
Average DATs and GPAs for the 2023 entering class (DDS Class of 2027)
| Average GPA (Median GPA) | GPA Ranges | |
|---|---|---|
| BBCP (Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Physics) | 3.63 (3.63) | 3.00-4.00 |
| Science | 3.66 (3.68) | 3.08-4.00 |
| Total | 3.73 (3.74) | 3.13-4.00 |
| Average DAT (Median DAT) | DAT Ranges | |
| Academic Average | 20.90 (21) | 17-28 |
| Reading Comprehension | 21.89 (22) | 16-28 |
| Perceptual Ability | 20.81 (21) | 16-28 |
| Total Science | 20.44 (20) | 16-30 |
- GPA (overall and science) is viewed in terms of consistency and improvement. But the quality of coursework and challenge per term are also considered. Applicants are required to provide written documentation of academic difficulties (e.g., âI,â âW,â âDâ and âFâ grades).
Satisfactory/No Credit, Incomplete and Withdrawal Grades
Only under unusual circumstances will credits graded on a satisfactory/no credit evaluation system be accepted for required courses. We will accept S/N courses and online labs for spring and summer 2020 semesters for prerequisite courses due to COVID-19. Applicants may submit a maximum of the following percentage of âSâ credits in elective courses: 10 percent of the minimum total credits for 3-year students, and 15 percent of the minimum total credits for 4-year students. Incomplete grades are looked upon with disfavor by the Admissions Committee.
Letters of recommendation - Three (3) letters of evaluation are required.
- 3 letters of evaluation are required and must be received no later than January 10, 2024. Two letters must be from science or math faculty (who taught you in a lecture or lab course), with a third letter being submitted from a professional of your choice. We do recommend the third letter be from an employer or supervisor (from a volunteer, work, or research position). Letters of evaluation should be sent via ADEA AADSAS. You may submit additional letters beyond the three required letters through ADEA AADSAS or directly to the U of MN School of Dentistry (ddsapply@umn.edu) by the letter writer (we do not accept letters submitted by applicants).
Shadowing
The U of M School of Dentistry requires 40 hours of in-person exposure to dentistry by the time of matriculation. Shadowing, paid work, or volunteer experience in dentistry as a dental assistant, dental hygienist, or dental therapist will count towards this requirement. Virtual shadowing hours will not be counted. It is recommended that at least half of the 40 hours be completed in general dentistry. Applicants are strongly encouraged to complete more than 40 hours, observe with more than one dentist, and gain exposure to different practice settings (community health center, group practice, private practice, etc.). Hours completed with a relative will not be counted.
Personal statement
As part of the AADSAS application, all DDS applicants must submit an essay describing their interest in dentistry as well as other interests and special achievements. The U of M Pre-Health Student Resource Center offers workshops on interviewing skills and writing personal statements that may be very helpful to you as a DDS applicant.
Official transcripts
Upon acceptance and prior to matriculation, official transcripts must be sent directly to the School of Dentistry from each undergraduate and graduate institution attended, and must verify sufficient credits and correct courses. Basic science coursework that is older than five years may be considered obsolete.
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This is excellent advice and helps us a lot in understanding the process. I agree that Biology alone will not serve, and adding any specialization will also add cost, making financial consideration important. Thank you so much for the information on dental school requirements.
If these schools are too costly she can attend one of her instate schools. She would still get to dental school.
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Where else has she applied or been admitted?
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Virginia Commonwealth, but she is not considering going there.
If both NEU and OSU are not affordable, thereâs lots of time to apply to affordable schools.
Whatâs the studentâs stats?
Whatâs the budget ?
What are the concerns / issues with VCU ?
Why not?
Did she get into the Honors college? (Honors college admission is a good indication the student is among the best admitted to the college, which is needed for any chance at health careerdms with professional grad school. In addition, typical perks make for better experiences, opportunities, and recommendations).
Has she applied to more VA colleges? CNU has a decent Honors college too.
VCUâs advantage is easy access to experiential opportunities.
If she likes NEU, UCincinnati would have been an excellent alternate (urban, excellent co-op system) but scholarships had December deadlines.
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ânor OSU is giving any merit aidâ
I donât understand how you can know this. In past cycles they rolled out merit aid. Often recipients of the same named award would receive their award notifications days or weeks apart. Alumni/colleges/depts/corporate scholarships are still accepting applications for their awards until Feb. 15 through the ScholarshipUniverse portal.
If she didnât apply for a scholars program, she should consider applying for a living learning community. She doesnât need to commit to apply.
https://housing.osu.edu/learningcommunities/future-health-professionals-llc/
There are lots of experiential opportunities at OSU. Itâs just a matter of students taking advantage of those opportunities.
https://artsandsciences.osu.edu/current-students/undergraduate-students/beyond-classroom
I am not familiar with the OSU merit aid application process. I am going by their portalâs financial aid link, which did not show any information, so I am assuming that we did not get any. Thanks for sharing this information.
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Keep in mind that she is still in HS and might change her mind about dental school (or maybe not).
Does she have to attend NEU or tOSU? If soâŠwhy?
If not, what other pending applications does she have out there.
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The only reason is that we had an impression that both NEU and OSU are well-known, academically sound schools with a name that carries more weight. However, I am learning that name does not matter a lot when it comes to dental school admissions, and what matters is your DAT scores, the pre-requisite courses, and how well your GPA and activities are in your undergrad. Granted, you can achieve those three things at any school, so theoretically, any school should be fine. So, it boils down to: it may not be worth it to spend 70-80k more on your undergrad if the aim is to do dental school afterward, which is not cheap either, and most kids may have siblings, and parents have to think about them as well. If you are getting merit or financial aid, then it is a different story.
They are both sound names. But so is your state school, other state schools, and other privates. There are many sound names.
What scares me is you chose an urban large school in Boston abd a gigantic, kind of urban ish but more traditional in Columbus Ohio ?
Do you want large ? Whatâs the budget. What do you want in a school.
They are fine schools, but two of many fine schools. Thereâs nothing about them that necessarily makes them superior to the many other fine schools out there.
Budget is ALWAYS first.
Are you in at both ? What is the budget ? Stats (gpa, test) - and desire - size, weather, location, does Urban matter etc.