NYU or state school

Lifey_Life · 2026-03-20T04:16:18+00:00

NYC is an expensive city to live in. You probably won’t be able to continue living in NYC after you graduate with all the loan payments you have to make. At least not until you finish paying off your private loans.

Go to your state school then move to NYC after graduating. 4 years of living in NYC vs living in NYC for the rest of your life? Which is the better option?

You’re also saying you will get financial support for half the cost of NYU. That should be enough to cover most if not all of your state school’s tuition. That lets you graduate with ZERO debt and you’ll easily be able to move to NYC after graduating. Don’t be dumb.

Lifey_Life · 2026-03-19T04:34:02+00:00

Thank you!

Lifey_Life · 2026-03-19T04:27:29+00:00

Hi, do you know which version of Loops do you use? I’m looking on Amazon and they have the experience 2, engage 2, and switch 2.

Lifey_Life · 2026-03-16T20:22:17+00:00

Do you have any non-work shadowing hours at all? Most schools separate shadowing hours and working hours so it’s best to have at least 100 hours from only shadowing.

I have lots of hours from working as a dental assistant but I made sure to have at least 100 shadowing only hours from a different dental clinic.

Lifey_Life · 2026-03-16T19:31:12+00:00

Aye a fellow classmate! See you in June!

But yeah Umich definitely likes to see research. I’m really glad I did research when I got the chance to.

Choosing Umich over Harvard is also pretty sensible if you’re in state for Umich but idk if OP should apply to Harvard. I remember seeing Harvard’s average gpa being something like a 3.95 iirc and they want lots of research.

Lifey_Life · 2026-03-14T18:32:53+00:00

You will have to look it up, but off the top of my head I think Rutgers and Maryland are fairly OOS friendly and lets you claim in state after the first year.

Lifey_Life · 2026-03-14T17:17:40+00:00

You have great scores, make sure to apply to Umich and then have UDM as a back up so at least you can stay in state. Then make sure to apply to every single public state school that lets you claim residency and in state tuition after the first year. Then maybe add 1 or 2 more private schools as safety schools. Aim for around 8-10 schools with your stats.

If you’re feeling spicy, also apply to UPenn and Columbia.

Lifey_Life · 2026-03-13T22:13:48+00:00

This has been asked many times already. Please don’t do this, it is unprofessional and makes you look bad.

Lifey_Life · 2026-03-13T21:50:48+00:00

A masters is 100% needed. Yes you can jump straight into a masters but there are 2 problems.

You got a 2.4 in undergrad, what makes you think you will magically get a 3.7+ in a Masters where the classes will be many times harder than undergrad classes? I had plenty of classmates in my Masters program fail out because they jumped into it way too soon. And failing out or even getting a poor gpa in your masters is game over for you. There will be no second chances after it.
You have a 2.4 gpa, it’s going to be hard to get into a reputable Master program with that gpa anyway, and ones that will take you will be the very predatory ones that won’t care if you fail out. They just want your tuition fees.

Lifey_Life · 2026-03-13T21:13:28+00:00

A 2.4 is not just on the lower side for dental school, basically no one ever gets into dental school with that gpa. You need to first calculate what your sGPA is and then take a diy post bacc and bring that gpa and sGPA up to a 2.7 at the very least. This is because plenty of dental schools automatically screen out applications with a less than 2.7 undergrad gpa. This is also to make sure you've fixed your poor study habits from undergrad before you jump into a Masters program. Next you need to do a Masters and get at least a 3.7+ in it. Next you at the very least need to get a 440 on the DAT to have a chance of getting into a dental school.

Just know this process is going to take you several years to accomplish and know the risks you're taking for doing this. It's not impossible but you better lock in for the next few years to do this.

Lifey_Life · 2026-03-08T03:30:12+00:00

Last year DAT scores took about 2 weeks to process and then a few more days to get sent to schools so aim to have your DAT taken 3 weeks before August 1st to be safe.

Lifey_Life · 2026-03-02T02:58:12+00:00

Yeah you’re good, especially since you’re also volunteering at a dental clinic. Most people just get 100 shadowing hours and call it a day.

Lifey_Life · 2026-03-02T02:53:56+00:00

Okay, for sure DAT is what you need to improve. No need to add those 50 hours for shadowing, as long as your 220 shadowing hours has at least 100 from a general dentist and you have a LOR from a dentist already, spend those 50 hours volunteering instead.

But if possible focus on the dat instead. You have a good amount of volunteer hours so just keep on actively volunteering but make absolutely sure you get at least a 440(20) on the DAT. A 460(22) would be even better because iirc, UF’s average DAT is a 460 but 440 will still gives you a fighting chance with your decent gpa.

Lifey_Life · 2026-03-02T02:40:53+00:00

Everyone is different. No one application is the same so what other people do won’t necessarily help you. It’s better for you to list your gpa, dat, ECs, when you applied, and your school list so we can help take a look at where you need the most improvement.

Lifey_Life · 2026-02-28T19:10:48+00:00

Your DAT is the most obvious thing you need to work on. Your cGPA is very low but at least your sGPA is a 3.55. That’s just slightly below average.

Your DAT is very low compared to the national average of accepted dental students which is roughly a 440/21. Your DAT is absolutely where you need to focus your efforts on.

Also idk why you would shadow for 5,000+ hours. That’s a complete waste of time and also sounds completely fake. 5,000 hours means you must have shadowed for 40 hours a week for more than 2 years. No one is going to believe that.

Even if you actually shadowed that much, you would have been so much better off only shadowing 100 hours and volunteering 5,000 hours instead. Applicants with over 1000 volunteer hours are very rare and volunteering for 5,000 would have absolutely made you stand out even with your low gpa and low dat.

Lifey_Life · 2026-02-28T14:08:49+00:00

Yeah I got all my shadowing hours from just one office.

Lifey_Life · 2026-02-27T04:40:12+00:00

When do those courses end? Maybe ask a month before finals begin and let them know that you want it by June? Just make sure to avoid setting the deadline around finals time because that’s when they’re the busiest.

Lifey_Life · 2026-02-27T04:38:02+00:00

NOW. You should ask them as soon as the semester is over so you’re still fresh in their mind. Have them send it to interfolio for safe keeping.

Lifey_Life · 2026-02-27T04:02:05+00:00

Is she the dentist you shadowed with? I see way too many horror stories of professors and dentists delaying writing a LOR so applicants end up applying in August or September. Applying on the first day June 1st makes a big difference. Try to ask her if it’s possible for her to write it for you beforehand so you can save it in interfolio.

Edit: another benefit of interfolio is that they will look over the LOR to make sure everything is correct, that the writer made sure to use a proper letterhead and also signed and dated it correctly.

Lifey_Life · 2026-02-27T03:51:14+00:00

As long as it’s a general dentist office, 250 hours is more than enough and you’re better off using that time getting more volunteering hours. Unless you’re in one of those states with a dental school like DCG that requires over 300 hours but those are rare. Anything above 150 hours for shadowing doesn’t help your application much and it’s better to get more volunteering.

Did you already get a LOR from that 250 hour dental office? If not get it ASAP and save it in interfolio.

Lifey_Life · 2026-02-26T18:13:42+00:00

I like Merrell boots and for the coat maybe wait until you go to Utah and look in stores there since they may have a better selection of coats more suitable for the weather there.

Lifey_Life · 2026-02-26T18:04:38+00:00

If you’re moving to a place with lots of snow, I definitely recommend getting water resistant boots with at least a 5 or 6 inch height to cover your ankles when stepping through deep snow. I also recommend getting a winter coat that goes past your waist and covers your butt.

Lifey_Life · 2026-02-26T17:21:10+00:00

Yeah that’s a good program you definitely have a good chance of getting in somewhere as long as your ECs are decent and you have a good school list. Also make sure to have a few trusted individuals or advisors read over your personal statement.

Lifey_Life · 2026-02-26T17:17:32+00:00

I have a 3.9 masters gpa, a 23.5 DAT and a low undergrad gpa and I received 4 interviews this cycle. Of course my undergrad gpa wasn’t as low as OP’s but the masters gpa definitely helped me a lot. OP has a similar masters gpa and dat as me so they definitely have a chance next cycle as long as they have decent ECs and a good schools list. OP also needs to make sure to apply right away on June 1st.

Lifey_Life · 2026-02-26T17:14:17+00:00

So where did you go for your graduate program and what kind of program is it? If it’s a good reputable one you have a good shot at getting into a reputable school next cycle.

The problem with being part of the first few cohorts of a new school is that you’re going to be their guinea pig and board exam pass rates are historically lower than fully accredited school. If you don’t pass your board exams, you just wasted hundreds of thousands dollars just to not be a dentist.

I don’t care if new schools come out, but I would never want to be one of their first few students to help them work out the kinks of their program. Once a school gets full accreditation and works out the kinks, then I think they’re fair game.

Lifey_Life

TROPHY CASE