J Dent Educ. 68(9): 947-953 2004
© 2004 American Dental Education Association
Milieu in Dental Schools and Practice |
Characteristics of Dental School Feeder Institutions
Edward A. Thibodeau, D.M.D., Ph.D.;
Lauren E. Mentasti
Dr. Thibodeau is Assistant Dean for Admissions, University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, and Ms. Mentasti is a combined B.A./B.S. and D.M.D. degree student, University of Connecticut Storrs Campus. Direct correspondence and requests for reprints to Dr. Edward A. Thibodeau, Office of Dental Admissions, University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, 263 Farmington Ave., Farmington, CT 06030-3905; 860-679-3748 phone; 860-679-1899 fax; Thibodeau{at}nso.uchc.edu.
Key words: feeder institutions, dental school recruitment, minority recruitment, advising
Submitted for publication 03/30/04;
accepted 07/05/04
A major challenge faced by all dental schools is the need to attract highly qualified student applicants. The purpose of this study was to use 2002–03 AADSAS data to identify and characterize feeder colleges and universities that are the major source of applicants to U.S. dental schools. Feeder schools were defined as any institutions with five or more applicants, and minority-feeder schools as those with two or more minority applicants. Feeder schools were ranked by their total numbers of applicants (Category 1) and by their ratio of applicants to total undergraduate enrollment (Category 2). Feeder institutions were compared using total enrollment, degree status, geographic distribution, religious affiliation, numbers of minority applicants, and college admissions selectivity criteria. The top fifty Category 1 schools had an average enrollment of over 19,000 students and an average of sixty-seven applicants. The top fifty Category 2 schools had an average enrollment of approximately 8,500 students and an average of forty-nine applicants. Less than 1 percent of applicants from the top feeder institutions attended the nation’s most competitive schools. California and Utah accounted for 28 percent of the total applicants from feeder institutions, followed by Florida (6.2 percent) and New York (5.7 percent). Seventeen of the top twenty-five Category 2 schools (68 percent) were affiliated with or had student bodies associated with a particular religion, with the Seventh-Day Adventist and Mormon institutions accounting for 544 applicants. The majority of all applicants from feeder institutions attended schools in the Southwest. The majority of black and Hispanic feeder institutions were in Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Puerto Rico. Results suggest that factors such as school size, geographic location, religious affiliation, and admissions selectivity criteria of colleges and universities may have a direct impact on the dental applicant pool.
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Copyright © 2004 by the American Dental Education Association.
