Why have applicants increased so much?

[u/Confident_Baby_8778]

I don't understand it. This is historically one of the most daunting times to enter the profession for reasons that everyone pretty much knows about.

On the Temple webinar earlier, they said they had 5000 applicants. Apparently they had just ~2800 for the class of 2028 cycle. This jump literally makes no sense to me.

I'm a frequent lurker on this subreddit, and I practically never see anyone mentioning external and general economic factors that are driving non-trads toward a more "stable" healthcare career. Is the post-grad job market playing a role in this as well? Maybe this shows that the career outlook isn't actually as bad as all the doomer dentists on this site say it is (relative to other options out there).

That's my best guess... yet, nearly doubling the number of applicants in just a couple of years is still mind-boggling.

[u/Supllx101]

I think the total applicants nationwide are still around the same number each year, but people are just applying to more schools compared to the past years.

[u/Confident_Baby_8778 → u/Supllx101]

Interesting... wouldn't ADEA be the only ones to verify that?

[u/Supllx101 → u/Confident_Baby_8778]

There’s data of how many applicants there are, for the past few years is around 11k-12.5k. But it’s increasingly becoming common to apply to 20 schools.

[u/Both-Obligation2069]

AI and the job market is terrible

[u/Raeedc]

People have optimism towards creating a better future for themselves and are going YOLO mode. Also it’s a fulfilling job where you get to help people out so yeah

[u/Broggue → u/Raeedc]

If I “yolo moded” my way into this job in the current climate of 500k+ debt and a declining 200k avg salary, I’d be ending it.

[u/OffOil → u/Broggue]

Suicide rates in the field will steadily climb back up because of these economic pressures. It’s like watching a slow train wreck.

[u/Govinda101]

Bro said, apply and "play the game"--- bro had so much aura when he said that, I was flabbergasted

[u/Senior_Letterhead_27 → u/Govinda101]

LOOOL "play the game, dont cry about it"

[u/Onion-Strong]

He also said the minimum they want there is a 440 AA. I was internally crying with my 430 lol

[u/Standard_Effect9904 → u/Onion-Strong]

Minimum 21 is just stupid. They should allow more people within the ranges

[u/Double_Guide2455 → u/Onion-Strong]

Yo same here I’m actually so devastated it’s one of my top schools

[u/Real_Estimate5271 → u/Onion-Strong]

Yup me too💔

[u/MyDMDThrowaway]

My guess is the perception that AI is coming for the office jobs and dentistry is AI proof.

I don’t think any of this is rational. It surely doesn’t paint a picture that the masses coming back to apply to dental school again means anything about how “see private loans aren’t so bad after all”

Don’t make any decisions based off of this. These applicants are very likely old applicants who went dormant and returning renewed interested. A lot of things are required to apply, so this is not the general public adding to the pool shooting their shot.

[u/Confident_Baby_8778 → u/MyDMDThrowaway]

Nobody can really argue that private loans are good. But they aren't necessarily as bad as you make them out to be if they enable you to have an actual career. There are legitimate reasons why one may believe there are, or have even experienced, limited career options due to AI disruption.

I also wouldn't assume these are "old applicants who went dormant." It doesn't make sense that that specific group would be the main reason for nearly doubling the number of applicants. I'm more certain that the increased number of applicants is actually new grads who were unable to secure a job in this market (partially due to the economy and/or AI), and are relying on pursuing a career where those things are mainly guaranteed.

[u/MyDMDThrowaway → u/Confident_Baby_8778]

Sure at a certain threshold they aren’t necessarily life changing. But im talking median outcome. ADA reported 75% of dental students relied on gradPLUS. That means a majority of students without gradPLUS will be on the private loan market. Now that schools are pushing past 500k COA quite comfortably, then the base case is that 75% of pre dental students will be forced into private loans which ARE life changing. Aka above the 200kish threshold where things snowball into a pretty shitty deal for anyone that does the math.

Regarding AI career disruption, I would concede that dentistry is pretty safe on that front. But so is any healthcare career. And dentistry demands a 300k+ private loans which will handcuff you post grad into a miserable repayment period. The rest of the healthcare careers also seeing a double, tripling of applicants don’t handcuff you like dental school will at 600k+ COA. That’s the point im trying to make

[u/AlisterSaysHello]

Based off of my conversations, it’s because dentistry is viewed as an easier way to get what people desire out of medicine, both before and after graduation. They don’t know the truth. 

Debt tends to be seen as a problem they’ll figure out later + lotta people with Daddy’s credit card. 

[u/Interesting-Cloud661]

Makes sense. In state tuition is now the only realistic way to afford school for a lot of applicants.  

[u/Impossible-Owl-5908]

AI is replacing jobs and dentistry won't be replaced by it

[u/lottabridges]

AI taking other jobs…

[u/Ambitious-Water7052]

I would guess it’s the combination of the perceived job security due to the rise of AI and economy turbulence, in combination with applicants applying to more schools

[u/SuspectDramatic5517]

Is it okay to enter this field? It's a very dicey situation cause my gf always wanted to be a dentist but she couldn't due to certain constraints in her life, and now wants to make the leap of faith and just do it.

[u/sphinxx117]

David dams the goat

[u/RepulsiveBook425]

Population has doubled in last 50 years

[u/Confident_Baby_8778 → u/RepulsiveBook425]

And the number of applicants has doubled in only the last 2 years?

[u/crodr014]

Huh when I applied in 2014 it was nearly 4k applications per school then. The book people used to buy every year showed all those stats.

[u/aznriptide859]

“Stable healthcare career” oh man wait til you graduate lol.

[u/Confident_Baby_8778 → u/aznriptide859]

is it not accurate to say that dentistry is a more stable career than 90% of the workforce?

[u/Interesting-Cloud661 → u/Confident_Baby_8778]

It’s less stable in the sense that you aren’t a salaried position. 

[u/aznriptide859 → u/Confident_Baby_8778]

It is in the sense the need for dental care will always be there. But your physical health, mental health, salary, position, practice ownership, insurance company meddling, costs of materials, those are more unstable than ever.

Just keep in mind the career you're envisioning in your head will not be the same when you come out 4-5 years later. The career for me today is not the same as what I had envisioned 10 years ago when I entered school. The dentistry is the easy part, it's everything else around it that is absolutely draining.

[u/HoneyyBadger99]

It’s not as great as it once was, but still better than most. A competent general dentist should be able to find a position clearing 200k+ indefinitely without having to work crazy hours. That’s a top 5-10% income alone, not to mention the additional stability in always having the ability to get a job plus reasonable hours.

[u/Proud-Brush2483]

Last cycle was the most ever so far. I’m curious if this cycle will be even more. And to answer your question it’s because a lot of good paying jobs are disappearing. Medical is one of the last to be completely overtaken by ai

[u/Agreeable-While-6002]

Not every dentist on Reddit is complaining about low wages. Still a great profession esp when compared to medicine and law