An approach to using noncognitive variables in dental school admissions.
Dental school admissions committees continue to grapple with challenges associated with recruiting, admitting, and enrolling students who best meet the mission of the particular institution. For many students, particularly underrepresented minority students and those from non-traditional backgrounds, standardized tests such as the Dental Admission Test (DAT) are poor predictors of their potential for success. Noncognitive assessment methods can be used in conjunction with traditional cognitive measures in making admissions decisions. These methods have been employed by hundreds of higher education institutions, foundations, and scholarship programs, but are relatively new in dental education. This article describes a prevalent assessment model and discusses one dental school's implementation of the model, with the outcome of enrolling students from diverse backgrounds whose career goals parallel the mission of the school.
School of Dental Medicine, East Carolina University, 1851 MacGregor Downs Road, MS 107, Greenville, NC 27834;. wilsonmar@ecu.edu.
Margaret B
MB
Wilson
William E
WE
Sedlacek
B Lamont
BL
Lowery
D001242:Assertiveness; D002605:Character; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003256:Community Participation; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007857:Leadership; D008913:Minority Groups; D009657:North Carolina; D010560:Personnel Selection / Q000379:methods; D012570:School Admission Criteria; D012575:Schools, Dental; D012649:Self Concept; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012944:Social Support; D013335:Students, Dental; D035862:Vulnerable Populations
admissions; admissions committee; dental education; holistic file review; low-income dental students; noncognitive variables; underrepresented minority dental students