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"Apply early. ...The earlier applicants stay ahead throughout the whole process." |
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Applying to Dental School |
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application process is the culmination of your predental preparations. Do not take this
lightly. It is your chance to convince dental admissions committees to select you over
other applicants (thousands in many cases). It might help to imagine yourself as a
product. What is the best way to present yourself? What distinguishes you from all the
other applicants? Why should you be selected? 1) Choose the schools you will apply to. Every dental school with ADA accreditation provides a quality dental education. Yet, schools place different emphases in areas such as research and clinical experience. Evaluate your educational goals and then find a school that fits your needs. By looking at statistics in Ultimate Dental School Admission Guide you should be able to identify schools where you might be a quality applicant. We suggest you apply to the school of your dreams, a few 'fall-backs' (where you expect to be admitted), and several in between. 2) Apply early. You increase your chances of being admitted if you apply early. The earliest you can apply is July. The earlier applicants stay ahead throughout the whole process. They get the secondary applications from the schools earlier and interview earlier. A dental school dean told us that they select the majority of the people they will interview before October 1st. He said that they review applications in the order received and, "You don't want to be on the bottom of the pile." AADSAS application overview: Basically, you send your preliminary application into an application center which distributes it to the schools you have chosen (preferably in July or August). This application contains your grades and a one page essay (a blank page which you fill however you want). The application has a list of what the schools want you to do at the time you send it in. Some want a transcript, cash, letters of recommendations or other things as soon as you send in your AADSAS application. Others want you to wait for them to contact you. The procedures for each school are listed in the application you receive from the AADSAS. Make sure you read the AADSAS directions carefully or you will delay the process. For more information about the AADSAS application see the ADA Publications in the Publication section. Letters of recommendation: Schools will want letters of recommendation from a
predental committee or professors at your institution. You might want to provide
them with a curriculum vitae (a summary of your education, professional history, and
qualifications). Give them ample time to write them. Like us, they are busy individuals
who usually have their time already filled up. *Be creative with any rejection letters you may receive. Secondary Applications: Schools will send secondary applications to competitive applicants. Follow the instructions completely and return them as soon as possible. These might involve sending a short essay or two, a picture, money, letters of recommendation, DAT scores, a criminal background check, or other various items. Wait . . . Hopefully, you will get an interview (where required). Interviews: Be yourself and go in with an idea of what they might ask you and what you want them to know before it is over. (Note: Predental.com has endorsed the Ultimate Dental School Admission Guide for its high quality content on the interview process, as well as the numerous real interview questions submitted by predental students contained in the publication.) Wait . . . Hopefully, you will get accepted in the first round of acceptance letters (at the beginning of December). If not, their are several more rounds to go. When accepted, you will have a certain amount of time to send in your non-refundable deposit. The later your acceptance, the less time you are given to decide. (Note: The acceptance is conditional upon satisfactorily completing the courses you are taking.) *Again, be creative with any rejection letters you may receive. Waiting lists: Many applicants will get placed on a waiting list. There you could sit up until the time school starts, hoping that someone they accepted goes somewhere else. Some have even been admitted a few weeks after dental school had started. Reapplying: Persistence can pay off. A person at the lower end of the competitive applicant pool may increase their chances by reapplying the subsequent year. Quite simply, it shows that your drive to become a dentist is not a passing fling. In one exceptional case, an applicant was accepted after applying 10 years in a row. Another option is to consider graduate school opportunities (such as a masters degree in Biology). Successful coursework at the graduate level is impressive and can do much to amend a poor undergraduate performance. At some point you might be better off moving on. There is more to life than dentistry.
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