What would you have done differently?

[JcRoughriders]

Hi guys,
For those of you who applied last year, can you share with us one thing that u would've done differently during the application process? there's seem to similar threads but i only found one from 2008
Small things, stupid mistakes, etc
Thanks a lot!

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[Pennywisdom]

Submit my application the first week of June.

 

[spoog74]

You say to submit the application first week of June yet, would you still recommend doing that even if you HAVEN'T taken the DAT's yet?



Someone with knowledgeable advice please. Thank you !

 

[K9sbestfriend]

Hi guys,
For those of you who applied last year, can you share with us one thing that u would've done differently during the application process? there's seem to similar threads but i only found one from 2008
Small things, stupid mistakes, etc
Thanks a lot!

Make sure that who ever is writing LORs for you stays on task. I asked my professors in april and had to bug two of them all summer.

 

[Maygyver]

There was a thread just like this a couple weeks ago. Anyway, I took my DAT early and applied on time, but I really don't know why people don't think ahead and time and timeline things out so that you can apply early with your DAT score in.

I would apply to less schools I think. Make sure to pick schools you really want to go to and don't stress out that much if you have good stats.

 

[meowww]

You say to submit the application first week of June yet, would you still recommend doing that even if you HAVEN'T taken the DAT's yet?



Someone with knowledgeable advice please. Thank you !

I took the DAT in July but submitted AADSAS in mid June. One less thing to worry about, plus your transcripts are verified. Apply early.

 

[jonishere5]

I should have took more time off to study for the DAT's, my score suffered because of it!

 

[Maygyver]

I should have took more time off to study for the DAT's, my score suffered because of it!

I don't think you really need to take time off to study for the DAT. It's all about making a study plan that fits you. Most people don't have the ability to take off time to just focus on the DAT, and it's also not really necessary. A lot of people do fine with studying for the DAT while taking a full load of courses, but you have to be disciplined and make a study plan that fits with your schedule.

Using the DAT forum was really helpful and has lots of tips for how to study effectively.

 

[dentalWorks]

Hi guys,
For those of you who applied last year, can you share with us one thing that u would've done differently during the application process? there's seem to similar threads but i only found one from 2008
Small things, stupid mistakes, etc
Thanks a lot!

1) I should have focused on out-of-state friendly schools that DO ALLOW student to change residency to that state (to drop tuition significantly)

2) I should have applied to all 3 Tx schools... who knows, my odds of getting in are 1 in a 1000 (literally) but if it happened, man, 15-20k per year tuition is nice!!....

3) I underestimated my stats, 18 schools was too much. 10-13 was a better number. But...this is easy for me to say now, I am sitting on an acceptance.

4) I should have picked my 5-free schools before signing up for DAT
If you don't select those 5 initially, you'll lose the free-bees.

 

[bipster10]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=10847558

 

[UBDent19]

I would make sure every single transcript was ordered on day #1 of the cycle. My AADSAS app was delayed because I forgot to send in a community college transcript from years ago that only contained 5 credits. I didn't think it mattered since none of the classes were listed on my application (I took the courses while still in high school). But AADSAS found out I took those courses and held up my application for almost a month by the time they got the transcript and inputted/verified the information.

 

[JcRoughriders]

thank you guys for the advice!!!

 

[PreDent100]

I would have changed 2 major things:

1) I would have done some kind of research and increased my number of shadowing hours.
-I had decent stats (3.9 gpa and 23/25/29 dat) and lots of extracurriculars but had no research experience and only had 30 hours of shadowing experience. This made it so that I almost got into some of the schools I really wanted but not quite. Stupid mistake on my part.

2) I would have chosen the schools I applied to more wisely.
-I didn't apply to all the schools I should have because I didn't educate myself enough on where to apply. Therefore I didn't apply to schools like Penn, UCSF, USC, UOP, Texas schools etc. where I really should have since I would have really liked to attend these schools. Instead, I focused on schools where I had the best chance of getting in rather than schools I liked the most. This made it so that I got several offers, but ended up turning them down for my state school anyway.

 

[dentalWorks]

I would have changed 2 major things:

1) I would have done some kind of research and increased my number of shadowing hours.
-I had decent stats (3.9 gpa and 23/25/29 dat) and lots of extracurriculars but had no research experience and only had 30 hours of shadowing experience. This made it so that I almost got into some of the schools I really wanted but not quite. Stupid mistake on my part.

2) I would have chosen the schools I applied to more wisely.
-I didn't apply to all the schools I should have because I didn't educate myself enough on where to apply. Therefore I didn't apply to schools like Penn, UCSF, USC, UOP, Texas schools etc. where I really should have since I would have really liked to attend these schools. Instead, I focused on schools where I had the best chance of getting in rather than schools I liked the most. This made it so that I got several offers, but ended up turning them down for my state school anyway.

your stats aren't "decent"

 

[PreDent100]

your stats aren't "decent"

Maybe, but my point was that stats can become irrelevant if you have other mistakes in your application such as the ones I did. Answering the question what I would have done differently, I would have fixed these stupid mistakes.