2025 Decision Day advice thread (revisited)

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Countdown to Decision Day 2025! We are going to remind everyone what you should be doing in advance.

Article to read
www.studentdoctor.net

Dental School Decision Day: Your Guide | Student Doctor Network | SDN

Unlike applicants to other health professions programs, aspiring dentists applying through AADSAS must wait until December to get the first notification
www.studentdoctor.net www.studentdoctor.net

What we wrote before
forums.studentdoctor.net

Search results for query: "decision day"

forums.studentdoctor.net forums.studentdoctor.net

Mr.Smile12

Post in: '2024 Decision Day reminders/countdown thread'

Calendar flips to December and the countdown is on.

This is the time to get out of the tryptophan slumber and learn how to calculate your costs of attendance at the schools where you were interviewed. What are your anticipated additional costs for travel, new clothes, new tools, etc.? Figure out the differences of attending each of the schools on your list and the impact any possible scholarship/grant amount can have on the calculation. Then, rank your schools. Then start planning your strategy asking family for money for Christmas or each of the eight nights of Hannukah (or pick...

artist2022

Thread '► READ BEFORE YOU POST: Formatting your Thread ◄'

How to format your "Help me decide" thread:
Things in red are what you edit/delete! Then you can select your entire post and change the font color to black.

Title: "School X (IS/OOS) vs. School Y (IS/OOS) (vs. School Z, etc)"
**private schools don't need IS/OOS listed ** ​

-- You can add a poll if you would like to --

Post:
School 1: name
* IS/OOS?
Pros:
  • look at list
  • " "
Cons:
  • look at list ...

We also need predental responses in the Fall 2025 Applicant Experience Survey (link in my signature). As of this posting, ZERO pre-dental applicants completed the survey. We need your input, especially given the changes in federal loans and repayment programs beginning with the 2026 incoming students. (Tell the predental reddit folks, if they want to effect change, this is one way to get the ball rolling.)
 
Have you subscribed to delivery notifications?

Some dental schools send hard-copy letters using delivery tracking (FedEx, UPS, or USPS). Registering for these services can tell you of a package coming to you.

Your geography determines when you might get a hard-copy offer. If you live near a dental school, you might get their offer letter before December 15. Weather delays may delay delivery of your hard-copy packet.

Given that December 15 falls on a Monday, packets may be dropped off during the next few days.

Expect AADSAS statuses to change beginning Monday. You could probably search the forums for any "codebreaking" whether you will have an offer or a waitlist notice pending.
 
Preparing your cell phone

Many schools like to call successful applicants on Decision Day. You can check the forums for each school last year for December posts discussing receiving phone calls. We ask that you also be courteous and report your call in the forums at your earliest convenience.

General questions
I doubt there is only one person making all calls like in Jerry Maguire (you should watch this movie).
money GIF


"They" treats dental schools as a collective, but don't expect them to behave identically. You have to be vigilant.

First, be prepared to receive a call during the school's normal business hours. Each year, at the complete whim of the admissions leadership, you can get calls in the morning or the afternoon IN THEIR TIME ZONE.

Second, They may not get to everyone on Day 1. They could call you on Day 2 (December 16). They should have told you on your interview day.

Third, They may not go in alphabetical order. Geography may play a role. If you live in the Pac or AK/HI Time Zones, they SHOULD adjust their calls to your time zone. Whatever you have listed in your CONTACT address (not permanent address).

Fourth, They may only call candidates who may be strong contenders for a scholarship. Do not haggle during this call.

Fifth, It's fine if you cannot pick up. HAVE A CLEAN WELCOME for your phone so they can leave a message.

Sixth, Tell your friends and family NOT to call you or text you during Decision Days. Please don't record yourself answering the phone... this isn't a professional sports draft. Do that recording later after all the dust has settled.

You have 30 days to make a deposit and final decision. Many of you already know your situation because you know how many interviews you have already received (and have scheduled). Scholarship offers SHOULD follow the Traffic Rules guidelines, but often posters report being forced to commit to the scholarship earlier. (Please report these incidents to me: I will send any complaints directly.)

Financial aid: the regulations are still in flux. It is unclear how schools and applicants will address the gap that federal loans will no longer cover. Any solutions will require coordination with the university's financial aid, fiscal office, private lenders, and government officials (for public schools). No one is happy about the situation, and the financial aid folks, the faculty, and the deans are all waiting. Be kind, but be vigilant.
 
do not ask others who have been accepted- when did you submit? what are your stats? what time zone are you in? what letter does your first/last name start with? do you know if they are done calling for the day?

these all do not matter, congratulate the accepted people and trust the process...
 
It's the weekend before December 15.

1. If you have gotten no interviews, keep hope alive, plan for updates, and prepare mentally for a reapplication. This includes looking at your experiences and grades in rigorous science courses.

2. If you have gotten an interview, check your AADSAS and applicant portals. Hopefully you will get good news, but portals don't change at midnight. Likely they change within the week.

3. Denials, rejections, and waitlists can be sent at any time, including Decision Day. If you don't hear anything, it's not bad or good news. (It's kinda 6-7.) Prepare a check-in or update letter until you have a decision.

4. Stay classy, people.

5. If you have an offer call, make sure they are recording (or not). You get 30 days to place a deposit (or the first of many). If YOU are recording, you need to tell them. Wait until the end of the day to update us of a decision. Let us know if you receive a scholarship with a shorter deadline to reply (or else you lose the scholarship); we are aware of some schools who do this.

6. Let us know if you plan to withdraw interview spots at other schools of you have an offer. Psychologically, that helps those waiting for interviews.
 
Last edited:
A friendly reminder about effectively using our X vs Y subforum.
artist2022

Thread 'Purpose of Forum'

Hello and welcome to the Help me decide: X vs Y Dental School Forum!

This forum was created so that students could get feedback on the dental schools they've been accepted to, and ultimately help them make a decision on which one to attend.

Rules and Conduct:
  • Please do not create multiple threads, or hijack other threads (such as to ask the OP what their stats were, or what kind of scholarship they received).
  • This forum is designed to facilitate a collaborative environment in which members offer sincere yet tactful feedback to other members. It is not intended...

Understand our consistent advice:
CHOOSE YOUR CHEAPEST OPTION.
 
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