Any tips for the upcoming cycle!?

[leejunsoo]

Hi guys,
I am planning to apply for this upcoming cycle and it is approaching very quickly...
For those who got accepted this cycle, congratulations,
BUT for those who didn't get accepted, I'm sure most of you are applying again.

I am curious though,
If you could go back in time, what would you tell yourself to do differently?
What did you learn that you wish you had known before?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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[mrg276]

Have all of your stuff (recommendation letters, transcripts, DAT scores, personal statements, etc.) ready to go so that you can apply and have everything submitted within the first few days of the application being open. You'll thank me later!

 

[wcombs]

Getting into dental school was such a big deal to me and I obsessed over it every single day of this cycle. I'm fairly high strung and I take things too seriously, especially when it comes to academics. I was stressed out and mentally drained and honestly just miserable from panicking over things I couldn't control, and I basically threw away the past 9 months of my life because I didn't even get an acceptance.

This cycle I'm going to try to get a grip on my obsessive tendencies and just relax. Whatever happens, happens!

 

[UCSFx2017]

Apply to UConn early.

My parents noticed my quickly receding hairline. Maybe it was just a coincidence with application stress and my hormones, maybe it wasn't.

Try to immerse yourself in activities and thoughts that'll keep your mind at ease and away from the thought of getting interviews. Don't get sucked into SDN. Keep tabs but make sure you keep your distance because it'll really suck you in and crank up your stress level.

Remember that at the interview, the school has determined that they like you and want to know you. Although you should definitely prepare by researching the school and ruminating over who you are, really try your best to relax during the interview. Easier said than done. But if you can somehow make interviews less stressful, you'll probably do a lot better. Also interviews become substantially easier after your first interview hurdle. It gets a lot easier with experience. Trust me. I was the most paranoid when it came to interviews but after my first couple, it was no biggy. Prepare but don't over prepare.

Debt is more serious than you would ever think. You've never dealt with this amount of money ever before in your life and there will only be two other instances in your own whole life that you'll ever make financial decisions as big as school selection. Those are (1) purchasing your practice and (2) buying your home. Hopefully, your dental school debt will be less of a financial pressure than either of those.

Don't believe me? Ask real dentists on DentalTown. I went into this application cycle thinking I would attend an Ivy or UC. Ended up choosing my state school. Why you might ask? I'm not even a person with strong materialistic values. Because debt burden will determine whether you will be still paying off debt in 30-years or 2.5 years. It'll determine whether I can support my parents and siblings as quick as I possibly can. It'll determine if I'll qualify for loan when I'm trying to buy a practice. Did you know that banks will only seriously consider you for a loan if your monthly debt-to-income ratio is 30% or less? How can you qualify for that when you're paying >$5,000 on a monthly loan repayment, are married with kids, have rent payment, have car payments, etc.? The only way you can have a real dentist's income and lifestyle is if you own a practice. The sticker price on some private schools can reach >$350K upon graduation. By the time you pay off your loans in 30-years, you might have accrued another $300K or more in interest. A lot of people will tell you that it's unreasonable to pay off a loan this big in 30-years. I agree but what else can you do to make monthly loan repayments a manageable amount when you end up getting married, have kids, buy a practice, buy a home around age >33?

 

[JAWSSS]

If I could go back in time... I would not have applied to LECOM or USC... Each school you take off your list is about $600 saved (including all costs through interviewing).

I should have done a little more research before I applied and been honest with myself about the fact that I wouldn't want to attend those universities if accepted. Just not for me.

 

[UCSFx2017]

One of dentistry's strength in allowing us to see tangible results in our labor is also one of the downfalls when the dentist is in significant debt. Because we spend time, energy, and costly material in a day-to-day basis, our subconscious is quick to realize exactly how much of our effort is going out of our bank account and into the loan companies. If more than half of your monthly profit is going into paying off student loans, you'll subconsciously associate half of that crown prep to half of your compensation going to loan repayment. It's a terrible feeling. Imagine that every time you do a procedure and use up material, in the back of your mind, you're reminded of how 50% of that is coming out of your pocket. It's probably less frequently noticeable for internal medicine physicians.

Hopefully you will have written a killer personal statement so that when you end up in private practice with a bunch of loans, you'll refer back to your personal statement and become energized and motivated. Hopefully, you will still think dental school was worth it. That's how awesome your personal statement should be. Strive to be as patient-minded as you can be so you'll have less to whine about when you graduate.

 

[tigerteeth22]

Going in.... I wish I knew how painstakingly and mentally exhausting it would be. I thought to myself "Okay I pushed submit and I sealed the last envelope, now I just sit here and wait. Easy."

No. Okay part of my problem was I convinced myself I probably wouldn't get any interviews until the spring because I didn't know how strong of an applicant I was. Then I found myself interviewing at my #1 school in October. On December 3rd when the first round of acceptances came out I sat by my phone/computer the entire day. Haha. I didn't get another interview until February (which I then got accepted two weeks later) and got my 3rd interview invite in the middle of March. So I had 4 months between my 1st and 2nd interview. And from the moment I pressed submit in June until now (in which I'm still waiting to hear back from a couple schools) it's been 10 long months of waiting around. It really can get to you.

Moral of my story is, patience is a serious virtue. You can't go in expecting for answers right away and if you know what to expect you will be much better off It's a crap shoot. You'll probably get rejected from schools you thought were easy to get into and get accepted to schools you never thought would even look at you.

Good luck!

 

[UCSFx2017]

Going in.... I wish I knew how painstakingly and mentally exhausting it would be. I thought to myself "Okay I pushed submit and I sealed the last envelope, now I just sit here and wait. Easy."

No. Okay part of my problem was I convinced myself I probably wouldn't get any interviews until the spring because I didn't know how strong of an applicant I was. Then I found myself interviewing at my #1 school in October. On December 3rd when the first round of acceptances came out I sat by my phone/computer the entire day. Haha. I didn't get another interview until February (which I then got accepted two weeks later) and got my 3rd interview invite in the middle of March. So I had 4 months between my 1st and 2nd interview. And from the moment I pressed submit in June until now (in which I'm still waiting to hear back from a couple schools) it's been 10 long months of waiting around. It really can get to you.

Moral of my story is, patience is a serious virtue. You can't go in expecting for answers right away and if you know what to expect you will be much better off It's a crap shoot. You'll probably get rejected from schools you thought were easy to get into and get accepted to schools you never thought would even look at you.

Good luck!

lol I think I know who you are. I'm pretty sure I sat next to you at the Penn interview. Was your October interview at UCSF?

 

[leejunsoo]

thanks for all your replies!
but i do have a question though,
how do you have your transcript ready before the application opens?
I thought you need some kind of matching sheet from AADSAS and bring that to your school and have them directly send it to AADSAS
please correct me.

 

[leejunsoo]

Getting into dental school was such a big deal to me and I obsessed over it every single day of this cycle. I'm fairly high strung and I take things too seriously, especially when it comes to academics. I was stressed out and mentally drained and honestly just miserable from panicking over things I couldn't control, and I basically threw away the past 9 months of my life because I didn't even get an acceptance.

This cycle I'm going to try to get a grip on my obsessive tendencies and just relax. Whatever happens, happens!

hey,
i'm curious why you didn't get an acceptance this cycle
your stats look too good for dental schools to pass on
did u apply late? did u apply to not enough schools?
sorry for asking but I'm really curious

 

[KittySquared]

^Yes, there is a transcript matching form. As soon as the portal opens at the very beginning of June, you can print it out from your AADSAS and go to your school's registrar's office. They will probably send it out with in 4 business days. It'll then arrive in another 3 or 4 business days. Wait til it processes, which takes 4-8 weeks. Make sure you're on top of it and hustle them (both your registrar's office, your recommendation letters, and call AADSAS) to make sure everything arrives timely so your stuff isn't delayed.

 

[leejunsoo]

^Yes, there is a transcript matching form. As soon as the portal opens at the very beginning of June, you can print it out from your AADSAS and go to your school's registrar's office. They will probably send it out with in 4 business days. It'll then arrive in another 3 or 4 business days. Wait til it processes, which takes 4-8 weeks. Make sure you're on top of it and hustle them (both your registrar's office, your recommendation letters, and call AADSAS) to make sure everything arrives timely so your stuff isn't delayed.

thanks alot!

 

[O2ShootTheJ]

Hi guys,
I am planning to apply for this upcoming cycle and it is approaching very quickly...
For those who got accepted this cycle, congratulations,
BUT for those who didn't get accepted, I'm sure most of you are applying again.

I am curious though,
If you could go back in time, what would you tell yourself to do differently?
What did you learn that you wish you had known before?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

• Submit application first day possible, even without DAT scores
• Take the application process more seriously
• Don't expect a above average GPA (3.92) to carry sub-par DAT scores
• Prepare more for my interviews (but don't script answers)
• Don't expect things/get your hopes up. Only leads to disappointment

 

[segura11]

Don't spend so much much time on SDN. It just stresses you out and causes a lot of unnecessary worry. Use it as a means to an end.

 

[wcombs]

hey,
i'm curious why you didn't get an acceptance this cycle
your stats look too good for dental schools to pass on
did u apply late? did u apply to not enough schools?
sorry for asking but I'm really curious

No.
Probably.

Your guess is as good as mine :\