Best time to submit? 2021-2022 Cycle

[DentalStudent8991]

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Hey everyone,

So after not getting in to dental school for the 2020-2021 cycle, I am planning on resubmitting for the upcoming 2021-2022 cycle. My question is: Is there a best time to submit or a general time frame? The reason I ask this is because I know that most schools take students based on rolling admissions so the "first come first serve principle" usually applies. But how early is early?

I think my biggest mistake for the last cycle was that I wasnt able to submit until October 2020, when the cycle opened up in late may or early June. So I was about 5 months behind and I think it really hurt my chances, plus I was an average applicant.

So this year I want to get it right and apply well in advance and much closer to the cycle date. I believe it opens up May 11th. But this is still a bit too early for me to submit because I still need to retake the DAT, get more shadowing and volunteering hours etc. So if I set a goal of submitting by mid june or early july is this a good time frame and will increase my chances?

 

[S_Diamond_DDS]

Asap. Mid june would still be relatively early. Try not to submit later than this. You should have taken your DAT and received official scores before applying, so worry about this first. You can do this while accumulating shadowing. And you always update your app with volunteering/extracurriculars after applying.

 

[Like_Groceries]

I would submit in either June or July. Especially if you know you’re going to apply. Get all your things done before the soft open happens in May

 

[d9m7]

The good thing is that you already have all of the experiences, awards, and such entered into AADSAS so you'll only need to make some tweaks. Try to start shadowing now if you are able to, even if it's only 1-2 hours a week. By June, those hours would have accumulated. Also, see if there are any virtual volunteering opportunities that you can dedicate a bit of time to each week so that all you need to focus on as the application opening approaches is your DAT. For example, there are several online tutoring opportunities that are flexible.

I saw your other post about retaking the DAT. I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Chad's videos for both OC and GC. I did well in those courses in undergrad, but I was able to score a 30 in GC and a 22 in OC after extensively studying his videos and completing his practice problems. The earlier you start to prepare, the better off you will be when the application opens. Be realistic in how much time you can dedicate to something each day or week. I found that when I over-plan, I end up doing less than I would have if I was just realistic with my expectations. So, maybe you could make it a goal to watch one or two videos per subject per week. Hope something of what I said helps!