hi new guy here... some questions for ya. and looking for a mentor.

[JNN]

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HI! im jason! wish i knew about this forum before i started on my journey to dental school. would have prolly help alot in avoiding mistakes and such. anyways, i had some questions that i would love some answers to:

1. would anyone who has been through the process be a willing mentor to me? i was considering using an admissions consulting services but i was highly recommended to use the SDN dental network instead.

2. does multiple reapplications to dental school hurt my chances if i dont get accepted the 1st, 2nd, 3rd time? i was told it does but thats a conflicting argument that i dont have a solid concrete answer to. (nor does google)

3. if i had applied before getting my 4yr degree... and now that i have it. how much more weight does my application carry now? (again alot of conflicting arguments that i hear) and yes, i did apply just to see where the other aspects of my application would get me before acquiring my degree.

well... this is awkward and i had more questions but as of now i just totally blanked out. sorry. please help if possible. thanks!

 

[y3nd0]

1. Depends on what you mean by mentor. The whole SDN forum is a pretty good "mentor" in and of itself.
2. I wouldn't say so. But I would say that as you keep reapplying, people will start to wonder. Reapplicants are very common, but they up the ante from their first application cycle by improving their stats, experience, volunteer hours, etc. If you have to reapply for a 4th time (for example), that probably isn't a very good sign, as that means you were slacking and didn't give much effort to improve your app the first few times.
3. Doesn't matter. As long as you have a 4 year degree before you matriculate, it doesn't matter if you apply during your 3rd year or after your 4th year. Some people even get into dental school without a 4 year degree.

 

[JNN]

2. I wouldn't say so. But I would say that as you keep reapplying, people will start to wonder. Reapplicants are very common, but they up the ante from their first application cycle by improving their stats, experience, volunteer hours, etc. If you have to reapply for a 4th time (for example), that probably isn't a very good sign, as that means you were slacking and didn't give much effort to improve your app the first few times.

Every year i have applied i have added several things to make myself more competitive and checked off more blocks as time goes on. earning my CDT, my 4 yr degree, more volunteer hours as youve mentioned. i can assure you that it wasnt due to lack of effort / slacking. in fact... sans GPA and DAT... im not sure what else i can add to my application to make it better. as of now i pretty much have a "full" application, and by that i mean in the professional experience and yes most if not ALL of those relate to dentistry (awards / scholarships were from the military) . i have at least 3 + entrys on all fields except research where i only have a solitary entry.

 

[y3nd0]

Every year i have applied i have added several things to make myself more competitive and checked off more blocks as time goes on. earning my CDT, my 4 yr degree, more volunteer hours as youve mentioned. i can assure you that it wasnt due to lack of effort / slacking. in fact... sans GPA and DAT... im not sure what else i can add to my application to make it better. as of now i pretty much have a "full" application, and by that i mean in the professional experience and yes most if not ALL of those relate to dentistry (awards / scholarships were from the military) . i have at least 3 + entrys on all fields except research where i only have a solitary entry.

I take it you have applied several times before then - have you received interviews? What are your GPA and DAT looking like? If you need advice, you have to give a bigger picture for everyone.
If your EC's are all on point, then it can be several other things:
1. Are you applying broadly enough? Smartly?
2. GPA and DAT in good standing?
3. Any sort of derogatory mark on your academic record or criminal record?
4. Interview skills?

 

[Greyangel6]

If you apply too many times, in my opinion, may raise a red flag because you have not corrected your mistakes in previous cycles that you applied. If there is nothing else you can do to increase your application competitiveness, maybe it's the school list that you have, picking schools whose stats are way different than yours. Maybe something wrong with your personal statement. Or your LORs. Maybe it's the way that you wrote your secondary application assays. Maybe it's your interviewing skills. etc. Make sure you ask the schools of your interest to see what they're looking for in you.

 

[JNN]

I take it you have applied several times before then - have you received interviews? What are your GPA and DAT looking like? If you need advice, you have to give a bigger picture for everyone.
If your EC's are all on point, then it can be several other things:
1. Are you applying broadly enough? Smartly?
2. GPA and DAT in good standing?
3. Any sort of derogatory mark on your academic record or criminal record?
4. Interview skills?

I have applied twice before with no interviews. I would like to say the first time was with most of my preqs. completed. The 2nd time was with all preqs. completed. This third time will have my 4 yr degree completed.
Answers to the # questions below:
1. 1st time = at least 10 schools, 2nd time 5 schools. and your right... i should prolly bump that number back up.
2. ill PM you... its above a 3.0 but no more than a 3.3. i am still ashamed of it. same with my DATs but i am currently busting ass studying for my next attempt.
3. none. cant really have any since i am in the military and marks are a BIG no no.
4. im not too sure what you mean by this... elaborate? if you mean by if i can talk to ppl in a professional manner than yes.

 

[JNN]

If you apply too many times, in my opinion, may raise a red flag because you have not corrected your mistakes in previous cycles that you applied. If there is nothing else you can do to increase your application competitiveness, maybe it's the school list that you have, picking schools whose stats are way different than yours. Maybe something wrong with your personal statement. Or your LORs. Maybe it's the way that you wrote your secondary application assays. Maybe it's your interviewing skills. etc. Make sure you ask the schools of your interest to see what they're looking for in you.

we can actually call the adcoms and they will tell you what you need to do to be looked at better next time? i figured it was a generic "high numbers and youll be good speech" i suppose now would be a horrible time to call since admissions started up again. when would you suggest would be a good timeframe to call adcoms?

 

[Greyangel6]

we can actually call the adcoms and they will tell you what you need to do to be looked at better next time? i figured it was a generic "high numbers and youll be good speech" i suppose now would be a horrible time to call since admissions started up again. when would you suggest would be a good timeframe to call adcoms?

I would call the school when you can but preferably after a cycle because otherwise you would be 1 in the gazillions of students calling the school and the wait time can drive you to say inappropriate things when they finally connect you (from personal experience). Or an email would do too but you might be waiting a long time for an answer also. Point is to keep your tenacity to find out what's wrong and work from there.

 

[y3nd0]

I have applied twice before with no interviews. I would like to say the first time was with most of my preqs. completed. The 2nd time was with all preqs. completed. This third time will have my 4 yr degree completed.
Answers to the # questions below:
1. 1st time = at least 10 schools, 2nd time 5 schools. and your right... i should prolly bump that number back up.
2. ill PM you... its above a 3.0 but no more than a 3.3. i am still ashamed of it. same with my DATs but i am currently busting ass studying for my next attempt.
3. none. cant really have any since i am in the military and marks are a BIG no no.
4. im not too sure what you mean by this... elaborate? if you mean by if i can talk to ppl in a professional manner than yes.

I'll wait for the PM.

 

[ajj70]

I'm assuming you use proper punctuation and grammar on your applications and personal statements.

 

[JNN]

I'm assuming you use proper punctuation and grammar on your applications and personal statements.

yes sir... but for here i wanna be lazy. on my application. all my i's dotted and t's crossed. i may have a low GPA but i assure you im sharper than how you perceive me to be. just a bit sharper, not much.

 

[JNN]

any and all help is appreciated!! thank you!!! and keep the advice coming please! thats without saying if you can be helpful please speak up. if not, please hold your peace. do unto others.