How much did the application process cost you this year?

[RedRoze]

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Hi all,

I started saving money for this, but I know it's more expensive every year, so how much did it cost you in total this year

DAT materials + DAT + application fee (+$75x #of schools & secondaries) +flying to interviews if OOS + DEPOSIT (I i think 1k) = $$$$

an estimate would be great too.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Hi all,

I started saving money for this, but I know it's more expensive every year, so how much did it cost you in total this year

DAT materials + DAT + application fee (+$75x #of schools & secondaries) +flying to interviews if OOS + DEPOSIT (I i think 1k) = $$$$

an estimate would be great too.

Depending on where you are and have to travel to the schools you pick, I tell people around $3K-$6K per cycle. Have to buy good clothes, food, hotels. Some schools' deposits are $1500.

 

[qnzbabi91]

I applied to 10 schools= around 2K

Traveling (I stayed local, but paid many tolls)= $500

DAT Studying (Kaplan, Destroyer, Achiever, Qvault, Topscore, Crack the DAT)= $2500

Suit from Express= $150

It was a $5,150 investment. Good thing I had a full scholarship to undergrad. Now, I just need to manage my dental school loans.

Also, my deposit, which goes towards tuition, will most likely be $350.

 

[chill45]

$360 for DAT, $800 for DAT materials (you can recoup most of this though when you resell them), $3600 for around 20 schools including secondaries, $1000 for hotel/gas for 3 interviews (driving saved a ton of money over flying, drives consisted of 6 hours, 7 hours, and 12 hours each way to the three school, totally worth it though), $700 for a suit...so yeah around $5,500 after I sold my DAT material...interviews can be costly, I friend of mine flew to an interview and with hotel/taxi costs it totaled $700 for that one school, driving there saved me $400 compared to that

 

[OMF_HNS]

i lost count, but I would say in the thousands for sure. apps were already $2K and traveling was a good $1.5K and then food and clothes $$ so ~$4k

But remember, if you ever have a question on whether you should invest an extra $$ or not, JUST DO IT. because you'll never know if you don't go for it. So invest in the app cycle, and it'll pay off down the road. Because in the end when you are a dentist, these couple thousand $$ will not be much when added onto your cost of attendance anyways.

 

[VTdds]

Hi all,

I started saving money for this, but I know it's more expensive every year, so how much did it cost you in total this year

DAT materials + DAT + application fee (+$75x #of schools & secondaries) +flying to interviews if OOS + DEPOSIT (I i think 1k) = $$$$

an estimate would be great too.

DAT Materials ( books from amazon, used bookstore, crack PAT, DAT destroyer) $350
DAT x1 = 360
Application fee plus secondaries for 6 schools = $1020
Interviews x1= $350
Suit = $200
Deposit = 500
Total= about 2800
It really all depends on how many schools you want to apply to...I paid all of my own expenses so that meant applying to less schools and finding ways to save on study materials ( share with other pre-dents!) You're smart to start saving now!! Good luck!

 

[Blue87Fiero]

this is just an aproximiation but

DAT material-$600
DAT-$320
Applied to 16 school with secondary was about -$2,500
Suit, shirt, shoes, ties- $300
Travel expenses-$1300
Holding fee- $1500 goes toward tuition

Total- $6520 This is the first time I added things up it is more expensive than i thought.

Its all worth once you get an acceptance🙂

 

[UCLAzy]

DAT material: borrowed for a week or two
DAT: $3xx? i forget
4 schools: about $800 (w/ secondary)
Suit: $180 sale at macy's!
Travel: $800 ish
Holding fee: $1000

around $3k? i feel like it wasnt that much but those are estimations

 

[dans105]

Look at credit cards that give you an instant point bonus for signing up to cover flights. I got the Southwest card with 50,000 points up front, enough for 2 round-trip flights in the US (more if it's a shorter flight). Then you can cancel the card later.

 

[kmcw]

DAT materials: +$50 (sold them on eBay after using and the auction ended at more than I spent)
DAT: -$360
Application fee for 3 schools plus secondaries: -$628
Interview Travel for 3 -local- schools (train tickets, hotel, gas): -$300
Attire: -$100 (Ross Dress for Less)
Deposit: -$300

Total: $1688

 

[sacapuntas]

DAT Materials: $300 and resold for $200 = $100 net
DAT: $350?
12 Schools = $1080 + $660 in secondaries
went to 5 interviews = $450 average = $2250
Had the suit, but you should be able to get one for $200
Total = $4440😱
It doesn't seem as bad when you spend it a little here and a little there!

My advice to future applicants is not to apply 12+ schools if you don't need to. Only apply to schools you REALLY would go to so you don't waste money not only on apps, but on interviews. I went to 2 interviews where I really didn't want to go to that school and cancelled 3 interviews so far because I applied to too many schools. However, at least I am not sitting out a cycle, so maybe the extra dough was worth the assurance.

 

[NDPitch]

I applied to a ton of schools and had to do a fair amount of traveling for interviews. I think I'm over 6k, yikes. Good thing I've been working full time for the past 3 years.

 

[MrGoOrange]

p

 

[r2thekesh]

Look at credit cards that give you an instant point bonus for signing up to cover flights. I got the Southwest card with 50,000 points up front, enough for 2 round-trip flights in the US (more if it's a shorter flight). Then you can cancel the card later.

That's a quick way to ruin your credit and possibly get charged fees if you do it too quickly.

 

[cwoodds]

My advice to future applicants is not to apply 12+ schools if you don't need to. Only apply to schools you REALLY would go to so you don't waste money not only on apps, but on interviews. I went to 2 interviews where I really didn't want to go to that school and cancelled 3 interviews so far because I applied to too many schools. However, at least I am not sitting out a cycle, so maybe the extra dough was worth the assurance.

DAT Study = $1500 (way too much, don't pay for the Kaplan course!)
DAT = $360
AADSAS + Supplemental for 11 schools = $1,500
Travel = $500
AADSAS + Supplemental for 1 school added later = $150
Being accepted to the one school I added later = Priceless 😀

I took the advice above from a current dental student and it almost ended up costing me the cycle. The truth is you never know what a particular school might be looking for and unless you have stellar all-around stats you should apply broadly. Even with a 23AA I only got invited to interview (and accepted) at the one school that I added later in the cycle. Pay the extra money up front, you can always turn down interviews if you start getting invited to your top choices.

 

[NDPitch]

The truth is you never know what a particular school might be looking for and unless you have stellar all-around stats you should apply broadly. Even with a 23AA I only got invited to interview (and accepted) at the one school that I added later in the cycle. Pay the extra money up front, you can always turn down interviews if you start getting invited to your top choices.

Yup. This is why I applied to as many schools as I reasonably could. Some schools thought I was weird for doing so, but it paid off in the end.

 

[kevinrho]

I think I'm over 7k..... but that's also because I applied to a lot of schools and went out to 6 interviews...

 

[bakigf]

About 7k also.....also for similar reason....4 interviews but they were all east coast (im in west coast).....higher p

 

[azimmer]

Thinking about this makes me want to die.. here it goes:
TMDSAS app. fee: ~150
AADSAS (10 schools) ~1000
supplementals: ~800
DAT LOL took it twice: 720
DAT materials: 700 (kaplan class) + 100 (chads) + 120 (crack DAT PAT) = 920
Suit: 800 (yeah I know... but I fell in love with it!)
5 interviews: 3000 (travel costs + hotel rooms + food)
= ~$7,390..... which is equivalent to two semesters in my undergrad

 

[Tunaman]

DAT prep - 2200
AADSAS- 1600
Supp Apps- 1300
Interview Travel- 1500
-------------------------------------
Total = vomit

 

[Sal427]

dat prep - 2200
aadsas- 1600
supp apps- 1300
interview travel- 1500
-------------------------------------
total = vomit

lol

 

[RSalha17]

Wow going over this really sucks, haha you realize actually how much money you have spent and it is crazy. I spent $1500 on my DAT course, $2000 on my AADSAS apps, $1000 on my secondary apps, and around $1000 on interviews, $300 on suit and shoes and ties, etc.

Total I've spent about $6000 over the last year on dental school stuff, and this does not include my trip I will be taking down to SF in January, which will run me another $500....

Wow I can't believe how much money i have spent, also I applied to 20 schools.

 

[The Dentisto]

Huh. How'd you guys do this so cheap? It costed me $655,000 what with the private jets and property purchases and all, which you basically have to do if you want to show a school that you're serious.

But hey what do I know, I only got accepted into Harvard.

 

[SoColdInTheD]

It cost me about $2000...really only like $1500 for the dental school stuff then i tacked on another 500 for the toys i bought myself to ease the pain of no interviews lol

 

[tomhrxbfg]

DAT: $360 testing fee + $100 CDP +$60 topscore + $100 datqvault +$40 KBB +$50 reschedule fee = $710
16 School app + secondary = approx. $2500
3 Interviews: $350 + $200 = $550
So total = $3760
Edit: forgot suit...= $240, so total = $4k.

Remember guys, apply as many schools you could as possible. I have 23 AA /24TS (nothing below 19) and 3.76 ogpa with 1200 h research (1 publication) + tons volunteer etc, and only got 4 interviews in total (maybe I applied late, end of aug). It's worth the investment. Think about if you have to do this all over again the next year.

 

[Predent36]

I got lucky, and I was on a budget.

DAT $360 + Chad's Videos $50
Waived initial app fee, two supplemental fees waived
App costs = $235
Two interviews in-state close by, and accepted to my top choice. 🙂

 

[RedRoze]

wow, this is really expensive, unexpected!

 

[Seahawk]

3k to start with 5 schools and follow through with just 1.

 

[orientalbeat]

dat: 360
applying: ~350
supp fees: 150
suit: ~100
interviews/hotel: ~700
deposit: 1,000
so roughly 2,500

i'm on a budget so props to those who applied to 7+ schools...pricey!

 

[KittySquared]

AADSAS + supplementals + DAT test + interview hotels + flight + gas + deposit = ~$4,000

 

[UCSFx2017]

Around 3500. I paid 1000 out of the 3500 with fellowship money though.