Information about Arizona

[ItsGavinC]

I've been away from these forums for a little bit, but it is good to be back!

If anybody in this upcoming application cycle is interested in applying to Arizona, please send me a PM if you have any questions or concerns about the school (rumors may have bits and pieces of the truth, but decisions shouldn't be based on them alone).

I will be attending the school in July, and I'm more than willing to share the insights that I have.

Good luck to everybody who is preparing for the DAT and getting ready to apply in a couple of months!

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[mcataz]

I will add this. Arizona is not easy to get into. I know a lot of people may have the impression that they are taking anyone because it's new. So not the case. I know of 2 people now who had 4.0 GPA's that got rejected. They thought they were in for sure. So I know that Arizona is looking closely at the entire person as opposed to numbers. This is always a good sign.

I heard Arizona is really insistent upon people with a lot of volunteer experience and humanitarian related extracurriculars moreso than other schools. I was pleasantly surpised to hear this. A lot of dental schools profess this but it's mostly about the numbers with them.

It looks like it's heading in the right direction. Just wanted to share that with everyone. As I promised earlier. I would share good rumors as well as negative rumors about the school. And this is certainly a good rumor in my opinion.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Thanks to all those who have sent me messages (10+). Keep them coming if I may be of any assistance.

mcataz,

Thanks for your informative post.

 

[One time]

Like Gavin I have also been away for awhile, and also like Gavin, I would be more than happy to talk to any and all who are interested in ASDOH. With it being a new program, and the website not providing a lot of information, I think Gavin and I can help with questions, concerns, and so on...

Other than that, good luck with finals, DAT's, LOR's, AADSAS, etc...and just remember; YOU WILL GET IN.

 

[rcmonkeypie]

Hi, G and Tupac:

It is very nice of you two willing to help out all the "out-siders". Thanks a lot for doing that.
I will be applying this summer therefore I have a few questions about Arizona. I don't have any shadowing experiences. But I did volunteer in a hosiptal for a long time when I was in school. After I finished my undergrad, I went on to health related research. Will this be a help for applying Arizona? Do they have the mind set that only people who shadowed dentists will make good candidates?

 

[ItsGavinC]

rc,

Shadowing experience is by no means necessary, however it is always a nice way to check yourself against your career goals.

Health-related research sounds like it might be a plus. The Arizona curriculum includes the Masters in Public Health degree, along with the DDS degree, so any prior knowledge of public health/epidemiology would be a benefit. This is especially true if this is where your interests lie.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Arizona just added a FAQ page to their webpage. I think that this will help answer many of the basic questions that I've been getting PMs about. If not, feel free to ask away!

Here is the link: Arizona School of Dentistry FAQs