It's Never Too Early... (or is it?)

[trypmo]

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Wondering whether there are (m)any others out there aiming for the entering class of 2005.
Am I nuts to be scouting out info (and getting super-nervous!) so far in advance?

I especially would like to ask, of the people who have applied for the 2004 or previous cycles:

If you had to do the application process all over again from the start, what would you do differently to really nail your application
(or, if you did really nail it, what would you do differently to, uhh, hammer-drill it)?

I've been reading various threads and there seem to be lots of answers out there already,
but I was thinking perhaps we could put them in a centralized place.
Some ideas for topics / specifics might include but are not limited to:

* Courses to take before applying / entering
* DAT preparation
* When to submit applications
* To how many schools to submit applications
* How much time to spend on applications / personal statement
* When invited for interviews, deciding where to go & where to politely decline
* The whole interview process
* Deciding where to go (probably best commented by those already in dent school)


Please impart to me your infinite wisdom (or any relevant tidbits thereof that you may want to interject)!
However, if it's actually a repeat topic and I'm a total frazzlebrain for not having noticed, then... um... just ignore (& redirect?) me 🙂

Tks!

 

[ecdoesit]

I think it is a good time to ask this question.
Even though AADSAS doesnt start till June,
you should gather stuff and prepare for your app.
My greatest regret is that I didnt have my LOR till October.
So, I highly suggest everybody get LOR in their hand/career service center/AADSAS/anywhere and ready to send.

Then, take courses that will help you for DAT.

I highly suggest taking the DAT over the summer. There are too many advantages, so just do it or ask me later on.

Quote:
When invited for interviews, deciding where to go & where to politely decline

End quote

(Sorry, i donno how to use the quote button.)

This is one thing that stands out.
I dont think it is your option to decide whether you decline an interview before getting an acceptance, which usually comes later in the application process.
Simply dont apply if you dont plan to be interviewed.

Then it is good to add "Research your choice of schools"
Find out their incoming stats and what do they give you. Are they research or clinical based or PBL? How is their facility? Ivy-league??😕 Tuition, etc.

Then just work hard and get ready for the secondaries and interviews, etc.

 

[spooky42]

Ive been out of school for a few years:

I would take the Kaplan course, it helped me get on a study schedule.

Also def get your LOR as soon as possible. My school took over 2 months to prepare a letter (got mine done end of Dec), so make an appt with your pre health dept now. Also start writing your essay, its the only time consuming part of the actual application.

I applied pretty late, so if you dont want to wait unitl March to find out if your got into a school apply early. As far as number of schools, I guess it depends on your grades and scores. Mine were good but I applied to 11 because of late app.

Just take the prereq courses: bio, chem, orgo, phy, eng, math. I wish I had taken physics in the summer, instead of having to take both this spring.

good luck

 

[maryh320]

I would not apply to so many schools. I applied to wayyyy too many schools (15 )and didn't even bother to goto half of my interviews after I got accepted into 5 schools by Dec 1st. If you know how competitive your status is, do your research ahead of time, I suggest to apply 3 dream schools, 3 schools match your status and 2-3 back ups. DOn't be like me wasting all those $$$ on app fees. Hope that helps.


Mary

 

[dr_benj]

This is not too early. This is about when I started getting things together. Go to the aadsas website and download the application. Fill it out and write your essay. Check the website everyday starting in the middle of May. Once they post the new application fill it out using the info you already have and submit your application online. Applying early is a huge advantage. Start studying for the DAT if you haven't already so you can take it before June 1st. Finally, get all of your letters of rec. right now so they are ready to go by June. This is the way I did everything and it worked well for me. I interviewed on the first day possible at 3 schools and got accepted to all 3 (I by no means have great stats). Good luck. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

 

[swiminh2o]

Apply early (May -June)

Take DAT (June-July)

Follow up with AADSAS to make sure they have everything you've sent them.

Follow up with the schools you've applied to make sure AADSAS sent everything to them.

As far as accepting/declining interviews, it is a personal decision. I had three interviews in September that I felt really good about. I had more interview invites and instead of going to them in Oct-Nov. I asked to be scheduled for January. That way if I got accepted to any of the original three in December I would cancel my January interviews. If I didn't get accepted in December, I would still have some interviews to attend in January. A bit risky but it worked out for me. I got accepted to two and waitlisted by one. This saved me a lot of $$$$$ and time.

Best wishes to you!

 

[Mudduck]

I would suggest to get a hold of the Kaplan materials that they use to teach their course. You can find someone with them if you look hard enough. If you want to, then take the course. But I would strongly suggest against it if you are a self-motivator. Kaplan materials rock, but the course is a rip off and a disappointment. Also, you MUST buy the TOPSCORE PRO for the DAT CD practice exams ($40). This is the best true-to-life DAT mock test available. I would suggest that you take the DAT about mid-June, one month after your undergrad spring semester. During this month, study at least eight hours per day, six days a week for the DAT using the Kaplan stuff and testing yourself using the TOPSCORE PRO CD. If you are a real disciplined person, study two to ten hours per week during this spring semester for the DAT. You should look for other brands of materials for the PAT section, since both TOPSCORE and Kaplan fall way short in the PAT area. But other than that, these materials will help you prepare for the DAT. Just remember, you have been preparing for the DAT since you started kindergarten.

Definitely send your application in as soon as the site allows you to. I sent mine in May 22 and I was number 44. That helped to get interviews before the critical December 1st.

Get your committe interviews and/or letters of recommendation set up and planned for THIS WEEK so that they will be complete by the May/June application submittal.

And don't forget to enjoy the process. If you let it get you rattled, then you won't be relaxed during your interviews and committee evaluations that will be coming up sooner than you think. Dentistry is a great profession that allows you to be you.

 

[Mudduck]

One more thing about the personal statement. There are books and websites out there dedicated to producing a well written statement. There are probably about 1000 different strategies out there: tell a story to move your thoughts, focus on this, focus on that.... blah blah blah. I wrote my essay in about 1.5 hours (including proofreading) and sent it off. I just told them who I was and WHY I have become who I am. Just keep it real and somewhat down-to-earth. Don't jazz it up to be something it isn't. I got a few compliments during interviews for my statement. Like I said, just keep it real.

 

[trypmo]

Wow! Thanks, everyone, for your kind responses and terrific advice! 😀

I've gone in already to my heath professions office for a first talk-over with a counselor there, and I was floored when they told me to apply in May, because I hadn't dreamed of having everything done by then!
Actually, what the counselor told me was to go and see the admissions dean of my first choice school, because my case is a little abnormal.

As you might've guessed, I've only recently had the revelation that I want to go into dentistry, and that's because I'm currently finishing up a graduate degree in another field. I'll be done with that by August, but I don't start writing the dissertation till June-ish, so I think I can get all my dent school materials submitted before "crunch time" arrives. This seems to jive with what you guys are saying is the best idea anyway, so I'm really glad of that!

About the interview thingys, I guess I asked because I'm pushing 30, have been a student all my life (with the exception of a few bouts of workforce-type labor), already have a bit of loan money to ultimately repay, and have basically no money to my name (neither does my spouse). I'm not going to be able to afford to go to a whole bunch of interviews out of state at $500 a pop -- maybe one if I scratch around a lot and get lucky. I really wish I could get a job to supplement my income, but this grad degree's already taking at least 60 hrs per week, so I'm basically stuck in that respect. 🙁 Assuming I even get offers of interviews, aside from the 3 Texas schools (to which I can drive, so time is the main issue there, not so much the money), I'm afraid I might have to pick only one interview offer to accept due to the financial constraints. From what's been said here, I think maybe my best bet is to go interview at the one that best seems to fit my stats.


Which brings me to another question: is there a good way to gauge beforehand how much weight an adcom puts on one's being "different" and having other types of credentials (which could, for example, offset a lower-than-ideal DAT score if that comes about)? I'm thinking y'all might be the best resource on that!

Before this post gets too long & tedious to read, I think I'll close and later bring up more points as they arise.


Thank you all, again, for your encouragement!! 😀 You rock!

 

[trypmo]

About the DAT prep stuff, should I be switching to another forum-thingy to reply to this, or is it ok to reply here? I'm still quite new and am unsure (and also, I don't want to piss anyone off...). (Oops-- can I even say that?) 😀

 

[swiminh2o]

Originally posted by trypmo
About the DAT prep stuff, should I be switching to another forum-thingy to reply to this, or is it ok to reply here? I'm still quite new and am unsure (and also, I don't want to piss anyone off...). (Oops-- can I even say that?) 😀

You would probably find more info in the DAT Discussion forum.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Originally posted by swiminh2o
You would probably find more info in the DAT Discussion forum.

Go Cougars?

 

[init4damoney]

Originally posted by ItsGavinC
Go Cougars?

Now that all depends on what sport. Football? Stuck in a dark hole with no light in sight. Basketball is a little better. Volleyball always seems to do good. Who would've figured, volleyball right smack dab in the middle of the frozen Wasatch?!?!

 

[trypmo]

Originally posted by swiminh2o
Apply early (May -June)

Take DAT (June-July)

Follow up with AADSAS to make sure they have everything you've sent them.

Follow up with the schools you've applied to make sure AADSAS sent everything to them.

As far as accepting/declining interviews, it is a personal decision. I had three interviews in September that I felt really good about. I had more interview invites and instead of going to them in Oct-Nov. I asked to be scheduled for January. That way if I got accepted to any of the original three in December I would cancel my January interviews. If I didn't get accepted in December, I would still have some interviews to attend in January. A bit risky but it worked out for me. I got accepted to two and waitlisted by one. This saved me a lot of $$$$$ and time.

Best wishes to you!

Hi swiminh2o,

This might be a stoopid question, but how does one go about following up with AADSAS? I couldn't find a number to call on their web site, but rather just application materials. Would it mean contacting the ADEA and trying to find the right sub-department there?

Another thing: Do you (or does anyone) have experience with getting the cold shoulder because you called and bugged a school's admissions people about your app? I'm thinking they're typically snowed with work and might get disgruntled about my asking, and might just happen to slide my app a little further down the stack if I annoy them. Or am I being paranoid?

Related issue: how often would you say is too often to call and ask about your status? Is it ever a good thing, if you don't hear from a school for a long time after you've submitted your app, to call and check on status, to let them know you're still alive and enthusiastic, or is that usually a faux pas?

Your interview strategy seems quite reasonable and, given my constraints, it's something I'll definitely consider following.

 

[swiminh2o]

Originally posted by ItsGavinC
Go Cougars?

"Rise and shout the Cougars are out....!"

 

[DrRob]

swimmin, are you a triathlete? Its something I started to get interested in.

 

[swiminh2o]

I got the phone # to AADSAS off of their website (try 1-800-353-2237). I think that is it. As far as calling and doing follow up goes I just called to make sure they had all of my materials. AADSAS flubbed up with four of the schools I applied to and didn't send them one of my transcripts. So they would tell me that they resent it and I would follow up with the schools to make sure they did. A few didn't and this went on for a few weeks. Sigh. Once I knew my file was complete I didn't bug 'em any more cause I didn't want my application to find the bottom of the pile😉 .

 

[swiminh2o]

Originally posted by DrRob
swimmin, are you a triathlete? Its something I started to get interested in.

Yea, it is a lot of fun. I'll admit I'm not very fast but do enjoy it. I swam in high school and have done some long distance biking events. I tried a marathon and will never do another one. The race was fun but the training was sooo boring. Doing triathlons really mixes up the training from day to day. I typically do sprint triathlons and olympic distance. Nothing longer than that. Often I do it on teams with family or friends and I'm usually the swimmer. We don't take it too seriously. Just go out and have a go at it. Some day I may gear up for an Ironman but that takes a huge investment of time. It is a great way to stay healthy and have some good competion mixed in.

 

[trypmo]

Originally posted by Mudduck
Get your committe interviews and/or letters of recommendation set up and planned for THIS WEEK so that they will be complete by the May/June application submittal.

And don't forget to enjoy the process. If you let it get you rattled, then you won't be relaxed during your interviews and committee evaluations that will be coming up sooner than you think. Dentistry is a great profession that allows you to be you.

Point of clarification: what's the difference among committee interviews, committee evaluations, and interviews? I understand these to mean 2 (or 3?) different things, and I'm a little lost as to which is what.

Also, taking the advice of several of y'all, I gave out my first LOR form to one of my profs today (I do hope he gets it done before May).

And whoa -- it really looks like tracking down one's apps for completeness makes a huge difference. That's now been added to my (100+ item, it seems) mental itenerary. 🙂


Another question for anyone who feels like saying something: about the timing of the DAT, how long does it typically take for the scores to reach the schools to which you've asked that they be sent? If it's like the computerized GRE, it takes like 6 weeks -- does that mean that I should take it at least 6 weeks before I submit the application, or do you think it suffices to indicate on the app that you've taken it on X date and not to worry about when the scores actually arrive at the schools?


It does feel nice to get a head start and to think (although perhaps erroneously) that I'm actually able to take action and do things to further my application right away. Or maybe I'm just procrastinating doing my tedious cell culture work for the day...

 

[Mudduck]

If your undergrad school (I get the impression you are'nt undergrad🙂 ) has a prehealth professions committee, they can set up an interview at your school in which a board grills you on why you want to be a dentist and on some social issues, blah blah blah. They then write an evaluation on you in which they give their opinion on how well you are prepared/motivated to be a dentist.

A letter of recommendation is written by a single professor, employer, and/or a shadowed dentist. This should be written by someone who knows you well and who has some sort of authority to evaluate your potential and character. Make sure you personally visit with whomever will be writing your LORs at the very least once a week. They need to be able to write an informative letter about you.

DAT timing:
Send your AADSAS ASAP😛 . May whatever. Don't worry about the time you take the DAT. Just get the app off so the schools can start your file. The DAT scores DO NOT go through AADSAS, so it does no good to wait for scores before you send AADSAS app. The ADA will send your scores DIRECTLY to each school you tell them to. It is really pretty easy, just don't get rattled or impatient. My schools got my AADSAS app late May and got my DAT scores in July (I took DAT mid June, and this gave plenty of time before schools started reviewing apps). Don't worry about when your scores will arrive, unless you don't take the DAT until late summer.

 

[trypmo]

The pre-health committee writes a letter and it counts as an LOR? Schweet! 🙂 & Thanks for your reply!

I'd better stop hanging around in here (it's as though I were trapped in my monitor (my eyeballs, at least)) and get back to the Bio flashcards I made from the Kaplan big-blue-book. *sigh*

Oh! And I almost forgot: yet another question (apologies are in order if I'm boring you to tears and/or making you repeat stuff, but I've actually got some conflicting info on this one & it's kinda important). When is a good time to start shadowing at a dental office? I'm really anxious to get all the exposure I can so that I can start gaining familiarity with terminology, equipment, etc. (also I'm good at fixing stuff when it breaks, so I might even end up being of some use!). The pre-health office said it would be good to start asap, but when I went to my favorite dentist, he said to wait till the application is done and the DAT taken, which was really frustrating and made me wonder whether he was just temporizing so he doesn't have to deal with my hanging around yet. After all, as you can tell, I do tend to ask a lot of questions. heh heh heh.

ok, now I'm really going to get back to those flashcards. <g>

 

[StarGirl]

take the DATs earlier