Late Application

[jlway777]

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Hello,

I will be done with my prerequisites after summer quarter, and so consequently, I had planned on applying the following cycle in spring. However, I'm thinking about just applying to some schools late this coming cycle around late November also. I'm interested in hearing from those who got in after applying late.
Thanks

 

[Gargamel]

Why not apply early this round (May/June) and put your prerequisites on the application as planed or in progress? If you get your app in in June and take the DAT mid August you should be fine. If there is a lesson to be learned from this past round nothing hurts an application more than being late.

 

[IndDent]

Gargamel is absolutely right. Get your application in early, even if you are concurrently taking courses that are required. Get started on contacting your letter writers.

my story- I was really lazy, I came back from a trip abroad, started my dental app in August...didn't get serious about it till November. Between August and December, I studied for my DAT like crazy, 6-7 hours per day, sometimes more. Took my DAT in December, finally completed my Personal Statement and submitted in 1st week of January. Needless to say, I was really lucky to get accepted and have several interviews even though my app didn't get to the schools till 1st week of February. The reason I got in is because I had a very high DAT score...overrall in the top 99.5% nationwide.

My advice- don't do what I did, that was an extreme gamble and I could have been repenting. Listen to Gargamel and others on this board who will say the same thing...get it in early.

Indy

 

[jlway777]

I do plan on applying early the following spring, but can't do it for this cycle because the I want to finish my O chem in summer quarter before taking the DAT. Would it be better to just wait next cycle or apply late this cycle and also early the following cycle?

 

[IndDent]

depends on how competitive your gpa turns out once you have the prereqs out of the way, and also on how well you do on the DAT...applying late with mediocre stats might just end up being a waste of money...my two cents, but others on here will tell you to go for it regardless

Deal or No Deal...ask Howie Mandell

Indy

 

[hopelessdoc]

I am in very similar situation...after current spring sem I will have 84 credits completed and still needs 39 more in order to get the undergrad degree. I want to apply to d-school for next fall 2007, do you think I can make it or should I wait 1 more yr? Also I am planning not to take any course/s this summer 1 (2006) cuz I want to prepare and give the dat's. any suggestions...

 

[IndDent]

Hey hopeless,
Some schools take junior-standing students who haven't earned a bachelors...but the amount of schools that do that are very few. Go to barnes or borders bookstores and check a book called Barron's Guide to Medical & Dental school...it will tell you which schools do this...if memory serves me right.

Honestly, I think those schools that do take non-degreed individuals are moving more and more towards only accepting students who have completed or will complete their bachelors.

If you are a junior right now, go ahead and apply this May, but plan on completing your degree first before matriculating...load up on credits this last year in order to get you graduated on time.

Indy

 

[hopelessdoc]

thanks for replying...but I am confused with junior standing or having bachelor's!!! D schools require(most of) u to have the undergrad degree...when I send my application which is this may 2006, I won't have my undergrad degree but as I am applying for next fall 2007 cycle I will have it finished...don't they consider it as having a bachelor's b4 I get into?

 

[IndDent]

They do consider it as a bachelor's in progress...heck, 90% of the applicants for D-school do the same thing you do, apply in the summer between Junior/Senior year with many credit hours left to complete...forgive me, I had misunderstood your post. I thought you were only wanting to complete junior year and matriculate.

You are on track, don't worry, just go ahead and apply this summer.

 

[hopelessdoc]

uhhhh...np buddy...next few sem gonna be a hell for me...cuz I don;t want to wait a whole yr to apply and hopefully get in d-school...i know u can always take the master's route but I don't want to if I can do it without it...do u mind if I ask u ur email, I need help with personal statement and all other crap?...btw "jai hind"

 

[food4thots]

applying in november would cut down your chances greatly. your application wont be sent out from aadsas until at least december.. by then most schools have already filled up 1/2 their classes.

 

[hopelessdoc]

applying in november would cut down your chances greatly. your application wont be sent out from aadsas until at least december.. by then most schools have already filled up 1/2 their classes.

what do u mean applying in nov? what if I do it in this may and send my transcripts in everytime I update with new grades as I finish my courses? will aadsas have to send my transcripts every sem from this may (when I will send my d-school appli) till next fall 2007 (optimistic yr of getting into d-school) if I keep updating it meaning taking courses in order to pursue bachelor's?

 

[hopelessdoc]

I thought, if I just mention the courses or my future plans to finish bachelor's b4 applying for d-school in the application will make them see as someone with a bachelor's degree, eventhough I only have 84 credits on my transcript?

 

[PickMe]

apply in june, take the dat in august. your app will be sent to the schools probably in late july and your dat scores in late aug. (you dont need to put your dat scores on the AADSAS app) dont apply late no matter what. you can do one academic update on AADSAS, so do the update after you finish your summer courses. someone else mentioned they plan on finishing their bachelors but the dental school might not know with only 84 credits on your transcript. mention it in your personal statement and i think that will clear it up for them.

 

[hopelessdoc]

apply in june, take the dat in august. your app will be sent to the schools probably in late july and your dat scores in late aug. (you dont need to put your dat scores on the AADSAS app) dont apply late no matter what. you can do one academic update on AADSAS, so do the update after you finish your summer courses. someone else mentioned they plan on finishing their bachelors but the dental school might not know with only 84 credits on your transcript. mention it in your personal statement and i think that will clear it up for them.

thanks...one more update? can u explain this more? what if I update after finishing fall 2006? if so aadsas will send my application after that? this sucks... 😡

 

[hopelessdoc]

I thought whatever I send to aadsas the time of my application...they will send it to the given -dschools and later whatever changes or updates I send them...they will keep sending to the schools?

 

[Gargamel]

This is not that complex. In your initial application you put down all complete course work and course work that is planed or in progress. This gets sent out to the schools (hopefully 4-6 weeks after you hit submit). AADSAS then allows you to update your academic history once which is usually done in December after the completion of the fall semester. If you want to show the schools that you have successfully completed a pre-requisite before the update (say one you have taken over the summer) you have your school send your transcripts directly to the dental schools.

 

[Generallee]

Hello,

I will be done with my prerequisites after summer quarter, and so consequently, I had planned on applying the following cycle in spring. However, I'm thinking about just applying to some schools late this coming cycle around late November also. I'm interested in hearing from those who got in after applying late.
Thanks

Okay...this is totally doable! Here's what I would do.

Since you originally had your mind set to apply for the Fall 2008 cycle, your mentality should be "I have nothing to lose (except some $$ of course) and everything to gain. If you could get accepted a year earlier, more power to you! 🙂

(1) Apply right after your summer grades come out. I'm assuming that this will be in August sometime. Have all your LOR's ready to go and your personal statement polished and ready to go as well. I personally would apply to 5 schools: NYU, BU, and Tufts for sure and two more private institutions, perhaps USC, Nova, Detroit Mercy, UPitt...

(2) Immediately after your summer quarter, start studying intensly for the DAT for about 5-8 hours per day for at least two months (or until you feel comfortable).

(3) Take the DAT in October or November depending on how you feel. The earlier the better of course. It is imperative that you score well for this to work out to your advantage. You will be considered a late applicant BUT still have a decent chance as long as you do well on the DAT's.

(4) When the schools receive your application, all they will be waiting for is your DAT scores.

If your GPA is around 3.5 with at least 19's across the table, I'd say you have a pretty decent chance this next coming cycle at some of the schools mentioned above. Even as a late applicant!

Go for it! It's totally doable and manageable and worth it. But the key is to do well on the DAT! 😀

 

[jlway777]

Thanks general for bringing this thread back on track!

 

[hopelessdoc]

This is not that complex. In your initial application you put down all complete course work and course work that is planed or in progress. This gets sent out to the schools (hopefully 4-6 weeks after you hit submit). AADSAS then allows you to update your academic history once which is usually done in December after the completion of the fall semester. If you want to show the schools that you have successfully completed a pre-requisite before the update (say one you have taken over the summer) you have your school send your transcripts directly to the dental schools.

thanks...so i guess i m not understanding this stuff...i already have my pre-requisites finished (gen chem 1,2; gen bio 1,2;orgo 1,2; phy 1,2; eng; calc 1,2 etc...) only ones remaining are IH (all crap), 3 bio electives for bio major i guess that's it...but when I will aplly this may 2006 for class of fall 2007 I will still have just 84 on my transcript but I will be over b4 next fall 2007. Also even with 2nd update on aadsas I will not have my bachelor's degree cuz spring sem is still there!!! do u think i should apply for fall 2007 or wait? or I can always send my transcripts to the schools which invites me for the interview on my own just to show that I have finished my undergrad bachelor's??/ thanks yall

 

[kurt10]

It will never hurt you to try. I was in a similar situation last year. I was just finishing my second year of undergrad I hadn't taken the DAT. I hadn't taken the last half of O-chem. No anatomy, physiology. or genetics. In May about a week after the application was avaliable I decided I wanted to try this year. I turned in my application a week later. I contacted a few professors and asked them if they would be willing to write me a letter of reccomendation. I took O-Chem and the DAT in the summer. I interviewed at two places in October. I still haven't been accepted anywhere, but i'm on three waitlists and still have to hear from one more school. I won't quite graduate before next fall. I don't regret at all trying this cycle. I still hope to get in somewhere, but if I don't at least I know I tried. I also gained experience interviewing and if or when I reapply I will have a better understanding of the whole process. I strongly suggest you try. Good luck I wish you all the best.

 

[Zahnarzt]

I started my prereqs May of 2005, finished them in August, took the DAT September 6, applied October 10, and have gotten into two schools so far. I'd definitely recommend trying this cycle. (I'd recommend applying earlier though and sending in your scores afterward)

 

[hopelessdoc]

Thanks a bunch Zahnarzt & kurt10...I will definitely go for this coming cycle...just to mention I do have Anatomy & Physiology finished and genetics at the end of current sem. I also have 1 LOR from an orgo prof and a finalized dentist to shadow this summer.

 

[PickMe]

Okay...this is totally doable! Here's what I would do.

(3) Take the DAT in October or November depending on how you feel. The earlier the better of course. It is imperative that you score well for this to work out to your advantage. You will be considered a late applicant BUT still have a decent chance as long as you do well on the DAT's.

(4) When the schools receive your application, all they will be waiting for is your DAT scores.

If your GPA is around 3.5 with at least 19's across the table, I'd say you have a pretty decent chance this next coming cycle at some of the schools mentioned above. Even as a late applicant!

Go for it! It's totally doable and manageable and worth it. But the key is to do well on the DAT! 😀

i think you should take the DAT before oct. id take it late august right before school starts. you wont be able to study much with school anyway. study this summer as you finish up your prereqs. i think its better to take it earlier and maybe score a bit lower than to be a late applicant. as everyone says on this board, apply early-its so important.

 

[PickMe]

thanks...so i guess i m not understanding this stuff...i already have my pre-requisites finished (gen chem 1,2; gen bio 1,2;orgo 1,2; phy 1,2; eng; calc 1,2 etc...) only ones remaining are IH (all crap), 3 bio electives for bio major i guess that's it...but when I will aplly this may 2006 for class of fall 2007 I will still have just 84 on my transcript but I will be over b4 next fall 2007. Also even with 2nd update on aadsas I will not have my bachelor's degree cuz spring sem is still there!!! do u think i should apply for fall 2007 or wait? or I can always send my transcripts to the schools which invites me for the interview on my own just to show that I have finished my undergrad bachelor's??/ thanks yall

let me clear this up for you. you dont need to be done your bachelors when you apply. most applicants are still working on theirs when they apply and dental schools understand this. when looking at your application they look to see if you will be done your bachelors before starting school, they dont look to see if you are done right at that moment. most schools prefer students that will have their bachelors when they start dental school. apply fall 2007. you'll finish your degree in spring/summer 2007 and start dental school in august as most people do.

 

[hopelessdoc]

let me clear this up for you. you dont need to be done your bachelors when you apply. most applicants are still working on theirs when they apply and dental schools understand this. when looking at your application they look to see if you will be done your bachelors before starting school, they dont look to see if you are done right at that moment. most schools prefer students that will have their bachelors when they start dental school. apply fall 2007. you'll finish your degree in spring/summer 2007 and start dental school in august as most people do.

thanks...part that confused me was that most schools require appli to have bachelor's b4 applying and I thought when I will send my transcript during application there won't be any bachelor's nor minimum 90 credits...anyway thanx for clearing it up...and I will apply this may...