MAYRA......

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Beagle

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Hi Mayra
I saw your stats in the stats page.
I was wondering what you did the second time around to make you a stronger applicant?
Thanks
BEAGLE
 
Hello,

I think the most important thing I did was to apply early....I can't stress that enaough. I applied in december the first time and september the second time. Also I took other science courses like cell biology and biochemistry. My GPA did not go up the second time around....actually it went down a little (so did my DAT) wierd I know!! I think I had a little more experience in terms of interviewing...to be honest I really hate cliche answers!! I did them the fisrt time!! By this I mean, for example, if they ask you why you want to be a dentist, DO NOT answer "because I want to help people and I like working with my hands". That is just not good. Another typical wrong answer is when they ask you "what would you like to specialize in". Never say a particular spacialty...why?....simple......you don't really know if you're going to like that specialty until you actually do it! You might have an idea of what you would like to do based of what you've already shadowed etc....but you can't really KNOW what you want to specialize in. Be yourself on the interviews.....my "trick" was always not to have an interview, but instead a conversation. For example, in one of my interviews I ended uo talking about the interviewer's mom and her hip that hurt and all the tests that had to be done. On another ocasion I ended uo talking about how I burn my interview suit with the iron because it was too hot (made a huge hole!) <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> . This way you can really get the essence of somebody's personality. Don't be so serious 😡 ,,,relax and have a good time...LAUGH. That is basically what I did to help me out. Hope this helps..let me know if you need more info. :wink:
 
sorry for the grammar and spelling...too used to writing fast and making mistakes......computer lingo
 
Mayra,
Thanks for sharing your interview tips. I have an interview at NYU coming up and I will take these suggestions with me! 😀
 
Mayra
You're a great help! Thank you very much.
I saw that you applied in september...
Early sept? It seems to be a big debate on when to send in your apps on this forum.
Since you applied in Sept, do you think that was a little late? I was considering sometime in August because I need to take my DATS and need all the time I can get to study for them. So--delaying the DATS as late as possible.
Since you applied in Sept, when did you have all your things ready--the essay, letters, etc?
Thanks!
BEAGLE
 
Hello,

Turn in your application no later than august....you can take the DAT later ...is has nothing to do with it.....whenever you take the DATs (preferably no later than october) send a copy of the paper they give you at the testing center to the schools you are applying. This way they will have something to look at and you don't have to wait till all the processing is done, which can take weeks. Schools will have an idea of how you did with the copy you give them, but make sure the testing center stamps it as proof. I applied late september (actually the last day of september...aadsas received it Oct 1). My letters of recomendation got in around november or so. The whole process was done by December (fall 2001 grades are still not in but I already got acceptances even without them). Keep in mind that this is not a role timeline. All I'm trying to say is that get your stuff in EARLY!!!! No later than August (your aadsas).
 
Don't stress too much about your DATs...take your time to study for them....THEY ARE IMPORTANT!!!! Hope I could help 🙂
 
Mayra
Is it bad to take your DATS after the application is sent? The reason I ask is because my GPA is very low and I wanted to have good DAT scores to show that I was an OK applicant...
So I want to delay my DATs as far as possible, but I want them turned in at the same time as the app?? does this make sense? I just don't want them to see my 2.9 GPA and no dat scores and dump me in the REJECT pile...
BEAGLE 🙁 COnfused and SCARED
 
Beagle,

You have a very legitimate concern. I'm a strong believer that if your DAT scores are in with your AADSAS will give you a better presentation of your academic abilities, especially if your GPAs are not as high as others! Don't get me wrong, I think that submitting your AADSAS early is very important, but you have a very good point! You do not want dental schools to put your file in a "non-competitive" pile and they might very well do just that without good DAT scores. Keep in mind, applicants that submit their application early (June, July, and August) are usually top notch applicants with &gt; 3.5 and &gt; 20s!

One last thing, study hard and bust your butt off for the DAT! Get them 20s!!

😎
 
I'm a not so stellar REapplicant, and I was planning on applying early...I thought that was a good thing, even if top-notch applicants are applying. From what I've been told, I thought the earlier the better because I'm competing for less spots?

What do you guys think? (btw, I plan on applying in June and retaking the DAT the end of august) 😕
 
Keep in mind that ypu send yoour application to aadsas and aadsas sends it to all the oter universities (unless it is not a participant dental school). It takes about a month for aadsas to process your application and the dental schools to receive it (and that's making googd time). I really think it would make things even harder if you wait to turn in your application. If you do good on your DATs you'll be fine whether they see it now or later. Remember that the DATs are the same for EVERYBODY..the GPA has to do with course workload during a semester, whether or not you were working, if you had activities, sports, and even the university that you atended. 2.9 in HArvard for example is almost the same (sometimes even better than a 3.0 in a community college)....this is just an extreme example, but dental schools do take in consideration sometimes what college you attended. I know why you are worried, but I really believe you should not delay your aadsas.....What happens if a lot of 3.5 or higher apply earlier?....they get first interviews and get accepted first (Dec.1), thus less spots available for you....as a result they have fewer spaces, and thus harder the competition to get in for the last spots!!..You can always call the dental schools and ask them if they preffer it together or seperate. Tell them your story, it will show interest, that you care, and plus you do NETWORKS!!!! It's is really important that they know you. For some reason I managed to network really well and my top dental schools already know me well (if I call they know who I am), and thus the relationship becomes more personal. Thats What I think... Try to get ypu GPA higher, but if can't...just study really really hard for it....take your time in taking it, because if you get 20's then your GPA won't be as "important"...think of this, what good is a 3.5 GPA if your DAT is 16-17?......that shows that you don't know the average material you should know for dental school. I would think that says even more......Anyways, hope I could help..let me know if you need more info.
 
Mayra
Since it takes the ADDSAS about a month or more to send your application with all the info to the universities I want, would it be ok to send in the application by mid july, and then take the DATS in august? That way, when they are processsing the Application, I will be in the middle of taking my DATS and they will get the scores before they actually send my whole packet to the dental schools? Or does the AADSAs initially just separate applications based on what they see..and have a reject and acceptance pile?? AGHHHH sorry for all these questions!!
Thanks though
BEAGLE
 
Aadsas is just a place where the process your application in terms of getting everything together and then sending it to the schools..they do not make any decisions on whether your application is a good or bad one...they just put it in a big paper that they send to the dental schools...this way the dental schools have the same formatt for each applicant. They are just the processors and have nothing to do with whether or not you get rejected or accepted. Anyways, That sounds like a good plan...keep in mind that after you take the DATs the scores have to be sent to the schools and this takes time too...2 to 3 weeks...this is why I was telling you to take the copy that you receive right after the test and stamp it by the testing center. Then make copies of it and send it to the dental schools you are applying...this way they have something to see while they get the oficial scores......hope I could help..let me know if you have any questions...I don't mind answering them at all
 
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