Q for those who have been through the application process

[LadyxJC]

Hey guyz. I will be applying to dental schools for admission in 2006. I know that my application process starts this upcoming summer but I'm confused as to what exactly has to be done. I already took my DAT and I'm in the process of getting a committee letter from my school. Can anyone shed some light on this confused soul? lolz... Also, when I do apply to schools, does everything that is supposed to be part of my application get sent separately to the schools I am applying to (ex. ADA sends my DAT scores, my current school sends my committee letter and official transcript, and I send in the application)? What is sent first, second... or does everything get sent together?

And lastly, how did you guys decide on which schools to apply to? What aspects of the schools did you look into before deciding whether to apply to those schools or not? I've visited websites of different schools and they seem to be similar in content. Thanx a bunch~

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[Nendo21]

Hey guyz. I will be applying to dental schools for admission in 2006. I know that my application process starts this upcoming summer but I'm confused as to what exactly has to be done. I already took my DAT and I'm in the process of getting a committee letter from my school. Can anyone shed some light on this confused soul? lolz... Also, when I do apply to schools, does everything that is supposed to be part of my application get sent separately to the schools I am applying to (ex. ADA sends my DAT scores, my current school sends my committee letter and official transcript, and I send in the application)? What is sent first, second... or does everything get sent together?

And lastly, how did you guys decide on which schools to apply to? What aspects of the schools did you look into before deciding whether to apply to those schools or not? I've visited websites of different schools and they seem to be similar in content. Thanx a bunch~

if you're filling out the aadsas application online you send all the other stuff whenever it is ready. in order to prepare for the application you should write your personal statement and have a resume ready this will be useful when you have to write about your volunteering, extracurriculars and job experiance. also i think your official dat scores have to be sent to each school you are applying to and not the aadsas but im not sure on that.
when it comes to selecting schools you should look at many different factors such as the pricetag of the school, the location, any safety issues, the average stats of the school, whether you meet the school's requirements, private vs. public(usually difference is in the price) and whether you are in state or out of state since state schools accept more residents than non resident while private schools accept anyone with good stats...
good luck!

check out this website it might help you with the selection of schools

http://dentalstats.tripod.com/03-04.htm

 

[cool fillings]

Sounds like you've done the right things and are right on schedule (having taken the DAT, getting LORs early). I'd add that you should start working on your personal statement (Why do you want to go to dental school? 1000 words max.)...get it 100% polished. If you are feeling really ambitious, you might also want to look at the old app. from the 2005 cycle and work on your answers to the questions on it, since they will probably be the same/similar...this way you can fill out the app. fast and get it out as soon as possible. You should have the committee letter sent to AADSAS and they will send it to the schools for you. You will have to have the DAT scores sent directly to your school. In addition, you will need to have transcripts from all institutions where you took college courses sent to AADSAS (they will send these to the schools for you). To recap...

For AADSAS:
1) Have composite letter sent
2) Have transcripts sent
3) Work on personal statement and other questions

For individual schools
1) Have DAT scores sent

As for which schools to apply to, my criteria were (in no particular order):

1) location...I want to feel comfortable in the city in which I'll live.
2) Are my grades/DAT scores competitive?
3) Do their students rock the boards?

Good luck!

 

[mvs04]

Good advices offered here. I'll make a quick addendum. To even further "get your application in early", some schools allows you to d/l their secondary applications and send it in even before they process your initial apps.... look on their websites and for those schools get those secondaries and individualized school fees in asap. This will make your application go to "completed" status faster and improve your chances.

 

[madin]

Also be prepared to make sure you have lots of money in your bank. It costs you money for AADSAS to send your application per school. After finishing AADSAS, each dental school will send you a secondary application. Most secondary applications are simple like write them a check to review your application.
Also sending your DAT scores to additional schools costs money.
Also sending your college transcripts to AADSAS costs money.

And if you get in... "Wow, dental school is expensive too."
And when you get out, "Wow, private practice startup is expensive too."

I'm broke and hungry, somebody buy me a sandwich.

 

[Sprgrover]

...I'm broke and hungry, somebody buy me a sandwich.

I'm right there with you.