1) Check around at a bunch of websites online, or, whatever, I'm feeling especially helpful tonight, here are the most important ones!
Personal Statement Prompt:
[SIZE=-1]Your Personal Statement should address why you desire to pursue a dental education and how a dental degree contributes to your personal and professional goals.[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]You are encouraged to compose your statement in a text-only word processor (e.g., Notepad), review your statement for errors, then cut and paste the final version into the text box above. Click the Save button and return to the Personal Statement to review the formatting of your text. You are limited to approximately 1 page (4500 characters, including spaces).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Some formatting characters used in programs like Word (angled quotes, accents, special characters) will not display properly. Carefully review your final text and to make the necessary corrections to the format.
[/SIZE]Manual Dexterity Question:
Describe any activities requiring manual dexterity (e.g. activities requiring hand-eye coordination such as cross-stitching, sewing, art, crafts, playing musical instruments, auto repair, etc.) at which you are proficient.
Other Info Questions:
List any supplemental academic enrichment programs and/or post-baccalaureate programs in which you have participated to enhance your preparation for dental school.
You may list programs experienced in high school and/or college that may include (but are not limited to): summer academic enrichment programs targeted to disadvantaged students; DAT preparation courses offered by an academic institution or commercial entity, and post-baccalaureate programs.Provide the name of the program, a brief description, and total hours of participation, and dates of experience(s).
Has your education ever been interrupted or affected adversely for reasons other than deficiencies in conduct or academic performance? If Yes, Please Describe.
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That's about it for anything you'd need to write. The Personal statement is limited to 4500 characters, INCLUDING spaces, and all of the other questions are limited to 600 Characters. There's also the sections on Awards, Research, Shadowing, Work Experience, but there's not really anything to write for those other than exactly what they are. Oh, they do ask what your duties were at work / research / etc.
2) Yes, don't send them in until after June 1st, I'd give it a few weeks since they won't get your app for almost a month after you fill it out if you apply that early.
3) Most of the schools that have secondaries say on the AADSAS website "Go to our homepage admissions section and fill out the secondary and mail it in with your check as soon as you submit your AADSAS application online." Many don't even have a secondary, ie, Pittsburgh, Columbia, Howard, USC, and you just send them a check as soon as you submit your AADSAS online. Others, such as UCLA and Midwestern will send you the secondary once they receive your application. For UCLA, be prepared to send them a copy of every transcript you've ever had, and your high school transcripts.
A few of the secondaries are all online and you can submit your secondary payment by credit card, like Midwestern. Others are PDF's that you can write in, like UNLV, and then others are more frustratingly word documents that weren't really formatted correctly to add anything to without messing up all of the lines, ie Creighton and UCLA.
Like I said, most of the secondaries are "Submit them when you submit your AADSAS application" and then many schools just want a check. From your list (and my memory), Penn and UCLA had a few short essays to write, and I know that Columbia and UoP didn't have one, and I don't think Mich had one.
Good luck!
