The earlier the better?

[HowAboutDAT]

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Hey everyone, a few quick questions. (I'm sure this has been asked before, but ah what the heck lol) Is it true that the earlier you apply to dental school, the better your chances are that you will be accepted? Also, if you don't get accepted the first time you apply, do you have to reapply or will your app just transfer over? (just send in updated grades?) Does applying multiple times hurt your application? Thanks!

 

[dentaldentist]

Hey everyone, a few quick questions. (I'm sure this has been asked before, but ah what the heck lol) Is it true that the earlier you apply to dental school, the better your chances are that you will be accepted? Also, if you don't get accepted the first time you apply, do you have to reapply or will your app just transfer over? (just send in updated grades?) Does applying multiple times hurt your application? Thanks!

Dental schools work on a rolling admission, so the earlier you apply the more spots are available. Students who apply earlier are likely to have their applications reviewed first and receive the first interviews and offers of admission. The later you apply, the few spots in the class will be left by the time your application is reviewed and are interviewed. So yes, the earlier you apply the better chance you have of acceptance. However, if you have awesome statistics you could apply in October and still have a good shot, so while applying early is a good idea for everyone, it is most important for those with lower scores.

If you don't get accepted during the cycle, you will need to reapply the next cycle. unfotunately, they do not transfer over your application information and you will need to refill out everything and resend materials (unless they have changed things recently).

Reapplying does not hurt your application as far as I know, but you'll want to be sure that you have some how improved your application for each time you reapply - either by taking an extra class or two to boost your GPA, retaking your DAT or adding more volunteer/shadowing hours. Schools will want to see some improvement in your application to demonstrate that you really want to go to dental school and you are willing to work hard. Good luck.

 

[doc toothache]

Hey everyone, a few quick questions. (I'm sure this has been asked before, but ah what the heck lol) Is it true that the earlier you apply to dental school, the better your chances are that you will be accepted? Also, if you don't get accepted the first time you apply, do you have to reapply or will your app just transfer over? (just send in updated grades?) Does applying multiple times hurt your application? Thanks!

It is difficult to obtain reliable evidence to support the notion that early applicants have an advantage. The only info available is that from www.predents.com, which has some serious disadvantages. 1. The date of submission of the application is not available. 2. It does not represent a random sample of the ds applicant pool. 3. The reliability of the info may be questionable. In any case, preliminary analysis of the predents.com info do not appear to support the early advantage claim. Until a more thorough analysis of the predents info is done, one can certainly peruse the info on the site for specific ds. For example, for BU, there were 24 interviews with 19 acceptances for the period Sep- Nov and there were 82 interviews with 16 acceptances after December. There were 74 interview from Jan to March with only 13 acceptances.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=547800

 

[K90]

I think it's common sense the answer to that question is a yes. I am sure a dental school wouldn't overlook someone with good credentials, but if you have the average GPA (3.5) and average DAT scores, you won't stand out in anyone's eyes when you apply late, and hence, chances are, you will be left unanswered. What I will do is when it comes time, apply as soon as registration opens, that is assuming if I have all the necessary THINGS before applying.

 

[HowAboutDAT]

Thanks for all the help!

 

[doc toothache]

I think it's common sense the answer to that question is a yes. I am sure a dental school wouldn't overlook someone with good credentials, but if you have the average GPA (3.5) and average DAT scores, you won't stand out in anyone's eyes when you apply late, and hence, chances are, you will be left unanswered. What I will do is when it comes time, apply as soon as registration opens, that is assuming if I have all the necessary THINGS before applying.

Low and average stats are not going to stand out simply because the application rolled in early.

 

[K90]

Low and average stats are not going to stand out simply because the application rolled in early.

No, but they will be looked at first, and that's when decisions are made I heard. 😀 Think about it this way: if you come into class early/ontime and are well prepared, focused, and on task even though you are an average student, and another student, an exceptional one at that (overall), comes in late regularly and sometimes misses class, which would you think is better from the professors stand point?

 

[doc toothache]

No, but they will be looked at first, and that's when decisions are made I heard. 😀 Think about it this way: if you come into class early/ontime and are well prepared, focused, and on task even though you are an average student, and another student, an exceptional one at that (overall), comes in late regularly and sometimes misses class, which would you think is better from the professors stand point?

There are plenty of examples of applicants albeit, anecdotal, taking the DAT in late August, interviewing in November and being accepted Dec. 1, and you bet they did not come with mediocre scores. You may be right about being "looked at first" but they are also the first to be overlooked.