I have devised a small formula to follow to figure out when you should apply to dental school. I have seen that this question is asked a lot and many pre-dental students do not know that they should apply a whole year and a half in advance. Simply follow the first few questions and use your answers for the rest of the article. Also if you feel there are details missing or another step you found helpful then feel free to share, I know I always forget something.
For best results, print this off and use it to figure out when you should do what and when you should have it completed. Listing things makes it easier to accomplish them because it is organized better in your mind.
BEGIN:
A.) When do you want to start dental school?
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B.) Take the year you answered from Question A and subtract 1 from it, place it here:
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This is the year you should apply.
You are ready to go.
As an example I will use the next application cycle from the date of this article and continue with the rest of the calendar.
A.) Desired matriculation year: 2008
B.) 2008-1 = 2007, the year you want to apply.
This tells me that I want to start applying in 2007.
The next segment will discuss the specific times in 2007 (or the year you should apply) that you should have stuff submitted. The dates discussed will be general times for everyone. Schools have personal time lines which should be figured out on an individual basis, however the dates provided here will put you in very good shape come interview time.
The first thing to do is figure out what you need for your application. Go to the AADSAS website and make a user ID and password and figure out how the website works. Don’t fill anything out, just look at how the application works and print off pages to use as reference if you want. YOUR USER ID AND PASSWORD WILL BE RESET FOR THE NEXT APPLICATION CYCLE SO YOU WILL HAVE TO SIGN UP AGAIN. This is the reason not to fill anything in. In the application you will see that you need letters of recommendation, DAT scores, personal essay, extracurricular activities, honors, awards, and you will need to spend time filling in your classes and the grades you received. You will also need to send things to AADSAS and print off cover letters for transcripts and letters of recommendation. Make a list of things you need and get them all by May 1st of the year you figured out in the previous questions. (in my example, 2007).
After AADSAS has reset the system from the previous years application cycle then you can go to the website, re-register, and start to fill out AADSAS with everything at your fingertips. It makes it just that much easier.
From the list of things you will need to gather I have gathered (please feel free to submit more) some hints to make iteasier so you are not scrambling towards the end of the deadline dates to get everything. Don’t expect to get everything collected with in one week!
Letters of Recommendation
Please visit this previous article. Ideally you will start to collect letters or recommendation a semester or two before you apply. In my example: If you are applying in May 2007 then you should be networking with instructors from about Sept 2006 to January 2007. If you are applying this year, your professors should know somewhere in the back of their mind that you want them to write a spectacular letter for them. They should have it done by the time May 15th rolls around. The last thing you want to do is go get a letter written in a week by a professor who has most likely written 50 letters just like yours for the same thing…it will sound crappy. (generally speaking this is a trend most people take).
Letter of Intent/Personal Essay
I will be doing a segment on this later so stay tuned. This letter is very important because it tells the school about your whole interest in dentistry in less than 2 pages. Start the essay early and make sure it has been revised and edited more then twice. You most likely know three people off the top of your head who are English majors. Have them read it and edit your essay. Have your proffesors read and edit the essay. Have your fellow dental applicants read it. Make it sweet, to the point, and make sure it tells them about your interest in dentistry. Last of all be honest. The admissions committees read 3000 of these things a day and can detect genuine from B.S. so make it real.
DAT
In the AADSAS application it has a section to enter your DAT score into. If you have not taken he DAT by the submit date of MAY 15th then it is OKAY to submit your application. Let me repeat this: IT IS OKAY, IN FACT, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION BEFORE YOU HAVE TAKEN THE DENTAL ADMISSIONS TEST. Let me tell you why. AADSAS has the unforunate reutation of being extremely slow at processing your application. The sooner the application has been e-submitted the better. Plus then the schools can start to review your information before the DAT has been taken and start your application rolling in the right direction. If you wait until later then you may lose that interview spot to someone else who submitted their application before you did. After you have taken the DAT it will be sent to the schools you designated a lot quicker than waiting for AADSAS to do it.
Here is a bried timeline summary of when you should start the application process.
A.) Year of desired matriculation: 2010
B.) 2010-1 = 2009
This means:
***In Sept (+/- few months) – April 2009 you should be networking for letters of recommendation and have them be sent out in May 2009.
***During this time you should also begin your personal essay/letter of intent to dental schools.
***During this time you should also register at AADSAS and make a checklist of all the things you should be getting together for May 1st when AADSAS opens its website for new applicants. Remember you will have to re-register because they will have purged the system.
***Start filling out the application the day it is open to new applicants, in this example May 2009.
***Submit your application the soonest day possible whether you have your DAT score or not. You can submit it later and still get your application out and processed.
***Take the DAT as early as possible and fax your scores diectly to the schools the day you get them and call and make sure the schools got the fax. I would also recommend not taking it later than August. You can, but looking at majorities it is better to take it earlier.
***Many schools also require a deposit to process your application. Some schools want you to send the deposit in the day you submit AADSAS and some schools tell you to wait. After you have decided which schools to apply to figure out which school requires what and follow their instructions.
***Wait patiently for mail after you have done everything.
Time to apply! You hava your resume built, your done with or studying for the DAT and you have some other minor details to polish before you can send in your application, including your dental application personal statement for AADSAS. This essay is a brief statement about your interest in dentistry, some things you have done to this point that illustrate your interest, and how these attributes will help you succeed in your future career as a dentist. Start by making an outline. Ask yourself some questions: Who are you? What is your experiance? Why dentistry? What have you accomplished? Do you have family in dentistry? What are your hobbies? What research have you been involved in? How will these things help contribute to student life at your school and even further in your career as a dentist? Constructively relate all of these back to dentistry in an organized format. It doesn’t have to be anything amazing just make sure it flows and holds interest.
