The Application Process to Dental School |
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1. Entrance Requirements
Biographic Information* Parent and Family Information* Secondary (High School) Information* Colleges Attended * Coursework* - Completed and In Progress Courses DAT scores - You DO NOT need to have your DAT scores by the time you submit your application. HOWEVER, to have your application processed quicker, submit your DAT scores AS SOON AS POSSIBLE Background Information - Some personal questions* Awards, Honors, Scholarships Dentistry Experience Extracurricular/Volunteer/Community Service Work Experience (including Military Service) Research Experience 
2. The Interview
After successfully submitting your application, a dental school will ask you to come in for an interview (if they were impressed by your application). The interview will help the admissions board learn more about you and, more importantly, about your communication skills. They want to know if you have the ability to interact with patients and develop the dentist-patient relationship. Below are a few very viable interview questions, but please note that they can ask questions that follows on a previous answer. Example Qs 1. What influenced your decision to pursue Dentistry? 2. Are there any difficulties that you foresee in this profession? 3. What kind of extracurricular activities were you involved in? 4. Tell me about yourself? 5. How did you first become interested in dentistry? 6. What are some of your greatest achievements? 7. Where do you see yourself in 5 years/10 years from now? 8. What are your three greatest strengths and three greatest weaknesses? 9. Why do you what to go to this dental school? 10. Do you feel prepared for dental school? 11. What differentiates you from the rest of the applicants? 12. What type of dental program are you interested in? 
3. Letters of Recommendation
There is a required minimum of 3 letters of recommendation, 2 from science professors and 1 from a dentist. Although optional, it is recommended that you get another letter from your pre-health advisor . It is up to you to develop relationships with professors and professionals. Attend all of their office hours every week and ask questions (even if it means asking questions you already know the answer to). Things to bring: -Personal Statement (Essay)* - Essay is limited to 4,500 characters (including spaces) -Transcript -Resume Evaluators - Applicants may submit a MAXIMUM of FOUR Individual Letters of Evaluation - Letters of Evaluations maybe submitted either electronically or by paper Release Statements* Dental Designations* - Approximately 55 Dental Schools in the Nation that use AADSAS, make sure to check if the dental school you are applying to requires AADSAS or DOESN’T require you to submit your application via AADSAS. * Required sections |
4. Personal Statement
This gives the admissions board a chance to learn about your personality, strengths, experiences, and how those experiences changed/influenced you. This is the only part of the application where you can set yourself apart from other students because the most competitive applicants will have identical GPA, and DAT scores. Start by making an outline and keep the following questions in mind: -Who are you? -What is your experience? -Why dentistry? -What have you accomplished? -Do you have family in dentistry? -What are your hobbies? -What research have you been involved in? -Is there anything that you would like the admissions committee to know about you that was not mentioned anywhere else in your application? Constructively relate all of these back to dentistry in an organized format. Try and focus on a topic that will set you aside from the crowd. It doesn’t have to be anything amazing just be sure it flows and holds interest. If you need help, don't hesitate to contact your officers! 
5. The Dental Admissions Test (DAT)
Since every college has different professors and material, the DAT is a good way to for dental schools to compare students. The DAT will be presented on a computer with the following subjects (in the order of the actual test): * To learn more about the DAT click here Natural Sciences: 90 minutes – 100 questions
6. Using AADSAS For Your Application
The Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS), a branch of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), simplifies the application process by providing one standardized form. It will have all of your personal and academic information (Every class/grade and during which quarter), your personal statement, and all of your extracurricular activities. |
