1. School requirements. Dental schools have
varying requirements for organic
chemistry, elective science courses, and even
some nonscience courses. School
catalogs should be consulted to ensure that you
will be able to meet all the
requirements prior to enrolling (see also school
profiles, page 532).
2. Financial status. The cost of dental
education is high. The best means of keep-
ing costs down is to attend a state school in
the state where you are a legal resi-
dent. Also, transportation costs will be less if
you go to school as close to your
permanent home as possible.
3. School curriculum. There are different
perspectives in dental education as
reflected in the various types of curricula
currently in use. These are defined in
Chapter 23, and the individual school
curriculum is identified as part of the pro-
files given for each dental school in that
chapter.
4. Alumni admission ratio. Admissions
Committees give careful consideration to
the undergraduate school the applicant attends,
and this can influence the
chance of acceptance. By applying to schools
that have consistently accepted a
significant number of students from your
college, you will automatically
improve your chances.
5. Admissions criteria. The four factors
determining admission are academic per-
formance (both overall and in science),
recommendations, DAT scores, and
interview performance. Schools place varying
degrees of emphasis on these fac-
tors, as shown in Tables 18.1 and 18.2. By
applying to schools where your
weaknesses may be less significant, you can
possibly improve your chances for
admission. As to the total number of schools to
which one should apply, this
depends on your basic admission potential
(academic average and DAT scores)
and the amount of money you are prepared to
spend as part of the admissions
process. It should be realized that being
called for out-of-town interviews can
substantially increase the costs of applying.
Generally, the number of applica-
tions can vary from 5 to 15 for A to C
students, respectively.
How to Apply
There are two methods of applying: either
directly to the school or through an applica-
tion service. In the former case, the
application must be secured from the dental school
and the applicant will have to have all
transcripts and recommendations sent to each
dental school he or she is applying to. When
applying to one of the 50 (out of 54)
schools participating in the American
Association of Dental Schools Application Service
(AADSAS), the Application Booklet of the AADSAS
must be used. This can be secured
from your predental advisor or from AADSAS,
1625 Massachusetts Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC 20036.
As part of the AADSAS application, an essay
dealing with your career motivation is
expected. A sample essay is reproduced on the
following page, to give you an idea of
what may be submitted.
In addition to the completed Application
Booklet, AADSAS receives copies of all
transcripts and the processing fee ($95 for the
first school and $15 for each additional
school). AADSAS processes the information
provided, computes GPAs, and sends a
screening copy to the applicant for approval or
correction. AADSAS then sends each of
the dental schools selected a copy of the
approved screening copy and copies of tran-
scripts. Also, the applicant is sent a
confirmation copy. Thus only one set of transcripts
is needed when applying through AADSAS, but
letters of recommendation and pho-
tographs must be sent directly to each of the
schools. The school usually will have its
own application fee that may be required either
at the time you apply through AADSAS
or at a later date.
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