So my OSU application was completed early August (i know kinda late), I’m IS, and my stats at 3.71GPA/23AA. I’ve already received interview invites from Indiana, detroit, and Columbia but my top school is definitely OSU. I had some confidence I’d at least receive an interview, but I guess that’s my fault. I never received an interview invite though and it seems like they are done with interviews. Feels like i’m pretty cooked. Need someone to be real with me so I can just move on.

I'm a current college freshman thinking ahead of what to do during the summer. I am currently planning on doing some shadowing, volunteering, and work for the summer.

Are there any things I should particularly focus on during the summer that will place me as a competitive applicant in the future? I'm planning on volunteering at an animal shelter (it's something I enjoy doing not related to dentistry) and at a local summer school.

Additionally, what did some of you guys do during the summer that you recommend?

I have a sibling who is pre-dental. He's stuck between pursing a biology B.A. vs biology B.S.

Currently a sophomore at Northwestern in the biology program. If he goes the BA route, he'll finish in time and will be able to take the DAT by the end of his junior year.

If he goes the BS route, he will need to take a gap year to squeeze in calculus which isn't even a required pre-req.

Question is, which degree should he pursue? Is one preferred over the other? What other things should he do to beef up his resume? Research, shadow dentists? Work in a dentist office?

Thank you so much in advance!

It seems that tuition for international students is more than $150,000 per year which is insane, so does anyone know if it is possible to get scholarships and if so, roughly how much could they be for canadian friendly schools??

Hi! I applied this cycle to only Texas schools (dumb of me Ik) and have yet to receive anything. I scored a 23AA/22TS/24PAT, but my gpa is v low with a 3.16 BCPM gpa and a 3.4 cgpa. My science gpa for oos schools is a 3.5 as my nutrition courses count (nutrition major). My gpa is not the best it can be as I had a lot of family stuff happen and I generally work 10-20 hrs a week. I have 300 volunteering hours, 900 clinical hours as a DA, and 200 shadowing hours.

Is the best option for me to do an SMP or a post bacc to increase my chances. If so, which one and why? What else can I do to increase my chances?

Obviously I don’t want to lie to schools and say I’ve always been interested in dentistry, so I’d rather just honestly explain my motivations for finding my true career path. However, I’m finding it difficult to explain how certain (medical) experiences could translate into relevant dental experience, justify why I’m behind other applicants, and/or demonstrate my competency in the dental field:

1. I worked in neurological clinical research for 2 years in undergrad

2. I went to EMT school to improve chances at getting into medical school

3. Shadowing a variety of medical doctors (although I still have 200hrs dental shadowing)

I abruptly decided this past summer to go the dental route so I applied in August, but it’s likely I’ll reapply next year while I do a SMP. Anyone have tips for this?

It is December yall and I am about to get blasted silly with 9 exams so I need some time to reset my brain. Currently finishing up my last waxup (thank god) so I should be responsive, maybe 😶

I also know someone at TAMSOD so there is perhaps a little side knowledge on there as well.

Lastly, if you haven't already, come join the Decision Day Discord for this cycle, it's got some useful links and a text wall of expected times the earliest most schools will notify you of an acceptance (based on last year's cycle).

https://discord.gg/kKNTuFtV

I applied in mid August but haven’t received any interviews yet. I’m currently finishing up my first semester in an SMP (Biomedical science). My undergrad major was poli sci and did my pre recs after at CC. I have close to 200 hours of shadowing. ~250 of volunteering. This is my 3rd retake.

I am planning on sending out letters of interests to schools that I have not received interviews from. But I just wanted to see if it is better to send it out now? Or should I wait until after decision day?

I’m a first year in college and I wanted to start shadowing during my winter break. I called about 3 offices a couple months back but they never got back to me. Should I start going in person instead or just keep calling?

For those who did interviews, here’s a safe space to share your post interview anxiety instead of penting it up until d-day!

I’ll go first - I spoke way too fast out of nerves. And in one interview I was gonna say a patients name but realized that’s prolly not a good idea and said out loud “actually nvm I’m not gonna say the patients name” and then continued my story.

😃

Hi! I applied two weeks ago and never received the invitation to do the KIRA assessment. Was my application not sufficient? Or do they take longer to send them out? I only submitted on AADSAS and paid their fee, nothing else.

Hi all,

With D-Day looming not even 2 weeks from now, how is everyone coping with the waiting anxiety?? I feel like at this point the anxiety is subconscious and I just feel stressed even when I’m trying to do something fun because it’s in the back of my mind. I think the main fear is not getting in this cycle and having to deal with personal and social embarrassment and feelings of rejection. Besides the classic advice of keeping yourself busy, spending time with friends, how should I quell these nerves?

I’d like to look up which schools I selected to share my DAT scores with when I signed up for the exam. When I go to the ADA website under “send scores”, I can’t find my DAT exam. Can anyone please help me?

I have an interview at Buffalo this week and was wondering if anyone had insight on what it’s like. I’ve seen mixed reviews online…

Hello, I am a college student taking the predental route. Over the summer I plan on taking physics and I just wanted to know if anybody knew if it mattered whether I take the class in person or online. I'm just not sure whether or not grad schools look at whether or not I did take the class in person or online. thank you

My goal is to apply next cycle. I’m a CA resident and currently have a 3.5 gpa (probably will lower after this semester if I’m honest), 100 hours shadowing and plan to have 100 hours volunteering by the summer. I’ve also been working part time throughout undergrad and am going to do some non dental bio research starting next semester.

My grades definitely took a hit this semester due to studying for the DAT, and I feel so crushed knowing that I only got a 20 AA. I started studying in August while taking 14 units and just tested today.

I feel like since my gpa is low I probably have to retake but I feel like I lost myself these past few months studying for this and I don’t want to do it again 😭

I want to stay in CA if I can, but I know that my stats probably rule out UCLA, UCSF, USC and probably UOP if I’m being honest. Realistically, would I have a shot at other CA schools? Or maybe some out of state schools like UNLV or LECOM?

Also, for those who retook the DAT and used a program like booster or bootcamp the first time, what did you do on your second time? Did you pay the $500 again to study for another three months, or did you just go over your old notes. And how soon after did you retake the DAT? I’m so lost in this process as I’m the first in my family applying to a grad school. Any friendly advice is greatly appreciated :)

I currently live in Connecticut and plan to apply to UConn's dental school in the future. I'm in my late 20s, and by the time I finish my undergraduate degree, I might have children as well. Because of my situation, I expect to be a non-traditional applicant.

1. I don’t have a degree yet, so I plan to attend a community college first to save money, then transfer to either Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) or Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU). UConn is more expensive than those two schools, so I’m leaning toward CCSU or ECSU. Would it still be possible to get accepted to UConn's dental school if I complete my degree at CCSU or ECSU? Do UConn undergraduates typically get priority as in-state applicants?

2. If I go to ECSU or CCSU, what can I do to improve my chances of being accepted to UConn’s dental school, aside from having a high GPA, strong DAT scores, and shadowing hours?

3. Does UConn’s dental school have a particular type of applicant they prefer? For example, do they prioritize students with exceptionally high DAT scores, research experience, or other specific qualities?

I’ve been considering dentistry as a career for a few years now, but my mum always brings up concerns about the loans and how, if I don’t like being a dentist, there aren’t many backup options. I’ve also thought about becoming a dental hygienist, but my mum says AI will likely take over that job in a few decades.

For background: I’m a white female, I’ve shadowed many dentists, I’m doing very well academically, and I have volunteer hours. My family is fairly well-off and is willing to help pay for most of my school debt.

The school I’m considering will cost around $76,000 for tuition alone over the entire course. My family will cover my rent and contribute about $23,000 toward the education fees, meaning they’ll be helping with roughly $55,000 in total.

However, whatever they give me, they will also give to my brother (which is totally fair). Mum is concerned I’ll always compare myself to him—he’s a plumber, has no debt, and will likely be earning more and buying a house much sooner. (dentists in my country make around $129,000 - $254,000 according to google)

I really love the mix of art, science, and handwork in dentistry, and I’ve enjoyed shadowing, but I’m not sure if I’ll still love it once it’s the real deal. I’m worried about the long-term financial burden and whether I’ll be happy in the field.

Given that my family is helping me, is the investment in dentistry worth it for the potential debt and career satisfaction? Or should I be considering other options, especially since the subjects I’m taking could apply to almost any career path?

I’ve also talked to my career counselor, and she said I’m likely to get a lot of scholarships for degrees in more literacy-based fields like law or politics, but for dentistry, I might only get a few.

I’d love to hear your thoughts or any similar experiences!

Post got deleted earlier today due to not including the stamp, so here is a repost. Thanks for all the support this community brought me.

I started preparing in the last week of August while studying in a mater program. Used DAT Bootcamp as the major source of studying. I got the plus version and did all the regular and plus tests (I don't think the plus tests are necessary, they are harder questions in general).

I believe Bootcamp's bio videos and slides are very comprehensive I studied them head to toe around 3 times, and did a master review during Thanksgiving going through everything. For orgo and chem, I didn't understand all of the materials fully, but I finished all the questions and made sure I practiced the ones I got wrong at the end of the day. PAT and reading are sections where I believe I could have scored better, the Prometric computers distorted some of the images making it hard to evaluate for TFE and folding.

The reading is pretty much similar to that of the practice tests, but I got a 15-paragraph neuro paper on my second one, and it was so hard, so I made sure I aced the other two passages that are around 10 paragraphs first. Math is regular, just make sure you memorize all the equations, got a permutation one and a compound interest one, the other ones are just regular stuff. Thanks guys for the help and support, happy to answer any questions.

Thanks in advance for everyone sharing their experience and giving me valuable advice, I am always grateful to the community.

I am more of a non-traditional applicant as I graduated college, and am now in a master's program that graduates 25, I am applying next cycle so I will be taking a gap year.

I have a low or mediocre undergrad GPA of 3.46. I was in a competitive liberal arts school, and the GPA was super hard to earn with a biochemistry major and talking a bunch of hard courses without knowing what myself is getting into. I got into a research master's program and got a 4.0 GPA for the first year, and now I am in my second full research year.

some of my extracurriculars:

Shadowing: around 100 hours from 3 dentists. Still doing once a week.

Assistant at a hospital emergency unit undergrad for 3 months during the summer.

The State Department of Health volunteered at the substance prevention unit for 300 hours.

Local community and aquarium volunteers: currently doing and keep staking them.

Research during undergrad: 1 full summer and 1 full school year, 2 years during master stacking more than 2000 hours now.

I just finished my DAT earlier today and secured 27 AA, 26 PAT, and 28 Natural Science. My major concern is my GPA being low and not sure if my master's GPA would be weighed in to balance that out. Asian, male, permanent resident in Massachusetts and Maryland. I am currently in the process of deciding which dental schools to apply to, and I could really use some advice. I want to stay in relatively large cities, but I’m open to suggestions if the program is a great fit. What Are My Chances at Ivy League Dental Schools, UCSF, UCLA, NYU, etc.? What should I do to increase that chance from now to June?

Thank you guys again for the time!

Is it possible to get into Harvard with no research experience

some people might think it’s low, but i’m so so excited after doing horrible my first try.

Hey everyone, I applied very early on and have not heard anything back. Is it a bad idea if I called to just know if they’ve seen my application?

I have a 3.87 Gpa and dat scores are pretty decent. I have only received an interview from nyu and kira from une which I did horrible in. I also received from touro and midwestern az in February. Im a nj resident. I haven’t received anything from Rutgers, temple and almost all the schools in the east coast. Is there a chance i will be receiving more interviews? I have expected t hear way more than these😭

If you interviewed at touro, how long was the whole interview day? I have an upcoming 8:30 AM interview but my flight is at 3:30pm and was wondering if I’ll make it back on time

I have been struggling with what schools to apply to. Does anyone have advice on what to focus on when picking schools?

Hi,

Im super late at all this and please dont judge me if the questions dont make sense.

So im in my fall semester for my third year of undergrad study. I have one and a half more year to go.

If the application for fall 2026 opens next summer of 2025, then would my final year fall 2025-winter 2026 not be counted as part of my application?

I took dual credit classes in high school and i failed one of them with an F. Does that lower my chances of getting into dental school?