The information provided on this page regarding application procedures and DAT study materials suggestions is based on the recommendations and experience of pre-dental students, dental students, and some faculty members. Applying to dental school is a lengthy process that takes a lot of time and work. Additionally, studying for the DAT's is a lot of work also, and some study materials seem better than others. This page is intended to help give some direction to pre-dental students for the application process and guidance on helpful DAT study materials, but is in no way applicable to each and every pre-dental student.
Application Procedures:
AADSAS (how it works, the essay, and letters of recommendation)
The single most important thing about applying to dental school is to get your application in as early as possible. Dental schools work using a rolling admissions process, which means the earlier they get your application, the more cycles of the admission process you are eligible for. Almost all dental schools in the United States use a single application service called AADSAS. Generally, you are able to create an account in early June preceding the year you are applying for. (For example for student applying to enter in 04, AADSAS is available starting June 03). Also, as soon as the service is up and ready, you can start to submit your application. You do not have to complete all of your pre-requisites or the DAT prior to applying, but you will have to put dates as to when you are expected to complete these things. When you do complete them, fax the schools as soon as you finish with results/unofficial transcripts. This will expedite things.
There are several things you can do ahead of time to prepare for filling out this application. The first thing I would do is register for the AADSAS service for the year prior to when you are applying, even though you will not actually apply. By doing this, you have access to the forms of the application and can fill them out and print them. The application pages will likely be very similar for the following year, so you will already have all of the information in front of you when it comes time to fill out the real one.
One main part of the application that takes a lot of preparation is the essay. You should spend a good amount of time on this. There are some web sites out there (www.predental.com is one) that have information on writing the essay. Also, make sure to get some people to proofread your essay. This is your chance to tell the admission committees who you are without being constrained to the questions in an application.
Another part you should have in order prior to June is having your letters of recommendation. There are two ways to handle the LOR's. You can have the people send them directly to the AADSAS service (up to 5 letters for 2004 cycle) and they will be included when AADSAS sends you application to school. The other way is to have them send the letters to your pre-health advisor and have him/her send the LOR's to the individual schools you apply to. You DO NOT want to handle the LOR's in any way yourself. If you choose to use AADSAS for this, there is a standard form that will be available to you that needs to be given to those writing the LOR's for you. This form isn't available until the application service is available. If you choose to have your pre-health advisor send out the LOR's for you, he/she will also have a form that needs to be given to the people writing the letters for you. Unless you know the person very well, it is standard to give the people writing your letters a resume, possibly your application essay, and a self-addressed and stamped envelope to where it needs to be sent.
You will also need to have all undergraduate schools you attended send transcripts to AADSAS. They have a standard form for this also. It is very useful to have copies of all your transcripts when filling out the application as you have to manually put in every class you have ever taken in your collegiate career.
Now that all of the forms have been sent to AADSAS, it will take about 4-8 weeks for them to process the application. They will send you a copy of the application for your review. If anything is wrong with it, you need to send in corrections.
Supplementary Applications, fees, transcripts, etc:
Even though there is a unified application service(AADSAS) most schools also have their own individual application, or supplementary application. In the AADSAS application guide, there is a listing of all dental schools participating in AADSAS(only a few do not). In this listing there is information for each school that says what you need to send them. Some schools want transcripts sent directly, so do not. Some schools want a picture, some do not. Some schools want fees when applying, some want it later. It is different for every school. In addition to following the instructions in the AADSAS guide, I would call each school you are applying to and verify what they want sent and where. On a few occasions in the past, schools have wanted things different than what the guide stated.
One note about application fees. There are application fees associated with the AADSAS service AND the processing fees direct to the schools. It can add up very quickly. For the 2004 cycle, AADSAS was around $200 + $50/school applied to. Processing fees for schools can range from $25 to $80, depending on the school.
Secondary Applications:
If a particular school is interested in you, they often have a secondary application that they will send you to fill out. Generally, schools that had a supplementary application will not have a secondary application, and vice versa. They are somewhat the same thing, but just at different times.
Interviews:
Schools generally start sending out first round interview requests in the Aug-Sep timeframe. It varies for different schools and this range is not applicable for every school. Those who apply early but do not get interview requests are still eligible for subsequent rounds of interviewing. Obviously, those who do not apply early are NOT eligible for the rounds prior to when schools get their application. This is why you apply early. Remember, the classes are 100% empty for the first round people, but gradually get filled as the application cycle proceeds. Also, if you are granted a first round interview, but not made a first round offer, you are still in the running for subsequent offers.
Offers of Admissions:
Typically, December 1st is when all schools are allowed to notify candidates of offers of acceptance. This is a "gentleman's agreement" between schools to make the process unified and fair across the board. When accepting and offer, you will have to put down a deposit to secure your seat. At this point, a few hundred bucks is nothing since you are so excited to be in!
DAT Recommendations:
Timing
At the latest, the DAT's should be taken in the summer prior to the year you want to start dental school. This gives you a chance to retake for that same admission cycle if things do not go so well. Also, it gives you part of the summer to dedicate to studying. If you have time to study and take it prior to applying, it will be a little simpler since you can include the information in your application.
Study Materials:
Here is a list of recommended study materials for the DAT. This is in no way comprehensive, but intended to help out. Keep in mind, the materials available may change from year to year.
Kaplan DAT book with practice exams - This is a must have! Know it well! Perceptual ability is easier than the real deal.
TopScore - This is a great CD that has 3 practice DAT exams. Perceptual Ability is somewhat easier than the real deal.
Old Biology, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry Books and Notes - These are always good reference materials
Barrons - This book should ONLY be used for the perceptual ability portions and practice tests. The book out in 2003-2004 had many errors in the other sections. This book, however, has more difficult perceptual ability practice tests than Kaplan or TopScore, and is closest to the real thing.