1. By: Elly HosseiniUTPDS Executive

2. About me... UTPDS Event Coordinator Applied to both Canadian andAmerican Dental Schools University of Pennsylvania School ofDental Medicine Class of 2015 Also accepted at Nova SoutheasternUniversity 3. What I want to say... Plan B there are over 60 dental school in the US,great opportunities Lower average acceptance GPA compared toCanadian schools US schools put a lot of emphasis on DAT scores andextra-curricular activities School clubs Research Volunteering Job ShadowingDownside: Its a bit expensive to attend schools in the states but its worth it in the end 4. Preparing Your Application Start applying the summer BEFORE graduation AADSAS (Associated American Dental Schools Application Service) is a centralized application center that forwards your application to the Dental Schools you designate Detailed instructions are available make sure to read them carefully 5. https://portal.aadsasweb.org/ 6. Have everything prepared for June 1, 2011... American schools use roll-in admission The earlier you submit your application to AADSAS, the higher your chance of getting into a dental school! Normally, the last day to submit any supplemental application is January 1 Must send in your Fall transcript by February 15 7. DAT Canadian vs. AmericanRequired Course Work & GPAProfessional Experience(Extracurricular and Pre-Dental Activities)Personal StatementReference Letters 8. DAT Admission into U.S. Dental Schools requirescompletion of the Dental Admissions Test The Dental Aptitude Test (Canadian DAT) isacceptable at most U.S. Dental schools, althoughsome prefer the American DAT Canadian vs. American DAT 9. Good DAT Scores Like MCAT, American Schools like to look at yourDAT scores more than your GPA. Therefore, take the DAT seriously Try to get 20+ on all sections! DAT scores older than 2 years from the time ofthe test are not acceptable. *** Need to request the scores to be sent fromCDA to every school you are applying to If you have written the DAT more than once youcan choose which scores you want to send. 10. Do American Dental Schoolscare about your Carving Score? Some do (e.g. University of DetroitMercy... but they are lenient) Some dont (some applicants still getin with subpar carving scores) Try to do well to keep your optionsopen! 11. Required Course Work: Most schools require:1 year Biology1 year General/Inorganic Chemistry (with lab)1 year Organic Chemistry (with lab)1 year Physics (with lab)1 year English (Composition or Literature) Some schools require additional -1 year of : Biochemistry Microbiology Anatomy (lab) 12. Yes the chem! U of T only offers half year general chemistry withlab(CHM139). Can CHM 220 make up for the other half? The answer: Yes and No. Columbia, NYU, Boston YES! Many other schools No! So you need to contact them directly, and ask for theexception. Otherwise, you need to take CHM217 OR go to UTMor UTSC to take a chem course. 13. GPA AADSAS calculates your overall GPA and your scienceGPA, all completed course work is taken into account Minimum science GPA of 2.95 for most schools. Even the average GPA for Harvard is 3.81, so no stellarGPA is required. But try to maintain a B or better GPA. 90% or plus = 4.3 80%-84% = 3.67*** When entering grades on AADSAS, under Credits forU of T grades you must indicate 3 for courses and 6for full year courses (not 0.5 and 1.0) Send your official transcript to AADSAS*** Print the Transcript Matching form from AASAS andask the registrar to include it with your transcript Once you have paid for your application, they will verifyand update your GPA on the AADSAS 14. Professional Experience Academic Enrichment Programs Description, hours and date Awards, Honors, Scholarships (5 max) Dentistry Experience (5 max) Extracurricular, Volunteer, Community Service (10 max) Will need to write how many hours a week and howmany hours in total as well as dates (from-to) Research experience (not sure what max is) Any sort of research is good! Again, hours and dates Work experience (5 max) Again, hours and dates THIS is the bulk of the application 15. Dentistry Experience Shadowing dentists Volunteering at a dental office Working at a dental office Being part of Pre-dental society or missiontrips Anything that illustrates your knowledge onwhat you are about to get into counts! 16. Personal Statement About a page and half in length SHORT IS GOOD! Talk about you, why you became interested indentistry, what have you done to demonstrate yourinterest in this career etc. Distinguish yourselffrom other applicants Revise, revise, revise! So, plan ahead preparewriting one soon (Professors usually want to see thisbefore writing a Reference Letter) Barrons DAT book includes sample PersonalStatements 40 Essays from Successful Applications to theNations Top Medical Schools or Essays that willget you into Medical School Check out workshops and books available at theCareer Center 17. Letters of Recommendation You can only upload 4 letters of recommendation,but depending on the school you are applying to,prepare at least 6 of them. You enter your referees e-mail address andAADSAS will forward them a link 1-3 from Biology prof. (usually min. of 2 letters), 1 from Chem/Physics prof. (Tufts) 1 Arts prof. (Nova), 1 dentist (multiple schools, needed as a proof foryour shadowing hours, on official office letterhead) LOR requirements may change from year to year,make sure to check the schools website Request these letters well before June 1st 18. Schools that accept Canadian DAT Midwestern University (MWA, MWI) Loma Linda University (LLU) University of the Pacific (UOP) University of Southern California (USC) University of Connecticut (CONN) Howard University (HOW) Nova Southeastern University (NSU) University of Florida (FLA) Southern Illinois University (SIU) Indiana University (IU) University of Iowa (UI) University of Kentucky (UK) University of Louisville (UL) Louisiana State University (LSU) University of Maryland (UMB) Boston University School of Medicine (BU) Harvard University (HSDM) Tufts University (TUF) University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) The University of Michigan (MICH) 19. University of Minnesota (UMN) University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Creighton University University of Nebraska University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) Columbia University (CUL) New York University (NYU) University of Buffalo University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Case School of Dental Medicine (CWR) The Ohio State University University of Oklahoma Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) University of Pennsylvania (PENN) University of Pittsburgh (PITT) Temple University (TEMP) Meharry Medical College (MEH) Baylor College of Dentistry University of Texas Health and Science Center at Houston andSan Antonio Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) University of Washington West Virginia University Marquette University (MQT) 20. However Unfortunately, many schools want your money, not you. Save money by applying to Canadian friendly schools. Overqualified for some schools? Which part of Canada are you from? 21. Schools that DO accept Canadians: University of Southern California (USC) University of Connecticut (CONN) Nova Southeastern University (NSU) Boston University School of Medicine (BU) Howard University (HOW) Meharry Medical College (MEH) The University of Michigan (MICH) Tufts University (TUF) University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) Columbia University (CUL) New York University (NYU) Case School of Dental Medicine (CWR) University of Pennsylvania (PENN) University of Pittsburgh (PITT) Temple University (TEMP) 22. Tips on picking schools Check the ADEA guide for stats and requirements,pick the schools that suit you Search threads on Pre-Dental Forum on the StudentDoctor Network (http://forums.studentdoctor.net) Can also check http://www.predents.com/ tocompare yourself against applicants from previouscycles After creating an account you can use the MemberSearch option to check where international/ Canadianstudents with similar stats were invited for interviews 23. Stats on Predents.com 24. Other small tips Request your high school transcripts from yourschool board. (UDM and Harvard ask for them at thetime of application) Prepare a US Dollars bank account, so you can sendapplication fees to each schools ASAP. Or use your bank to get a lot of bank drafts made in US Dollars (what I did) Dont send Canadian checks Go to professors office hours so they can get toknow you. Make a spreadsheet to keep yourself organized APPLY EARLY! Even if you write your DAT in Aug,can still submit in June 25. OK, ready to submit?Checklist: Good personal essay (no spelling mistakes!) Official transcript + Transcript Matching Form requested to besent to AADSAS. Your official DAT score report to every school that you apply First 5 scores included in fee Each additional school $25 Money (bank drafts in US dollars) You need to send extra fees ranging from $40-$90 to every school in addition to what you paid on AADSAS Some schools ask you to wait until you are contacted Follow up with schools to make sure they have processed your payment correctly Check for supplemental application requirements (e.g. UPenn). Require essays and such to be sent in addition to AADSAS application Have some 2 x 2 inch photos handy because some schools requirethem for the application or for the interview 26. The waiting gameStarting from August, you will be checking emails and your mail box every 5 min. 27. Interviews! Nova and Case Western start their interviews in August. Most other schools begin in September. Peak period is from September to November. But interview cycle is supposed to last until end of February. Prepare enough money for traveling! 28. Preparation Look at SDNs interview feedback for somepossible questions. http://www.studentdoctor.net/schools/?view=de ntal There are lots of general questions:E.g. - Tell me about yourself. - Why dentistry? Why not medicine? - Your strength, weakness Go to the career centre for practice interviews, ordo it amongst friends. 29. Tips for good interviews Be prepared to talk about the things you have mentionedin your Personal Statement, AADSAS Application andSupplemental Application Always ask yourself, Whats the intention behind thisquestion? What is the interviewer trying to get at? Prepare something visual Some people do this, some dont I didnt prepare anything for my interview Its a casual conversation, so relax and let the interviewerget to know you. 30. While interviewing at theschool Get to know the neighborhood. Can you see yourself living here for the next 4 years? The clinics, and the classrooms. Do you get your own chair? How modern is the clinic? The student atmosphere. Go to the graduate service office, and get some booklets. 31. Write a thank you letter! Get your interviewers name card if possible. Mention briefly what you talked about during the interview. Show how much you are interested in their program. Write it as soon as you come back from your interview! 32. Another waiting game. Dec 1 will be your day! 33. Accepted? Rejected? The earliest date you will know of your acceptanceis Dec 1. Well, it takes longer for the mail to arrive, so itsactually Dec 5. Usually, they give you 45 days to decide. You mustreply back to all of them within 45 days. For the school youve decided to attend, you mustsend a deposit. 34. When you decide Look at the curriculum, the facility Student life What can the school provide for you? The COST! Dental schools are expensive, and as Canadians we cant apply for US federal student loans. (But we can apply for OSAP) 35. Financial Aid OSAP Professional school studentloans by RBC CanHELP Scholarships Daddy and Mommy When visiting the school for the interview, they usually have some information on financial aid as well! There is one thing you absolutely need! Good credit history 36. Licensing Exams American Boards Part I (usually after 2nd year) and part II (after 4th year) for practicing in the US To practice in Canada you must write the Canadian Licensure exam at the end of your 4th year 37. Last but not least Buy The Official Guide to American Dental Schools published by ADEA. The 2011 issue is now availableonline The 2010 version is available atthe Career Center Useful websites: http://forums.studentdoctor.net www.predents.com Canadian Forum:http://www.premed101.com 38. Q&A Period