AADSAS Holistic Cover Sheet gone wrong...help!

[slor]

Hi Everyone,

I have two questions and was wondering if anyone could give me feedback on them. I've already submitted but I need to discuss this with others to think this through.

As I've mentioned, I recently submitted my dental school application. Under "Professional Experience- Dentistry/Shadowing Experience" I added three of the dentistry related experience that I already completed and added another that I will begin at the end of July 2013.

The entry I am concerned about basically looks like this:

Name of Supervisor: TBD
Position Title: Student Intern
Brief Description: Will volunteer as an intern at the Forsyth Institute Clinic. Will shadowed periodontist and will help in the clinical research related tasks.
Hours: 0
Position Type: Volunteer, Job Shadowing
Start Date: July 2013
End Date: (blank because I am still doing it)

Question 1: Is the zero hours viewed negatively, since I have not completed it (and added it on my application anyways)? I really regret putting down TBD but the office was so slow about getting back to me I totally forgot to update this part. What are your thoughts?

Question 2: I accidentally flagged this for my holistic cover sheet and it explicitly states 0 hours instead of flagging the three experiences that I have already done. Will this look negative on my application for the cover sheet as well?

For example:
1) Dentist (46 hours) ---flagged for cover sheet
2) Orthodontist (46 hours) ---flagged for cover sheet
3) Dental students at college university (20 hours)
4) Periodontist/Clinical Research (0 hours) ---flagged for cover sheet

and didn't realize that I "flagged" (4) and not (3).

Thanks you all in advance. I appreciate any and all feedback.


Sandy

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[Glimmer1991]

Have you already started shadowing?

Write to schools and tell them that you have now started this experience and how many hours you have completed. Let them know that it was an oversight on your part with your application because you forgot to go back and edit it. Many schools say that you can e-mail them with things to add to your file.

 

[Baba Yaga]

Have you already started shadowing?

Write to schools and tell them that you have now started this experience and how many hours you have completed. Let them know that it was an oversight on your part with your application because you forgot to go back and edit it. Many schools say that you can e-mail them with things to add to your file.

OP stated he/she is starting at the end of July, so this activity has not been started yet. There is nothing to update.

 

[Baba Yaga]

I was under the impression that adding things you "will" do in the future was a no-no because you haven't done it yet. There is nothing to add to the application if you have not done something yet. Sure, you might have this set up, but there is no way for the adcoms to know that you will follow through on it until you actually are doing the activity. Even after you start an activity, it doesn't add much to your application until you have amassed a good # of hours doing it.

I think the correct course of action if you are doing new and significant activities during the application year is to bring that up during interviews. Or if you want to let adcoms know before then, I would call schools to make sure that they would accept an update letter and then send that at an appropriate time. I think the end of the summer is a good time to send an update (especially if that's when the internship ends).



For your specific situation, I don't know that you can do too much at this point. You could send them a letter/email explaining that you accidentally flagged "Periodontist/Clinical Research" for your cover sheet when you really meant to flag "Dental students at college university" for your cover sheet. You haven't actually started this internship, so there is nothing to update until after you start (and really nothing to say until after you've collected a decent # of hours, so update that at the end of the summer). The admissions people will be able to ascertain that you put this down as a future activity that you are starting at some point July 2013--that's clear enough.

As for worrying about whether this will hurt you, I would say don't worry about it. Lots of people make an error on the AADSAS. This isn't something that will make or break you.

 

[Glimmer1991]

OP stated he/she is starting at the end of July, so this activity has not been started yet. There is nothing to update.

I glanced over that. Yeah. I'd just keep quiet about it for now, but I would absolutely have done it by the time interviews roll around in case they ask you about it! Putting something that you haven't already done is sort of frowned upon, but so long as the rest of your app is good, I don't think it's any sort of a deal breaker. We live and we learn!

 

[slor]

Have you already started shadowing?

Write to schools and tell them that you have now started this experience and how many hours you have completed. Let them know that it was an oversight on your part with your application because you forgot to go back and edit it. Many schools say that you can e-mail them with things to add to your file.

Slor:
I haven't began that specific internship yet. I will begin at the end of July into early August and hope to complete 20-40 hours in two weeks and possibly continue into the year once a week. When I write this explanation and update of hours to the dental schools, do I send an email to the admissions office or do I send a hard copy?

Thanks for your response.

S

 

[slor]

I was under the impression that adding things you "will" do in the future was a no-no because you haven't done it yet. There is nothing to add to the application if you have not done something yet. Sure, you might have this set up, but there is no way for the adcoms to know that you will follow through on it until you actually are doing the activity. Even after you start an activity, it doesn't add much to your application until you have amassed a good # of hours doing it.

I think the correct course of action if you are doing new and significant activities during the application year is to bring that up during interviews. Or if you want to let adcoms know before then, I would call schools to make sure that they would accept an update letter and then send that at an appropriate time. I think the end of the summer is a good time to send an update (especially if that's when the internship ends).



For your specific situation, I don't know that you can do too much at this point. You could send them a letter/email explaining that you accidentally flagged "Periodontist/Clinical Research" for your cover sheet when you really meant to flag "Dental students at college university" for your cover sheet. You haven't actually started this internship, so there is nothing to update until after you start (and really nothing to say until after you've collected a decent # of hours, so update that at the end of the summer). The admissions people will be able to ascertain that you put this down as a future activity that you are starting at some point July 2013--that's clear enough.

As for worrying about whether this will hurt you, I would say don't worry about it. Lots of people make an error on the AADSAS. This isn't something that will make or break you.

Thank you so much! I will call the dental school admissions offices and ask if they allow updates.

S

 

[Baba Yaga]

Thank you so much! I will call the dental school admissions offices and ask if they allow updates.

S

Yup! They should also be able to tell you whether they prefer email or hard copy or whether it doesn't matter. Some offices are paperless, so they would prefer the email.

Don't worry about this too much, I don't think it's as big a deal as you are worrying it is. You'll send the update and everything will be honky dory.

I'd probably send it at the end of the main experience in August and just state that you are continuing this during the school year if you find that you will continue it.

 

[slor]

Yup! They should also be able to tell you whether they prefer email or hard copy or whether it doesn't matter. Some offices are paperless, so they would prefer the email.

Don't worry about this too much, I don't think it's as big a deal as you are worrying it is. You'll send the update and everything will be honky dory.

I'd probably send it at the end of the main experience in August and just state that you are continuing this during the school year if you find that you will continue it.

Thank you so much! Very helpful!