Class of 2006-When to apply?

[Tamala]

I want to apply for the class of 2006. When should I have all the pre-reqs completed?
Ideally when should I apply and take the DAT?

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[briansle]

I'm applying for 2006 cycle too, when should I start asking for letters of recs?

 

[omaralt]

hey guys, you guys want to take the DAT, ideally, before summer 2005. and also try to get as many of your letters of recommendation during that time too. i got most of my stuff completed between the end of Spring 2004 (actually took the DAT in April 2004) and got most of the letters before the summer session started. that way, when AADSAS opened up, i was able to submit early in the cycle. also, with letters, you might have profs who take their time too much, so u might have to keep reminding them. and if you already know whos going to write u the letters, go ahead and ask them, and your ahead of the game! good luck

omar

 

[boogaking]

don't underestimate the amount of time you will spend on your personal statement and gathering Letters of Rec... those take time... LORs are not always clockwork... ask profs to write them for you as soon as you finish the course.. or ASAP... and keep checking back with them... and when they ask when you need it by... say soon or asap... don't just say... im applying next year... or else laterz... the prof won't probably think of it ...till then... I guess my advice is very biased by my own experiences.

 

[Bickle]

I want to apply for the class of 2006. When should I have all the pre-reqs completed?
Ideally when should I apply and take the DAT?

If you are applying to get in by 2006, you are not the "class of 2006", you are the class of 2010, because thats when you will graduate.

ie) I am apart of the class of 2008

 

[Biogirl361]

you want to take your dat in march (that way if you have to retake it you can do so and still have complete applications on file very early in the cycle. you have to wait 90 days between taking it the first time and registering for the second time. nobody wants to think they will have to retake, but its best to be prepared.) start asking for letters of rec around february, that gives the profs a good 4 months to write it and send it in. aadsas doesn't start collecting them until like may, so if you have very efficient profs you will want to ask them to hang onto it until may and then send it out. send away for your transcripts as soon as grades are back from spring semester, and when you recieve them, send them unopened to aadsas. start writing your personal statement over winter break, that way you'll have lots of time to sit down and work on it (in between studying for the dat). when you get back to school, have people read it and give you thoughts. then you can revise it whenever you have time up until it is time to send it in. another tip: print out a copy of the 2005 application while it is still posted. DO NOT fill it out online or send it in, just print out a copy or save a copy to your computer to look through. i would assume applications are quite similar from year to year, so this will give you an opportunity to read through it, get any questions you may have answered in between now and when the 2006 one comes out, and start giving thought to your answers for the short answers section. if you do everything i said in this post, barring some unforseen occurance, you will have a complete package on aadsas's desk on the first day possible (take it from someone whose aadsas number was less than 50 ) this will be advantageous in many ways, 1) less chance of them losing or mixing up your stuff, 2) it will only take 4 weeks to process instead of 6 -8, 3) you will be the first to hear about interviews from schools 4) schools still have all their spots open when they consider you, you are not fighting lots of people for the last 10 spots. one last thing, check your schools' websites for what supplementary materials they want. for example some schools want you to send them a small photo, and all schools want their application fee!! send these things directly to the school at the same time that you send your application in to aadsas.

wow, that was a long post. hope it helps all future applicants with their timeline, it worked for me

 

[briansle]

wow, thanks biogirl, great advice.

So when did you set up your online application with that aadas service? And how did you ask profs for letters of recs? Did you give them some sort of form to fill out, along with transcripts of your grades and personal statement?

I'm really worried about letters of rec part since I go to a large school and each of my science classes had like 300 people so didn't really get close with the profs. Anyone in the same situation? Do professors usually say yes?

 

[Biogirl361]

you get to set up your 2006 account with aadsas when the application comes out, usually around mid-may.

i come from a huge university also, and had never spoken with my professors prior to asking for a letter. but they are used to this and probably get asked by a hundred kids a year to write letters. what you want to do is either call them or stop by their office hours and ask to set up an appointment to speak with them about letters of reccomendation. they have done this before and will tell you exactly what they want you to bring (always bring a resume, and some professors will ask you for other things like dat scores, personal statement, whatever). if they don't tell you up front, just bring the resume. anyways you will set up an appointment and they will just chat with you for 20 or 30 minutes to get to know you and go over any questions they have of you, sort of like a miniature interview. you will also have to print off a copy of the letter of reccomendation matching form (found on aadsas website) and explain to them that you need them to fill it out and attach it to the letter before sending. aadsas requires this form to help them keep track of what letters go with what file. also explain about how they should hold on to it until may 1 or so, since aadsas doesn't collect them until then.
all of my professors immediately agreed to write me a letter after our appointment, though i have never spoken to them before this. they understand about large classes and not having the opportunity to know all 300 kids on a personal level. they do these letters all the time. i have no doubt you will be able to get the letters without a problem as long as your grades are good in their classes and you're respectful, professional, and just a nice person when you do go talk to them.

 

[UofT-Girl]

If an applicant submits their application around the end of August, would that be considered "late" and would it hurt their chances in any way?

 

[Bickle]

If an applicant submits their application around the end of August, would that be considered "late" and would it hurt their chances in any way?

Send it as soon as possible. August isnt late, but it isnt early either. You maximize your chances for acceptance if you send it in early.

 

[v&andy_yankee]

take your DATs this winter, right after winter break. that way you can study over winter break without any distractions (since it is between semesters). i really wouldn't wait for spring to take it, since then you'll be swamped with school.

send in your AADSAS ASA{--mid may, when the application becomes available. by the first week of june, the numbers will already be reaching 1000.

 

[2thDk]

I suggest getting an account this year and printing out the application. Possibly typing all your answers out and saving it so that your application will be ready to go ASAP. That's what I would do since your application takes a lot of time and thought.

 

[UofT-Girl]

When you submit your application to AADSAS, do you need to record all of your grades? -- or is that done at a later time?

and also, i'm taking my DAT in november, but applying next summer.. how would dental schools know that i actually took the DAT? How do they verify my scores?

 

[2thDk]

You will have to enter in all of your grades in the AADSAS application. Your scores will be sent directly to the schools that you choose on your DAT application. You will also have to indicate your DAT scores on your AADSAS application. The schools will have your official scores that were sent directly from the DAT people.

 

[edkNARF]

If I were you, I would use the AADSAS insturctions to categorize every single one of your courses, and start your personal statement, and get your DAT taken care of. You want to be ready to submit when AADSAS opens in late May 2005.

The other posters were also offering good advice about getting your LORs done ASAP. You might want to contact your school's health career office to see what protocols they require regarding LORs.

 

[UofT-Girl]

Okay.. i'm really really confused!

When i registered for the DAT, i didn't indicate that i wanted scores to be sent directly to any schools. This was becasue i'm not applying to any schools this cycle, but insead i will be applying during the next cycle. So, if i was to indicate that i wanted my DAT scores to be sent to a particular school (ie- NYU) they wouldn't even have an application for me. Did i do the right thing??

or..am i screwed??

oh o..

 

[edkNARF]

You're fine. Just have your scores sent out for the next cycle.

 

[2thDk]

I believe that you'l have to pay $10 per school that you want it sent to. The schools will require the official paperwork from the DAT people in order to confirm your scores. I would contact the DAT people and ask them what to do?

 

[briansle]

Okay.. i'm really really confused!

When i registered for the DAT, i didn't indicate that i wanted scores to be sent directly to any schools. This was becasue i'm not applying to any schools this cycle, but insead i will be applying during the next cycle. So, if i was to indicate that i wanted my DAT scores to be sent to a particular school (ie- NYU) they wouldn't even have an application for me. Did i do the right thing??

or..am i screwed??

oh o..

UofT Girl, I did the same thing as you, I took my DAT last August even though I'm applying for the 2006 cycle. Since I didn't even know where I wanted to go, I just left the part where you select schools blank.

Now I really regret not checking any of the schools since my scores were good. I lost out on 50 bucks. .

By the way, If I apply in May of 2005, schools will not be able to see my spring semester grades, which come out in late June. How did you guys update them? Does applying in May mean that you have to have everything set and filled out before you register with aadsas? What happens if your letters of rec take longer, do they still process your app?

 

[LadyxJC]

i'm also applying for class of 2010 and I took my DAT already...
just wanted to get it out of the way cuz i'm sure there will be plenty more things to keep me busy as the time gets closer~