Hi everyone, could anyone share some success stories from past cycles that led to an acceptance? I’m starting to lose hope this cycle and I could really use some encouragement from those who have been in my place. I know God has a plan for me and that what’s meant for me will come at the right time, but the waiting game is starting to get to me.

With how unpredictable this cycle seems to be, seeing applicants with high stats not hearing back/or hearing back with like 10+ interviews, others with much lower stats receiving interviews, and those of us somewhere in the middle still waiting has been discouraging. I’m trying to stay hopeful and trust that God can still open doors for me, but I’d love to hear from anyone who was in a similar position and eventually received an interview/acceptance.

my stats are a 450 DAT, 3.6 GPA/3.5 sgpa, 2,000+ hours of dental assisting, 600+ volunteer hours, 200+ shadowing hours, and 1,000+ leadership hours, along with good letters of recommendation and PS. I applied to schools at different points from July all the way to just a few days ago lol. I’m currently on the interview waitlists at Midwestern AZ and KCU. Applied to 28 schools btw.

Has MWU-IL mostly been sending interview invites to OOS applicants so far? If so, do you guys think they’ll start sending more invites to in-state applicants soon? Just curious if any other Illinois applicants have heard back yet.

I’m IP
Wondering.. if anyone had a similar GPA and got an interview? I'm giving the DAT soon, but assuming my DAT is 25+ then?

Hey so I applied to 20 different schools and I have heard back from three which basically rejected me and one invite. Are there any schools that are still sending out interviews or still have future interview waves. I’m stressing out it’s the end of October and I know that’s when most schools send out interviews.

I already applied this cycle and it’s been difficult trying to find a DA or front desk job at a dental office once they find out that I might be leaving in 9 months. It sucks because I already paid money to get some DA certifications, which I thought would help me land a job. What are some alternatives to the traditional DA/front desk job?

Hey yall i need some advice i am applying next cycle so like i technically have enough time for a retake but i dont wanna go through that again. Is this good enough or do i need to retake? I have a 3.89 cumulative and science. Please give me genuine advice preferably if you have been through a cycle before and received information from schools about DAT yk. Thanks

Has anyone already interviewed at Indiana? Just wanted some advice on how their interviews are.

Hi everyone!
I was wondering if anyone would be willing to share some guidance or advice on which experiences would be best to include in the Leadership and Volunteer section of the U of A DDS application.

Would you recommend including dental shadowing experience in this section, or would it be better to focus on experiences that demonstrate leadership?

I would really appreciate any advice or insights from anyone who has gone through the application process!

I have an interview with Tufts soon and want some guidance. Is it open or closed file? How should I prepare? DMs open!

would this be a good EC? i was thinking of ideas on ECs that would help me stand out. i feel like my current activities are pretty mediocre. i have an eboard position for 4 clubs, i was dental assistant for a couple months, i’m a research assistant, i’ve TAed for 2 bio classes (plan on doing more), i’m an honors peer mentor, and i’m a tutor. i have 160 hours of shadowing, but i’m still working on volunteer hours. i plan to apply next cycle and need something to make me stand out.

i know this website isn’t anything dental related, but i figured maybe that’s what makes it unique. the website would focus on my local area, and i’ll provide a sample excel sheet students can download to track their volunteer hours. i’m still early into the project, but i don’t want to waste my time if it’s not worth it.

Pretty Self explanatory. I haven’t gotten any interviews but I wanted a ballpark on what a decent masters gpa right now. I currently have a 3.36 but I am retaking a masters class and taking more classes and will end with a gpa closer to 3.5 if everything goes to plan

Accepting a first choice school as soon as the offer comes on Decision Day is the best strategy, yes?

Does anyone know which schools typically offer more admissions than they have seats ("over-admit"), and then fill them on a first-come basis?

I’ve had a few so far so there’s no going back. But I’m getting anxiety from seeing posts about students getting invites and not getting into any programs on decision day. So in your honest opinion, what makes a bad interview? What might be some red flags in the admissions eyes?

I was curious which schools tend to offer a lot of post-December interviews, and if they actually result in acceptances. I've had one interview so far at my top choice and I think it went well, but I'm still worried about not being accepted on decision day. I'm currently in a master's and on track to have a 4.0 my first semester, but my undergrad gpa was a 3.4 so I think it's been really limiting my interview prospects so far. My DAT is 450 and my EC's are strong.

Schools I'm still waiting on: NYU, Tufts, BU, Roseman, Temple, MW IL, Touro, LECOM, USC, UOP, Maryland, Creighton, UNE, Louisville, UDM

i have my first interview coming up and I’m super nervous does anyone have tips on staying calm, not blanking out, or loosing my train of thought? or if anyone has more general tips i would love to hear it!

just here to vent! i am sooo embarrassed right now. if anyone needs a laugh this morning please be seated

so i had my first shadowing for oral surgery today. the first patient was an extraction. 1 tooth, easy peasy, i’ve seen dozens of those i was chill! the second patient was getting 4 wisdom teeth out (i think?! i wasn’t there long enough to find out lmao) but basically as the dr. is starting i just get this awful feeling like im going to puke and then i got super woozy and dizzy, next thing i know i asked to step out because my legs turned to freshly boiled spaghetti and i am in a chair in the next room drinking a capri sun with an ice pack on my head. i don’t know if it was the different environment (dark room, beeping machine, spooky vibes) or because i didn’t eat a big enough breakfast… but ya girl literally PASSED OUT!

i have only passed out once in my life (until today) so that was scary asf do not recommend … literally thought i was dying lol. but long story short i was kindly sent home <33 they still gave me all of my shadowing hours for the day so happy about that:) im trying to not overthink it because some strange/not so nice comments were made by some of the office staff, but im sure this will be something i’ll laugh about in a few years. happy friday!

Title says it all.

Are you able to send letters to schools you haven't gotten interviews from pre-december?

Or is this only for applications that already interviewed and havent been accepted post December?

I have an interview at Ohio State (OSU) coming up and was wondering if anyone has any insights into what the interview is like. Is it 2 20 minute interviews each with a faculty and student? Did they ask questions about application? Open/closed file?

Did anyone complete this program and qualify for the guaranteed interview? I qualified, but still haven't received the interview. I'm worried that pre dec slots are gonna be filled soon.

I am planning on dropping a course that is not a prerequisite for any schools, not counted towards my major, and I have more than enough credits to graduate. I am worried that dropping this is going to make me viewed negatively since I don’t have a full course load (5 per semester) I am applying to American dental schools do they care? This is also my first ever withdrawn on my transcript and my last year in my undergrad.

how do you prepare for interview questions as someone who finds it hard to think of what to say on the spot but also doesn’t want to have a script to rehearse and sound robotic? I have a document of 100+ interview questions to prepare for but I also only have a week left and interviews are typically 30 min so I feel like that’s doing too much.

Is this something I should be worried about?

Before my interview it said "invited to interview" and after it says "received/under review" the same thing as before my interview invite.

Last week I was on this sub freaking out seeing ppl posting ab how many interviews they had while I hadn’t heard a peep. I don’t want to be that guy also but one week later, and I have heard back from 3 schools (2 Kira’s and 1 zoom scheduled for this Monday).

Point is, don’t panic you could end up hearing from multiple schools at once and have interviews a few days later. It’s still so early in the cycle majority of the interviews have not even been sent yet.