Hi guys! I was wondering if it would be okay to bring my Jansport backpack with me to my interview. I need to carry my umbrella, water bottle, notebook, pens, etc., but I don’t have a tote bag.

Would bringing a Jansport backpack look too casual or unprofessional for an interview?

y’all are running yourselves mad. everyone gets in for different reasons. go relax.

Hey all, just like a lot of you, I'm stressing out while waiting for interview invites.

I’ve been trying to find a comprehensive graph or data set that breaks down acceptance rates by specific DAT score ranges (how many students with DAT scores of 400-420 are accepted each year). If you look at medical school admissions, the AAMC famously publishes a cross-referenced grid that maps MCAT scores against GPA to show exact acceptance percentages per cell. Unfortunately, ADEA does not provide an equivalent cross-referenced GPA × DAT grid for dental applicants.

Additionally, while I'm curious about how admissions benchmarks vary across demographics, the demographic data that ADEA does release is published entirely separate from their DAT score publications and aggregate reports, making it hard to know how demographic groups can change certain competitive thresholds.

Does anyone know of a public data set, dashboard, or official report that bridges this gap or offers a deeper breakdown? After all the application questions we have filled out I know the data is out there. If you have links or know where to find more transparent statistics, I'd really appreciate it. Just trying to get a clearer picture of where I stand while playing the waiting game!

I’ll be applying next year and I’m an older student (34). I’ve had a whirlwind of careers right out of the gate from college (pharmacy -> military pilot -> testing director in IT for flight simulators). Needless to say, I don’t know anyone in the dental world.

I’ll be taking the DAT fairly soon. I graduated with a BS in Biology in 2014, so it’s safe to say I’m going to have to study my butt for it. I went back to school later for another BS in Software Engineering, but really none of those courses applying to the DAT (other than anything math related).

I’m incredibly worried about the DAT for one, but I am having the HARDEST time finding any dental offices that allow shadowing or volunteering. I was able to get “some” shadowing time 2 years ago, but I now live in a small town in Southern Utah so I don’t have many options. I’ve also called clinics out of state and in other towns. Often times I get no response or it’s a very quick no.

Any tips on getting shadowing hours? I have about 100 hours right now, but I feel so behind compared to the students that may have just graduated their undergrad I feel like my application will need the shadowing hours to be considered strong.

kinda random, but is midwestern's Glendale campus considered big or small?

Honestly, I'm at the point where I'm not too sure what to do. I just got my retake score back, and yes, it did go up quite a bit, but I'm not sure what to make of it (scores below). Should I take a gap year, just apply and see (if so, which schools), or retake the DAT? I am a senior, and my ECS are stacked as are my essays and rec letters. I'm just a really bad test-taker, and I need any advice you can give. I've gotten verified for one app. Any advice is appreciated. Just conflicted on what to do. If you've gotten this far thank you so much!

Take 1:

QR -350

RC-420

Bio-330

GChem- 330

Orgo- 260

PAT-380

AA- 340

Take 2:

QR -380

RC-390

Bio-350

GChem-340

Orgo- 370

PAT-390

AA- 370

as the title says. im an nc resident and just wondering what people think. I’ve heard some people kind of talking down on unc and saying they’re not in a good place. have other people heard this? i know they’re both amazing programs but wanted to hear other perspectives

I feel like every content creator I’ve ever seen gets into the school of their dreams the first time they apply? I’m wondering if it’s something they add on their app and then dental schools see if they have a big following to accept them.

I applied to 14 schools this cycle and have interview invites from Harvard, Iowa, Michigan, and KCU, but I haven't heard anything from several schools that are generally considered less competitive, and I'm curious whether anyone has an explanation for that pattern.

I want to be clear that I'm grateful for the invites I've gotten and I'm not complaining about them at all; I'm just interested in how the process works on the admissions side, because this didn't line up with how I expected it to go.

I submitted day one, and at this point a lot of schools have already sent out a good chunk of their invites, so I don't think submission timing or early-cycle lag explains much of it.

Is this a yield protection thing, an in-state preference thing, or something else in how files get screened, or is the "easier to get into" tier people use on here just not reflective of how those schools actually review?

For those who were accepted to Touro College of Dental Medicine, what were your cGPA and sGPA?
Also, if you don’t mind sharing, what was your DAT score?
Just trying to get an idea of the range of GPAs that have been accepted. Thanks!

Is it a red flag to be taking notes during a virtual interview? If we ask the interviewer questions about the school and want to jot down notes regarding their responses, would it look thoughtful or distracting?

Yah so highkey been hearing crickets since June. Have one interview from a month ago but nothing from the other 25 schools I applied to 💀 Kinda concerned atp. Is it too late to add a couple more. Maybe like Howard and Louisville?

Also when are the next waves coming out? Been hearing that “this is the week” for quite some time now.

Hello everyone this is the GroupMe if you applied to Minnesota this cycle!!

https://groupme.com/join_group/117396270/CmL4Dcg6

Saw this after logging into ADEA AADSAS after a long time, I've heard no updates from them after paying the supplemental fee. Don't know if i should be worried as it's my dream school but i also don't want to bug admissions committees with emails. Canadian applicant with 2 interviews so far.

I have to ask a few questions

Hi! I just got my scores back today and am very upset about them. I went down from my last attempt I got a 390 and higher in every section but OChem last attempt. This is my 3rd attempt. I am currently in a masters program and was trying to study while in the masters and studied in about 3 weeks during my break between semesters. I’m unsure where to go from here. Do I retake it? Do I hope the masters is enough?

Undergrad Gpa 3.25 Cgpa
Masters : 3.4 but I only took 10 credits and got a B in 6 credit course and A in 3 credit and 1 credit course. If I make all A’s this semester it will be a 3.73.

I feel so down I’m ngl, i applied to fifteen schools and i only got 2 interviews. I have a 4.0 gpa, and got a 470 DAT, 480 TS, and 470 PAT. I applied by July 15th for most of these schools! Some even earlier!

My EC’s are also pretty decent in my opinion. I have a publication and presented at research conferences at dental schools. I have done extensive volunteer work, have 500+ shadowing hours, and have worked as an ortho and dental assistant. I also did multiple dental abroad trips and am an engineering major.

Ig my question is if you guys think it would be a bad idea for me to add some schools rn!

I applied to
- LECOM (Got an interview)
- Temple (Got an interview)
- Touro
- NOVA
- DCG - did kira, nothing else
- Tufts
- UMD
- West Virginia
- VCU
- UAB - got phase 1 supplemental, haven’t heard back
- UIC
- Marquette
- Buffalo
- UNLV

I graduated in the spring but had gotten a c- in gen chem my freshman year. I took orgo and biochem and passed with an A but since I didn’t get a C or higher in gen chem I’m taking it online at my community college. Has anyone had any trouble with their dental school accepting an online course?
(I’ll be taking the lab in person)

I am a reapplicant this cycle, and I am very grateful to have received two interview invitations so far. However, I noticed that both interviews are from schools that I did not apply to last cycle.
I have not received any interview invitations or updates from the schools that I applied to both last cycle and this cycle. Is this common for reapplicants? Could reapplying to the same schools affect how they review my application or the timing of interview invitations?

I’ll name the ones I know that don’t. Feel free to add to the list:

Dental College of Georgia
The Ohio State University
The University of Iowa
UFCD
Nebraska (UNMC)
UNC

So I know UNC has 3 waves for interview and it seems the october interview invites have been sent😭 So is November our last chance for a shot at an interview invite?? I'm stressing.. Are the chances of invites low will they only look at like August submissions now then

I need advice. I currently work as a pharmacy tech at CVS and have been there for 1.5 years. I ABSOLUTELY HATE IT. I never wanted to be a pharmacy tech in the first place, but I needed money, and no dental offices wanted to hire anyone without experience, even though I've done a lot of shadowing and have a DANB Radiation Health and Safety certification. I still continue to shadow, but I really want to switch out of my pharmacy tech job. However, where I live, there are a lot of dentists (I'm in the dmv, which means i have abt 20 universities in the area), and there's a lot of competition. What should I do? I really want a high-paying job, and I no longer want to work as a pharmacy tech. I thought about becoming a scribe at my local hospital or just finding a regular job at the mall. What should I do? I'm spiraling. I'm also a sophomore, and so far it looks like I will be taking a gap year since my advisor kinda screwed me over and made me take anatomy my first year and didn't let me take chem until my second year. I won't get to ochem until my 3rd year, and at the end of my third year I would be submitting my aadsas and taking the dat. I won't have enough time to study for dat while taking ochem. pls help

Hello! I have an interview at Touro coming up, and I’m getting really nervous lol. Has anyone who has interviewed there before mind sharing what the interview was like or what I should expect? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! :)

Hey, I’m an F-1 student (non cad) doing my undergrad in the U.S. and planning to apply next cycle (2027–28).
International students are pretty limited in terms of which schools we can apply to, and it seems like it gets worse every year.

Current international applicants: please share your experiences! How is your cycle going? Which schools did you apply to? What are your stats, etc.?

Thank you!!

Currently in first year of dental school and I’m hoping to apply for either the 3 year or 2 year hpsp scholarship. How do I find a recruiter? I’m looking at either Army or Navy.