ADEA GoDental JumpStart

ADEA AADSAS is the centralized application used to apply to multiple dental schools.

• One application can be sent to many programs.
• Transcripts and supporting information are managed in one place.
• The system also lets you track your application status.

• Shadowing: around 100-200+ hours observing dentists in different settings.
• Evaluation letters: typically around 4 letters, but requirements depend on the school.

Common prerequisites:

Requirements can be different for every dental school.

Includes your biographical and contact information.

You may need information about:

• Place of birth
• Citizenship
• Family/environmental circumstances
• Other background information

• Enter every college/university course exactly as it appears on your transcript.
• Have your transcripts open while entering coursework.
• Official transcripts should be sent directly to ADEA AADSAS.
• Transcripts may take about 7 business days to show as received.
• After all transcripts are received, verification may take about 4 weeks.
• Do not send high school transcripts.
• AADSAS has academic update periods where you can update recently completed or in-progress courses.
• After updating courses, send an updated transcript when required.

The Dental Admission Test is administered by the ADA.

Four sections:

• Test length is about 4.5 hours.
• ADEA's main advice: take the DAT when you are ready.

Study resources mentioned:

This is where you show your experiences and tell your story.

Main areas include:

• Evaluations/letters of recommendation
• Experiences
• Achievements and awards
• Personal statement

Experiences are separated into 6 categories:

• You can mark up to 6 experiences as "Most Important."
• Experience descriptions have a 600-character limit, not 600 words.
• Use action verbs and explain what you learned or how you grew from the experience.

• Maximum length: 4,500 characters.
• Main question: Why do you want to be a dentist?
• Connect your experiences to your future goals.

ADEA emphasized being:

• Shadowing is supposed to be a hands-off observation experience.
• It helps you learn procedures, terminology and different practice environments.
• ADEA gave 100-200 hours as a typical range by the time you apply.
• Try to shadow different dentists and specialties, not only one dentist.

Keep a detailed log with:

• Dates/hours
• Procedures observed
• Important experiences

Strong letters should come from people who can discuss your:

• Academic ability
• Character and professionalism
• Suitability for dentistry

Possible writers:

• Science professors
• Dentists you shadowed
• Non-science professors who know you well
• Research advisors or supervisors

• AADSAS allows up to 4 individual evaluations OR 1 committee evaluation + 3 individual evaluations.
• Exact requirements depend on each dental school.
• Start building relationships with professors early.
• Attend office hours and participate in class.
• ADEA suggested identifying letter writers around February-March, about 3+ months before the deadline.
• Give writers plenty of notice.
• Pick someone who actually knows you rather than someone with a title who barely knows you.

This part contains requirements specific to each dental program.

Look for:

• Application deadlines
• Required documents
• Program-specific requirements
• Important dates
• Supplemental questions
• Supplemental fees

Costs can include:

• ADEA AADSAS application fees
• Supplemental application fees
• Interview expenses
• Eventually tuition and school fees