‘Your Essential Guide to Dental School Admissions’: Book Review

No matter where you are in the process of applying to dental schools, “Your Essential Guide to Dental School Admissions” by Dr. Helen Yang is a must-read. Applying to dental school may be overwhelming, but this resource “for pre-dents, by dentists” provides firsthand knowledge from new dentists about this formidable yet exciting process that marks the beginning of your dental career. These contributing authors, many of whom have served on the admissions committees at their dental schools, have a breadth of experience and strategies about ensuring strong candidacy and building a well-respected application for the dental school you wish to attend.

Applying to dental school: an investment in your future

For many of us, dentistry is our dream career. It’s what we have spent years preparing for. While the application process is meant to provide dental schools with the information they need to determine how amazing you are as an applicant, there is a degree of financial investment that must be taken to get your information to your dream dental school.

Getting personal with your statement

Now that Dec. 1 and Phase I/II Match Days have passed, it’s time for the next round of prospective dental school and residency applicants to start thinking about that personal statement. Many of us remember struggling as predental students to convey our passion for dentistry – all without using the word ‘passion’ – in only 4,500 characters. Yet, whether you’re a predental student or a residency hopeful, writing that personal statement rarely comes easy. After all, the personal statement is often considered the most important part of your application. When thousands of equally qualified candidates are applying to the same program with a similar GPA, test scores and extracurriculars, how can you make yourself stand out among the rest?