COVID-19 UPDATE FOR APPLICANTS
Currently, here is what we know:
As applicants prepare to join the ranks of dental professionals during this unprecedented year, we know that there are many moving parts to the admissions process. To provide insight into school-specific changes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, ADEA has created a webpage for dental school updates for ADEA AADSAS® (Associated American Dental School Application Service) applicants. Dental schools have been invited to post information such as deadline extensions, interview format changes and adjustments to requirements.
Visit the Dental School Updates page.
The information is provided by the dental schools and will be updated regularly. ADEA encourages applicants to check with schools directly for the most up-to-date information and details.
Don’t forget that there is a new question in the 2020-21 ADEA AADSAS application allowing applicants to share how COVID-19 has impacted their preparation to apply to dental school. The Dental School Updates page also has details about what to consider when responding to this optional question.
Applicants with questions can contact ADEA AADSAS Customer Service, which is open year-round, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time by phone at 617-612-2045, or by email at aadsasinfo@aadsasweb.org .
- ADEA AADSAS® (ADEA Associated American Dental School Application Service) will open on time. Applicants can open an application on May 12 and start submitting on June 2. While applicants are still encouraged to apply early, please stay safe and know that when you are able to apply, the schools will be ready to review your application.
- A new question will be added to the application. The new optional question in ADEA AADSAS prompts applicants to share how COVID-19 has affected their preparation to apply for dental school.
- Dental schools are being flexible. Disruptions to transcripts, the Dental Admission Test (DAT) and letters of evaluation are causing anxiety, yet schools are reviewing policies and deadlines to accommodate those affected by the pandemic. For updates from each school, please check the school website or the text listed in the Program Materials section of ADEA AADSAS.
Texas Health Education Service has created a website that contains policies that have been released by all medical, dental, and veterinary schools that participate in TMDSAS. https://www.txhes.com/newsroom/updates/tmdsas-covid-impacts-ey21.html
Until then, as you are at home practicing social distancing, put your best (virtual) foot forward with these steps:
• Review your resume to ensure all experiences are included.
• Write a strong essay about why you are choosing this profession.
• Connect with faculty and advisors who will become your evaluators. Ask if their processes for writing evaluations has changed.
• Gather materials to submit for the ADEA AADSAS Fee Assistance Program, if eligible. Updates will be made available in the Help Center.
Questions? Contact ADEA AADSAS Customer Service, which is open year-round, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
COVID-19 P/F policy
https://docs.google.com/
Application
The ADEA AADSAS® (ADEA Associated American Dental Education Schools Application Service) application will open on May 12. Be proactive and start planning for the upcoming cycle now!
Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Reach out to your professors, health professions advisor and/or mentor to formally request a letter of evaluation.
- Document professional experiences and academic achievements to include on your application.
- Research participating dental schools through the ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools or by subscribing to the ADEA Dental School Explorer, an online resource with information about 76 dental schools in the U.S. and Canada.
If you are planning on starting dental school in fall 2023, you must submit your complete application in summer 2022.
If you plan on asking the Pre-Medical Advisory Committee for a committee letter, contact Dr. Maria Cuevas to obtain all the required forms. All forms need to be submitted to Dr. Cuevas.
Timeline
November 1
- Declare your intent to apply by filling out the Intent to Apply form .
January–February
- Fill out the Review My Application (RMA) form, and submit to the Pre-Medical Advisory Committee to Dr. Cuevas. It asks you to list and describe the experiences that have been significant to you, answer short essay questions that help you develop your story, provide names of who will write letters of recommendation for you, and identify schools you may apply to. Make an appointment with the Center for Career & Professional Development (CCPD) to help you with your personal statement. Start early; everything takes longer than you think. It will take you several weeks to get everything done.
- Fill out and submit a signed Request to Prepare a Committee Letter of Recommendation form with the names of committee members who have been classroom instructors of yours. Please make sure to indicate on this form when you would be able to meet for an interview with some members of the Pre-Medical Advisory Committee.
- Submit your professional résumé: state your planned graduation date and the degree you will receive. Please include your full name, including your middle name, in the heading. Make sure it looks professional; if you need help, please make an appointment to see someone at the CCPD. They are experts and are more than happy to help you.
- Fill out and submit a Request to Access Records form .
- Request that your letters of recommendation be sent directly to Dr. Maria Cuevas , chair of the Pre-Medical Advisory Committee. Your personal and professional references should send their letters as Word documents or as PDFs on their official letterhead with their signature included. Letters should be emailed with your name in the subject line.
SEE etiquette for REQUESTING LETTERs OF RECOMMENDATION
March–April
- If you choose to have the Pre-Medical Advisory Committee prepare your letters of evaluation and recommendation, you will be required to have an interview with members of the committee. The interviews will take approximately 20–30 minutes.
May
- If you are applying to Texas schools, also begin your Texas application (TMDSAS) when it opens around May 1. If you are applying to schools outside Texas, you will need to use the ADEA AADSAS application service. Begin your AADSAS application when it becomes available around May 15 and submissions open June 4.
- If you are not asking to receive a committee letter, then enter individual writers’ contact information.
- If you are asking for a committee letter, use the following information for the AADSAS/TMDSAS:
Committee Member Names: Maria Cuevas (Primary Name)
Occupation: Professor, Chair of the Pre-Medical Advisory Committee
Professional Title: Professor of Biology
Organization: Southwestern University
Email: cuevasm@southwestern.edu
Telephone: 512.863.1683
- Send your AADSAS/TMDSAS number(s) to Dr. Cuevas in order for us to upload your committee letter.
- Have a transcript sent to the AADSAS/TMDSAS with your final spring grades.
- Take the DAT before the first week of June.
June
- Submit your AADSAS application as early as you can so you will be considered in the first cycle. The AADSAS cycle opens for submission June 1st.
- To have the Pre-Medical Advisory Committee upload your committee letter, after your spring grades have been released, your submitted application has been verified by the application service, and all your letter of recommendations have been received by Dr. Cuevas, email a PDF copy of your verified application(s) to Dr. Cuevas. We will then upload your committee letter to the AADSAS and/or TMDSAS within 10 business days.
July
- Complete your secondary applications.
August–March
- Update your application if appropriate.
- First acceptances are released in December; acceptances by schools not doing a rolling admission will be released in March and April. By April 1, you should be holding only one seat in a dental school. On April 5, AADSAS will release information to dental schools if you are holding more than one seat; if so, an offer to you could be rescinded.