Devin S Harrison, pre-DDS

For those of you out there anxiously waiting to get into a school, or perhaps waiting to get into the school of your choice: hang in there! I was called for interview at University of Pittsburgh – School of Dental Medicine in January. I was still on the waiting list for many schools. And my acceptance from Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine was still months away.

If you’re in school, do your best. Don’t let senior year get the best of you. Keep at your thesis, don’t slack!

If you’re taking a break from school, or an older applicant who’s been away from college for a while: enjoy yourself. Be productive. Do not sit at home a wonder if/when you’ll be accepted. In my year off between college and dental school, I bicycled 3,000 miles across the U.S., mentored a high school student’s senior project, and volunteered in Uganda! Always do what you love, exposure yourself to new and foreign environments and people, and do you part to be a progressive force in our society.

Oh, and be cheerful.

This week during orientation we had a learning specialist speak to us. She offered some good information for study habits, and suggested that strategies that worked in college may not work in dental and medical school. One thing she stressed from the beginning is that she is a great procrastinator, and that procrastination is just a style to getting things done. She disagrees with the stigma on procrastination in our society.

As everyone has been, Linda stressed time management. Time is very limited in dental school (arguably more limited than for first year medical students). The week should be used for keeping up on readings and lectures, and going to class attentively (if you’ll be falling asleep in class, it’s probably better you stay home and get an extra hour of sleep). The weekend can be used to catch up on material that didn’t sit well, or for things that you didn’t quite get to understanding.

Extending time management to sleep, she stressed that it’s important for us to get sleep during normal sleep hours: 11:00pm to 8:00am. And, we should be getting 7-8 hours per night to achieve enough REM sleep. I’ve looked up some sleep studies that suggest not waking during REM sleep. Setting an alarm at a 90 minute interval can benefit, since the average sleep cycle is 90 minutes. Getting eight hours of sleep would be great, but for me I always wake up tired. So I’ve shortened that to a bit longer than 7 hours (7.5 hours is a 90 minute interval). So that will be my goal per night this year; perhaps an extra cycle on the weekends.

She introduced a technique that she thought would be novel to us: addressing exercises prior to doing the reading. Here, we know what to look for in the reading. We know what is being asked of us, and learning can then proceed (Isn’t learning just finding answers to questions anyway?). I think this has great pertinence to those applying to school and taking the DAT. When dealing with the Reading Comprehension section, it is useful to read questions and find the answer in the text. At the time I took the DAT, I preferred to skim the reading first, then look at each question and find the answer in the text (skimming will help find the answer faster, as they aren’t always in sync with the text). Perhaps it may have been better to read the questions, then find the answers without skimming at all. It’s just another strategy, but it comes from a learning specialist. I think I’ll be trying it out this year.

A recent college graduate, Emma, submitted a comment about some issues she’s having with the DAT (emphasis mine):

Hey, first of all I wanted to tell you that I think it’s really cool that you are blogging about this experience. I have searched and searched the web and your blog is the only substantial one with information that has helped me in my process of applying to dental schools. I don’t know anyone who has applied to dental school so I figured that maybe you could give me some advice. I just graduated from a top 25 school in the nation (if that even matters?), with a GPA of 3.33 (overall) and around 3.2 (science). I didn’t do very well fall semester Sophomore year, but other than thatI have gotten above a 3.5 every semester. I am not scoring too well on the practice DAT tests I am taking. I am averaging around a 17/18 overall academic average, and a 20/21 on the PAT. Do you think I should wait to take the DAT when I am scoring better? I am really uncertain about whether or not I will get any interviews/ acceptances. Any advice would be super helpful. Here are the schools I have applied to:
NYU, BU, Tufts, Columbia, U of Colorado, U of Texas (san antonio and houston), Baylor, U of Alabama, U of Maryland, USC in la, MUSC, UCSF, U of Washington, Marquette, U of Florida, U of Pennsylvania

Keep posting about your experience, and thanks a ton for your help.

I think more pertinent than the school you attended is what you made of that school. Union College (where I went) is small, and not extremely well-known. It is, however, known as a great school for student research, and its chemistry department is very well-respected. I took advantage of those aspects, and did plenty of research in the chemistry field.

As far as GPA is concerned, you’re doing well. There are plenty of us in my first-year class that are below the average GPA (there have to be some of us, correct?), but there are others with much higher GPAs that balance out the curve. A rough time in school (your fall semester Sophomore year) is a great way to show dental schools that you were challenged, and that you worked and over-came that challenge. If this comes up in an interview, be sure to talk about how you came over that hurdle.

As with GPAs, DAT scores vary. Academic averages of 17 or 18 should be at least 50th percentile if I remember correctly, so congratulations on that. I think the average DAT score for my class is 22; that means there are students who scored higher and students who scored lower. As I mentioned in my DAT post, I think preparing for a test is best done having experience with that test. Go ahead and take the real DAT to avoid the cancellation fee. You’ll get an idea for how the test operates, and what it’s like in the hot seat. I don’t recall how long the wait is before you can retake the DAT, and it may not be until after this application cycle. If you don’t get in this round, don’t give up. And retake the DAT; an improvement over your first score can only support your application.

As a side note, I think that students should set themselves up so that they have a real DAT score in hand before applying. It’d be unfortunate to spend the money applying, then take the DAT and achieve a non-competitive score. I took the DAT twice before applying; I couldn’t handle the stress of applying before knowing my DAT score.

Thanks, Emma, for reading and for commenting!

Buffalo was my last scheduled interview prior to December 1st, the AADSAS decision date. Being in November, it was unlikely that I’d receive any more invitations to interview in the early stages of the application process.

I was lucky to have a connection at the school and in the Buffalo area. My cousin was in her last year at the ortho program, and lived near the school with her husband and sister. I made the long drive the night before my interview, arriving after 5 hours in the car. After relaxing at her home for a while, playing with the dogs and meeting the kitten for the first time, we went out for Thai food. Michelle, my cousin, had to go to a gathering for the ortho applicants, since they were also in the interview stage of the application process. She met a 4th year student named Nish who was applying to the ortho program and who said he was on the dental admissions committee. I had someone to look forward to meeting.

Michelle showed me into the school, and up to the admissions office. The other applicants and I were shown to a conference room where we’d spend most of our day. Barbara Weinberg began with a presentation about the school, concentrating on some its highlights, namely its outreaches into the community, both local and global. It did seem like Buffalo had the most outreaches of any school that I visited, and that it was easy to find a spot on one of the outreaches. There was also a short presentation on the student assistance that is offered through a special student services office, as well as student organized help. A note taking service was mentioned, but not explained. I do believe some of the classes are recorded. The dean also joined us for a moment to give a short speech of the school, which was primarily unmemorable except for the fact that he admitted that the applicant review process is difficult. Buffalo seems to be trying new techniques to choose its students, which is good.

Buffalo was the first school to require a short writing segment. I hadn’t given a writing sample like this since grade school. Everything has been on the computer since then. The short essay question was related to explaining the most rewarding class in your undergraduate studies. Afterward, another student commented that he felt most people would choose organic chemistry, for an effect of sorts. I hadn’t even thought of this, since organic chemistry was naturally the most rewarding and challenging class I’d taken.

Now it was more of the waiting game. Thankfully, Buffalo had students come in to answer questions while we all waited to be called for our case study and interview.

I had my case study first, which everyone has with the dean. The case study was about a potential pilot program which would preferentially choose students who agreed to travel to a somewhat remote location, a location in need of dentists, to serve for a few years. I mentioned that it might work, but would probably be better if dentists were brought to that area that would stay. So as to increase longevity of care. I brought up a thread I had seen on student doctor net about a dental school who mainly accepted students from its state. The school had an average DAT score of 15 for accepted students. I mentioned how that could dilute the profession, and how, if we can, we might want to make the dentist population the best it can be. The dean responded by mentioning that he saw my point, but that he wasn’t sure what defined a good dentist. A 15 DAT doesn’t necessarily mean a bad dentist, does it? It was refreshing to hear him admit this, though discouraged my confidence. If the dean wasn’t sure what made a good dental student and a good dentist, how could I show him that I would be both?

I went briefly back to the discussion session with the current students, before I was called for my interview. A fourth year student came to get me. I was interviewed by her, a faculty dentist (Dr. McHenry), and an at-large dentist (Dr. Stoj), someone from the local Buffalo community. Overall, I thought they weren’t very good interviewers. I don’t believe they knew what type of questions to ask to really get to know me; how I might perform as a student. One of the first things they asked was about my coursework. They couldn’t seem to find English on my transcript. I explained this was due to Union College’s odd naming scheme for its gen-ed English classes. Some examples of their lackluster questions were when the fourth year student asked me about my class on Alexander the Great: “What did you find to be the most surprising thing you learned about Alexander in that class?” I don’t know how this relates to my candidacy as a dental student. Sure, maybe it will get at my ability to talk, but I can’t even imagine a friend asking me this over an informal cup of coffee. I responded by saying, “That he was great.” My attempt at humour failed. I went on to explain how Alexander had blind faith in his army’s power. Often leading them into battles where they were outnumbered, and would sometimes lose atrociously. Sometimes they’d over come the odds and win. Towards the end of his reign, Alexander seemed to blindly lead his soldiers into battle without much strategy or reason. Certainly, the ‘Great’ aspect of his name would not be assumed by such actions.

The at-large dentist asked me, “Have you done much rock climbing recently?” Again, this was an awkward question that perhaps an old friend, or an ex I hadn’t seen in a few months, might ask me. I’m not sure what it had to do with my candidacy, especially since my answer was no. Due to my summer cycling trip across the majority of the country, I had had little time to rock climb. It was nice to bring up the cycling trip, but they didn’t explore it any more than that.

Ultimately, I was unimpressed with the interview. And it didn’t have as much to do with my performance, as with the performance of the interviewers. I must be honest, this was the low light of the day. All other aspects of the school and the interview day were spectacular.

After waiting for all of the applicants to have their interview and case study while chatting with existing students, we went on the tour. I had a chance to meet Nish as he briefly joined our tour. It was nice to make another connection. He made an effort to remember my name, glancing at my name tag before he left. My cousin had said that he claimed to have an influence on the decision process, so it was nice to small-talk with him, asking about his experience at the school, and his candidacy for the ortho program.,

Overall, the tour remains unmemorable in my mind. The facilities were nice, the labs large. The preclinic labs had large monitors, and seemed to have a good layout. Perhaps because it was the fourth school I’d seen, and it was very acceptable, nothing stood out in my mind. We were shown the medical library, which seemed surprisingly busy, and the medical history library, which wasn’t that impressive other than its old books.

We returned to the conference room for a lunch with some of the faculty and students. It certainly wasn’t of the culinary caliber of NYU, but it was very acceptable and comfortable. Barbara gave a nice conclusion to the day, and thanked us for visiting. It is clear that Buffalo would be a great place to attend dental school.

NYU was the third interview I attended. I had to change my interview to a week later than it was originally scheduled. I had an opportunity to attend the ADA meeting in Hawaii, and obviously took it. Let it be a lesson that changing your interview date is not usually a big problem.

After many hours of traveling and little sleep, I was quite exhausted when I checked into the Chelsea Hotel for the night. It was nice to not have to drive (I took Amtrak and the MTA) in the city, and I was in bed quite early.

NYU is located in a decent part of Manhattan, close to the water and about midtown (26th street). Compare to Columbia being at 168th street. The dental school is one large building, which can get confusing between similarly looking floors, express only elevators, etc.

Our day began with a short supplemental application, to which we attached our photograph. Dr. Mejia was very friendly in chatting with us while waiting for our individual interviews. The other applicants were also very personable, among some of the most personable I’ve met at interviews.

My interview was with Dr. Sehl, someone who’d been at NYU for over 15 years. She even received her degree there! As with most interviews, it was more of a discussion than a grilling interview. She was the first interviewer to ask about hard times I might have had at school; low grades and such. I spoke about a recent below-average grade I had received, speaking of how I was okay with the grade, proud actually, because it was a challenging class with very competitive students. She re-phrased her question stating that she was just interested to hear if I had any tough times in school, where I struggled. So I chatted a bit about my first year, and acclimating to the college curriculum and lifestyle.

We went on to speak about the size of NYU. I was set on attending NYU for undergrad, but decided against it, a lot to do with the size. She commented, ‘You really don’t like big schools do you?’ I had to correct her by saying that that’s not completely accurate. I’ve never been to a large school, so I don’t know what it’s like. Plus, NYU dental is tiny compared to the other schools I’ve been to. It’s just larger in comparison to other dental schools.

Dr. Sehl talked about how NYU’s size made it a great school, because more people led to more opportunities. There were more faculty members to turn to, more areas of research to become involved in, more clubs, and more leadership opportunities. We began speaking of how I’m the type of person to take advantage of those opportunities, and to seek leadership. I was very happy to see that she was reading me so well, since I’m one to get very involved. The average rarely satisfies me. She commented about how NYU would be a good match because of that.

I asked about some of the downsides to the size of NYU’s class, and she rebutted by saying that with more students come more faculty members, and there’s really no issue. She asked if I had anything else to comment before we were finished, and I emphasized the idea that I don’t want to be a normal student, I hope to be a great dentist, someone involved in the profession, in research and leadership. She didn’t seem to respond to this too well, perhaps because I was philosophizing, perhaps because we had already covered it.

After the interview there was more waiting to be done, so the applicants chatted. I was surprised at how many out-of-staters there were. There may have been three New Yorkers out of ten or so students.

We then went to a conference room where Dr. Mejia answered questions and talked more about NYU. She spoke of how she felt that most dental schools are too small, and that a lot of NYU’s faculty feel the same way. She spoke of how faculty members come from far away because they want to be involved in such a great school as NYU; they know it’s a good school.

Dean Bertolami came in to give a short speech about the school and his ideas on what makes a good student. I certainly couldn’t begin to summarize his comments as distinctly as was his speech, but a video on NYU’s website is very similar ¹. I was very impressed with his speech. It wasn’t as personable as the Dean’s presence at other schools, but the speech was excellent.

Later, an upper class student led us on a tour of the facilities. They were primarily modern and quite impressive. Though it may have seemed dark, because you’re inside a large building in Manhattan. I was a bit concerned with there being over 100 students in the pre-clinic lab, but each row of 15-25 students had their own faculty member for questions and such. The sim-lab was impressive, clean, and modern looking. Of all things, I think the anatomy lab was most impressive. NYU uses plastinated bodies to study, cool! (And very expensive, I’m sure.) The student tour guide also commented about how labs break down the large class size, with smaller ‘resuscitation’ type sections. Also, the lecture halls are large and comfy. Almost all lectures are recorded and presently available, a step above most other schools I visited. Also, due to the large class size, all lectures are dental students only (none are with med students).

There were four clinics as far as I could tell. Unfortunately, they seem cramped but nothing too severe. Two major downsides of the clinics are lack of digital radiography and digital charting. One of the clinics had recently gone through a renovation, but it was honestly hard to tell the difference from other clinics since they all appeared modern and up to date.

Following the tour we dined with students and spoke about NYU and NYC. Yes, this lunch is what it’s cracked up to be. Their dining hall is very impressive, and NYU allows you to get anything you want and as much as you want on interview day. I had salmon for lunch, and many others had steaks! A lot of the students lived in Manhattan and enjoyed having the city at their disposal. When I chatted about the huge price, they basically all just mentioned that they just sucked it up and didn’t think about it too much. It’s dental school, and it’s going to cost a lot.

Finally we went back upstairs, thanked our guides and Dr. Mejia and we were off. I’ve heard many dentists, dental students, and other schools “poo-poo” on NYU, but it is uncredited as far as I could tell from the interview visit.. NYU is clearly a great dental school.

My second interview was with Stony Brook Dental. I’d received a phone call to schedule an interview for the following week. A quick turn-around. It was nice to receive a phone call, as every other school had sent a letter or e-mail. At the time, my brother was a second year student, so I had already seen some of the school. My father also graduated in the third dental class from Stony Brook.

I drove down the night before to stay with my aunt in nearby Setauket. Our day at Stony Brook started much later than other schools, we were to be at the school at 10am. From the beginning, the Stony Brook interview was much more intimate than other schools. The admissions staff members were very friendly. Kathy led me to wait with the other interviewees. It was a small conference room, only seven students were being interviewed. A few were from the immediate area, a few from New York City, while I and a student from Buffalo had traveled the furthest.

My interview was with Dr. Garant, a dentist who’d been with Stony Brook Dental School since it’s inception. He commented that he kept telling himself that it was his last year, but kept returning. Dr. Garant was a very friendly character, and our talk was mostly informal conversation. He did his best to jot notes about many of my experiences as we chatted. We had a moment of connection in speaking of Europe, a place both of us loved to visit. He concluded the interview by saying that he very much hoped to see me back at the school. I agreed. While we walked back to the conference room, we chatted and joked in a way that made me feel as if I’d known him longer than just 20 to 30 minutes. It was a very warming feeling, and made me feel welcome at Stony Brook.

Our day then led to a presentation by Dean Cinotti. She mainly just spoke to us in a kind, informal manner and answered all of our questions. She also led us on our tour. The facilities were quite good, namely the clinic. Pre-clinic labs and lecture halls were a bit dated, but in no way that would interfere with education. In the clinic, each student adopted his/her own chair and remained there for the year. Each chair had a computer for easy charting and reference to academic requirements. The clinics were fairly small, yielding an intimate feeling which reflected the small student-faculty ratio.

Following the tour we met with a Financial Aid representative who performed a similar spiel as to at UMDNJ. Then, two fourth-year students joined us for lunch. They were very friendly people, and seemed very down-to-earth. All of our questions were answered in a rational manner, with smiles and cheerfulness. There were no condescending answers as I’ve experienced at other schools. When the lunch was concluded, Kathy from admissions came to make concluding remarks and wished us a good day.

Later I spoke with Brendon, who mentioned Dr. Garant had come to speak with him about me. He mentioned that it sounded as if Dr. Garant really wanted me to come to Stony Brook. Obviously, the final decision was up to the admissions committee. Brendon hosted a party of second-year students the night after my interview date. There were a lot of diversity in the students that came. All were very friendly and sociable. They also said that they wanted to see me at Stony Brook the following year, and that I ought get in.

*I was placed on the waiting list at Stony Brook during the first round of acceptances. In May I received a direct call from Dean Cinotti who offered me a position. I’ll be attending Stony Brook this fall.

As my first interview, I was a bit intimidated by UMDNJ. It’s a far sized (90 students) and reputable school. I never anticipated being offered an interview with UMDNJ. After all, I am a NY resident. UMDNJ has a reputation for accepting very few out-of-state students.

I drove down to Newark, NJ on September 17, 2009, the day before my interview. Google Maps suggests the drive was to take three and a half hours, I didn’t time it, but I’m sure it took longer. There aren’t many hotels near the school, so I opted for the Best Western near the airport. It was not easy to approach; there are certainly other hotels in the area that would be easier to find. I was exhausted from the drive. Having just ridden my bicycle across the majority of the country, I was not accustomed to driving such distance. I opted for the ease of the hotel restaurant, which was very over-priced. The food was not bad, and I enjoyed the settling taste of a Blue Moon beer. I retired to my room early, and was in bed and asleep by 9. Sleep was not easy, but it came and was satisfactory.

In the morning I rose at 6am. I enjoyed the hotel’s free breakfast, and returned to my room for a shower, shave, and to prepare myself for the day. I didn’t know how long it might take to reach the school; I’d heard nightmares of the traffic in Newark.

From arriving the night before, and driving around the morning of my interview I got a decent impression of Newark. Many people had mentioned that it was a dangerous place, but it appeared to be only as dangerous as you wanted it to be. I didn’t want it to be dangerous, so it wasn’t. I felt very comfortable.

At the school I was allowed to have my car parked by the valet gentlemen. Upon entering the dental school, I witnessed two other students who were obviously here for an interview. One was a young, built up guy. Someone you might think belongs in a gym, not a dental school. The other was an African American woman, supported by family members. It was nice to already see the diversity UMDNJ exhibited, just in who they invited to interview.

When we entered the admissions office, they collected our credentials making photocopies, and validated my valet ticket. We were then led to a conference room. Inside was a room full of suits, both men and women. It was a bit bizarre, as if we were to be interviewed by an entire council. It turned out these were other interviewees. Twenty of them!
Together we played the waiting game, as each was invited out for his/her interview. I found that I had traveled the farthest to attend the interview. Most had come from the surrounding area, a lot of NJ residents and a few from the NYC area. There was one student from Siena College, not far from my alma mater Union College. And one student who grew up in Albany and was attending university at Binghamton. There were a few dental students mingling with us, offering their perspectives or UMDNJ. It was easy to feel at home among the other applicants, but not as easily done with the UMDNJ representatives. We were left to entertain ourselves while waiting for interviews. Eventually, it was my turn.

My interview was conducted by Dr. Calantone. UMDNJ was notorious for asking, “Why do you want to be a dentist?” Dr. Calantone began by saying, “Well, I guess it’s clear why you want to be a dentist.” It was a good thing to hear; I had apparently done well in describing my desire in my application and personal statement. He followed by asking me to tell him something about myself that wasn’t in my application. I mentioned my cross-country bicycle tour with my brother. We chatted very informally about that for a bit, mentioning what an experience it had been; a great learning experience, a great challenge. He was interested in finding out why I would attend UMDNJ over Stony Brook, my father’s alma mater and my brother’s current school. I mentioned that I was not tied to Stony Brook, and that I wanted to find out more about what each school had to offer. Basically, I asked him to answer that question. And he did. He was adamant about how the clinical aspect of UMDNJ would set it apart from other schools. The patient population due to the school’s location was large. Students had a chance to work on a number of cases, and would rarely, if ever, be without a patient. I also asked Dr. Calantone about the research at UMDNJ. It appears that if one wants to, it’s as easy as knocking on a faculty member’s door. Most students were having interviews that lasted about 20 minutes, though I felt mine was a bit longer.

Next came a presentation by Dean Linfante. I was quite disappointed by the presentation, since it was mainly information that can be found on UMDNJ’s website. I was hoping to gain insight to those things that can’t be found online. The financial aid presentation that followed was similar. I hadn’t yet been accepted; and what if I wasn’t accepted? I felt that financial aid could wait.

Finally, the tour. The facilities at UMDNJ are very nice. A new building allows for state-of-the-art clinics and lecture halls. It was a very impressive school. The pre-clinic labs had a number of monitors to view the instructor’s demonstrations, the lecture halls were fulling microphoned, the clinics were clear and bright. I think it’s necessary to mention the functioning of the clinic at UMDNJ, as it stands out to me as compared to other schools. A student does not receive an individual chair. Instead, they choose a chair in the discipline that they are working that day (e.g. fixed, removable, general, et al.). Each discipline has about 6 students, and one faculty member. A very decent ratio. It was mentioned that each student is required to purchase the same laptop computer, but it was not clear as to whether these were used in the clinic. I am not sure how charting works at UMDNJ.

Following the tour, we returned to the conference room for a lunch with current students. Most of them were informative and unique students. Most certainly had that New Jersey persona that doesn’t strike me well. I asked one student where the downtown section of Newark was. He asked, “Why would you want to go there?” “I want to check it out. I might be living here, if I come to school at UMDNJ.” “You don’t want to do that. What, do you want to be mugged?” I just kept listening. “You might get robbed.” I think this student was a bit too uptight. Part of it may have been that he wanted me to hold his advice in great regard. I think one must be prepared to encounter students such as this if attending UMDNJ, though he was only one of about eight that I met. All others, including faculty and staff, were very friendly and kind.

The students’ time was up, so they said goodbye and good luck. Oddly, we were left waiting wondering whether or not we were done. Another applicant and I went to try to find out. I never got a final answer, but the other students were leaving saying we were done. I was disappointed that we’d been left there to wonder, and that there were no final remarks.

Ultimately, I felt that UMDNJ is a great school, albeit in an indecent location. If residing in the very nice (so I hear) and new student housing, one could rarely leave campus if he/she desires. Throughout the day, I felt that we were all treated as if we’d already been admitted. I thought this was very unprofessional, and inconsiderate. It is likely that some of us will not be admitted. Overall, I felt a lot of the admissions interview day was unprofessional. Nonetheless, UMDNJ strikes me as a great school.

*I remember being treated as if I would be accepted. People saying “see you in the fall”, “when you come here”, and other comments that led us all believe we’d all be accepted. As of August 2010, nearly a year after my interview, I haven’t heard from UMDNJ other than notification of being placed on the wait list.

In regards to a standardized exam, I execute my best performance when I know what to expect. The first time I took the SAT, I did little studying and went in for the kill to find out what taking the exam really felt like; to see what was really on the exam. Afterwards, I could rehearse my weaker points so as to perform at my highest level.

In preparing for the DAT, I prepared much the same way. Prior to taking it for the first time, I glanced at all the sections that I’d be presented with. Everything I’d had encountered before, save Perceptual Ability. So I became accustomed with the various ways the exam tested my perceptual skills, and went and took the exam. I came away scoring an overall 63rd percentile. At face value, this score impressed me; I’d scored better than 63% of the people taking the exam! But I knew I’d take it again. I needed to improve for my own sake. Not to mention, 63rd percentile on the DAT is not exactly what admissions committees might consider ‘competitive’. My science and perceptual ability scores suffered the greatest. I know knew my weaknesses.

I’d like to say that I sat down and spent a lot of time preparing for my second attempt at the DAT. In a way I did, but not as you would expect. Mainly, I prepared myself mentally. Stress and feelings of inadequacy greatly hinder my performance. I did my best to bring my relationship with the DAT into a healthy mindset. I spent only a few hours studying actual exam material, namely perceptual ability and science topics that had slipped by the wayside since I’d taken Organic Chemistry (it was suprising how easily those topics returned).

Towards the end of the five hours, I was becoming very nervous. I didn’t think I’d score very well, let alone improve over my first attempt. To my surprise, I’d gained 2 points overall, and climbed to the 87th percentile! I rested easy, calling friends and family to share in my achievement. Still, it wasn’t the best of scores as far as the DAT scores, but an improvement was what I was looking for. And I was thrilled with my percentile standing.

Later on, while I was waiting to receive interview invitations from schools, I spoke with a dentist who sat on the admissions committee at a mid-western dental school. He quoted my DAT score and assured me that I’d be accepted. Certainly, mid-western schools differ from the schools I’d applied to in the northest. Nonetheless, I was thrilled to have a vote of confidence from an admissions committee member.

* I detest being judged by numbers, grades, etc. Not everything we have learned can be reflected in an exam score. As such, I’ve refrained from releasing my specific DAT scores.

Having a sibling two years ahead of me in the same program, I’ve been offered many opportunities to meet professors and classmates, get to know the area and the school, and have an insider’s view at hand. Stony Brook has set up a Big/Little program, where a second year student becomes my mentor in the case that I should need anything. Other schools might call this a ‘big sib’. I’m lucky, because I have my big…and my big sib; my actual big sib. Matter of fact, we’ll be living together.

Last week I visited our new rental house to get a feel for it. Moving down come time to begin school, it should be less of a tidal wave. One less thing I have to become accustomed to.

My first night there, I mainly wanted to relax. B (my brother) had purchased a new TV for the place, and I jumped at the opportunity to re-watch Iron Man, now on BluRay. A (our other roommate) and B, both second-years finishing up, spent most of the night studying. It was a glimpse into the life as a dental student. It was an abrupt enlightenment; they really do study a lot.

The following night, we had a party with a few other dental students. All were asking me if I am ready for the year to begin; and I had to respond that with each passing day, I become less ‘ready’ and more anxious. Surely it’s purely mental; as a scout I’ve learned to always be prepared. The students were assured to hear that I was taking my time to enjoy my remaining weeks, as I rightly should. To rest my mind before the ordeal begins.

The students were telling me of how they’ve often felt that they’d lost their lives; themselves. That they’d gone crazy. There’s so much work to be done, with so little time remaining for being yourself and indulging in your usual vices. (If I have my way, I’ll bring myself to the study party. Wine anyone?)

There were also anecdotes about other students being boring, fake. A lot of them really don’t have anything else to do but study. I feel good, then, being a social and well-rounded being entering the profession. Perhaps it will set me apart, or at least aid in maintaining happiness.

A key advice that I hope to abide by, is wisely choosing an Anatomy group. Apparently, the group consists of approximately 4 students and a lot of time is spent together; bothing dissecting and chatting during down time. A lot of the groups tend to be single-gendered, as the students devise the groups. I hope to avoid this. I find that variety in persona and gender adds variety in personal nuances and tendencies, allowing for less repetitive behavior throughout the group. As such, less chance for an annoyance. Is it bad that I’m concentrating on annoyances in such a group rather than things that might be enjoyable?

I’ve decided to make an attempt at blogging my way through dental school. Hopefully I can provide an insider’s view to those curious to the rigors of training for the profession, and answer some questions for those looking to attend school and attend dental school.

Over the course of the next month, prior to the beginning of actual school, I’ll be publishing recounts of various interviews attended and what led to my attending Stony Brook Dental Medicine as part of the Class of 2014. Please do post comments and questions, I’d be happy to respond.