simba Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 Hi guys, I was wondering if it is too late to apply to the US for entry in Fall 2009. I know that most US schools use the rolling admissions process and that it is better to apply early. I didn't write the DAT yet but I'm taking it this November and am contemplating whether I should write the American DAT too. Anyhow, I just completed my 4th year honours degree and have a cGPA of 3.85. Is it worth applying, assuming that I can get references, transcripts, and primary application done by next week? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microserf Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 My Question to you is how are your extracurriculars, have you shadowed some dentists yet?? Have you researched which schools you want to apply to?? If you have done those and if you had a DAT score already then I would suggest that you apply and soon since you do seem like a fairly competitive applicant. However, I personally would play it safe and apply next year so you're early in the cycle. This is because by the time the DAT scores come out, the American schools will have already accepted their first batch of students, its not to say that you don't have a chance but it does go down a bit. But if you don't mind shelling out some more money next year then do it. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 Thanks for the quick reply. Well, I've been volunteering at the local hospital for the last 3 years, working with kids. I've held research internships in chemistry and molecular biology for the past 4 summers. I've done some shadowing with my dentist for the past 6 months, about 30 hours total. I've also already outlined which American schools I want to apply to. I've actually completed half of the online AADSAS application. However, I have not contacted my references but I imagine I can get the letters sent out by mid next week. I have never written the DAT but I have been studying for the past month. Is it worth applying if I write the American DAT by late September? I'll study my ass off, to say the least. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microserf Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 If you can get your application in within the next week or so and get your transcript in as well you *should* be ok but keep in mind that it does take some time for AADSAS to verify your grades and you have to wait for their next bulk mailing before your app out to the schools. In addition, it generally is not a good idea to ask for reference letters on such short notice since you'll probably just get a generic letter. My guess is that you probably could do it, but I personally would wait until next cycle and do it properly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.BadVibes Posted August 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 i applied around this time and I got 5 interviews.....but u gotta get ur stuff in ASAP.....right now, time is everything for you (and im not kidding) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.BadVibes Posted August 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 Hello- Just wondering where you guys get information regarding the quaility of American Dental schools? None of the university websites post specific information - is there some kind of rating system somwhere? For example how would you know which schools have a strong clinical basis and which do not? This second hand information seems somewhat hard to come by.... Also I have been told that the reason US schools are easier to get into is because of the poorer quaility of education - is this true or are most of the schools ( ex NYU ) comparable to Canadian schools ? Also does anyone know the stats on how hard it is to get into harvard dentistry and the cost - it doesnt say on there website ? Actually when it comes to dentistry, I'd honestly say that US schools are better....only cause in the US, dentistry is a monster....tons of companies, tons of products, tons of opportunities........also, organized dentistry is huge in the US......compare the ADA convention to the CDA convention.......in Canada, dentistry is just not the same......but in the end a DMD/DDS is a DMD/DDS no matter where you got it from... but ur right, ur dad is trying to scare you but has no idea what he is talking about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
widedentist Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 Thanks dr.badvibes, Any tips on how to get the ~350k required to go to a US private school ? Thanks, . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Hi all, The AADSAS online application states that it will forward up to 4 letters of reference to the schools which you are applying to. However, I've noticed that some schools want 3 science references while other schools want a reference from a dentist in there or a reference from a non-science evaluator. That makes 5 different references. How do I get around this problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted September 21, 2008 Report Share Posted September 21, 2008 Hello, So I managed to complete and submit the AADSAS application and it's scheduled to be sent to the US schools that I picked on the 29th. My LOR have also been received and so have my transcripts. I also took the american DAT a few days ago and managed 22s in PAT, total science, and academic average. Essentially, the only thing left to do is send in my secondaries to the schools that require them. Does anyone know how I would go about paying the secondary application fee for each school considering that the money has to be in US dollars. I'd like to just write a cheque and mail it for each school. Can I do that? Will it be in US dollars? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sloken Posted September 22, 2008 Report Share Posted September 22, 2008 Unfortunately not. You're probably going to have to go the money order route. Fortunately for me, my grandma gets free money orders at her bank, so I was able to avoid the $8 per MO fee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contach Posted September 22, 2008 Report Share Posted September 22, 2008 Can you not do this electronically? Like give them a VISA/Master Card Number? Why are we living in the stone age? Cheques are sooo my parent's generation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted September 22, 2008 Report Share Posted September 22, 2008 of all the schools I applied to, only 1 takes credit card online... money order is apparently the only other option for Canadians/internationals... I'll end up paying like $70 extra just in money order fees... major drag! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njell Posted September 28, 2008 Report Share Posted September 28, 2008 So how does canadian GPA get converted into AADSAS I go to UofT and GPA is around 3.7 now(hoping to pull it up to 3.8 after 3rd year). Ive heard that in the US they treat A+ from Canadian universities as a 4.3:eek: and a A as a 4.0:eek: I mean its too good to be true that I doubt that it is true. Can anybody who applied to US approve this?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njell Posted October 4, 2008 Report Share Posted October 4, 2008 Bumpdy dumpdy bump~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr pipo Posted October 4, 2008 Report Share Posted October 4, 2008 It's not true! A+ and A both=4 the rest is the same ________ Mercedes-Benz B-Class History Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njell Posted October 4, 2008 Report Share Posted October 4, 2008 It's not true! A+ and A both=4 the rest is the same finally thanx for an answer well still better considering Ontario considers an A as a 3.9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contach Posted October 6, 2008 Report Share Posted October 6, 2008 It's not true! A+ and A both=4 the rest is the same not true. AADSAS calculates your GPA with A+ = 4.0 and then again with A+ = 4.3. they call it gpa w/out and w/ respectively. Both GPAs are reported, along with scienceGPA, and cumulativeGPA. It is unclear which ADCOMs look at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsparkle Posted October 11, 2008 Report Share Posted October 11, 2008 i was checking out the tuition at us schools and was shocked at the cost of some of these schools. are Canadians that go to the states to study dentistry able to get students loans that big? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xylem29 Posted October 11, 2008 Report Share Posted October 11, 2008 Well, I don't see how anyone could. Max loans from Canlearn are $40K per year. Most banks do $30K (CDN) per year ($150K max LOC). I think one could do it but not without some help from parents. So there's $40K from Canlearn plus $30K from bank, that's $70K. Add another $7K from OSAP (I checked, that's the maximum you get if your going to the US). Parents can fill in the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njell Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 Well, I don't see how anyone could. Max loans from Canlearn are $40K per year. Most banks do $30K (CDN) per year ($150K max LOC). I think one could do it but not without some help from parents. So there's $40K from Canlearn plus $30K from bank, that's $70K. Add another $7K from OSAP (I checked, that's the maximum you get if your going to the US). Parents can fill in the rest. so its 77K per year and for 4 years you can get 300K then?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsparkle Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 Well, I don't see how anyone could. Max loans from Canlearn are $40K per year. Most banks do $30K (CDN) per year ($150K max LOC). I think one could do it but not without some help from parents. So there's $40K from Canlearn plus $30K from bank, that's $70K. Add another $7K from OSAP (I checked, that's the maximum you get if your going to the US). Parents can fill in the rest. im surprised the government gives loans that large to students going overseas. I would have thought the cdn gov would prefer students to use that loan money inside canada and keep the money in the cdn economy. How difficult is it to get the maximum loan from Canlearn though? Do they give out those kind of loans to any students that get accepted into a professional school in the states? i tried looked at the canlearn website but can't seem to find anything about students loans for studying at the states. Could someone be kind enough to tell me where I could find more info for american student loans? Thanks for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xylem29 Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 Sorry guys, bad news. https://www.iefc.com/canada/can_index.cfm It was "CanHELP" that I was thinking about, not CanLearn. Unfortunately, they're no longer giving out loans...probably b/c of the economy doing so poorly. Oh, and yes - they are legit. Was referred to them by all the US med schools that I interviewed at 2 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsparkle Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 oh wow i guess the financial crises is starting to show its effects.... are there any other options available for cdn students? would it be possible to get two loc to pay for the cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xylem29 Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 oh wow i guess the financial crises is starting to show its effects.... are there any other options available for cdn students? would it be possible to get two loc to pay for the cost? No, that's not possible because once you have been approved by one bank for the LOC you won't be approved for another one by another bank. The only option that I can think of, is your parents' home equity. Honestly, that's about it. So the options are: 1) $150K LOC (I'm not certain this will be available to those going to the US in a year's time, but I'm thinking it will be - at the worst probably requiring a co-signer). 2) Parents' home equity LOC. Hopefully your parents' have good credit. With these two options as the only sources of funds, (b/c CanLEARN loans no longer available), I'm not certain myself if I'll be able to afford the US anymore, especially for a school like Tufts. I'm no longer certain because of the value of the CDN dollar dropping. As long as the dollar remains at 0.85+, options 1 + 2 should "just" let us make it. I guess the only thing that we can control is our credit history - just make sure you have good credit and that your parents have good credit. This is very important to lenders' during times of recession. You want to present yourself (and your parents' or co-signers) to be as low-risk as possible. Keeping my fingers crossed that things will improve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.BadVibes Posted October 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Remember.......not all US dental schools are expensive....if ur talking about the schools that most canadians goto like NYU and BU, then yah, its expensive......but remember, there are 55 dental schools in total......many of them are not that more expensive than UofT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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