Let's Break it Down: ADEA AADSAS Application Part II

So awhile back, I briefly mentioned the set up of the AADSAS application and its required documents. After the jump is a continuation of what can be expected (questions, information, etc.) from each segment of the application. So for those non-procrastinators, you can start preparing your excellent answers now. As for others, just be aware of what is to come so nothing surprises or overwhelms you by the time you apply. 

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1. Biographic Information: basic identification information
2. Parent & Family Information: self-explanatory; name, address, & phone numbers
3. Background Information: 
• Describe any activities requiring manual dexterity / hand-eye coordination activities (600 characters). This, I would safely assume, is very important to admissions!!!
• Information about a relative (if any) who is in dental school, a dentist, a dental hygienist, a dental lab technician, or related dental field (indicate name, relationship, name of school, dental degree or certificate, date of graduation (or expected date)
• Information about whether or not you were suspended, subjected to a disciplinary action, dismissed, violated school rules, convicted of misdemeanor or felony, etc. (Note: please do not lie, the schools you are accepted to can ask for you to turn in disciplinary action forms to all the colleges you attended during your undergraduate career to check up on your academic background. You may also have to do a background check with a screening company. If unfortunately something happened, just be honest, and learn from it)
• Whether or not you've previously applied to dental school or other health professions 
• Is there a reason why your education has been interrupted/affected due to reasons other than your own academic performance 
• Languages (up to 2) that you are comfortable speaking, other than English, with a native speaker
4. Disadvantaged Status: if you think you are disadvantaged, explain why, list your childhood residence, did you go to a school where few seniors graduated, do you think your community was medically/dentally underserved, etc? 
5. Secondary (High) School Information: self-explanatory
6. Colleges Attended: This is where you list your schools. When you're done, to the left of the school(s) name, there is a button to click for Transcript Matching Form. Print & send to your respective school as mentioned in Part I
7. Coursework: Before you begin this, you have to make sure you have added all the colleges you attended/will attend (and the years attended). Then, you will have to add sessions by selecting on "Add New Session." From there you will select the school you want to add coursework for, from a drop down menu that lists the schools you entered in #6 above. You will have to select academic status (Undergraduate, Graduate, Post BA/BS Undergraduate, or Professional), term, session status (Planned/In-Progress or Completed), term type (quarter, semester, trimester, or unit credits), & lastly year. Below is an image showing the general set up once you've completed adding a new session:
   
   
   
   
   

   As seen above, you will have to put the name of the coursework (i.e. General Psychology--you will have to write it out exactly as seen on your transcript including specific capitalization, or at least that was what I was told) along with it's course code (i.e. PSY 101F). Under subject, you can select from: English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Other Science (Sciences other than biology-chemistry-physics), or Non Science. Then enter grades and units. "AADSAS Grade" will be filled in by AADSAS as they verify your grades and calculate your GPA. For high school AP credits, just put it all under Fall Quarter/Semester. Under classification select Advanced Placement and credit for grade. For Study Abroad programs, insert your coursework information under the U.S. institution where the grades are shown on the transcript. For classification, just put Study Abroad. Do not add the Study Abroad institution under #6 because that will require a transcript matching form from that school. 
8. Professional Experience: There is a limit to how much information you can add under each section (10 maximum extracurricular, 5 maximum awards, etc.). So below is an image of all the categories you can add about your experience, as well as, information they care to see. You are allowed 175 characters for "Brief Description".  You can click on the binoculars to view/edit your work.
   
   
   
   

   Sorry if it looks messy and unaligned, I cut & pasted into Paint! :)
9. Personal Statement: 4,500 characters including spaces. Tell them why you want to pursue a dental education. Do not be school-specific when writing the statement. Be careful with indentations/spacing on Microsoft Word/Notepad compared to how it's presented when you copy & paste it into the application text box. 
10. Evaluators (LOE): You have to put in information of who AADSAS can expect to get LORs from. Here you print the LOE Matching Form and give to the respective recommender/evaluator. Your evaluator will have to mail his/her letter along with the matching form to correctly send to your AADSAS account. If you are using your school's committee packet/letter, they should give you information on how to fill out this information.
    
    
11. Release Statement: An electronic signature for statement of ethical conduct, applicant code of conduct, & advisor release statement (permission to send information to your counselors). 
12. Fee Assistance (FAP): Fill in information if you're eligible for them to help pay your application fees. 
13. Dental School Designations: Just select the +/x Update Designation button and add all the schools you want. Date designation is the date schools should receive your primary application. There is a button to open and read about supplemental information for each school. I suggest going to the school's actual website to find out information about the secondary fees and secondary application required (Remember, not all schools will select and email you secondaries. Some schools will automatically expect you to find the supplemental/secondary application on their school's website). 
14. GPA Calculations: Image below is what you can expect to see from AADSAS's calculations.
    
    
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15. Transcripts: Will detail the institution's name and date when the transcript is received by AADSAS (and that is when GPA calculation can be expected to begin--note: sometimes GPA will be verified and calculated quickly, but it can also take weeks, which can be a factor in delaying your application).
16. Evaluations: details the date that the letters are received and expected date for the letters to be mailed out to selected schools. 
17. Dental School Designations: You can see whether or not your application has been sent to the schools yet. 
18. Supplemental Materials: Again, I suggest you not rely on this page to tell you about the supplemental information/materials needed from the schools. I suggest you go to the individual school's website and figure out how secondaries/fees work for them--you don't want to miss any potential deadlines!
19. Payments: Can't e-submit your application without successfully paying for your application fees.
20. School Decisions: What you can pay attention in here is the school's name and the "status" (received/under review, offer declined, application denied, invited for interview, offer accepted (Yay!)--some schools do not update their status for acceptance/interviews on here). 
21. Official DAT Scores: When you take your DATs, it will automatically be sent to your AADSAS application through your DENTpin. It states the date you took your exam and when they received it.

That's it! I hope this helps give you an overview of what to expect.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me, and I'll try my best to assist.

Best of luck loves,

Oli