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These guidelines are meant for applicants who wish to enroll in dental school without taking any time off after their undergraduate education. If you plan to take a year or more off before starting dental school, you can shift this timeline by the number of years you plan to have between attendance. For example, if you wish to take one year off, you would apply the summer directly following your Senior year. Unless you are really on top of things, many people recommend applying after graduation since preparing a excellent application can jeopardize a solid GPA (and your sanity). Dental Schools are looking for mature students who can exhibit their scholastic achievement, so it’s better to take the time and present yourself in a way that would make you proud rather than hurrying to submit an unrefined application.

Although these guidelines are dubbed “the right way,” they’re not the only way -- they’re just what worked for me and other successful applicants in previous years.  The key to a successful application is PLANNING; plan your attack, attack your plan. Make sure to double check websites and dates for accuracy, as they may have changed from year to year. Also, you may find that your personal style will lead you to approach dental admissions in a vastly different strategy than outlined here, don’t feel that this is the only way, or even the best way, it’s simply a good way that has worked in the past -- ultimately it’s what makes you stand out that gets you into dental school.