The road to gaining admission into a US dental school will often seem like an uphill battle. The umpteen number of exams and applications, the barrage of transcripts and recommendation letters to collect and send to the appropriate colleges and the nailbiting wait to hear from these aforementioned colleges regarding interviews or bench tests. I thought I would write a separate post to simplify the steps to prepare yourself for applying to colleges.

Roadmap for the dental school application process

1. Get your ECE (Educational Credential Evaluators) or WES (World Education Services) evaluation 

It’s good to start at this point since you will need to get your school transcripts in order. Almost all the schools accept an ECE report so I will elaborate on that. Documents required for the ECE will depend on the country of your undergraduate degree. All documents must be in English or translated word for word. Most of the documents must be originals or attested copies which are sealed from the issuing University. You can send the ECE application along with the additional documents to ECE (Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc., P.O. Box 514070, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202-3470) via mail or courier. It will take 3-4 weeks to get the report depending on the mail service used. Ask that a copy of the report be sent directly to the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE) for your NBDE application. It is also wise to ask for multiple copies of the report during the ECE application to send to the different colleges. You will be charged for each additional copy after the report is generated.

2. Take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) /GRE (Graduate Record Examination) 

Consider the colleges you are applying to and see if they require TOEFL or GRE as the English Proficiency exam. Some programs will require both. Some programs require a minimum overall score to apply and some programs require a minimum score in each of the speaking, listening, reading and writing component of the test. TOEFL iBT is the most common form of the test accepted in the applications. The TOEFL result is valid for 2 years and the GRE for 5 years. Try to get these done earlier so that you don’t need to break away from the dental preparation you will need to be in for the NBDE’s.

3. Obtain a DENTPIN (DENTal Personal Identifier Number) 

You will receive your DENTPIN within 2 days of applying for it. If you can’t apply for the DENTPIN online you can apply for it by printing the PDF form and faxing it to (312)-587-4105 or emailing it to dentpin@ada.org.

4. Begin your NBDE Part I application and set a date at a Prometric center 

You will need an eligibility letter from the dean of your dental school to apply for NBDE Part I. There is a separate one for Part I and Part II. Mail the NBDE application along with the eligibility letter to The Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Suite 600, Chicago – Illinois 60611-2637. You can also use the online application, which is available here. The JCNDE will not process the application before the ECE Evaluation Report is received. The ECE report must be received in the Joint Commission office by the application deadline. They will send you an email when they receive the documents and give you an eligibility number. You can now schedule your exam at a Prometric center.

5. Apply for your US visa 

This would be a good time to appear for your visa interview as you have scheduled the test date for the NBDE Part I (an exam that can only be taken in the US/Canada). Most commonly, candidates come to the US on a tourist visa (B1 or B 2) to write the exams. If you are looking for something more long term and don’t mind multitasking, you can also apply to another US program, like an externship or an MPH (Masters in Public Health). Once you are accepted into a program, you will be issued an I-20 which lets you apply for a student visa (F1). You can write your exams while you are in the US and enrolled in the other program.

6. Start applying to dental school through ADEA CAAPID centralized application 

The American Dental Education Association Centralized Application for Advanced Placement for International Dentists (ADEA CAAPID) is the centralized application service for foreign educated dental graduates who wish to apply to participating advanced standing dental programs in the United States or Canada.  It saves you time and energy by completing one application for multiple programs, though there are programs that are not enrolled with CAAPID and need individual applications (eg: UT Health Science Center San Antonio School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota etc). ADEA CAAPID is open from March through February each year.

It is strongly recommended that you submit your application well in advance of the deadlines of the schools to which you apply. Do not wait to complete all your exams to star your application and if you wait until the last minute, you might miss the deadline. A lot of the colleges also carry out rolling admission, which means once they have enough applications, they will interview candidates before the application deadline. Also, if you can start your CAAPID application while still in your country, it will be easier to get hold of your letter of recommendations (LOR). Spend ample time on coming up with a strong Statement of Purpose (SOP) and a well-written CV. Your personal statement is the most significant factor in making or breaking your entry into a dental school. It is an advertisement for you as a potential candidate and along with the LOR’s may be the only thing that helps the admission committee shape their opinion of you.

7. Begin your NBDE part II and set a date at a Prometric center 

Once you have the results for the NBDE Part I, do not waste time in scheduling for Part II. Mail your NBDE part II application along with your eligibility letter. Most programs do not require NBDE Part II results but it is preferred, so get it done and out of the way.

8. Complete your ADEA CAAPID applications & follow up with Universities 

Submit any required supplemental application materials, each school has its own policy regarding the payment of a separate application fee and the submission of additional application materials. These materials may include an institution-specific supplemental (or secondary) application form, documentation of dentistry shadowing experience, and official academic transcripts. Always send a cover letter when you are sending secondary applications and other documents.

Processing the application, including transcript verification, generally, takes about one month. Remember that your CAAPID application is not considered complete until they receive your online application, fee payment, and official transcripts from every college and university attended.

9. Prepare for Interview 

You finally got a call for an interview! Congrats! But don’t just bask in the glory and not get to work. Now the real work starts! Set a reminder for the interview date, time and location so that the details will not be forgotten. In most cases, you will receive an email with this information. Look at airline prices and accommodation for the dates you will be staying for the interview. Sometimes the interview will be preceded by a clinical Bench test that you will have to prepare for. Revise the points that they will be testing on as that varies from school to school. There are multiple agencies that will help you with mock interviews and practice for the Bench test. Determine if joining for such courses will be a valid investment for you.

10. What to do if you did not get any interview calls? 

If you have not received an interview call, follow up with your priority Universities via email. Do not feel disheartened. You may still get a call later in the admission season if someone drops out of a position they have accepted. Keep your spirits up and try to find areas to improve upon your application for the next cycle.

This is a simplified format of the steps into a US dental college. Let me know if you have come across additional points to keep in mind during this process. Leave me comments/suggestions and check out the Forum page – join an existing one or start one of your own!