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Pre Dental Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health
In this issue! -Meet the new Pre-Dent Committee - Congrats to predent of the year Jonathan Sankman
Enjoy the application process! It’s that time of the year…application time! This may be the first time for some, the second for others, and the third time’s the charm for more. Wherever you are on this amazing journey to dentistry, enjoy it and don’t give up on your dreams. Please let us know if you have any questions, suggestions, comments, or concerns. We are all here for you and cheering you on! Good luck!
Save the Date! Leadership Workshop
PreDent Workshop
11-4-2013
2-15-2014
ASDA 4th annual workshop, help build leadership skills!
Mock interview, Personal statement help, how to apply and MORE!
- Advice on applying to dental school. - WHY JOIN ASDA ASDOH?? - What Admissions have to say to YOU!
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Common Application Pitfalls!
What NOT to put in a Personal Statement
Avoid trying to be overly creative and do not lie. If offered an interview, the interview committee is likely to ask you things that you mentioned in your PS. You do not want to be stuck trying to explain something that is not 100% factual. In a professional manner, be honest and discuss why you want to enter the field of dentistry and what makes YOU unique and an asset to their school if they accept you. - Kristine Keber, D2
What NOT to do while you’re What NOT say during an interview applying. Not properly calculating how much the application process costs 2) Giving some of recommenders too little time to write a recommendation (definitely need more than a month) 3) Not setting enough time to study for DAT 4) Not understanding how much time it takes to fill our the applications 5) Writing many too drafts of the personal statement before having others give feedback
Know difference in volunteering and shadowing a dentist. Volunteering is hands on and getting involved, shadowing is standing on the sideline and looking on.
- Geoff Wainwright, D1
-THY LY, D2
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Meet the 2013-1024 Pre- Committee
Hello! My name is Ali Wu. I am thrilled to join the ASDOH family as a first year dental student. I am originally from Wichita, Kansas, and attended the University of Kansas. After I graduated, I moved to Houston where I found my passion for dentistry while volunteering at a nonprofit dental clinic serving the homeless. I loved it so much that I became a Registered Dental Assistant and worked for some wonderful practitioners who encourage me to pursue my DMD. I persistently applied to ASDOH three times before my acceptance. Every year it was a challenge to stay positive and motivated, but I know that determination got me here. I cannot wait to meet you and share more experiences with you! Hi, my name is Kristine Keber and I am currently a happy D2 here at Hi! I am Janice Nguyen, and currently a D2. For me ASDOH! My hometown is in New the third time really was a charm because it was on Jersey and I received my BS degree my trice try that I got into dental school. I went to the in Biology at Seton Hall University. University of St. Thomas for undergrad in the heart of Prior to being accepted into dental Houston, TX. I majored in Chemistry and double school, I spent a lot of time working minored in Biology and Theology. I am really excited in a dental office and volunteering to help pre-dents make their dreams come true!! with different groups throughout NJ. I Hello my name is Ginger Wilbert and I am a D1 at am beyond excited to be apart of the ASDOH! I am original from Birmingham, AL. I received pre-dental committee this year and to my undergraduate degree from UAB in Biology and have the opportunity to share advice Master's of Medical Science from Mississippi College. with pre-dental students. The journey After several attempts at the DAT and applying to dental to and through dental school is not school, I can say I do not regret my journey to dental an easy one, but I promise it is worth school. I am looking forward to helping each and every every second! I look forward to one of you to be successful in applying to dental school, hopefully meeting some of you and I getting into dental school and completing dental school! wish you all the best. Never give up! 3
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Meet the 2013-1024 Pre- Committee Hi, I’m Chris Loschiavo and I am a currently a D2 at ASDOH. I am originally from Tucson, Arizona where I attended and graduated from the University of Arizona in 2011 with a degree in Sociology and Classics. Through my undergrad career, I was involved in three academic honors fraternities that exposed me to various learning, studying, teaching, and leadership skills that I still utilize here at ASDOH. I was also involved in one social fraternity in which community involvement was a large component. Apart from school, I spent much of my free time working with various dental professionals in my community as an assistant and volunteer for community health clinics. I applied to ASDOH looking to advance my interest in dentistry into a life-long career with the help of caring, welcoming, and incredibly knowledgeable instructors, friends, and classmates. I am happy to say that I made the right choice attending ASDOH, and would be more than happy to help anyone interested in joining the ASDOH family. Hello! My name is Kyle Henry, and I am currently a D2 at ASDOH. I am originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I completed my undergraduate education at the University of New Mexico, where I majored in Biology and Nutrition. It took me three tries to get into dental school, so in the meantime, I taught high school Biology and Chemistry. I was heavily involved with my university’s pre-dental society and also made it a priority to get involved with as many community service projects and opportunities as I could! I’m excited to help out with any questions you have!
My name is Mariana Aranguren, I am currently a D2 at ASDOH and went to the University of Arizona for my Bachelors of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology. I have devoted much of my time volunteering regularly at the ER in University Medical Center, at the Reid Park Zoo, and for the Rotary International Club, who also sponsored me as a foreign exchange student to Milan, Italy. I truly enjoy helping others, especially Pre-Dents so please do not hesitate to ask me questions! HI, I’m Jason Boeskin and currently a first year dental student from Yuma, AZ. I attended The University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ for undergraduate. I am very excited to be on the ASDA Pre-Dental committee and looks forward to meeting and helping pre-dental students with their dental school application process.
Hello! My name is Alex Roelens and I am currently a D2 here at ASDOH. I am from Phoenix, Arizona and received my Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona. During my undergraduate years I was fortunate to be a part of a very active pre-dental society that allowed me many opportunities to volunteer and be active in the dental community, as well as opportunities to learn from different dental students, faculty, and representatives about the process of applying and building a strong resume. These experiences proved to be invaluable to me as I was applying to dental school, and I would love to share them with any pre-dental students who may benefit from them. I’m looking forward to working with you all, and can’t wait to get started!
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Meet the 2013-1024 Pre- Committee Hello! My name is Hae Mi Kim. I am originally from Seoul, Korea and moved to Tucson, Arizona at the age of 15. I discovered my desire to explore a path in the health care field while attending the University of Arizona and started my career as a neuropsychology specialist shortly after graduating with a neuroscience degree. A career in dentistry involves a lot of hard work, commitment, and sacrifice. I know that passion, discipline, and conviction got me here and am proud to be a part of the ASDOH family as a first year dental student. I am excited to meet and share many more experiences and memories with all of you in the years to come!
I’m from Houston, Texas and I am a D1 at ASDOH. I received my M.P.H. at the University of Texas School of Public Health and B.A. in Chemistry at the University of St. Thomas. I love getting involved in the community and have volunteered as a dental assistant at Healthcare for Homeless Houston for the past five years. Being a fourth time applicant, I understand the meaning of persistence, and I hope to help others live their dream as well.
Hi, I’m Nick Salava and I am a D2 here at ASDOH. My home state is Kansas, for my undergrad I went to the University of Kansas graduating with a degree in Human Biology. Though my undergrad I spent a lot of time volunteering/shadowing in a Community Health Center while working in a lab at an Orthodontic office. I had several attempts in trying to get into dental school but I never gave up my goal. In my time away from school I worked as a dental assistant gaining a head start in the profession and learning some important aspects to the field of dentistry. Getting into dental school is not easy but having a few good mentors along the way really helped. So I look forward to meeting with you predental students and wish you all the best!
Hi! My name is Sahar Yaftaly and I am a D2 at ASDOH. I am originally from Simi Valley, California. I did my undergraduate education at UCLA and found that being highly involved, as a predent was a huge help in gaining acceptance to dental school. I am so excited to share my experiences and can’t wait to help pre-dents on their journey to becoming part of the best profession there is!
Hello!! We wish you all the best of luck and excited to work with you this year!!!!! - ASDOH PreDental
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ASDOH ASDA PRE-DENTAL
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Congratulations to our Pre-dent of the Year: Jonathan Sankman Jonathan was one of many great pre-dents that applied to be pre-dent of the year. He truly embodies what ASDOH ASDA feels is a great pre-dent. He is working on his bachelor degree at ASU with a focus on genetics, cell, and developmental biology. He volunteers at both the Murphy kids clinic and Central Arizona Shelter Service clinic as a dental assistant. He is also involved in the Arizona Oral Cancer walk, and Give Kids a Smile Day at ASDOH. Above all of that Jonathan expressed his drive to continuously care for the community. He said it best in his paper when he stated that he realizes that as long as he put others first and treat them
with care and respect, all of the other tangible things in life will fall into place and meandering roads will eventually convene. Congrats again Jonathan Sankman for being so awesome!!!
- Janice Nguyen, D2
Apple teeth A fun twist on snack time‌ Ingredients: Red apples Peanut butter Mini marshmallows
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Slice apples. Spread peanut butter on slices. Put marshmallows between two slices of apple.
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WHY JOIN ASDA ASDOH?? Interested in being the ASDOH ASDA Pre-dental student of the year? Show off your hard work and be recognized for your special talents, volunteer experience and more. ONLY official ASDOH ASDA predental members are eligible to receive this award. The membership is available for 2013 for $58 (membership benefits are listed below) and you can sign up through the ASDOH ASDA webpage: http://www.asdohasda.org/products-page/memberships/predental-membership/ INFORMATION ABOUT APPLYING WILL COME LATER IN THE YEAR!!! The Predent of the year will be selected by a committee of ASDOH students and faculty. The selected student will receive a letter of recommendation from ASDOH ASDA, a certificate, a great addition to your application, and you will be featured in the ASDOH ASDA Pre-Dental newsletter. The Predent student of the year will be selected and notified by email on April 25, 2013.
Here is a brief list of benefits of your $58 ASDA Pre-dental membership fee: - 10% off at ASDOH Scrub Store and on ASDOH apparel and merchandise (www.asdohasda.org) - Discounts at events like the ASDOH predental workshop (reduced registration fee for members only) - Coming up on February 15, 2014! -Discounts on financial and insurance programs (US Bank and Geico) - Member-only access to the ASDA website which contains all kinds of information about a career in dentistry and being an ASDOH student - FREE subscriptions to ASDA publications: ASDA News, Mouth, and the e-newsletter Word of Mouth to keep you up to date on the latest issues affecting dentistry, dental professionals, and students - Discounts on resources to prepare you for dental school, including 10% discount on Kaplan's DAT courses and materials - A copy of the ASDA handbook "Getting into Dental School" that includes facts on applying to dental school, financial aid, ASDA membership benefits, debt management, career options, and a survival guide for the DAT - Admission to any ASDOH/ASDA event - Most events will be free to members! - The opportunity to network with 17,000 dental students through our national, regional, and chapter events as well as the National ASDA Facebook page - Discounts on products and services that are valuable to students such as cell phone plans, books, DVDs, and more! 7
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INTERVIEW WITH ADMISSIONS!!!! 1. What are the requirements you are looking for in the incoming ASDOH candidates? Prospective students need to meet the average requirements with regard to DAT, GPA, and number of community service and dental-related experience hours. Also, all science classes expire after 5 years, so it is important to make sure your required classes are taken within this time frame. 2. How many students apply to ASDOH? In the last cycle: 3601 3. How many students receive an interview? 400 4. Average Scores for: a. DAT score: 18 b. PAT score: 19 c. Overall GPA: 3.35 d. Science GPA: 3.22 e. Number of students per class: 76 5. Average community service hours? 500 hours. NEW REQUIREMENT: A letter of recommendation from your community service advisor will be required in upcoming admission cycles. 6. How much experience in dental field? 100 hours [includes shadowing, assisting, etc.] 7. Is research experience important? Not as critical as community service and experience in the dental field 8. Who can they contact for more info? ASDOH Admission Counselors are an incredibly valuable resource. They are: a. Kelly MacCleary, BSEd [kmaccleary@atsu.edu] b. Courtney McCormack, MAEd [cmccormack@atsu.edu] c. Ricky Nussle, BS [rnussle@atsu.edu] 9. How schedule tour and appointment with admissions? Make sure your application is as complete as possible and make sure you have a list of questions on ways you would like to improve your application [refer to the ASDOH requirements for admission]. Start with a preliminary email to: azadmissions@atsu.edu.
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10. What are important deadlines for ASDOH? a. Apply June 3: The 2014 ADEA AADSAS application will launch on June 3, 2013. ASDOH has rolling admissions, so the earlier you apply the higher your chances of admission. The later you apply the more competitive getting a seat becomes. In previous years, 50 seats were offered to the incoming class by December 1st!!!! b. December 1st: Deadline for applying c. January 31st: Deadline for secondary application d. September – February: Interview cycle 11. What is the biggest mistake applicants make? a. PERSONAL STATEMENT! Make sure your personal statement stands out, you follow all the guidelines [WORD COUNT!], and you highlight your MOTIVATION for pursing dentistry. Your personal application should showcase your community service, why you have chosen dentistry and important experiences you have had in the dental field and during your community service. Be careful with humor and make sure you use your words wisely, and succinctly to highlight what you have to offer as a dental candidate. b. LIST ALL YOUR COMMUNIT Y SERVICE ACTIVITIES AND ALL YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS: Applications may not be accepted because of a lack of hours. Make sure you list EVERYTHING you have done and everything that AADSAS allows you to list [starting from as far back as the application will allow]. c. SECONDARY APPLICATION: Make sure you submit this application on time and RESEARCH ASDOH before writing your secondary. Reviewers want to see that you understand the mission of the school and that you are a good fit. 12. What would you suggest for someone who is reapplying? a. Continue participating in community service b. Review your application critically to see what you were lacking. c. Schedule an appointment with a counselor to discuss your application. d. If your science GPA was your set-‐back, consider taking more upper division classes or completing a 1 year graduate degree in Biomedical Sciences. This will show that you are able to succeed in the rigorous upper division courses, prepare you for the demanding dental curriculum, boost your GPA, and show your commitment to improving your application. 13. Where are some good places to job shadow or volunteer around here? CASS, and community service projects that focus on serving the UNDERSERVED population. 14. What are some things that successful applicants have done that helped them get in? Successful applicants applied early, researched the school, submitted eye-‐catching personal statements, fulfilled the ASDOH requirements, and had an application full of community service hours. Make sure your application reflects what makes YOU a good fit!
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Pre-Dental Student’s Perspective from Annual Session 2013 Attending the ASDA Annual Session this year in Atlanta was an experience that I will never forget. As a pre-dental wanting to learn more about dental school, this event was perfect for me. I truly didn’t understand how big of an association ASDA was until I arrived at the first day of the session. The morning before the session, I was feeling really intimidated because I felt like I wouldn’t fit in with all of the dental students that were attending. Boy was I wrong. I received such a warm welcome from the ASDOH ASDA members that I felt like I was part of ASDOH. I was completely new to ASDA and they really helped me learn what it was all about.
my ASDA knowledge came from them. The work they are putting into this association at ASDOH really inspired me to become a member. Seeing them at a national level and receiving such positivity and respect from other chapters, showed that ASDOH is at the top. The Annual Session taught me a lot about dentistry and it gave me the motivation to become a better ASDA member in my community. When I get into dental school, I want to have a major position in ASDA and encourage my fellow classmates to have a strong commitment that can make the dental school even stronger. Before that all could happen I want to do it on a pre-dental level, so I can be prepared when I get into dental school. I’m starting to do that now and I want every pre-dental to experience what ASDA has to offer to the pre-dental community. My passion for dentistry has increased throughout my experience with ASDA and I know that it will continue to grow. I like to thank every ASDA member that I went with to Atlanta and especially to Onika and Patricia for inviting me. All your support has given me confidence to become a great ASDA member. I appreciate everything and will never forget what you guys did for me. I hope when I get into dental school that I will do the same to another pre-dental that wants to learn more about their passion of dentistry.
I didn’t realize how impactful ASDA was on the field of dentistry. Learning about how to handle student debt, opening your own practice, and all the specialties were some of the many conferences I attended. In every meeting I got to meet new people from all over the country that shared the same passion that I had. Even though I was a pre-dental member, people would talk to me like I was a D-2 about to start SIM lab. Networking with all the dental students gave me confidence in ability to become a dental student one day. I learned so much useful information from these meetings and students that I would have never learned if I didn’t join ASDA. I caught ASDA fever early on and it continued to spread throughout the whole weekend.
By: Taylor Velasquez
ASDOH’s ASDA members stole the show for me. Onika Patel, Patricia Huh, Angela Lee, Jessi Giles, Amol Amin, Jordan Janis, and Edmund Monsef were the students that I went with. Every one of them changed my outlook of dental school in a positive way. They were with me the entire time and they taught me so much that weekend. I could only get so much information from guest lectures, but the bulk of
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Holla at us! If you are interested in having a dental student as a mentor please contact us at asdohpredental@atsu.edu
Extra Info!!! - Link to attend leadership workshop http://www.asdohasda.org/productspage/events/leadership-retreat-2013/ - Volunteer oppurtunities! -AZ MOM : http://www.azmom.org - HopeFest Phx : http://cityserveaz.com/hopefest/ - CARE clinic : http://www.carepartnership.org/index.php
Contact us: Janice Nguyen: jnguyen03@atsu.edu Sahar Yaftaly: syaftaly@atsu.edu Chris Evans: cmevans@atsu.edu Nicholas Salava: nsalava@atsu.edu Kristine Keber: kkeber@atsu.edu Marianna Aranguren: maraguren@atsu.edu Alexandra Wu: awu@atsu.edu Lisa Vu: lmvu01@atsu.edu Ginger Wilbert: gwilbert@atsu.edu Jason Boeskin: jboeskin@atsu.edu HaeMi Kim: hmkin@atsu.edu Christopher Loschiavo: closchiavo@atsu.edu Kyle Henry: khenry@atsu.edu