DentalDat Now a Dot Com!

Yes, I have taken the leap and purchased the domain name www.DentalDat.com! Some of you may be wondering if anything is going to change here at DentalDat. The answer to this question is YES and NO. I plan on continuing to post new articles and make frequent updates to the content (as I have done for the past 6 months). I ALSO, plan on utilizing the new Google Apps that are now available to DentalDat as a domain owner. Nothing is going to change over night since I have a big test coming up in a week. However, you can look for some cool additions in the next 1-2 months. And when I say cool, I mean COOL!

Thank you all for coming and visiting DentalDat. Pass the word onto all of your pre-dental friends. The more visitors I get here the more additions I will be able to make.

Recent Additions:

• Free Classified Ads - I am working to find students with DAT material for sale to post here on the blog. I am looking to have quality material for a reasonable price. 
• Forum - The forum does not have many posts but it is meant to be a place where you can ask questions or provide useful information without the worry of getting shot down. I do my best to answer questions in a helpful manner so feel free to ask what you would like.
• Frequent Twitter Updates- Follow me on Twitter! I make it a goal to keep you up to date on what I am doing throughout the day. See what life as a dental student is really like! 

Like I said I have some fun ideas for the upcoming months. It is just going to be a matter of working out the logistics. If you are interested in hearing these ideas and adding your input check out the forum discussions on these ideas and post some comments. 

Hope you all enjoy!

Dental Schools Ranked by GPA

It is very important that you take your grade point average (GPA) seriously. Most schools have a cutoff of a 2.75 GPA. When applying to dental school there are a few things that you have to realize when calculating your GPA.

1. If you get a C- or lower in any required course you must retake it in order for it to go towards the prerequisite requirements. 

2. If you retake a class for a higher grade both scores will count on your GPA. For instance, if you received a D grade and retook the class for an A grade, both the D and the A will go towards your overall GPA. Many colleges will not calculate your low grade into your GPA which will make your GPA look higher than it really is. 

3. When submitting your application schools will look at your GPA with the plus and minus sign (ex: A-, B+, B-, etc...). They will also look at your GPA with out the plus and minus signs which means that if you have an A- it will round up to an A or if you have a B- minus it will round up to a B. 

4. Schools will not only look at your overall GPA but they look at your science GPA. The science GPA is calculated only using science and math courses. This allows for the schools to see overall how strong you are in your science courses. 

5. Remember your GPA is very important! Many will say "schools don't want students with 4.0 GPAs because that means they are bookworms". This is true to some extent. If all you have is an excellent GPA but no other qualifications then your application may not be very strong BUT if you have an excellent GPA and very good extracurricular activities then you will a quality applicant with a very good chance of getting into dental school. 

Many students ask the question "is my GPA good enough?". My question to them is "good enough for what?". If you have a 3.3 GPA and you want to know if it is "good enough" for Harvard then my answer would be "no". However, if you have a 3.3 GPA and you want to know if it is "good enough" to get into dental school then my answer is "yes". Is a 3.3 GPA ideal? No, of course the higher the GPA the better but not everyone getting into dental school has a 3.9 GPA. 

Remember that the average student that matriculates into dental school each year has a 3.5 GPA. Each school has a slightly different average GPA. In order to make this easy on everyone I have posted the average GPA for each dental school starting with the highest and ending with the lowest. This should help you see where you fit in statistically when it comes to GPA.

GPA is not the only thing you should consider when applying to schools. You will also want to find schools that fit within the range of your DAT scores (check out "Dental Schools Ranked by DAT"). In addition, consider other factors such as your volunteering experiences, shadow experience, individual wants, family needs, and PRICE!

Dental School Rankings (Overall GPA)

1. Nebraska  3.83
2. Harvard 3.81
3. Iowa  3.74
4. Colorado Denver 3.73
5. Mississippi  3.71
6. Alabama 3.7
7. Stony Brook  3.7
8. Detroit Mercy  3.68
9. Minnesota  3.67
10. Southern Illinois  3.66
11. Pennsylvania 3.66
12. Pittsburgh 3.66
13. Ohio State 3.65
14. San Antonio  3.65
15. Oklahoma  3.64
16. Nova 3.63
17. Missouri - Kansas City  3.63
18. UCLA 3.62
19. Connecticut 3.62
20. Louisiana State  3.62
21. Creighton 3.62
22. Buffalo  3.61
23. Oregon  3.61
24. Houston  3.61
25. Illinois at Chicago  3.6
26. Case 3.6
27. Marquette 3.6
28. South Carolina  3.59
29. Indiana  3.58
30. Louisville  3.57
31. Tennessee  3.57
32. Georgia 3.56
33. New Jersey  3.56 
34. Washington 3.56
35. West Virginia 3.56
36. Kentucky  3.54
37. Puerto Rico  3.53
38. Michigan  3.52
39. Chapel Hill  3.52
40. UCSF 3.51
41. Florida  3.5
42. Maryland  3.5
43. Columbia 3.5
44. Baylor  3.5
45. Virginia Commonwealth  3.5
46. UNLV 3.49
47. Midwestern  3.48
48. UoP 3.46
49. Temple  3.46
50. Tufts 3.45
51. New York  3.45
52. Loma Linda  3.43
53. Arizona  3.37
54. Western U. 3.33
55. Boston University 3.3
56. USC 3.25
57. Meharry 3.16
58. Howard 3.15  

Dental School Rankings (Science GPA)

1. Nebraska  3.77
2. Stony Brook  3.7
3. Colorado Denver 3.67
4. Iowa  3.67
5. Harvard 3.66
6. Mississippi  3.65
7. Detroit Mercy  3.63
8. Minnesota  3.63
9. Pennsylvania 3.62
10. Missouri - Kansas City  3.61
11. San Antonio  3.61
12. Alabama 3.6
13. Southern Illinois  3.6
14. UCLA 3.59
15. Nova 3.59
16. Pittsburgh 3.58
17. Oklahoma  3.57
18. Louisiana State  3.56
19. Oregon  3.55
20. Connecticut 3.54
21. Ohio State 3.54
22. Houston  3.54
23. Case 3.53
24. Georgia 3.52
25. Indiana  3.52
26. Florida  3.5
27. Illinois at Chicago  3.5
28. New Jersey  3.5
29. Columbia 3.5
30. South Carolina  3.5
31. Tennessee  3.5
32. Marquette 3.5
33. Chapel Hill  3.49
34. Creighton 3.48
35. UCSF 3.47
36. Washington 3.47
37. Kentucky  3.46
38. West Virginia 3.46
39. Virginia Commonwealth  3.44
40. Baylor 3.43
41. Louisville  3.42
42. Michigan  3.41
43. Puerto Rico  3.41
44. Maryland  3.4
45. New York  3.4
46. Midwestern  3.39
47. UoP 3.38
48. Tufts 3.37
49. Temple  3.37
50. Loma Linda  3.35
51. UNLV 3.34 
52. Boston University  3.3
53. Arizona  3.26
54. Western U. 3.25
55. Buffalo  3.22
56. USC 3.2
57. Howard 3.2
58. Meharry 3.02  

*NOTE: The statistics that have been listed were taken from the "2010 ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools". 

Dental Schools Ranked by DAT Scores

Many students wonder what dental school suites them the best according to their DAT scores. This was I question that I definitely had when I was trying to decide which schools to apply to. Remember, the DAT is a very big portion of your application and should not be taken lightly. However, this does not mean that if you earned a 19 academic average (AA) that you cannot apply to a school that has a an average AA of 21. The statistics are just that, statistics! If a school accepts someone with an AA of 23 that means that they must have accepted several others with lower scores. 


When scores are reported they are seen in three general categories including Academic Average (all of your scores averaged together except perceptual ability scores), Total Science (average of the biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry sections), and Perceptual Ability. Each of these general categories along with each individual section must be taken into account when choosing schools to apply to. 


Some schools will put a high emphasis on the science sections while others may put more weight on reading comprehension or the perceptual ability section. 


Other factors that you will want to consider while choosing schools to apply to include but are not limited to overall GPA, science GPA, extra curricular activities, leadership experience, volunteer experiences, and shadowing. 


For your convenience, I listed the dental schools in order of highest Academic Average to lowest Academic Average. I also included a list of the schools ranked according to their perceptual ability scores. The statistics shown come from the "2010 ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools". 



Dental School Rankings (Academic Average)

1. Columbia 21.7 
2. UCLA 21 
3. Harvard 21 
4. Stony Brook  21 
5. Alabama 20 
6. UCSF 20 
7. UoP 20 
8. Connecticut 20 
9. New York  20 
10. Pennsylvania 20 
11. Minnesota  19.63 
12. Nova 19.58 
13. Maryland  19.5 
14. New Jersey  19.45 
15. Buffalo  19.42  
16. Pittsburgh 19.4
17. Washington 19.39 
18. Boston University  19.35
19. Temple  19.3
20. Houston  19.15
21. Louisiana State  19.1
22. Illinois at Chicago  19.1
23. UNLV 19.01
24. USC 19 
25. Colorado Denver 19
26. Florida  19
27. Iowa  19
28. Kentucky  19
29. Tufts 19
30. Detroit Mercy  19
31. Michigan  19
32. Chapel Hill  19
33. Case 19
34. Ohio State 19
35. Oklahoma  19
36. Baylor  19
37. San Antonio  19
38. Virginia Commonwealth  19
39. Indiana  19
40. Loma Linda  18.79
41. Oregon  18.71
42. Southern Illinois  18.6
43. Midwestern  18.5
44. Creighton 18.48
45. Missouri - Kansas City  18.02
46. Western U. 18
47. Georgia 18
48. Louisville  18
49. Mississippi  18
50. Nebraska  18
51. South Carolina  18
52. Tennessee  18
53. Marquette 18
54. Arizona  17.84
55. Howard 17.7
56. West Virginia 17
57. Puerto Rico  16
58. Meharry 16 

Dental School Rankings (Perceptual Ability)

1. UCLA 21 
2. UoP 21
3. Harvard 21
4. Stony Brook  21
5. Minnesota  20.74
6. UNLV 20.24
7. Loma Linda  20.15
8. Creighton 20.11
9. Washington 20.02
10. Buffalo  20.01
11. UCSF 20
12. Indiana  20
13. Detroit Mercy  20
14. Michigan  20
15. New York  20
16. Case 20
17. Ohio State 20
18. Pennsylvania 20
19. South Carolina  20
20. Virginia Commonwealth  20
21. Oregon  19.93
22. Temple  19.7
23. Pittsburgh 19.6
24. Maryland  19.3
25. Houston  19.25
26. Georgia 19.2
27. Boston University  19.15
28. Southern Illinois  19.1
29. Alabama 19
30. Midwestern  19
31. USC 19
32. Western U. 19
33. Colorado Denver 19
34. Connecticut 19
35. Florida  19
36. Illinois at Chicago  19
37. Iowa  19
38. Kentucky  19
39. Louisville  19
40. Tufts 19
41. Mississippi  19
42. Chapel Hill  19
43. Marquette 19
44. Oklahoma  18.98
45. Louisiana State  18.9
46. Nova 18.85
47. New Jersey  18.73
48. Arizona  18.34
49. Missouri - Kansas City  18
50. Tennessee  18 
51. Baylor  18
52. San Antonio  18
53. West Virginia 18
54. Howard 17.4
55. Nebraska  17
56. Puerto Rico  16
57. Meharry 16  

*NOTE: The statistics that have been listed were taken from the "2010 ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools".

Studying With Music

Many of us enjoy studying while listening to music. I do not want to say that their is a right or wrong type of music to listen to while studying but there is definitely a more effective music to listen to. Yes, I turn on my favorite tunes in the car or while at home relaxing. However, I usually (like most of you) use music to take my mind off of school, work, and the other cares of the world. Frankly, if I am going to be spending my time studying I want my focus to be on what I am studying not my music.

Generally, I only put my headphones on when I am not in a quiet study area. This includes my apartment (especially when my kids are running around), the library (when people are talking, eating, or making annoying repetitive sounds such as typing or tapping a pen), or any other public location. 

I have a few simple guidelines when it comes to choosing study music that I try to follow at all times. It does not matter how much studying I want to get done, if I listen to music without following these guidelines I will not get any studying done. Check them out:

1. No Lyrics: Music with lyrics distract from what you are studying. Often times one will fined themselves thinking more about the lyrics they are listening to instead of what they are studying!

2. Avoid Loud Music: Many of us like bands with jamming guitars and fast beating drums. The noise created by this music can be just as distracting as someone eating a bag of potato chips next to you in the library. It will often times break your focus and put you in an anxious mood. 

3.  Low Tempo: The tempo of the music can also play a big role in how one studies. I like to be relaxed (not sleeping!) while studying. Fast paced music sometimes interrupts ones ability to slow down and think deeply about what they are studying. Why do you think Hollister and all those other clothing companies play the fast beat music? Simple, if you feel like you are in a hurry you might make the rash decision of over paying for a shirt that you otherwise may not have purchased! May not make sense to you but it sure makes sense to me. Tricking myself into thinking I understand something is pretty easy when I am anxious or in a hurry. 

The guidelines are simple and have definitely helped me choose effective study music. Below is one of my study playlists. This list may not be for everyone but be creative and find music that HELPS you and does not hinder your studying. You are not limited to classical music by any means. There is plenty of suitable music that involves pianos, guitars, brass instruments, and whatever else you can think of.

Feel free to post songs that you like to study to in the comment section!

Interviews: How to tie a tie

Gentlemen, and possibly ladies. Some of you may be reading this article because you have an interview and you want to know how to make your tie look good. Others of you may be here because you have a significant other who is failing miserably at tying a tie and has an interview coming up soon. Whatever the reason may be, remember tying a tie takes practice and it takes even more practice to make it look good.

Whether you have a few weeks or a few months before your interview, start practicing now. Take a few minutes each week to practice tying your tie. This will not only help you get better at it but may help relieve a small portion of stress on the day of your interview.

there isn't much you need in order to start practicing tying your tie. The obvious item is the tie. Other additional items that may help is a collar shirt, a mirror, and a friend to tell you how it looks (feel free to e-mail me a picture and I will let you know what I think of your knot).

Time to get started. I was thinking of creating my own videos for this post, however, I remember a wonderful website called YouTube. It may be somewhat difficult to learn just from a video so I hunted down some diagrams that hopefully will be of some assistance to you.

There are a variety of ways to tie a tie. Just remember that not all ways are created equal. My personal favorite and the one that looks the best is the full Windsor. The full Windsor gives the tie a nice balanced look.  Other knots such as the Pratt knot makes the tie appear to be lopsided and uneven. Keep things like this in mind when choosing a knot for your tie.

Good Vs. Bad


Good



Bad

You are going to want to work the knot a little bit to get it more triangular looking like the ones in the above pictures.

Full Windsor

Like I said this is my favorite knot and looks the best. When it comes to rating this knot I would give it a 10/10. It doesn't get any better than this. This is going to be a bigger knot than half-Windsor or others so you may need the skinny end to be a little shorter. You will need to find out the right length for yourself and that is why it takes practice.

Picture



Diagram


Video

Keep in mind that these videos are teaching you how to tie the tie not how to make the knot look good. In fact, the completed product in both of these videos falls below the standard of looking good.





Half-Windsor


The half-Windsor is another nice knot. This may be good for a more causal outings or for someone who needs a little easier knot to tie. If done properly this can still look nice. This knot gets an 8.5/10 in my books.

Picture


Diagram

Video




 
Pratt (Shelby) Knot


I have never tied this knot but it seems to be a popular knot. From what I have seen of this know I would give it a slightly higher rating than the half-Windsor, 9/10. This is a good alternative to the full-Windsor, especially if you are looking for a smaller knot.

Picture





Diagram



Video






Hope these videos and instructions help you to get ready for your interview. Please ask any questions or suggestions in the comment box. Once again, if you want me to take a look at your knot send the photo my way and better yet if you want your knot posted to this page you can do the same!

Interview: Asking Questions

The interview is a very important step in the application process. Just think of it this way. If you are invited to an interview this means that you are good enough for their school, or at least on paper you are. The admissions committee wants to see if you are all that you say you are on paper. More than likely you wrote a good personal statement, presented yourself well through out the application, and not to mention your statistics were where they needed to be. However, the question remains; Can you present yourself well in person?

I have already written a few posts that may help you succeed at your interview. These include "Potential Interview Questions for Dental School", and "Dental School Interview: Dressing for the Occasion".

Another important aspect of the interview is asking questions. The admissions committee wants to see that you are genuinely interested in being admitted into the right dental school for you. They want to see that you have researched the school and have taken the time to figure out what is important for you to know about their school. With this said, it take time and effort to ask good solid questions. Trust me, you don't want to be the person caught with their pants around their ankle when the interviewer says "Why don't you go read our website and find out about our school?" or "Why don't you read the handout we just went over?". Now that could be embarrassing.

I created a summary outline of things to think about when asking questions.

• Avoid asking questions that can be found on the schools website. This means that you are going to need to go onto the schools website and read as much as you can before the interview. Find out about the schools curriculum, the mission statement, and whatever else you can find. 

• Don't ask questions that have been answered in the presentation. I suggest making a list of questions before the interview. These questions can include anything that is not located on the website. If you talked with a current student you can create questions based on your conversation. Have this list handy for the presentation and cross out any question that is answered. At this point you can create follow up questions to ask the presenter, the tour guide, or your interviewer. This will help you stay awake during the presentations and show that you are attentive to what is being said. 

• Ask questions that help you to know if the school is right for you! This is going to take even more effort on your part because you need to know what you want out of a dental school. You may want to know what types of aides that they provide for students in order to help them excel . 

Asking the right questions can be difficult. You do not want to ask questions just to ask questions. However, when you do ask questions you want it to be well thought out. Questions that require the person on the other end (interviewer or presenter) to repeatedly say that they don't understand what you are trying to ask them, is not a good way of leaving a good impression on them. 

Below I have come up with a list of possible questions that you may want to ask during your interview. For some schools these questions may be totally appropriate while other schools may provide the information on their website or during the presentation. 

1. What types of thing does the school do in order to keep students involved in community service?
2. When does clinical experience begin? How soon is patient contact?
3. What types of clinical experience will I have as a first year dental student?
4. When do students generally take boards? 
5. Is there time set aside for students to study for the boards?
6. How do students get patients for clinic? 
7. Does the school schedule patients for you or are the students responsible for finding and scheduling their own patients?
8. One of the goals of Specific Dental School is to attract qualified professors. What does the school do to get the professors they do and how will they continue to draw such professors to the schools?
9. As a professor/faculty member what aspects of this school made you want to teach/work here? If there is something you would change about the school what would it be?

There are a lot more questions that you can ask. These are examples, and by no means are they perfect examples, but they are here to try and get you to think outside the box. Feel free to comment and add any questions that you have come up with.

*I will be adding more as time permits!

Potential Interview Questions for Dental School

Whether you have one interview or seven interviews it is important to be prepared for each one. Each school has slightly different interviewing styles and favors certain types of questions, whether that be ethical, critical thinking, or "get to know you" questions. While preparing for your interviews take the time to go to the schools website and read the information given about the school. You do not want to be "caught with your pants down" when you ask a question to one of the faculty and they say "why don't you go read our website?". In the same instance one of your interviewers may ask a question that is easily answerable if you do a little research about the school. If for nothing else, being prepared will put your mind at ease and make the interview that much less stressful!

There are a few things that you need to be able to do well at the interview in order to be successful. Some of these include, but are not limited to:

• Present yourself with professional appearance
• Be courteous/professional 
• Be on time
• Use please and thank you
• Use correct title (Mr., Mrs., Ms, Dr. etc...) 
• Avoid yawning/sleeping during presentations
• Avoid removing yourself from a presentation (unless medical emergency). Time is generally given for bathroom breaks or go before you get there!
• Do not interrupt others while they are speaking  
• The list goes on...
• Ask genuine questions ("Interview: Asking Questions")
•  Don't ask questions that have been answered in the presentations
• Create a list of questions before the interview and check them off as the presentations are given. 
• Avoid asking questions that can be found on the schools website
• Ask questions that help you to know if the school is right for you!
• Be prepared to answer questions
• Be aware of time when answering questions
• Give a 2-4 minute answer on detailed questions such as tell me about yourself or why this school? The interviewer will prompt you if they want more than what you have given them.
• 1 word or 1 sentence answer usually we be inadequate to answer questions effectively
• You do not have to answer immediately!
• Don't rush into answering a question immediately. 
• If you are not prepared for the question use a small amount of time to think and formulate a response (5-30 seconds should be plenty). 
• Practice answering questions
• Create a list of common questions and formulate answers to these questions (list is presented below)
• Be sure to practice answering the questions out loud! Find a spouse, sibling, friend, pet or mirror to practice answering the questions to. This will help you to answer the questions smoothly and with confidence
• There maybe some questions that you want to have "canned" or in other words memorized. However, practice answering these questions in a way that it does not appear to be a memorized answer. The interviewer wants to know that you are human!

If you can do the four things listed above you WILL have a successful interview! In order to further help you to prepare I have come up with a list of common interview questions. These questions should help get you started but I would also recommend trying to find questions that are asked at the specific school you will be interviewing at. 

Potential Interview Questions

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Why should we choose you? What do you bring to the incoming class?
3. Why School that you are interviewing at ? 
4. What are your strengths/weaknesses?
5. Why are you interested in dentistry? Why are you a good fit for dentistry?
6. Are you a people person? How do I know?
7. Why did you choose to get a _Biology___ degree?
8. Tell me about your academic background and explain the gaps in your education. (Do not voluntarily talk about negative academic history during interview, only if they bring it up.)
9. How do you handle constructive criticism?
10. Talk about your shadowing/dental experiences.
11. Can you explain the leadership positions you listed?
12. What will you be doing in 5 or 10 years? Where do yo see yourself in 10 years?
13. What will you do if you do not get in this year?
14. Where does ____ fall in your dental decision (1st, 2nd, etc) and what do we need to do to entice you here over other schools?
15. Are you organized? How is your time management?
16. Why did you become interested in dentistry?
17. What makes you stand out from other candidates?
18. What do you see as some of the negative aspects of dentistry?
19. What can you tell us about the curriculum at this school?
20. What qualities make a good dentist?
21. Talk to us about __(manual dexterity activities listed on application)__.
22. How do you know you will succeed in dental school?
23. Would you consider yourself to be "good" with your hands?
24. Given that you have a wife and 2 kids do you think you can be successful in dental school?
25. What do you do in your spare time?
26. What activities do you do for fun?
27. Why did you change your career from ____ to dentistry?
28. If you are working in a group and some one is not doing their part, what do you do?
29. What did you not like about your shadowing experience?
30. Do you think that current technology is absolutely essential to practice effective dentistry?
31. What are some current issues that exist in dentistry today?
32. What is something you have done that shows you have compassion for others?
33. What are your study habits like? How do you study?
34. What is a cavity (or other things related to dentistry)?
35. What leadership positions have you held? What did you learn from that position?
36. If there is a weakness in your application what would you say it is?
37. What leadership qualities do you have? Please give an example.
38. What do you like best about dentistry?
39. Would you offer free dental work to someone who couldn't pay for it? 
40. What sets you apart from other dental school applicants?
41. How many other schools have you interviewed at and which one have you liked most?
42. How many schools did you apply to? Follow up: Why did you decide to apply to so many schools?
43. Why did you decide to apply so late in the cycle? (I was asked this question in one of my interviews. I applied early June but did not complete my DAT until August 28, thus making my application complete sometime early September. Let them know that I wanted to do well on the DAT the first time around so I took the time that I thought I would need)
44. Please explain any poor grades that you received. (Don't offer to talk about them unless they ask you.)
45. We see that you took a ceramics class. Tell us about it. 
46. What types of books do you enjoy reading? 
47. What was the last book that you read?

*** Questions in blue were added as of July 29th ***

These are just a handful of potential interview questions that I came across while preparing for my interviews. I will continue to add to the list as time permits. With that said, if you have additional questions that you came across on the Internet or in your interviews feel free to post them in the comments section and I will add them to the list!

By sharing additional questions everyone can be that much more prepared. Also, if you are struggling to come up with an answer feel free to voice the concern. It is not a great idea, nor ethical,  to copy someone else's answer but I will be able to give some ideas in order get you rolling!

Dental School Interview: Dressing for the Occasion

The interview is a very important part of making it into dental school. Depending on one's statistics, application essays, personal statement, letters of recommendation, and number of dental schools that they applied to will determine the number of interviews that they receive.

Once you have obtained an interview it is very important to make the best of it. Perhaps, the simplest part of all is coming to the interview prepared to make a good first impression. The schools know that once you are in dental school you will come "casually" dressed sometimes scraggly hair, wrinkly clothes, and all the other things that come along with staying up late and waking up early. However, admissions wants to know that you put forth an effort to look your best for the occasion and that you actually care about getting into dental school. Remember, if you are not prepared someone else will be.

1. Haircut
For some this is a no brainer but for others (first hand experience on my interview outings) they simply forget that their hair affects the way they look. I know I am not speaking to any of the ladies out there, so for you men, if you wear your hair longer be sure to at least get a trim and make it look good. The bedhead look just does not cut it at important interviews.

These would be two examples of acceptable hair styles. Of course, you are not limited to these two hair styles but I think you get the point, clean, nicely styled haircuts.

Hairstyles that resemble this in any way shape or form would be considered unacceptable for an interview!

2. Clothing

Being dressed properly is another big part of looking good. I am not here to advocate the $1,000 suits or $500 dresses. Many of you may already have suits/dresses that are interview appropriate. If not, don't worry about buying the most expensive or nicest suit you can find . In fact, look for a cheep suit/dress that fits your budget but still looks nice (Easily find a suit around $100 or less, I know I did). Remember, they are not judging you on how much your clothing cost but they do want to see that you are put together and look professional.

What do men generally wear to the interview?
The large majority of men are wearing suits to their interviews. It seems like occasionally you will see someone with a nice pair of slacks, a dress shirt, and a tie but if you want to look like you are at the top of your game then wear a suit. It doesn't really matter what color the suit is (within reasonable limits of course). If you want to make it easy on yourself find a dark navy blue, or black suite. Other colors such as different shades of brown, blue, charcoal, and greens are also acceptable.

The following suits would be perfectly acceptable for an interview

In my humble opinion suits that were popular back in the 70s are probably not all that acceptable at an interview. If you want to try it because that is who you are then I guess that is up to you. I would also avoid other flashy suits as shown in the following pictures.

Also note that just because you have a $200 pair of jeans, it does not mean they are interview appropriate. Everything has its place but I would stick with a suit, dress shirt, and a tie. 

What do the women generally wear to an interview?

This is a little bit more of a complex question, at least for me. However, the majority of the ladies at my interviews were wearing either a dress, skirt and blouse, or dress suit. It seems like there is an unlimited number of acceptable combinations for women and that is probably why they take so long to choose an outfit.   I am no expert on women's clothing, however, I would recommend something that is conservative in colors and modest in cut. Also, remember that many of the schools give tours so you will want to wear shoes that are comfortable enough to walk/stand in for at least an hour. 

These are only a few examples. I know that you ladies are more than capable of finding appropriate attire for your interviews. If I say much more than I already have concerning womens clothing, I am afraid I will be speaking beyond my limits. 

NOTE: Mainly for all of you men out there. Remember to iron your clothing, polish your shoes, and brush your hair for your interviews. As competitive as dental school is becoming you cannot afford to not get accepted because you did not put the effort in to look good. Just because you have a DAT of 22 and a 3.8 GPA, does not guarantee you a spot. The interview can make or break your application. Your first impression could be the deal breaker. Good luck!