Where to Find the Best Dental School Advisor

How Competitive Is Dental School? 

The process of becoming a dentist is almost as complicated as the journey from high school to medical school. Students must take the prerequisite classes, prepare for and take the Dental Aptitude Test (DAT), choose the right dental school, and, finally, prepare applications to those schools. Doing all this can be overwhelming, and there is no room for mistakes to be made!

Additionally, dentistry has become more popular over the last few years, and consequently, gaining admission to a dentistry program is more competitive. Admission to a dental school is also made more difficult by the fact that there are comparatively fewer dental schools than medical schools. For instance, dental school acceptance rates in Canada sit around 12.1%, and there are only 10 Canadian dental schools. In the US, the average acceptance rate for dental school hovers around 29% for the most competitive programs, and around 40% for less competitive schools.

So how can a dental school advisor help you beat those odds? Dental school advisors help students navigate the complex admissions process, provide the tools they need to create a solid dental school application, and help them prepare for some of the most difficult dental school interview questions. Here’s an example of the kind of anxiety our students experience when they turn to us for dental school application help:

“As I embarked on the challenging task of crafting my personal statement, I felt lost in a vast ocean of words and ideas, unsure of how to artfully convey a narrative that would authentically showcase my distinct qualities and aspirations to the admissions committees. It was at this pivotal moment that I crossed paths with Ella Plante. Right from our initial interaction, Ella's exceptional professionalism, patience, and genuine interest in my personal growth shone brightly, as she endeavored to elevate my personal statement to not only portray my positive traits but also emphasize the profound influence my grandfather had on shaping my aspiration to become a grass-roots oral healthcare provider like him. Working with Ella was a privilege that regretfully not all dental school candidates will get to interact with, but I am glad that I got to be one of them!!!” – Anonymous BeMo student

But there is more! Dental school advising can include curriculum planning in college or as early as high school: preparing students for the necessary exams and forms, writing the dreaded dental school personal statement, and navigating financial aid applications. Their job is essentially to advise and guide students as they go through the entire dental school application and help them stand out in the competitive applicant pool. A good dental school advisor WANTS to see you succeed!

Average dental school acceptance rates in the US

Average dental school acceptance rates in Canada

How Do Dental School Advisors Help Students? 

A dental school advisor can help you get accepted to dental school in a number of ways, let’s explore them:

#1: Dental school advisors provide guidance

Dental school advisors provide personalized guidance based on your background, experiences, and statistics. They can give you advice on which dental schools to apply to, based on your stats, and they will know where you stand the best chance of getting accepted. If you are applying to highly competitive dental schools, an advisor can help you plan what steps you’ll need to take to strengthen your application and make it competitive. Our dental school advisors go above and beyond to make sure you understand how to navigate the dental school application process and stand out as a candidate:

“BeMo’s services and their consultants never disappoint. Now, I'm even more confident that I will get into my dream dental school. Charlene was a delight to work with and she did such a great job helping me to better my resume by cutting through all of the extra, polishing it, and presenting it masterfully. She was great with communication and also very patient with me. I highly recommend BeMo.” – Anonymous BeMo student

Dental school advisors always keep up with dental school admissions trends and other changes in the field, making the information they bring to the table current and relevant to your application! .

#2: Dental school advisors boost your chances of acceptance

 As mentioned earlier, dental school acceptance rates reveal that the field is becoming more competitive! To become a dental school student, you need to submit a compelling, well-rounded application, and that’s where things get tricky because being an excellent candidate on paper is no alwayst enough.

Dental school advisors can work with you to identify the weak points in your application and help you improve on them; whether it be your interview skills, personal statement or DAT score. You might need advice on choosing dental school application experiences examples. Or, if you have a low GPA or unsatisfactory DAT score, a dental school advisor is a wise investment. One of our former students turned to BeMo for assistance for this very reason:

“Trevor was very transparent and honest with the expectations and minimum thresholds aspiring students must meet to gain any chance of admission. He also provided me with resources to see admission statistics in various states and provinces. I hope to have another session with him after I re-write the DAT and get my marks back.”- Anonymous, Former BeMo Student

Dental school advisors can give you thorough, in-depth application review and work with you to polish your application, prep for your interview and even teach you the best study strategies to ace the DAT…remember, they know exactly what admissions committees are looking for!

#3 Dental school interview prep

Using mock interviews to simulate the real thing, a dental school advisor can evaluate your interview performance and provide coaching and feedback; which can give you a solid foundation for interviews beyond dental school, too.

“They [BeMo team] were really professional and giving customized to the point instructions to ace the interview, but what I liked most that they were trying to give me detailed strategy and structure to ace any type of questions. Thanks to their efforts, I got accepted to dental school at University of Toronto.” - Mahmoud Aly, Former BeMo Student, current student at the University of Toronto Dental Program

A good advisor will provide students with strategies for answering questions specific to the dental school they’re applying to and general questions that are very popular in academic and professional settings, such as "tell me about yourself" or "what is your greatest limitation?". Dental school advisors can orient you on what to expect and how to prepare for multiple mini interviews (MMI) commonly used by medical and dental schools. It’s not a secret that most people struggle with interviews, and dental school advisors can help:

"I knew I was very bad at talking about myself and answering those tricky questions, so I knew I had to practice extra hard for these interviews. After about eight sessions over the span of one month, I was ready when the real interview came around. I was confident, still a little nervous, but confident. When it comes to preparing for interviews, it's very difficult and you have to put in a lot of work, but it proved to be very, very helpful." – Sebastian, BeMo student

#4 Dental school written application

An advisor acts as a sort of essay writing tutor by working with you to brainstorm significant experiences or decisions from your life which led you to apply to dental school; this can be vital for admissions essays and your personal statement. From there, they can review your draft and coach you on writing an engaging narrative in your essay which demonstrates why your experiences and knowledge will make you a good future dentist. Here’s a quick look at how we helped our students get admitted to their first-choice dental schools:

“I have had BeMo review 6 supplemental dental school essays so far. I have received great feedback on all of them and have felt that my structure and content has improved tremendously with each review.” – SM, BeMo student

Dental school advisors can be helpful when choosing the best referees to write your dental school letter of recommendation or guide you on how to choose the best dental school extracurriculars, too. If you need to write an extracurriculars section in your application, a dental school advisor will help you frame your non-academic activities in a way that highlights how they have contributed to your skills as a dentist.

#5: Dental school advisors save applicants time, money, and stress

Applying to and going to dental school can be expensive. A dental school advisor can save you the cost and time of reapplying by helping you get accepted the first time around. An advisor can also guide you on applying for financial aid once you’re accepted or find scholarships you may be eligible for to help fund your education.

Having someone who knows the dental school admissions process inside and out can also save you time and effort. From researching schools to drafting application materials, to interview prep and DAT studying; the process of applying to dental school can be a gruelling one. Having someone on your side can prove incredibly beneficial:

“Anant was an excellent resource during our brainstorming session. He narrowed down the most important and impactful aspects of a personal statement, and was genuine in his interest in my dental school application success.” – Anonymous, Former BeMo Student

Last but not least, working with a dental school admissions consulting expert will help put your mind at ease. No one can predict the exact questions that you will be asked during a dental school interview, for instance. But, dental school advisors can help you review and practice answering the hardest dental school interview questions. This gives students a better idea of what to expect, which goes a long way toward reducing nerves.

#6: Dental school advisors help students develop valuable skills

From time management to critical thinking and communication abilities; the lessons you learn from your dental school advisor can be ones that you take with you throughout your life…even beyond dental school. For example, if you plan to pursue other training after dental school, the skills you learn with your dental school advisor can be applicable to your next endeavour:

“I wanted to let you know all students who are preparing for medical and dental residency and looking for a place to get professional feedbacks and enhance your performance, BeMo is my recommendation!” – Majid, BeMo student

How to Find the Best Dental School Advisor

There are hundreds of dental school admissions consulting services and dental advisors out there. Here’s how to find one with the right credentials who can help you succeed as an applicant: 

Interested in seeing some of the key points from this blog summarized? This infographic is for you:

Conclusion

Getting into dental school is competitive, and it gets more challenging every year as the profession becomes more popular. To increase their chances of admission, students need to make sure every aspect of their application is solid and stands out from the pool of high-achieving applicants. The best dental school admissions consulting help students achieve their goal by helping them through the entire admissions process and giving them tools that will help them throughout dental school and beyond. Finding the right dental school advisor can be the key to your success when applying to competitive dental schools.

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To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting