Timeline & Steps for Applicants
Applying to Dental School
Well before the application cycle, prospective applicants to dental school should determine when to take the DAT. The DAT should ideally be taken 3 months in advance of when you plan to submit your application and no later than August of the year you plan to apply. Applicants should refer to the ADEA GoDental web page on the DAT.
Registration Information will be sent in an email
The workshop will review/discuss:
the timeline and process for applying to medical school
the documents required to obtain a Committee Letter
letters of recommendation
At Hamilton, the Committee Letter is a detailed narrative of your path to a career in medicine written by the Health Professions advisor and edited by the Health Professions Advisory Committee. It is combined with your other letters of recommendation (LORs). Although not required for admission to medical school, medical schools prefer to receive a Committee Letter to benefit you. They will become suspicious if an applicant doesn’t submit such a letter when his/her school offers this service.
As part of the dental school application process, you must solicit letters of recommendation (LORs). Serving as an outside endorsement of your candidacy, a LOR is a letter in which the author will assess your qualities, characteristics, and capabilities as they pertain to dental school. Ideally, a LOR will demonstrate to the admissions committees that you possess the traits and core competencies they look for in a future dentist.
LORs will be collected and stored in Interfolio. Those applying for admission to dental school in 2025 must create an account by December 1, 2024 (more information below.) Applicants should confirm writers' willingness to support them before listing your evaluators. For tips on soliciting letters of recommendation, visit our Letters of Recommendation Page.
The Declaration of Intent is a Qualtrics form that notifies the Health Professions Advising office of your intent to apply to medical school and provides the office with basic identifying information. Complete this form no later than December 1st, 2024. Re-applicants from prior application cycles should submit a new Declaration of Intent by February 1st, 2025.
Submit Release of Information/Confidentiality Waiver
The Release of Information/confidentiality waiver (found within the Declaration of Intent Qualtrics form) allows Leslie Bell and the Health Professions Advisory Committee to contact the Dean’s Office to determine if any sanctions have been brought against you during your time at Hamilton as well as waives your right to view any letters written on your behalf. While you legally have the right to view any letters written on your behalf, it is best to waive this right for several reasons. Medical schools are wary of applicants who need to see their LORs. Failure to waive this right creates the impression that your LORs may not be candid assessments of your candidacy and that you may have "censored" your letters by including only those that paint a positive picture of you. Admissions committees want assurance that they receive a complete, unedited picture of you from those who wrote your LORs, so it is best to remove any appearance of you having a hand in what they say. From the medical school's perspective, it is preferable that you have a closed file and that your letters be confidential.
All applicants, including those with letters currently on file at the Health Professions Advising office, must create an account on Interfolio.
Instructions for Letter Uploads:
Request your individual letters of recommendation under the “Letters” tab.
Ensure that “Email” is checked under “Request Method.”
Under “Add New Contact,” fill out the recommender's information and title the document with their last name and your last name, “ Hance/Smith Rec.”
Ensure that the box for a confidential letter is checked
Set the due date as April 1st, 2025.
Ensure “Specific Recommendation or Opportunity is Selected” and named “Medical/Dental/Vet School Rec.”
You do not need to add a description.
You may then write a message to your recommender and attach supporting documentation, such as your resume or any other material you feel would be helpful to them in writing.
Send the request as soon as you are able.
Generate Letter Requests
Applicants will be responsible for generating letter requests and monitoring the receipt of letters in their files.
Letters of recommendation are due by April 1. Candidates' materials will be presented to the Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) in the order in which files are completed. We strongly recommend generating letter requests, especially those for faculty, in December so that they can use winter break to write. Check your account frequently to monitor the receipt of letters, as you may need to follow up with evaluators whose letters have not been submitted.
Applicants who wish to request an LOR later may do so (e.g., from a supervisor at a new job or from a professor who is just getting to know you.) However, candidates will not be presented to the Health Professions Advising Committee until their files are complete (all LORs and other documents received and MCAT taken.)
Some recommenders may need help to reach out or may need reminders to submit their letters; starting early is the key to success.
To receive a committee letter, files must be completed by May 1, 2025. A completed file consists of all LORs, your Self-Assessment, personal statement, resume, and the Interview for the Committee Letter.
Hamilton's Registrar's Office will provide your Hamilton transcript to the HPAC. If you have completed relevant coursework at other post-secondary institutions (e.g. summer classes, post-bac programs, Master's degrees), you must upload them to Interfolio. To complete your file, transcripts should be received by March 1, 2025.
Applicants taking classes elsewhere through May 2025 should notify the Health Professions Advising Office that a transcript will be forthcoming. Official or unofficial transcripts, if you have them, are acceptable. When you complete your application to medical school on AMCAS/AACOMAS, you will be responsible for requesting official transcripts from all secondary institutions you have attended and some study abroad programs.
*If you request an official transcript to send us, you will need to add Cheney Cronin, Assistant Director of Health Professions Advising, as the recipient. Please send to hpa@hamilton.edu.
Your personal statement draft is due to the HPAC on March 1, 2025. It will be reviewed along with the rest of your materials.
It is strongly recommended that you receive and incorporate feedback from several personal and professional sources to write your final essay. For professional reviews, appointments can be made with Career Center advisors via Handshake and the Health Professions Advisor via Google Calendar. Current students are also encouraged to take advantage of the Writing Center.
After you submit the Declaration of Intent, you will be sent the Applicant Self Assessment and the Work and Activities sheets to complete.
You must also submit a Resumé, a draft of your Personal Statement, and a copy of your transcripts*.
Upload these documents to your Interfolio account by March 1, 2025. Reflecting and writing about your experiences should help you prepare answers for your application. Please save the uploaded materials with the type of document and your last name filename: (LastName_Self-Assessment), (LastName_Personal Statement).
*If you request an official transcript to send us, you will need to add Cheney Cronin, Assistant Director of Health Professions Advising, as the recipient. Please send to hpa@hamilton.edu
Once you have submitted all your documents, you can sign up for an interview with the Health Professions Advisor.
The purpose is to become better acquainted with you, including your academic accomplishments, core competencies, and the experiences that have confirmed and prepared you for a career in medicine (as outlined in your Self-Assessment) and your readiness to apply in this application cycle. Notes from the interview will be shared with all HPAC members, along with the documents and letters submitted to Interfolio, and your transcript(s). This information will be used to write a comprehensive Committee Letter that will be sent along with your Letters of Recommendation to the medical schools to which you are applying.
Interviews with current students will be conducted in person; interviews with alumni will be conducted via Zoom, allowing one hour. Alumni: Interviews will be conducted during normal business hours (some lunch times have been reserved).
All LORs will be due in Interfolio by April 1, 2025.
It will be your responsibility to monitor your account regarding the receipt of your letters and to contact reference writers who have not yet submitted them. Often, a phone call is the best way to touch base with your writer regarding the status of your letter.
The ADEA AADSAS is a centralized application service that enables applicants to submit one standardized online application to any participating dental school (all U.S. and one Canadian dental school participate in ADEA AADSAS). Texas residents who wish to apply to in-state dental schools must use the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) at www.tmdsas.com. Texas residents must use ADEA AADSAS to apply to out-of-state schools. Out-of-state residents applying to Texas schools may apply through ADEA AADSAS.
Though the ADEA AADSAS application opens in mid-May, complete instructions are typically posted on ADEA GoDental in late March. I would strongly suggest that you read through all of the application instructions before completing the application in June. Now is also a good time to identify schools to which you plan to apply and research each school’s requirements regarding required/recommended courses and supplemental materials.
In mid-May, plan to participate in the ADEA AADSAS “Prep Day Virtual Fair” to speak with ADEA AADSAS staff about application questions.
To help in course entry, it is recommended that you request that an official transcript from the registrar of every college/university you have attended be sent to you before you complete the application.
The AADSAS application will allow you three weeks to work on and refine your application information after it opens in mid-May before you can submit it. In preparation, refer to ADEA GoDental for information, resources, and important dates. Refer to the yearly ADEA AADSAS application instructions when they become available in early February.
Because many schools have a rolling admissions cycle, submitting your application in June or July will maximize your chances of being considered for an interview.
For your application to be processed, ADEA AADSAS must receive official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended. You must complete and send a Transcript Request Form to the registrar of each college/university attended, as this form must be attached to your official transcript(s) when sent by the registrar(s) to ADEA AADSAS.
Dental schools may require supplemental information in addition to your complete ADEA AADSAS application. Review each school’s website and the supplemental table in the application to ensure all the necessary requirements have been completed.
Many Dental schools are moving back to in-person interviews. If you are a current student, ensure you consider this. Inform your faculty members of absences and connect with the school for recommendations for travel and lodging.
For your convenience, you can schedule an interview preparation appointment with the Health Professions Advisor through Google Calendar. Alternatively, you can reach out to your assigned career advisor by calling the Career Center at (315) 859-4346 or emailing your advisor directly.
Mock interviews will be conducted via Zoom for alumni, in-person, or Zoom for current students.
Contact
Contact Name
Courtney Hance
Director of Health Professions Advising
