Preparing for interview:

After you submit your AADSAS application, next step in the process is the interview. Most dental schools require applicants to attend only one interview on their campus; in this interview they ask some questions that revolve around subjects like interpersonal skills, ability to overcome challenges, self-confidence and so on.

The dental schools usually start interviewing applicants in September and continue throughout the fall. Around half of the dental schools also continue interviewing until the end of spring.

For more details on how the interview is done and the timing you should talk to your pre-health advisor or contact the dental school directly to learn the process, you can also visit their website and see what you can find.

You are going to have a few weeks to prepare for the interview and figure out how to succeed. It is important that you learn all you can about the dental school you are applying to so that you would be better prepared for their questions, we suggest checking their website, searching the internet to find sample interviews or to see if you can find people who have shared their interview experience in that school.

At the end of the interview you will be asked if you have any questions so it is better if you ask them to explain something you read on their website rather than asking questions to which you could have easily found the answer to if you had read their website. If you research well you should be able to learn most of the questions they are going to ask.

We suggest you keep an honest, modest and passionate tone during the interview.

Here are some sample questions that you will most probably be asked on the interview:

1. So tell me a little about yourself.
2. Why do you want to be a dentist?
4. What differentiates you from the rest of the applicants?
5. I like you and this all sounds great, but what can I go back and tell the admissions committee that will convince them that we want you in our upcoming class?
6. Why did you apply to our Dental school (+ what other schools)?
9. What type of dental program are you interested in?
10. Can you explain the (A-F) grade you received in this class? OR Your grades slipped in particular semester, any reason?
12. In the past, what has happened to you that has made the biggest impact on your life?
13. We noticed you withdrew from a class, why?
14. Dentists require a great deal of hand coordination. Do you have any relevant experience?
15. Do you think the role of a Dentist has changed, and how so?
16. How did your friends/family react to your interest in Dentistry?
18. Do you have any plans after graduation?
19. What would make you happy 10 years from now?
20. If you had to change anything about yourself, what would it be?
21. How do you spend your free time? OR What do you do to relax?
22. What would you say was the best day or experience you ever had?
23. How do you see yourself, what are your good characteristics?
24. If you could meet anybody, in all of history, and eat dinner with them, who would it be?
25. What do you do when you are stressed out?
26. What are things you don’t like about dentistry?
27. Is ____ your first choice?
28. Why, other than wanting to help people, do you want to be a dentist?
29. What is your biggest strength and weakness?
30. Have you been involved in any ethical situations?
31. Tell me what you think would be a negative factor if you attended ____?
32. What was the biggest challenge you’ve experienced recently?
33. What would you do if you could not go to dental school?
34. What is an important quality that a dentist should have?
35. What do I need to know about you that is important?
36. What is your greatest failure?
37. What is your most effective study style?
38. Why should we accept you over someone with similar or better credentials?
39. Do you like to study in group?

It is very important that you are familiar with the subjects that will be brought up in the interviews so that you will be able to answer the questions properly in the way you would like to answer them.
You can practice mock interviews with people around to prepare for the real interview if this method helps, you can also just review the answer you have to questions you know will probably be asked on the interview and think about the answers beforehand.
You have made it this far and got an interview so it means you have worked hard to get here, be confident in yourself and try to keep a positive tone during the interview.