UPenn Dental Class of 2028 Interview/Acceptance Thread

[Ryxndek]

Link to last year's thread: UPenn Dental Class of 2027 Interview/Acceptance Thread

Link to interview prep: University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine Interview Feedback
----> Be sure to give feedback on your interview to help future applicants!

Link to school website: University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine

Class of 2024 (ADEA Guide) General Stats: Overall GPA: 3.75 Science GPA: 3.70 DAT: 22.4AA, 21.9TS, 21.7PAT Applied: 1,981 OOS: 1,646 Applied, N/A Interviewed, 252 Accepted IS: 122 Applied, N/A Interviewed, 26 Accepted International: 213 Applied, N/A Interviewed, 17 Accepted # Enrolled: 136

Class of 2026 (ADEA Guide) General Stats: Overall GPA: 3.77 Science GPA: 3.71 DAT: 22.9AA, 22.4TS, 21.8PAT Applied: 2,211 OOS: 1,831 Applied, 124 Accepted IS: 133 Applied, 14 Accepted International: 247 Applied, 12 Accepted # Enrolled: 150 5th-95th Percentiles Science: 3.33-4.00 Overall: 3.49-3.99

Good luck everyone!

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[DocDocTooth]

I submitted primary and then paid the fee a week after because I thought they will send you an email. And now I just paid, the portal is not activated for secondary essay. Do they activate all at once or only after a while after you paid? I'm confused.

 

[mst0330]

I submitted primary and then paid the fee a week after because I thought they will send you an email. And now I just paid, the portal is not activated for secondary essay. Do they activate all at once or only after a while after you paid? I'm confused.

How did you pay the fee I thought it’s through email?

 

[mst0330]

I submitted primary and then paid the fee a week after because I thought they will send you an email. And now I just paid, the portal is not activated for secondary essay. Do they activate all at once or only after a while after you paid? I'm confused.

Ohh I found the app portal i think it’s activated at all at once for the cycle

 

[DocDocTooth]

I googled "Penn Dental Medicine applicant portal", created a profile, and paid the fee.

Same, that's why I did too.. I was waiting for their email.. Until I read their instruction again and searched up the portal name but yes, the secondary app doesn't seem to be activated now. Anyone has any idea when they will open?

 

[Bahar-]

I emailed them a couple days ago, this what they said:

"We are several weeks from beginning our AADSAS cycle for the entering class of 2024. We are currently interviewing for our advanced standing program for internationally trained dentists and processing applications for our eight advanced education specialty programs. When we do begin processing applications you will receive an email from us confirming receipt of your application with instructions for creating an account in the Penn Dental Medicine’s applicant portal to begin our supplemental application and submit your application fee.
Thank you for your interest in Penn Dental Medicine."

 

[Ryxndek]

I emailed them a couple days ago, this what they said:

"We are several weeks from beginning our AADSAS cycle for the entering class of 2024. We are currently interviewing for our advanced standing program for internationally trained dentists and processing applications for our eight advanced education specialty programs. When we do begin processing applications you will receive an email from us confirming receipt of your application with instructions for creating an account in the Penn Dental Medicine’s applicant portal to begin our supplemental application and submit your application fee.
Thank you for your interest in Penn Dental Medicine."

Penn takes a little bit to get their application portal set up. They will email you when it’s ready. I applied in middle of June last cycle and didn’t get the supplemental app until around July

 

[fishy19_]

Penn takes a little bit to get their application portal set up. They will email you when it’s ready. I applied in middle of June last cycle and didn’t get the supplemental app until around July

So as long as I have submitted on AADSAS, which I did last week. There is no more for me to do until I get an email from them regarding fee payment and supplemental application.

 

[Ryxndek]

So as long as I have submitted on AADSAS, which I did last week. There is no more for me to do until I get an email from them regarding fee payment and supplemental application.

correct. If it says submitted then you're submitted. You just have to wait for them to reach out. Looking back from the last cycle, I submitted Upenn AADSAS mid-June, and didn't hear from them about confirmation and access to the supplemental app until early July

 

[Boronew]

did anyone hear directly from UPenn regarding supplemental fee?

 

[dynamo72]

did anyone hear directly from UPenn regarding supplemental fee?

not anything yet, we're just all waiting on the email notification I believe.

 

[Ryxndek]

did anyone hear directly from UPenn regarding supplemental fee?

You’ll get a link sometime in July to pay the fee and fill out the supplemental. UPenn is still dealing with their Co2027 getting on campus and getting them situated

 

[smileystudent87]

i was able to access it today but when i called they said they havent sent them out and would be sending them out over the next month... the inconsistencies r crazy lmao

 

[salt_b]

I got an email today with the supplemental fee and secondary application information. They basically send you a link to the PDM portal and you log in and pay the supplemental. Once you pay, you can access the secondary app. They also make you fill out a dental experience table. Haven't opened that one yet so I'm not sure what it's supposed to be. I am guessing it has to do with explaining your shadowing experience.

 

[dynamo72]

Just got the supplemental application email.

 

[smileystudent87]

literally so burnt out from writing my ps im struggling with these supplementary essays lmao

 

[Boronew]

literally so burnt out from writing my ps im struggling with these supplementary essays lmao

you got this!!

 

[dynamo72]

literally so burnt out from writing my ps im struggling with these supplementary essays lmao

Take a little break, for a day or two. Better to do it right than just doing it to get it done ASAP.

That’s what I’m doin, other supplemental apps got me dead atm. There’s also no limit for UPenn prompts?? So that’s great.

 

[salt_b]

Take a little break, for a day or two. Better to do it right than just doing it to get it done ASAP.

That’s what I’m doin, other supplemental apps got me dead atm. There’s also no limit for UPenn prompts?? So that’s great.

The prompt says 1000 words or less.

 

[smileystudent87]

Take a little break, for a day or two. Better to do it right than just doing it to get it done ASAP.

That’s what I’m doin, other supplemental apps got me dead atm. There’s also no limit for UPenn prompts?? So that’s great.

yeah 1000 words or less as someone else said but ive always been told write what u wanna say in as little words as possible bc they do not want to read 3 1000 word long paragraphs along with the rest of ur app

 

[salt_b]

yeah 1000 words or less as someone else said but ive always been told write what u wanna say in as little words as possible bc they do not want to read 3 1000 word long paragraphs along with the rest of ur app

Definitely the case. This is what the prompt says "Please convey your thoughts adequately and concisely (one-thousand word limit per response)."

 

[dynamo72]

I stand corrected, I skimmed over it and yeah, 1000 word limit. Definitely gonna try to keep it concise

 

[thechacko]

I accidentally labeled all of my shadowing experiences in the Clinical Dental Experience Table and now I am unable to remove them even though I haven't submitted them. Did anyone else accidentally do this? What should I do?

 

[mst0330]

I accidentally labeled all of my shadowing experiences in the Clinical Dental Experience Table and now I am unable to remove them even though I haven't submitted them. Did anyone else accidentally do this? What should I do?

They said not to do that in instructions LOL email them maybe

 

[DentalOreo]

I accidentally labeled all of my shadowing experiences in the Clinical Dental Experience Table and now I am unable to remove them even though I haven't submitted them. Did anyone else accidentally do this? What should I do?

I did the exact same thing.... let me know what they say

 

[smileystudent87]

I accidentally labeled all of my shadowing experiences in the Clinical Dental Experience Table and now I am unable to remove them even though I haven't submitted them. Did anyone else accidentally do this? What should I do?

**** i did the same thing 😭 does this actually matter lmao

 

[smileystudent87]

I accidentally labeled all of my shadowing experiences in the Clinical Dental Experience Table and now I am unable to remove them even though I haven't submitted them. Did anyone else accidentally do this? What should I do?

"Clinical experience is an umbrella term used to refer to both shadowing and direct patient care experience. These experiences are critical for your development and for showing prospective schools that you have “tried out” the field you're interested in pursuing and are fully dedicated to your chosen career path." this is the definition from uconn "Clinical hours for dental school typically refer to time spent working directly with patients in a dental setting. This can include volunteering at a dental clinic, working as a dental assistant, or shadowing a dentist." this is from a sdn response. idk i think u can keep ur shadowing experience

 

[Smile2thetop]

They said not to do that in instructions LOL email them maybe

Where are these instructions? So confused.

 

[mst0330]

Where are these instructions? So confused.

Top of that page there’s a paragraph explaining everything

 

[Ryxndek]

Everything’s in the details guys. This profession is all about them. Please please please read everything and then read it again

With that said, mistakes happen. Own up to them and reach out to admissions if you can’t edit it. It’s not the end of the world, I promise.

You guys will do great!

 

[Smile2thetop]

Top of that page there’s a paragraph explaining everything

The instructions are below

In the table below you will find all 'dental-related experience', 'employment', 'shadowing experience' and 'volunteer/community enrichment' reported in the initial submission of your AADSAS application.

Click only into each dental clinical experience reported and use the 'select list' to assign the discipline in which the clinical experience occurred. If the experience pulled into the table is not a clinical dental experience DO NOT assign a discipline. Leave it blank.

When you have assigned the type of dental practice in which you had all your clinical experiences, scroll down to the bottom of this page, select the agreement box indicating that your responses cannot be changed once submitted, and submit your responses. Again, once you have submitted your responses you will be unable to make any changes to the information in this table.

I do not see anywhere they specifically mention shadowing experience as not being dental clinical experience. As quoted above I’m pretty sure shadowing is very much a dental experience.

 

[Boronew]

The instructions are below

In the table below you will find all 'dental-related experience', 'employment', 'shadowing experience' and 'volunteer/community enrichment' reported in the initial submission of your AADSAS application.

Click only into each dental clinical experience reported and use the 'select list' to assign the discipline in which the clinical experience occurred. If the experience pulled into the table is not a clinical dental experience DO NOT assign a discipline. Leave it blank.

When you have assigned the type of dental practice in which you had all your clinical experiences, scroll down to the bottom of this page, select the agreement box indicating that your responses cannot be changed once submitted, and submit your responses. Again, once you have submitted your responses you will be unable to make any changes to the information in this table.

I do not see anywhere they specifically mention shadowing experience as not being dental clinical experience. As quoted above I’m pretty sure shadowing is very much a dental experience.

Agreed.

 

[futuredentalstudent2024]

yeah 1000 words or less as someone else said but ive always been told write what u wanna say in as little words as possible bc they do not want to read 3 1000 word long paragraphs along with the rest of ur app

You think 500 words or maybe less would be best? Also what do you say for the optional essay? All I think about to mention is the AP credit I received.

 

[Shopo.az]

I got the supplemental application couple days ago. However, I saw the link to the experience table to be filled, but now it wont show it to me anymore! Has anyone experiencing the same thing?

 

[ochem_lover]

I got the supplemental application couple days ago. However, I saw the link to the experience table to be filled, but now it wont show it to me anymore! Has anyone experiencing the same thing?

Try and open it up from your history, worked for me

 

[dynamo72]

You think 500 words or maybe less would be best? Also what do you say for the optional essay? All I think about to mention is the AP credit I received.

Just finished this part of the supplemental application. I talked about my one "W" on my transcript and my worst quarter in terms of academic performance. I think this section is super important to help explain any potential weaknesses that are on your application

 

[Shopo.az]

Try and open it up from your history, worked for me

Still didnt work I emailed admission, hopefully they reply soon

 

[Boronew]

Is everyone putting their dental shadowing experience as their dental clinical experience?

 

[mst0330]

Is everyone putting their dental shadowing experience as their dental clinical experience?

Yes that’s what ur supposed to do(or implied). Shadowing is clinical experience

 

[smileystudent87]

You think 500 words or maybe less would be best? Also what do you say for the optional essay? All I think about to mention is the AP credit I received.

i did 200 words or less i quite honestly didnt know what else to say without repeating myself i was as concise as possible lmao

 

[mst0330]

i did 200 words or less i quite honestly didnt know what else to say without repeating myself i was as concise as possible lmao

I only did first question but my goal is 200-300. But better to be concise and not repeat! Quality over quantity

 

[thetoothdoc]

The instructions are below

In the table below you will find all 'dental-related experience', 'employment', 'shadowing experience' and 'volunteer/community enrichment' reported in the initial submission of your AADSAS application.

Click only into each dental clinical experience reported and use the 'select list' to assign the discipline in which the clinical experience occurred. If the experience pulled into the table is not a clinical dental experience DO NOT assign a discipline. Leave it blank.

When you have assigned the type of dental practice in which you had all your clinical experiences, scroll down to the bottom of this page, select the agreement box indicating that your responses cannot be changed once submitted, and submit your responses. Again, once you have submitted your responses you will be unable to make any changes to the information in this table.

I do not see anywhere they specifically mention shadowing experience as not being dental clinical experience. As quoted above I’m pretty sure shadowing is very much a dental experience.

Exactly. I selected my shadowing experiences, no where does it say to not list them as so.

 

[thejuice4001]

I was wondering if anyone else has any extracurriculars missing on the PDM portal clinical experience table. All of my experiences from the AADSAS application transferred over except for my undergraduate research (which I put almost 800 hours into). I'm not too concerned since my research isn't a dental experience, but I am slightly worried that they somehow won't be able to see that as an activity of mine when looking at my application.

 

[futuredentalstudent2024]

Is UPenn p/f/h? or rank students?

 

[dental143]

I was wondering if anyone else has any extracurriculars missing on the PDM portal clinical experience table. All of my experiences from the AADSAS application transferred over except for my undergraduate research (which I put almost 800 hours into). I'm not too concerned since my research isn't a dental experience, but I am slightly worried that they somehow won't be able to see that as an activity of mine when looking at my application.

Same here! None of my research sections were on the PDM portal. Did anyone else experience this?

 

[Smile2thetop]

They don’t list research on the table. See the opening paragraph.


In the table below you will find all 'dental-related experience', 'employment', 'shadowing experience' and 'volunteer/community enrichment' reported in the initial submission of your AADSAS application.

 

[dental143]

For those of you who have submitted the supplemental app, does your AADSAS still say "None"?

 

[Ryxndek]

For those of you who have submitted the supplemental app, does your AADSAS still say "None"?

penn doesn't use AADSAS, they have their own portal. So it will say none for majority/whole cycle. You shouldn't always go with what the AADSAS portal says. Not all schools update it very often, some do, some don't. Just go with their emails, those are usually most up to date.

 

[fishy19_]

Can you edit the essays after submitting them, as long as you haven't submitted the entire supplemental app? I wanted to start working on the experience table while my sister is editing my supplemental essays, but cannot access it without filling out the essay prompts.

 

[DMD12345]

grades

Gpa but no rank