To Wear or Not to Wear? What you should wear to the Interview.

Interview Advice: What to Wear, What to Wear

September 26, 2010

by Jeremiah Fleenor, MD, MBA
Author of The Medical School Interview: Secrets and a System for Success

“I base most of my fashion sense on what doesn’t itch.” Gilda Radner

Let’s face it, we live in a much less formal era than those preceding. The anomaly of casual Friday has become the norm in American culture. Many people work from home, conquering the world through a computer while wearing a comfy pair of sweatpants. This new trend can lead one astray when it comes to the medical school interview. The increase in informality is compounded by the fact that many of those being interviewed may never have had the opportunity to wear a suit for a formal event.

Often times, an applicant is left with an awful feeling shortly before an interview when they realize they may not be in compliance with the “dress code.” It can be distressing when you discover there are rules to the game but no one gave you a copy... 

Read the Rest of the Article HERE

Below Is a list of some other Helpful threads pertaining to Interview Dresscode

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=552578
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=731757
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=842733

Studying for The Biology Section of the DAT

Below is a list of topics that are covered on the DAT, as listed by the ADA on the DAT portion of their website: 

http://www.ada.org/dat.aspx

The scope of the test covers a wide range of topics, but the questions are not as in depth as one might see in a class devoted to a specific topic like Ecology.


Major Biology Topics to Know for the DAT
Cell and Molecular Biology

• Origin of life 
• Cell metabolism (including photosynthesis/enzymology)
• Cellular processes
• Thermodynamics
• Organelle structure and function
• Mitosis/meiosis
• Cell structure 
• Experimental cell biology

Diversity of Life

• Biological Organization and Relationship of Major Taxa (Six-Kingdom, Three-Domain System) – plantae, animalia, protista, fungi, eubacteria (bacteria), archae, etc.

Structure and Function of Systems

• Integumentary
• Skeletal muscular 
• Circulatory
• Immunological 
• Digestive 
• Respiratory 
• Urinary 
• Nervous/senses
•  Endocrine 
• Reproductive 
• 
  

Developmental Biology 

• Fertilization 
• Descriptive embryology 
• Developmental mechanisms
• Experimental embryology

Genetics

• Molecular genetics,
• Human genetics
• Classical genetics 
• Chromosomal genetics
• Genetic technology

Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior

• Natural selection
• Population genetics/speciation
• Cladistics 
• Population and community ecology
• Ecosystems 
• Animal behavior (including social behavior)

Two great test prep materials that I highly recommend using for preparing for this section and brushing up on your Biology are: Cliffs AP Bio Book and Kaplan's Blue Book.

Kaplan's Blue Book has material for each and every section on the DAT. It is a great resource to refresh yourself with the general concepts of many of the topics tested on the DAT. However, I would not recommend using only KBB to prepare, as it does not everything.

As I was preparing for my test, I read many good recommendations about the Cliff's AP Biology Prep Book. It is not super in depth, but it does cover a very wide array of topics. Also it's very easy on your wallet!

You can sometimes find a great deal on these books used at eBay or half.com, but I often find that Amazon has the cheapest prices, used or new.

Buying both of these books NEW will probably cost around $55-60, including shipping. Not a bad investment to improve your DAT score!

                            

NYU Dental School Gets Sued by Former Student Part 2

MANHATTAN — A former student at NYU's College of Dentistry was denied her diploma because she fell short of the $20,000 in dental procedures she says she was required to perform while attending the school, according to a lawsuit.

The ex-student, Katie Kickertz, said the university told her on her graduation day in May 2009 that she missed the target dollar amount of completed dental work by about $2,000, according to court documents.

Manhattan's appellate court ruled in Kickertz' favor Thursday, overturning a lower court finding in favor of NYU.

The court determined that NYU must grant Kickertz her bachelors and dental school degrees, as it would be unfair to leave Kickertz with "no degree of any kind after seven years of educational toil and the expenditure of hundreds of thousands of dollars," according to the ruling.

Kickertz told the New York Post that when she was told of the $2,000 shortfall, faculty advisers urged her to make up the difference. After she made a credit card payment, school officials canceled the payment, calling it an ethical breach.

NYU, which is planning to challenge the decision issued Thursday, argues that Kickertz was expelled. . . .

Read the rest of the article HERE at DNAinfo New York

NYU Dental School Gets Sued by Former Student Part 1

"They’re extracting more than teeth at NYU’s dental school."

A former honors student says she was forced to meet a $38,000 quota in clinical work for the school — and then had to buy a whole other education after it pulled her two degrees on graduation day over a $2,000 shortfall.

“I was devastated . . . It was horrible,’’ said Katie Kikertz, now 28 and a licensed dentist in Illinois.

She recently won a suit to have her BA and dental degrees from NYU honored.

The Manhattan appellate court decision said the school’s treatment of her “shocks the conscience.”

“Katie was tortured and tormented by NYU for 2 1/2 years,’’  . . . . .

Read the Full Article HERE at the New York Post.

Dental School Interviews

I hope everyone has been doing well. Hopefully by now all of you are getting ready for your interviews at your respective dental schools.

If you are in need of a re-take of the DAT, HURRY UP!! As the test takes time to get processed into AADSAS than sent out to the schools you have applied to.


Get ready to do lots of introspection and answer common interview questions like:
1. Tell me about yourself?
2. Why dentistry?
3. Why do you think our school is a good fit for you?
4. Questions about your Personal Statement.
5. Questions about some part of your application.

Most importantly, remember to be candid and calm. Don't be so nervous to the point that you fail to click with your interviewer(s) and fail to show your awesome self!

One awesome book that I have purchased from Amazon is linked below. It has hundreds of practice interview questions and lots of great information pertaining to your interviews at dental schools.

Dental School Interview Guide: Preparation and practice for dental school admissions[Paperback]

Matthew Brutsche (Author), Leslie Michaelis (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2009 | ISBN-10: 1449928471 | ISBN-13: 978-1449928476

The Dental School Interview Guide offers proven tips and tricks, techniques and strategies for dental school interview preparation. We will not simply tell you how to dress professionally during dental school interviews, but equip you with the best methods formulated to effectively distinguish yourself from your competitors. Dental interview questions are designed to challenge the interviewee and will cause difficulty for student who is not properly prepared. School interviews require a great deal of time and effort on the part of the dental school, they intend to find the most qualified applicants and take the process seriously. Mock interviews, practice questions, and a unique interview preparation methodology will prepare any student to win the interview through our guided process.