High Point University Workman School of Dental Medicine

Admission Model

What is the Plan Phase of the CARE Curriculum?

The admission model at the HPU Workman School of Dental Medicine is designed to support a culture that
represents our core values of compassion, integrity, growth, innovation, and collaboration. Each person
admitted has a distinctive story that describes their knowledge, experiences, and attributes they can bring to
the community. The Plan Phase is the opportunity to share what makes you ready to become an exceptional
oral healthcare provider and to lead the Future of Dental Medicine. The HPU Workman School of Dental
Medicine seeks candidates with diverse backgrounds, unique experiences, and extraordinary aspirations who
are prepared for an immersive, self-directed, and patient-centered learning journey that is unlike any other.

The goals of the Plan Phase of the CARE Curriculum are to:
• Illustrate your individual strengths, contributions, and opportunities for growth
• Connect your previous knowledge, skills, and experiences, to anticipated learning
• Demonstrate your capacity and motivation to learn and serve

The Plan Phase includes three steps (Figure 1) to maximize the efficiency and equity of the admission process.
Each step signifies a progressive narrowing of the applicant pool conducted by our Plan Phase Team.
• Step 1: submit a summary of knowledge, experiences, and attributes
• Step 2: receive an invitation to participate in an interview with our team
• Step 3: receive an invitation to join the HPU Workman School of Dental Medicine

Figure 1. An outline of the Plan Phase of the CARE Curriculum

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What is the expected admission timeline?
The HPU WSDM application is available in May and closes in December of each admissions cycle.
Candidates can login into the online portal, start their application, and submit it when they are ready.
Applications are considered incomplete until the Acuity Insights Assessments (Casper and Duet) scores are
received by the program.

For early commitment candidates, the Casper and Duet assessments must be taken before July 31 (i.e., the
exam must be taken). Candidates may be offered an interview before the Casper assessment score has
been received by the program because the team is able to view whether a candidate registered and
completed the assessment. For all other candidates, the Casper and Duet assessment scores must be
received before an interview offer may be granted. The distribution of the scores takes approximately two (2)
weeks after the testing date and can delay interview opportunities.

Candidates may be invited for an interview scheduled between May and February of the application cycle.
Early commitment candidates will be prioritized for the first interview dates—being an early commitment
candidate does NOT guarantee an interview over non-early commitment candidates. The HPU WSDM uses a
rolling admissions process to help candidates reduce financial and time challenges associated with
interviews. Acceptances to join the WSDM are expected to begin in August and can occur as early as 14
days following an interview. The team aims to provide a decision to interviewed candidates no later than 60
days following an interview.

The accepted cohort will have opportunities to connect with the WSDM community and prepare for their
transition to the program. All candidates are welcome to arrange a visit to HPU in the interim or contact the
team to address any questions or concerns. Learners start the CARE curriculum the first week of August.

Figure 2. Timeline of the admission process (i.e., Plan Phase) for the CARE curriculum

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What is the early commitment option?
Candidates strongly interested in the WSDM are invited to apply for the early commitment option by July 31—
this deadline will NOT be extended for any circumstances. This option gives applicants a higher priority for
review and interview invitations; however, it will NOT guarantee an interview or admission offer. Applying as
an early commitment candidate indicates your higher level of interest in the program and automatic
willingness to enroll, if admitted. Not all early commitment candidates are rated “ready” for interview and
subsequently do not move forward in the cycle.

Those who apply early commitment, meet the interview expectations, and are offered conditional
acceptance are expected to attend HPU WSDM as part of a binding agreement and remove their
applications from other programs, similar to other early decision/commitment programs. Individuals that do
not fulfill this expectation will risk admission to WSDM in future cycles and notification to our Board of Advisors
as well as other programs about their withdrawal at the start of the cohort and in their last academic year.

Candidates CANNOT remove OR add the early commitment status for fairness to all candidates—this status
offers a higher priority for application review and potential interviews. Please select this decision ONLY if you
have thoroughly evaluated the program, the High Point area, financial commitment, as well as our
technology, immunization, and transportation requirements—selection of the WSDM should be an informed
choice that best aligns with your individual needs and situation.

What if a candidate is highly interested in HPU, but early commitment seems too definitive?
Applying for early commitment may not be right for every candidate, especially if they want to explore other
programs, have not visited High Point before, or may learn during the interview HPU is not the ideal learning
environment for them. Conversely, a candidate may apply without early commitment, attend their HPU
interview, and determine that the WSDM is the best place for their journey.

After an interview, non-early commitment candidates will be able to complete an Admission Affirmation. This
agreement is similar to early commitment in that a candidate acknowledges HPU is their number one
program and, if offered conditional acceptance, they agree to withdraw applications from other programs
and enroll at HPU. Individuals that do not fulfill this expectation will risk admission to WSDM in future cycles and
notification to our Board of Advisors as well as other programs about their withdrawal at the start of the
cohort and in their last academic year.

The Admission Affirmation allows candidates to make more informed decisions after their interview and can
replace letters of intent. Of note, this option does NOT include a guaranteed scholarship. Candidates will
have approximately three (3) business days after their interview to complete the Admission Affirmation.
Candidates CANNOT remove OR add the Admission Affirmation after the offer out of fairness to all applicants.

What is the reason the WSDM is not using the ADEA AADSAS application?
When the program first began, only accredited programs were eligible to use the ADEA AADSAS application.
While the WSDM is currently accredited, the ADEA AADSAS application was determined to be a potential
barrier for applicants due to the cost for submission. Alternatively, the WSDM application is free of charge
(except for the Acuity Insights assessment) to minimize financial burdens or barriers to entry into dental school.
Currently, the cost for the centralized application does not outweigh the potential benefit to our program.

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What is the preferred program of study to demonstrate knowledge?
Candidates ready for admission are those who demonstrate a diverse knowledge background that
embodies one or more CARE roles. Candidates who are on target to receive a Bachelor of Science degree
or Bachelor of Arts degree—in any field—are preferred. There is no specific degree of interest and no time
limit on when the courses were completed. Those with unique backgrounds, learning experiences, and
career paths are strongly encouraged to apply. Table 1 offers suggested courses that may connect to
specific CARE roles of interest—these are NOT requirements. Online courses, certificate programs, Advanced
Placement, and International Baccalaureate programs are also applicable evidence of readiness.

Table 1. Sample courses arranged by CARE roles with the most preferred in bold
NOTE: Learners are NOT expected to complete all the courses listed—this is a menu of options

Role Sample Courses (in alphabetical order)

An emphasis on personalized & regenerative medicine, biologics, & future practice
- Biochemistry - Medical terminology
- Cellular / molecular biology - Microbiology / immunology
- Embryology - Neuroanatomy / neuroscience

C linician
- General biology
- General chemistry / inorganic chemistry
- Nutrition
- Organic chemistry
- Genetics - Parasitology / virology
- Histology - Physics
- Human anatomy / physiology - Traditional and complementary medicine
An emphasis on health policy, outcomes, & innovative models of healthcare delivery
- Education / teaching - Personal care / wellbeing
- Ethics / bioethics - Philosophy

A dvocate
- Foreign language
- Law / legal practices
- Linguistics
- Political science
- Public / population health
- Studio / performance arts
- Literature - Race / gender / diversity studies
- Music - Religious / spiritual studies
An emphasis on inquiry-based learning, data literacy, & quality improvement techniques
- Analytics / data science / informatics - Implementation / translational science
- Anthropology - Library science

R esearcher
- Algebra
- Calculus
- Engineering
- Psychology / sociology
- Quality improvement
- Research methods
- Epidemiology - Statistics / biostatistics
- History - Writing / composition / technical writing
An emphasis on innovative & creative business practices with empowered teams
- Accounting / financial management - Microeconomics / macroeconomics
- Business / organization management - Negotiation / persuasion / influence
- Communication / marketing / sales - Personnel management / teamwork

E ntrepreneur
- Computer science
- Decision-making / processes
- Design / agile / lean thinking
- Project management
- Public speaking
- Social media / media studies
- Graphic design - Strategic management / planning
- Leadership / leadership theories - Systems thinking
- Logistics / logistical management - Technology (artificial, virtual, augmented)

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What are the preferred activities and engagements that demonstrate experience?
Candidates ready for admission are those with breadth and depth of interests that may align to one or more
CARE roles. The team acknowledges that each person balances their time and experiences differently—the
goal is to identify which experiences are most significant to each applicant and their background. In general,
candidates are encouraged to demonstrate a mixture of healthcare and non-healthcare related
experiences with both intermittent and longitudinal encounters.

Table 2 outlines the sample experiences organized by CARE role to illustrate what may be included in an
application. In general, work, volunteer, immersive, and team/leadership experiences are the most preferred
method to demonstrate readiness.

Table 2. Sample experiences arranged by CARE roles

NOTE: Learners are NOT expected to have all the experiences listed—this is a menu of options

Role Sample Experiences

- Work experience (oral health and/or healthcare related)
- Volunteer experience (oral health and/or healthcare related)
C linician
- Shadowing experience (oral health and/or healthcare related)
- Team, committee, organization involvement (professional, healthcare)
- Immersive experiences (oral health and/or healthcare related service trips)

- Work experience (advocacy, legislative, policy, teaching, tutoring)

- Volunteer experience (advocacy, legislative day, voting, teaching, tutoring)

A dvocate
- Shadowing experience (advocacy, legislative, policy, teaching, tutoring)
- Team, committee, organization involvement (Greek, advocacy, service, athletics)
- Immersive experience (Teach for America, Peace Corps, service trips)
- Military or armed services experiences

- Work experience (research, lab related)

- Volunteer experience (research, lab related)
- Shadowing experiences (research, lab related)
R esearcher
- Team, committee, organization involvement (research, honor society, academic)
- Academic presentations and/or posters
- Academic publications (peer-reviewed journals, commentaries)
- Non-academic publications (books, chapters, newsletters, blogs, etc.)

- Work experience (business, technology, art, music, creativity)

- Volunteer experience (business, technology, art, music, creativity)
- Shadowing experience (business, technology, art, music, creativity)

E ntrepreneur
- Team, committee, organization involvement (business, tech, art, music, creativity)
- Leadership positions (across all domains)
- Awards, honors, and scholarships received
- Immersive experiences (social media influencer, business creation/launch)
- Personal hobbies or engagements (art, creativity, music, technology, design)

Work = paid experience Volunteer = unpaid experience Shadowing = observed services (not paid or work)

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Is the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) required?
Based on an extensive review of published data about the Dental Admissions Test (DAT), it was determined
that the benefits did not outweigh the cost and access concerns with the current assessment. While the DAT is
a useful predictor of candidate performance in first- and second-year biomedical courses, we are opting for
alternative standardized assessments (i.e., Acuity Insights) that evaluate more non-academic attributes. We
recognize knowledge can be evaluated through longitudinal performance in courses and work experience
that may not be well captured in the DAT at this time. Please do not include DAT scores in narrative
components of the application, the team does NOT collect or review DAT scores.

What is the Acuity Insights Assessment (Casper & Duet) and why is it being used?
The Acuity Insights Assessment suite includes two components to help our team evaluate your non-academic
attributes (e.g., empathy, adaptability, integrity, etc.):
• Casper – how a candidate may respond to authentic scenarios in practice
• Duet – how a candidate’s values and expectations align with the WSDM program offerings

These assessments have evidence that supports their use in evaluating candidate readiness for health
professions programs. These assessments explore more than your academic skill sets and biomedical
knowledge for us to learn more about you in a systematic and fair process. In addition, the cost of the
assessment is lower compared to other assessments (approximately $50) to reduce the financial burden.
These assessments are required as part of our admissions process; however, we will continue to evaluate their
utility to determine if they provide sufficient information that warrants their cost and time.

For early commitment candidates, the Casper and Duet assessments must be taken before July 31 (i.e., the
exam must be taken). Candidates may be offered an interview before the Casper assessment score has
been received by the program because the team is able to view whether a candidate registered and
completed the assessment. For all other candidates, the Casper and Duet assessment scores must be
received before an interview offer may be granted.

Score distribution takes approximately two (2) weeks after the testing date, and it takes approximately two (2)
additional weeks to update the HPU WSDM applicant portal to indicate if scores were received. Please be
patient with the team as this process is conducted manually. If a candidate completed the assessment
before submitting their application, it will take approximately two weeks AFTER the application is submitted to
update the applicant portal even if the scores have been received already—this process is not automatic.

Is there an opportunity to submit a personal statement?

The application includes several sections where applicants can describe unique circumstances or influences
of their trajectory to dental school. The Reflection section includes brief prompts for candidates to share more
about themselves in a concise and clear manner. While a personal statement can be useful, not all
candidates have access to resources and opportunities to refine these statements. Please do NOT send
personal statements or letters of intent to the admission team or faculty/staff of the program. Those
documents are NOT considered as part of the review or selection process. Candidates are encouraged to
complete these reflection exercises independently without additional assistance, including from artificial
intelligence models.

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Is there an opportunity to submit letters of support or recommendation?
While letters of recommendation are standard practice in health professions admission models, there is limited
evidence they provide useful information about the readiness of a candidate. Often for admission teams the
most useful recommendations are those that indicate a candidate is not ready for admission; however, this
occurs for less than 1% of applicants. In addition, not all candidates have access to individuals with extensive
experience writing quality letters of recommendation or they may no longer be in contact with specific
requirements if they have not been in an academic setting recently or followed an alternative career path.

The team decided requests for letters of support or recommendation would not be requested due to their
limited utility, especially in comparison to the time and resources necessary for reviewers to submit their
comments and for the team to critically review them. Please do NOT send letters of recommendation or
request that personal references contact the admission team or faculty/staff of the program on your behalf.
Those documents and contact requests are NOT considered as part of the review or selection process.

What if a candidate wants to share additional updates after an application is submitted?

Applications cannot be revised once submitted—it is critical that candidates thoroughly review their materials
to ensure all sections are complete, free of errors, and reflect the desired information. If a candidate has an
update to their academic performance (i.e., a new, unofficial transcript), they can be shared with the team
via the document upload option in the applicant portal. Additions to work, volunteering, shadowing, or other
experiences do NOT require an update to the admission team as singular events or additions often do not
impact the overall evaluation of a candidate. Documentation outside of unofficial transcripts (e.g., DAT
reports, letters of recommendation, personal statements, letters of intent, etc.) is NOT permitted out of fairness
for all applicants and they will not be added to the application for review.

How can candidates check the status of their application?

Candidates should login to their applicant portal to check the status of their application. Applications are
considered incomplete until Acuity Insight (Casper and Duet) scores have been received by the institution.
Candidates with an incomplete application will have a checklist displayed in their portal that states
“Awaiting Acuity Insights Assessment (Casper and Duet)”. As a reminder, score distribution takes
approximately two (2) weeks after the testing date. It can take up to two (2) more weeks for the team to
update the applicant portal as this must be done manually. If a candidate completed the assessment before
submitting their application, it will take approximately two weeks AFTER the application is submitted to
update the applicant portal even if the scores have been received already—this process is not automatic.
Please do not contact the team about an error unless it has been more than three weeks after Casper was
completed and at least 24 hours since Duet was completed.

Once the Acuity Insights has been received, the applicant portal will include one of the following statuses:
• Pending Review – application is complete & queued for review (early commitment are priority)
• Application Under Review – application is being reviewed by HPU team members
• Decision Pending – application reviewed & pending an interview and/or admit decision

Once an admission decision (Admit, Active Reserve, or Re-Apply) is made, the status tracker will not be
visible, and a decision letter will be posted in the applicant portal.

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 How are candidates selected for an interview?
The WSDM is committed to a holistic review of candidates and their capabilities. Each person brings unique
knowledge, experiences, and attributes to their educational journey and it is not expected every candidate
will be exceptional in every regard. The goal is to identify candidates’ strengths, opportunities for growth, and
how they will contribute to the diversity of the WSDM community.

Applications are reviewed with a strengths-based approach to determine a candidate’s potential for success
within the CARE curriculum. All candidates are given an equal opportunity in the screening process and
training is provided to mitigate implicit biases during the review process. All submitted applications with a
received Acuity assessment score are reviewed independently by multiple WSDM faculty members.

Each reviewer evaluates the application to identify highlights and concerns in the knowledge, experiences,
attributes, and reflections provided by a candidate. Based on the balance of these highlights and concerns,
the evaluator assigns a rating of either:
• Ready – significant highlights were identified with no notable concerns
• May Be Ready – a mixture of highlights and concerns were identified
• Not Ready Yet – a significant or several concerns were identified

Sample criteria that are evaluated to determine readiness ratings are provided below for examples.

Table 3. Sample criteria that lead to readiness ratings and indicators during application review
NOTE: Candidates may have concerns or notable observations and still be rated “ready” overall

Section Concerns Notable Observations Highlights

- Prolonged poor performance - Variable academic history - Strong academic history
Knowledge - Transcripts not uploaded - Limited improvement - Multiple preferred courses
- No or unanticipated BS/BA - Few advanced courses - Master’s or Doctoral degree
- No work or volunteering - Experiences in only one area - Diverse/immersive experience
Experiences - No shadowing/exposure - Limited healthcare exposure - Research present/publication
- No dental/healthcare - No leadership/achievements - Non-academic awards(s)
- Academic integrity concerns - Dismissal from a program - No integrity concerns
Attributes - Recent misconduct - History of misconduct - No misconduct or concern
- Unable to follow directions - Potential behavioral concern - No behavioral concern
- Lack of self-awareness - Mixed self-awareness - High self-awareness
Reflections - Dishonesty or hyperbole - Lacking depth to responses - Followed directions/request
- Comprehension concern - Difficulty communicating - Rationale for challenges

Reviewer evaluations are aggregated by the admission team and balanced with Acuity performance to
determine an interview decision based on the following process:
• Interview Offer – all “ready” ratings (regardless of Acuity performance) or a mixture of “ready” and
“may be ready” designations with an average or above average Acuity performance
• Offer Pending – a mixture of “ready” and “may be ready” ratings with a below average Acuity
performance (an invitation may be sent via random drawing if spaces are available with priority for
early commitment candidates)
• Re-apply Next Cycle – at least two “not ready yet” evaluations (regardless of Acuity performance)

Candidates are contacted about an interview decision via email and those invited for an interview can sign-
up for an interview date and time via an electronic sign-up. All candidates will be notified via email by the
end of December whether they will be offered an interview for this cycle.

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What occurs during the interview experience?
Candidates are sent a guide that outlines interview expectations and methods to prepare. The goal is to
ensure all candidates have a fair opportunity, especially those who may have limited experiences with
professional school interviews. The interview is designed to learn more about candidates, their potential, and
their goals. The interview is also an opportunity for learners to inquire more about the program, what life may
be like at the school, and how they can grow within the community. Candidates are encouraged to be their
authentic selves, ask difficult questions, and come prepared for an enriching experience. Leading up to the
interview, candidates are provided travel and lodging information and may be requested to complete pre-
interview activities to prepare them for the on-site experience.

The interview experience can include individual as well as small and large group activities, such as:
• One-on-one interview stations with WSDM team members
• A dental-related procedure simulation using haptic technology
• An instructional simulation to experience the classroom learning model
• Small group problem-solving and creativity activities
• Question-and-answer forum with WSDM team members
• A tour of the campus facilities

During the interview, there are opportunities for candidates to get to know one another as future classmates
and to share experiences on social media, while keeping pertinent details confidential. Our team will ask for
feedback and identify opportunities to improve future cycles as part of our continuous quality improvement.

How are candidates evaluated during the interview experience?

Interview activities are intended to help candidates demonstrate their capacity to apply pertinent
knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for dental school. Each activity has at least one evaluator to review
performance using a standardized rubric designed to minimize bias by focusing on observable behaviors.
Evaluators are also required to document pertinent observations and feedback to inform the admission
team. Evaluators are also not provided information about candidates before the interview to minimize bias—
the interview process is closed-application and evaluators do not review candidate application materials
before or during interactions. Evaluators are required to submit their candidate assessments through a
centralized data management system, and they are not permitted to discuss their assessments or
observations with others to minimize influencing other team members. Each interaction with a candidate is a
singular data point aggregated for the admission team to inform their decisions.

Table 4. Sample criteria evaluated during individual and group interview experiences

Activity Concern Notable Observation Highlight

- Did not address the prompt - Lack of depth to response - Connected to experiences
- Disengaged or distracted - Timid or required prompting - Confidence in response
Individual - Lack of emotional intelligence - Verbose or not concise - Explored all possible options
Interview
- Confrontational or aggressive - Too focused on “right” answer - Novel responses to prompts
- Overly confident or arrogant - Missed viable options/actions - Questions for the evaluator

- Did not engage in the task - First to speak for most activities - Displayed self-awareness
- Interrupted team members - Spoke for a prolonged time - Invited others into discussion
Group - Did not follow directions - Boasting or competitive - Willingness to try & experiment
Exercise
- Deflected when answering - Did not prepare for activities - Balanced assertiveness
- Repeated answers from others - Not contributing to the team - Genuine presentation of self

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How are admission decisions determined for a candidate?
Admission decisions are determined by a team of faculty with a comprehensive understanding of learner
expectations for success in the CARE curriculum. The team is composed of faculty from the following areas:
• Two HPU Health representatives who are oral healthcare providers (e.g., DMD or DDS)
• A CARE curriculum representative who is an oral healthcare provider (e.g., DMD or DDS)
• A behavioral sciences representative (possibly not an oral healthcare provider)
• A biomedical sciences representative (possibly not an oral healthcare provider)

Approximately one week after each interview, the admission team members independently vote on
candidates who have not received an admission decision yet. The team receives an aggregate of data in a
single repository from the following sources:
• Individual interview performance – each interaction rated as either definite admit, high priority,
average performance, low priority, or not recommended to admit
• Interview activity performance – each interaction rated as either a highlight, expectation, or concern
• Highlights – description of observed candidate behaviors or remarks that support readiness
• Concerns – description of observed candidate behaviors or remarks that contest readiness
• Application reviews – each rating of either ready, may be ready, or not ready yet
• Casper/Duet – score categorization as either high, average, low, or very low

All data are de-identified for review—candidate names and demographic information are NOT shared with
the team as that can adversely bias decision-making. In addition, team members are NOT provided
information on who evaluated the candidate, the application date, early commitment status, or other details
that could influence decisions beyond candidate performance.

Team members independently vote on each candidate with a decision of either: admit, review again, or not
ready yet based on their analysis of each candidate’s performance across all domains. The votes are
aggregated to determine a decision:
• Re-Apply Next Cycle – at least two “not ready yet” votes indicating the candidate is ineligible for
admission to the program this cycle and should re-apply next cycle if they remain interested
• Pending Decision – a mixed vote by team members indicating the candidate should be re-evaluated
at the next voting session
• Admit – a unanimous vote by team members to admit a candidate

Candidates who receive an “admit” or “re-apply next cycle” decision will receive a notification via their
applicant portal. Candidates who receive a “pending” decision will not be notified and placed back into the
evaluation pool for the next voting. Starting in August of the admission cycle, if a candidate has not received
an “admit” or “re-apply next cycle” decision by approximately 60 days following their interview, they will be
invited to join the Active Reserve Pool. Candidates in the Active Reserve Pool are still evaluated among all
candidates eligible for an admission decision if spaces in the cohort are available.

Once the admitted cohort is full, the admission team votes exclusively to place a candidate in the Active
Reserve pool or to “re-apply next cycle”. Once all interviews have ended, the individuals in the Active
Reserve Pool represent approximately 100 to 150 candidates that may be eligible for admission if a previously
admitted candidate is no longer able to attend the program. The last date an individual may be selected to
join the cohort from the Active Reserve Pool is the first week of August. Individuals in the Active Reserve Pool
are strongly encouraged to apply for the next admission cycle when it opens in May in the event they are not
selected for the previous cohort.

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How do candidates reserve their spot once offered conditional acceptance?
During most of the cycle, admitted candidates must submit a $500 non-refundable deposit within thirty (30)
days of the conditional admission offer to reserve a spot in the cohort. A second $1000 non-refundable
deposit is due by March 31 to confirm enrollment. Please note, all deposits are applied to the first-year tuition
at HPU. The distributed payment structure is to minimize large financial burdens on candidates and to
acknowledge their intent to enroll in the program. Individuals who do not provide either deposit will
automatically be ineligible for admission in the current cycle.

Deadlines for accepting an admission offer will decrease as the cycle progresses. Below are the anticipated
timelines for acceptance confirmation based on the month of admission:
• April, May, & June – fourteen (14) days to confirm acceptance with a $500 deposit
• July 1 to 16 – forty-eight (48) hours to confirm acceptance with a waived deposit
• July 17 to August 1 – twenty-four (24) hours to confirm acceptance with a waived deposit
• August 1 to third day of class – twenty-four (24) hours to confirm acceptance with a waived deposit

How are candidates selected for admission from the Active Reserve Pool?
If spaces remain in a cohort, all applicants in the Active Reserve Pool are voted on alongside newly
interviewed candidates for potential admission. It is possible a candidate who interviews early in the cycle
may be invited to the Active Reserve Pool and subsequently be offered admission before the interview cycle
has concluded.

Once interviews have concluded (no later than February), the Active Reserve Pool represents the most
eligible candidates if an admitted learner is no longer able to attend. Once the Active Reserve Pool is
finalized, each admission team member independently reviews the de-identified data to select the ten (10)
candidates rated to be most ready for potential admission. The team then discusses the total group of
selected candidates using the de-identified data to inform a ranking of the highest priority candidates.

When an admitted candidate declines an admission offer, the candidate at the top of the abbreviated
ranked candidate list will be offered admission. For each decline, the next candidate will be selected until
the list is exhausted. If a new list is necessary, the team will repeat the process including a selection of ten (10)
candidates from the remaining Active Reserve Pool and a discussion to rank those priority candidates.

Candidates are NOT notified whether they have been selected as a priority candidate as this often induces
unnecessary stress and concern. Selection from the Active Reserve Pool is highly variable and there are
inconsistent estimates of how many individuals may be selected from that list—it is highly dependent on the
movement of admitted candidates across all dental programs. While the information may seem valuable to
candidates, it can lead to significant distress if individuals learn they were “the next candidate” on the list. In
addition, the number on the list provides no reliable predictor of whether a person will receive admission. In
extreme situations, it can promote unhealthy desires for catastrophic events to occur to other candidates or
candidates may engage in unethical behaviors to coerce other admitted learners to decline enrollment. We
hope candidates acknowledge and appreciate the decision by the admission team.

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What happens after a candidate is offered conditional admission?
All admission offers are conditional and can be revoked if a candidate does not complete enrollment
requirements by prescribed deadlines, if information provided was determined to be inaccurate or
fabricated, or if violate behavioral expectations of incoming professional learners (e.g., evidence of new
academic integrity challenges, dismissal from a program, etc.).

Once candidates have submitted their first deposit reserving their spot, a checklist will be available in the
applicant portal to track pre-enrollment activities and deadlines. These activities often include:
• Attestation to acknowledge candidate compliance with the enrollment requirements
• Documentation of an awarded degree (via official transcripts), if it was listed in the application
• Submission of official transcripts for all completed coursework (due in mid-June; transcripts must be
consistent with previous unofficial documents submitted in the application)
• Documentation of required immunizations (due by May)
• Confirmation of health insurance (due in Summer)
• Submission of additional deposits by prescribed deadlines, as applicable

What if a candidate wants to appeal an admission decision due to unfair or unjust treatment?
Interviewed applicants may request an appeal to their admission decision if they believe they were unfairly or
unjustly treated during the interview. The appeal process includes a review by two faculty not involved in the
admission process to evaluate the decision-making steps. Their investigation explores whether a candidate
was treated fairly (i.e., were others with similar evaluations given the same decision and were others given
opportunities that a candidate was not) or if there were any errors in the data aggregation that could have
potentially impacted the final decision. An appeal can only be requested within 30 days of a communicated
admission decision via notification to the admission team at [email protected].

Re-evaluation of the applicant is NOT granted unless the reviewing faculty determines there was unfairness or
an error. Legal representation is not permitted as part of the appeal process. Legal advice and/or general
council may be explored through official litigation if that is the request of the candidate. All decisions by the
faculty who evaluate the appeal are final and cannot be overturned.

How do candidates receive feedback about my application for future cycles?

The admissions team will try to provide opportunities for feedback about applications; however, due to the
overwhelming number of applicants each cycle this is often difficult to accomplish on an individual basis.
Instead, we often offer small group sessions to discuss feedback broadly. Following each admission cycle,
there are often surveys requested for applicants to complete about their experiences or other topics.
Voluntary participation in these surveys may include opportunities to be eligible for individual feedback.
Engagement in these requests has no influence on eligible for current or future admission cycles.

WSDM Admission Model 2024-2025 Page 12 of 12 April 2024