How do you feel about the level of debt dental students take on?

Financial realism. Committees worry about students who haven't confronted the number.

How to structure your answer

1State that you know the actual figures
2Your honest assessment
3Your plan
4Why it's still worth it to you

Know real numbers — average dental school debt commonly runs well into six figures, higher at private schools
Don't minimize it or pretend it's fine
Have a plan: repayment strategy, practice type, loan repayment programs, living costs
Be honest that it constrains early career choices

A strong answer

What lands

It's a lot, and I won't pretend it isn't intimidating when I think about it. That was actually a big factor in me deciding to join the Navy. The Navy pays for my dental school education, and I’ll work for them after graduation. I view it as a very worthwhile investment in my career.

Admits it is intimidating, and shows a plan already in place for paying it.

A weak answer

What most people say

It's a lot, and I won't pretend it isn't intimidating when I think about it. But I've made my peace with it — it's an investment in a career I'll have for forty years, and dentistry is a stable profession with real earning potential. I'd rather carry the debt doing something I love than avoid it and end up somewhere I don't want to be.

Reassurance without a number; they can't tell whether he's actually looked.

The trap

⚠'I haven't really thought about it' or 'I'll figure it out.' Both alarm the people who watch students struggle with this every year. Knowing the number is the answer.

Reading it isn't the same as saying it.

Most people can explain a good answer and still fall apart saying one out loud. Admitted asks you all 100 questions in a faculty voice, records you, and scores your pace and filler words.

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