Hi, I'm interested in becoming a dentist. I'm moving to Florida during winter break this December (I'm going to be a junior in high school), and I am going to apply to the University of Florida. I hear that the University of Florida College of Dentistry has some sort of program that allows you to finish your schooling in 7 years, instead of 8.

This is from their site:
"The University of Florida College of Dentistry has a program for outstanding college freshman who know they are interested in becoming dentists, the Honors Combined BS/DMD Program, that saves one year of college. Students accepted in this program complete a BS degree and a DMD degree in 7 years, instead of 8 years."
Therefore, I'm definitely interested in that.

Also, I just got an email from my mentorship program coordinator (our high school has a mentorship program), and she told me that I would be able to work with an orthodontist! This excites me because I'm thinking about being an orthodontist after finishing dental school and becoming a dentist. :luck:

My question is, how should I be prepared both for college and especially my upcoming mentorship? Thank you so much for your time :) :D

When you apply for dental school, you should probably have some hours spent shadowing a general practicioner instead of a specialist.

How to prepare yourself? Just study hard, get good grades, do some volunteer work or community service activities. Be a sponge when you're working with the Orthodontist, i.e. soak up everything there is to learn.

Continue to work hard while you're in college or you might lose your eligibility for the 7 year program. You might miss out on a couple of parties here and there, but you should still be able to have a life. Best of luck!

These combined programs are pretty competitive. Be sure to keep your grades up, but don't be let down if you don't get in. Make friends with people who might write you a recommendation, get a little bit of extracurriculars going, shadow a general dentist or two, and RELAX! Being a high school student is the best time of your life... you get to mooch off your parents and act stupid.

As far as your mentorship: ask a lot of questions, be friends with EVERYONE there, and ask what you can do to go the extra mile.

GL