Advice for a 1st year university student interested in Dentistry

[Pat Kelly]

Hello, I am going to the faculty of science at a university in the fall, and I plan on applying for the 2009 cycle. Is there a general outline of what I should be doing? I have been reading the forums and it's been a great help so far, but I would like to receive more specific replies that might help me.

I started volunteering at my dentist over this summer as a dental assistant and are planning to continue to do so year-round until I am accepted in a program. (Not a paid job since I am a guy and some dentists do not like to hire male dental assistants :/) Should I be starting to look into DATs even though my knowledge of sciences are not up to par with the curriculum covered in the test? Are there sample applications online that I could view just to get an idea of what I should be doing over the next three years? Thanks in advance.

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[dr.rex]

just focus on getting shadowing hours with your dentist and getting good grades in all your intro classes....build a strong GPA and dont worry about the DATs until soph or junior year!



CGPA-3.4
SGPA-3.25

AA/TSCI/PAT
19/20/19

interviews: case, indiana

 

[dentaldentist]

Getting an early start on things. Nice.

First off, don't worry about the DATs for at least another year and a half. Make sure you get solid grades, especially in the sciences. If I understand correctly you are a first year undergrad and are planning on applying for the 2009 cycle meaning that you want to try to get in after 3 years of undergrad. Dental schools don't take very many students with out a degree so to have a chance you will need to have top of the line grades and a solid DAT plus some good extracurriculars. Shadowing and assisting now are great as you will get a ton of hours between now and when you actually apply. Try to also get out and do some non-dental related activities too - volunteer in your community or join a club. You'll want to get biology, chemistry and organic chemistry out of the way before you take the DAT. Work hard in those classes to get good grades and then give yourself a good month or two of studying for the DAT and taking practice tests.

Also, over the next two years look at the schools and find the ones you are most interested in applying to. Make sure you meet all of there requirements (most dental schools require more than just your 2 semesters each of bio, chem, orgo and physics so find out what you need to take) and contact them to see what it takes to get in.

 

[djeffreyt]

Do what the other two above me said.

my added suggestion is to go onto the SDn interview feedback area and look at the questions students got asked in dental school interviews like:

How have you shwon a commitment to dentistry?
How have you shown hand-skills?
How have you benefited the community?
How have you shown leadership?

and then do things in your life sso if these things come up in interviwes...you got some answers and stories to share.

 

[pmantz]

Hello, I am going to the faculty of science at a university in the fall, and I plan on applying for the 2009 cycle. Is there a general outline of what I should be doing? I have been reading the forums and it's been a great help so far, but I would like to receive more specific replies that might help me.

I started volunteering at my dentist over this summer as a dental assistant and are planning to continue to do so year-round until I am accepted in a program. (Not a paid job since I am a guy and some dentists do not like to hire male dental assistants :/) Should I be starting to look into DATs even though my knowledge of sciences are not up to par with the curriculum covered in the test? Are there sample applications online that I could view just to get an idea of what I should be doing over the next three years? Thanks in advance.

Dude, if you are a non-traditional such as myself I don't blame you for wanting to get to it as far as career wise. But if you are right out of high school, I say take it easy. Enjoy your college years, dental school is hard and college is fun. Most Dental schools prefer to have a canidate with a bachelors anyway. I was going to go for the just get the prereqs and apply but I decided I want more then one diploma on my wall. Enjoy your undergraduate experience you only get one, after that you really have responsibilities.

 

[Pat Kelly]

Thanks for the replies so far. The reason i want to go into dentistry now is because I have a HUGE underbite (runs in the family, although my case was more severe). I am also going to coach my high school volleyball teams (fall and spring season) over the next 3 years, but I don't think I will be able to do that AND do shadowing at the same time due to schedule conflicts. Which one should I choose then? Volleyball season is about 6 weeks each, and I am thinking of putting in extra hours during my off time from university on shadowing, so is that a good solution?

 

[jmick101]

I agree with most all of the above as far as prep goes. Of course you need to know what classes you need to take, and that you cant be a total nerd with no life, but in the particulars I have only one small peice of advice. Finish both semesters of ochem right before you take the DAT. Try and keep your course work fresh and studying for the DAT will not be as much work.