Last minute applicant; please help!

[ar94]

Hi everyone,

This may sound very odd but I've decided in the past few weeks to pursue dentistry. I have no shadowing experience nor have I taken the DAT yet. I want to attend the UMD Dental school. I recently graduated UMCP, a school in MD. I've had a change of heart and want to now pursue dentistry. I'm hoping I can contact my personal dentist about shadowing her. How many hours of shadowing would make me competitive? I've shadowed MDs for close to 100 or so hours and volunteered at a PACU surgery for about 100 or so hours too. My CGPA was 3.9 and my sGPA is about 3.9. I actually took the PCAT, which I heard is similar to the DAT. Do you think I would need to study a lot more for the DAT and also how should I change my study techniques? Do you think I will have enough time before the January deadline to get everything done? I think I can get at least 50 shadowing hours in by June and take the DAT by August. What do you all think? Is this all feasible? What are my chances of getting in? Thank you in advance for reading my post.

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[BeaverLover]

Submitting a complete application in January will basically give you little to no chance. Some programs require 40hrs, some 200 but ~100 should be sufficient to meet most requirements. IMO your scenario seems too rushed

 

[ar94]

Submitting a complete application in January will basically give you little to no chance. Some programs require 40hrs, some 200 but ~100 should be sufficient to meet most requirements. IMO your scenario seems too rushed

Thank you for the information. If I can submit everything by October is that an appropriate time of submission? In other words what is the usual time when everyone has submitted everything in? Can I also submit before taking the dat?

 

[BeaverLover]

Yes, you may submit prior to taking the DAT but programs will likely not look at your application until scores are uploaded. It also takes time (~2-3 weeks?) for your DAT scores to be uploaded into the system. Heres a couple useful links

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/aadsas-faq-compilation.1020426/

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...7-application-cycle-and-the-universe.1197114/

 

[ar94]

Yes, you may submit prior to taking the DAT but programs will likely not look at your application until scores are uploaded. It also takes time (~2-3 weeks?) for your DAT scores to be uploaded into the system. Heres a couple useful links

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/aadsas-faq-compilation.1020426/

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...7-application-cycle-and-the-universe.1197114/

Thank you I guess I'll hold off on it for now

 

[confidentandgood]

How are you so sure about pursuing dentistry if you haven't done any shadowing?

 

[Likkriue]

The last minute shadowing will bring eyebrows to the adcoms. You will have to explain why such a sudden change in careers. I truely believe you should give yourself more time and apply for next cycle so you can understand dentistry more. But you do have a solid gpa and I'm sure you have decent ECs from your attrmp to go to med school.
Have you taken the mcat? If you have you will have to tell them you did. Which is another red flag on your application. Best of luck to you.

 

[kholley25]

How many hours of shadowing would make me competitive?

100 hours is the norm. I think 50 would be the ABSOLUTE minimum.

Do you think I would need to study a lot more for the DAT and also how should I change my study techniques?

I imagine the PCAT tests similar content to both the DAT and MCAT, with the exception of the DAT's unique PAT section which tests perceptual ability. You can find study tips here in the DAT subforum:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/dat-discussions.70/

I personally recommend watching Chad's videos, doing DAT destroyer, and using DAT bootcamp, in that order.

Do you think I will have enough time before the January deadline to get everything done?

I would shoot to e-submit your application by mid-August at the latest to be most competitive. Mid-august is 10 weeks after the app opens which gives you time to take the DAT and up your shadowing hours. I really wouln't recommend pushing it past this date at ALL. If you can do eariler than August, the better.

I think I can get at least 50 shadowing hours in by June and take the DAT by August. What do you all think? Is this all feasible?

Yes. While I was a different path than you last year (changed career pathways from pre-vet to pre-dental in January 2015, shadowed February - late May of 2015), I succeeded.

What are my chances of getting in?

Depending on your DAT, your chances are good given you apply broadly. You will need to write a believable PS statement though describing why you made the switch.

 

[fogorvostan]

Echoing everything. Take the next year to put together your application. Grab 100 hours shadowing, study and take the DAT, and get your thoughts together about why you made the switch. I definitely don't blame you for making the switch from pharm to dentistry, but make sure you will like it. Dental school is very expensive if you don't go to public school or go to a private school without something like HPSP or NHSC. The last thing you want to do is come out $500,00 in debt and hate it.

 

[Frychicken]

Have you taken the mcat? If you have you will have to tell them you did. Which is another red flag on your application. Best of luck to you.

Where did you get this information- is it a fact or merely just your opinion?

Taking the MCAT will not be a red flag on your application. We need to dispel the notion that you're "locked in" to a certain path just because you took the test for it. Unless you're been admitted to a school, pre-professional students should have free range to switch around and try anything they like.

 

[Likkriue]

Where did you get this information- is it a fact or merely just your opinion?

Taking the MCAT will not be a red flag on your application. We need to dispel the notion that you're "locked in" to a certain path just because you took the test for it. Unless you're been admitted to a school, pre-professional students should have free range to switch around and try anything they like.

It is a well known fact that adcoms don't like folks using dental school as a safety if they by chance don't make it into med school. There's many many threads about this, look it up. I'm not saying OP is doing this, I'm just bringing the fact that he will have to explain why the switch.
There's a chance he could get away with explaining if he had no evidence of ever gunning for med school and apples next cycle with a good amount of dental related ECs(aka not rushing everything last minute). But if there's evidence he's taken the mcat, well, it's explanation time.

 

[JLT223]

It is a well known fact that adcoms don't like folks using dental school as a safety if they by chance don't make it into med school. There's many many threads about this, look it up. I'm not saying OP is doing this, I'm just bringing the fact that he will have to explain why the switch.
There's a chance he could get away with explaining if he had no evidence of ever gunning for med school and apples next cycle with a good amount of dental related ECs(aka not rushing everything last minute). But if there's evidence he's taken the mcat, well, it's explanation time.

<----took the MCAT and nobody cared. Also had a ton of medical oriented things on my application. You just have to be convincing in your decision during an interview (EVERYONE asks "why" if you made a switch).

 

[fogorvostan]

<----took the MCAT and nobody cared. Also had a ton of medical oriented things on my application. You just have to be convincing in your decision during an interview (EVERYONE asks "why" if you made a switch).

I actually left off all of my pre-med stuff from my application because I didn't want to deal with explaining it to people.