Premedical Refugee Seeks Advice

[thomcm]

Hi,
After much soul searching, I've decided to switch from premed to predental. I plan on applying for dental school in 2006 for admission in 2007. I have already graduated and completed all prereqs with a 3.8 gpa and will take the DAT later this fall. All my extra currics reek of premed though, I have done research and have gotten published, worked in patient advocacy and have run a clinic for 3 years now. I plan on shadowing an orthodontist starting in a few weeks and to do more shadowing in the coming months. How do I show admissions at dental schools that this is not my second choice? I was originally planning on applying to medical school during the same time frame but feel that dental school is a better fit. How do dental schools feel about students with extensive premed backgrounds? Any insight or advice would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks

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[MrBenny]

Hi,
After much soul searching, I've decided to switch from premed to predental. I plan on applying for dental school in 2006 for admission in 2007. I have already graduated and completed all prereqs with a 3.8 gpa and will take the DAT later this fall. All my extra currics reek of premed though, I have done research and have gotten published, worked in patient advocacy and have run a clinic for 3 years now. I plan on shadowing an orthodontist starting in a few weeks and to do more shadowing in the coming months. How do I show admissions at dental schools that this is not my second choice? I was originally planning on applying to medical school during the same time frame but feel that dental school is a better fit. How do dental schools feel about students with extensive premed backgrounds? Any insight or advice would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks

you'll be fine. crush the DATs. do your shadowing thing. and beware of making posts like these. there are sensitive souls here who believe premed converts are the greatest evil since the Plague.

good luck. a 3.8 and a 20+ on your DATs will secure your entrance to virtually any school of your choice, regardless of past history.

 

[aceking]

it is a fairly common thing for premed to change to dental due to the differences that each field have. Dont dont make up a story. to me, it sounds like you have not applied to med schools yet.
Just be honest on why you changed directions and u should be just fine.

 

[ISU_Steve]

I'd recommend shadowing a general dentist as well as an orthodontist. Just to make it appear that you aren't just gunning for the big money specialties.

 

[thomcm]

Thanks for the replies so far. The shadowing of the orthodontist fell into my lap but I see your point on the appearance of gunning.

 

[mvs04]

thomcm you're way way waaaaay uptight about this. Just F*ing apply.

 

[Pikeyman]

Hi,
After much soul searching, I've decided to switch from premed to predental. I plan on applying for dental school in 2006 for admission in 2007. I have already graduated and completed all prereqs with a 3.8 gpa and will take the DAT later this fall. All my extra currics reek of premed though, I have done research and have gotten published, worked in patient advocacy and have run a clinic for 3 years now. I plan on shadowing an orthodontist starting in a few weeks and to do more shadowing in the coming months. How do I show admissions at dental schools that this is not my second choice? I was originally planning on applying to medical school during the same time frame but feel that dental school is a better fit. How do dental schools feel about students with extensive premed backgrounds? Any insight or advice would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks

Van Gogh originally wanted to be a minister.

 

[Biogirl361]

why are you waiting until 07 cycle to apply if you've completed prereqs? apply next month and take the DAT over the summer. also over the summer shoot for at least 20 hours of shadowing general dentists (a few schools require this, but even if they don't it's a good idea). you will get interviews everywhere you apply because regardless of everything else your gpa will make you interesting enough to bring you in to meet them. the interview is where you may (or may not) be put under pressure to explain the pre-med stuff. As long as you have a solid explanation with the shadowing hours to back you up, and you make a decent overall impression, you'll get in most places.

 

[nebuladds]

If you have an interest in medicine, you are going to be ROYALLY disappointed in dental school, and I do mean royally.

What you're going to find in dental school is that you'll get an abridged version of the basic sciences and a crash-course in various areas of medicine....just to make you familiar with some of the diseases with which your patients may present....very few of which are contraindications to receiving routine dental care.

You can expect to spend a lot of time bickering with your faculty members over the most mundane, trivial things like cavity preps and how you waxed-up your patient's denture. You'll also find that these faculty members don't know the first goddamned thing about hypertension, coronary artery disease, and other medical problems your patients may have.

Dentistry is not even remotely an adequate substitute for medicine. As a dentist, you're a doctor who knows little else other than fixing teeth and has prescriptive powers. Not much else.

You seem to have the grades to go into medical school. Believe it or not, medical school is probably a tad easier than dental school simply because you don't have all the lab courses in medical school. If you're worried about the residency after medical school, go into pediatrics or internal medicine. Or, if you do very well in medical school, go into dermatology. You'll be the richest man you know.

As far as dental school admissions, I'd bet my left nut that you'll get in to every last place you apply. Just don't f*ck up the DAT.

Hi,
After much soul searching, I've decided to switch from premed to predental. I plan on applying for dental school in 2006 for admission in 2007. I have already graduated and completed all prereqs with a 3.8 gpa and will take the DAT later this fall. All my extra currics reek of premed though, I have done research and have gotten published, worked in patient advocacy and have run a clinic for 3 years now. I plan on shadowing an orthodontist starting in a few weeks and to do more shadowing in the coming months. How do I show admissions at dental schools that this is not my second choice? I was originally planning on applying to medical school during the same time frame but feel that dental school is a better fit. How do dental schools feel about students with extensive premed backgrounds? Any insight or advice would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Bullfan16]

Hi,
After much soul searching, I've decided to switch from premed to predental. I plan on applying for dental school in 2006 for admission in 2007. I have already graduated and completed all prereqs with a 3.8 gpa and will take the DAT later this fall. All my extra currics reek of premed though, I have done research and have gotten published, worked in patient advocacy and have run a clinic for 3 years now. I plan on shadowing an orthodontist starting in a few weeks and to do more shadowing in the coming months. How do I show admissions at dental schools that this is not my second choice? I was originally planning on applying to medical school during the same time frame but feel that dental school is a better fit. How do dental schools feel about students with extensive premed backgrounds? Any insight or advice would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks

First off, as the previous poster mentioned....make sure dental school is for you. Hell, make sure whatever you pick is right for you, be it dental or medical school. I am not an expert, but would also agree with the previous poster....you have a stellar gpa and I am sure you would rock either the MCAT or the DAT (with a good amount of preparation) and could apply to either. You can even apply to both (1-2 med schools and 5-10 dental or 5-10 med schools and 1-2 dental...whichever...there are people on this forum who have done this and they have gotten in to both dental and medical school. There is even a guy (Pianooboe) who got into the same state dental and medical school, so its not like adcoms care even knowing you applied to both professional schools....just be prepared to explain yourself at the interviews and make sure you have good reasons for why you want to be a DDS or an MD.) Again as also mentioned previously...apply for this year...dont waste the year...schools dont care if you dont have a DAT as long as your application is in early and you plan on taking (and do take) the DAT by September (October absolute latest).

Lastly, in terms of bothering pre-dents...I know personally I dont care if a person changed their mind....I have a BS in Finance and took all the pre-reqs/recommended courses the last two years and finally got in (after two tries). Most people are just happy they made it this far and just want to plug away and finish the 4 years...we dont envy pre-meds or the residencies they must complete after 4 years of med school (I can only speak for myself but am glad my insurance costs will be 3/4 of what a lot of doctors have to pay....that is of course after graduation). Besides, we all take the same pre-reqs: Physics, O chem, Gen Chem, Gen Bio, Biochem (at some d schools its required) and gen ed requirements. I know med schools sometimes require Anatomy and Physiology but so do dental schools...to me pre-meds, pre-dents, pre-pharm, etc. are all in the same boat until the first day of professional school. In the end, you wont be looked at differently and chances are people in your class wont know unless you tell them and I am sure there will be a good chunk of them who did the same thing you did...so in the end its all good!

 

[nebuladds]

On your dental school application, there is a question that asks whether or not you're applying to other professional schools. The last thing you want to do is lie on your application. They may also ask during your dental school interview (especially given your medicine-oriented extracurricular activities) if you're applying to medical school. You don't want to lie there either.

Choose your career path and go with it. You seem to be qualified for both. If I were you, I'd go with medicine. I should have. In fact, I will be. I plan on applying this year. Why? Because dentistry is mind-numbingly boring.

Hi,
After much soul searching, I've decided to switch from premed to predental. I plan on applying for dental school in 2006 for admission in 2007. I have already graduated and completed all prereqs with a 3.8 gpa and will take the DAT later this fall. All my extra currics reek of premed though, I have done research and have gotten published, worked in patient advocacy and have run a clinic for 3 years now. I plan on shadowing an orthodontist starting in a few weeks and to do more shadowing in the coming months. How do I show admissions at dental schools that this is not my second choice? I was originally planning on applying to medical school during the same time frame but feel that dental school is a better fit. How do dental schools feel about students with extensive premed backgrounds? Any insight or advice would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[The Godfather]

On your dental school application, there is a question that asks whether or not you're applying to other professional schools. The last thing you want to do is lie on your application. They may also ask during your dental school interview (especially given your medicine-oriented extracurricular activities) if you're applying to medical school. You don't want to lie there either.

Choose your career path and go with it. You seem to be qualified for both. If I were you, I'd go with medicine. I should have. In fact, I will be. I plan on applying this year. Why? Because dentistry is mind-numbingly boring.

Man, talk about "too cool for school." Maybe it's so boring (and you've become so bitter) because you are somewhere you didn't want to be in the first place. Was it your backup plan or something, or were you just uninformed about what you were getting yourself into? Drop out and if you get in med school hopefully your life will be magically better (and you will be taught by those worthy of doing so).

 

[Biogirl361]

don't waste your time responding to a troll like that (i'm surprised i am right now)

 

[WildcatDMD]

Nebula, i'm sure medical schools will be really impressed that you decided dentistry wasn't for you after taking a year of dental school. Nothing more impressive than someone not wasting the time to research something as important as what they are going to be doing for the rest of their working life before they get into it. The interview invitations/acceptances will fill your mailbox.

Anyway, it's sad that you don't see how awesome and exciting a profession dentistry is.

(And as a side note, the only reason a person wouldn't know much about medicine as a dentist/dental student is because he/she didn't motivate him/herself to learn it. There are plenty of opportunties in school and even on your own to learn just about anything you could want to know about medicine.)