27 AA + 18 yo Acceptance Concerns

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mylandds

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Hi everyone! This is my first time here and I'm hoping for some advice. I took my DAT yesterday and I’m still in a bit of shock. I was aiming for a 23 and never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would get a 27. Here's a breakdown of my scores:

AA 27
TS 29
PAT 28
RC 25
QR 26

I have a concern though: I just turned 18, and I’m worried that my age is a negative factor since two of my advisers had told me that I may be too young and that I should take a gap year. However, I didn’t want to take a gap year so I applied to 8 schools. I’m wondering if I should apply to more schools in case.

Does anyone know of any students who got into dental schools at a young age (19)? I’m in VA and I applied to VCU, UMD, Penn, Pittsburgh, Temple, Case Western, OSU, and Detroit Mercy (and Harvard, but I’m lacking one letter from faculty so not sure if I’d qualify.) Do you guys think I’m okay, or should I apply to more schools just in case, and if so, what schools? Btw, I have a 3.98 GPA with adequate shadowing, volunteering, and working hours. I’d greatly appreciate any input!
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Wow that is really impressive. I honestly would not think it is a factor since you've done undergrad, shadowing and everything else you need to. There are people that get in and are like 40 years old so I don't think age would be a factor. Did you apply to the guaranteed program for VCU, I feel like that is something you would've qualified for (I don't know much about this but I know they have it)? Anyways, 9 is a good amount in my opinion.
 
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If you are comfortable socializing with much older people (like at least +5), then you should be fine. However if I were in your shoes, I would definitely wait until I was an adult (21). I was playing FIFA12 and CoD MW 2 with my highschool homies when I was your age, and had no clue that I would be attending dental school this fall. My perspective of life has changed drastically since then, observing much through both my high school and my college years.

But hey, that's just my mindset and yours could be different!
 
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mylandds said:
Hi everyone! This is my first time here and I'm hoping for some advice. I took my DAT yesterday and I’m still in a bit of shock. I was aiming for a 23 and never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would get a 27. Here's a breakdown of my scores:

AA 27
TS 29
PAT 28
RC 25
QR 26

I have a concern though: I just turned 18, and I’m worried that my age is a negative factor since two of my advisers had told me that I may be too young and that I should take a gap year. However, I didn’t want to take a gap year so I applied to 8 schools. I’m wondering if I should apply to more schools in case.

Does anyone know of any students who got into dental schools at a young age (19)? I’m in VA and I applied to VCU, UMD, Penn, Pittsburgh, Temple, Case Western, OSU, and Detroit Mercy (and Harvard, but I’m lacking one letter from faculty so not sure if I’d qualify.) Do you guys think I’m okay, or should I apply to more schools just in case, and if so, what schools? Btw, I have a 3.98 GPA with adequate shadowing, volunteering, and working hours. I’d greatly appreciate any input!
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I would apply. You seem very mature for your age and have shown that you could handle the course work. I am not sure how your EC's are, but just make sure you have "enough" shadowing and volunteer experience before you apply and see how it goes.
 
I'd also apply to UoP. They have a ton of students 19-20 years old due to their accelerated curriculum. I'm not even that old, but even I was older than my student interviewer. If you're worried about your age, I think you'd fit in really well at UoP.
 
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That is impressive. I think you would get in as long as there is not some kind of age discrimination taking place.

If you are that smart you should apply to med school and become a plastic surgeon or something cool like that.
 
You’ll have your entire life to work. I say enjoy being 18 and in college — you’ll never have the same kind of experience in your life. Keep getting good grades, go to some sporting events, play FIFA with friends, go to events on campus, etc.

College is just as much learning about yourself as it is learning actual material. Don’t rush!

Then again.... your decision
 
Yeah yeah, you’re a genius we get it. Just kidding. I’d advise that you take a year to enjoy your life to be honest. The rest of your life will be filled with stressful business and healthcare concerns after dental school. Remember that you’re applying when most people are entering undergrad. You’ll still be redoculously early next year.
 
I’ll say this again, if you are that smart you don’t want to waste it being a general dentist like me. If you are set on dental school you should shoot for becoming an oral surgeon. You have to be near the top of your dental school class and score really well on some standardized tests to have a shot at becoming one. The money is great and you get to do much cooler stuff than a general dentist ever gets to do.

The reason I bring this up is that if that is your goal you are looking at 8 years or 10 years depending on if you do a 4 or 6 year OMFS residency. That means you are 27 or 29 when you finish residency if you start dental school next year. I wouldn’t waste a year of my life in a gap year if that is your goal.
 
aggie-master said:
I’ll say this again, if you are that smart you don’t want to waste it being a general dentist like me. If you are set on dental school you should shoot for becoming an oral surgeon. You have to be near the top of your dental school class and score really well on some standardized tests to have a shot at becoming one. The money is great and you get to do much cooler stuff than a general dentist ever gets to do.

The reason I bring this up is that if that is your goal you are looking at 8 years or 10 years depending on if you do a 4 or 6 year OMFS residency. That means you are 27 or 29 when you finish residency if you start dental school next year. I wouldn’t waste a year of my life in a gap year if that is your goal.
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Why is it a waste to be a general dentist?
 
caffeine jitters said:
Why is it a waste to be a general dentist?
Click to expand...
If I was smarter and more driven there are jobs in healthcare that are better IMO than being a general dentist. Oral surgeon is definitely one of those jobs. I think it would be cool to be an MD surgeon, dermatologist, neurologist, anesthesiologist, and probably orthodontist too.

I chose general dentist because it is better than the bottom half of MD jobs such as family physician and it didn’t require the extra training or extremely high grades and test scores that orthodontics and oral surgery, or any good MD job required.

If the OPs stats are true, he/she sounds extremely driven and intelligent. Someone like that should not settle for being a general dentist. It’s a great job but there are better ones out there.
 
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Actually the top dental earners are general dentists who own multiple practices. As far as applying, don't wait, do it now. If you decide to do a residency/oral surgery/whatever by the time you get out you'll have your pic of partners at the most opportune time of your life, just make sure your social skills are up to par during school.
 
Everyone enjoys life different and has different mindsets/goals. It seems like you are a very focused, mature, and smart individual who is set to finish your studies as soon as possible. I honestly admire that; no need for other distractions if they are not what bring joy to you. As I said, everyone is different.
 
Thanks everyone for the input! I'm glad to hear that there are other young students going to dental school. I think I will probably stick to my original plan and maybe just add one more school to make it a 10. I would prefer to live closer to home (VA), so does anyone have any recommendations for schools close to me that offer some merit scholarships?

I'm a nerd at heart, so I enjoy learning about things and I'm looking forward to dental school. To aggie-master, I have observed oral surgery before (all-on-4 implants) and while I found it very fascinating, I don't think it's for me. I'm actually really interested in shaping bone and how it changes over time, so I'm looking into orthodontics possibly in the future. But I know for sure that I want to do dentistry - I really like teeth and how you can change the facial structure over time through steady pressure and correct oral posture.
 
aggie-master said:
If I was smarter and more driven there are jobs in healthcare that are better IMO than being a general dentist. Oral surgeon is definitely one of those jobs. I think it would be cool to be an MD surgeon, dermatologist, neurologist, anesthesiologist, and probably orthodontist too.

I chose general dentist because it is better than the bottom half of MD jobs such as family physician and it didn’t require the extra training or extremely high grades and test scores that orthodontics and oral surgery, or any good MD job required.

If the OPs stats are true, he/she sounds extremely driven and intelligent. Someone like that should not settle for being a general dentist. It’s a great job but there are better ones out there.
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Idk, all of these careers are so different and it seems kinda odd to paint such broad strokes regarding what career is better or worse. People are different.
 
A dentist I know graduated UoP at like 23. Gave him a nice head start on paying off his loans and helped him open a practice.

OP better be sure they are set on dental school. Dont wanna be the guy/gal who drops out of dental school cuz they wanna apply to med school or something else. If OP is sure than shoot your shot and continue to apply broadly.

GPA is a little low, may need to consider an SMP though 😉

Best of luck!
 
mylandds said:
Hi everyone! This is my first time here and I'm hoping for some advice. I took my DAT yesterday and I’m still in a bit of shock. I was aiming for a 23 and never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would get a 27. Here's a breakdown of my scores:

AA 27
TS 29
PAT 28
RC 25
QR 26

I have a concern though: I just turned 18, and I’m worried that my age is a negative factor since two of my advisers had told me that I may be too young and that I should take a gap year. However, I didn’t want to take a gap year so I applied to 8 schools. I’m wondering if I should apply to more schools in case.

Does anyone know of any students who got into dental schools at a young age (19)? I’m in VA and I applied to VCU, UMD, Penn, Pittsburgh, Temple, Case Western, OSU, and Detroit Mercy (and Harvard, but I’m lacking one letter from faculty so not sure if I’d qualify.) Do you guys think I’m okay, or should I apply to more schools just in case, and if so, what schools? Btw, I have a 3.98 GPA with adequate shadowing, volunteering, and working hours. I’d greatly appreciate any input!
Click to expand...
don't do it
 
mylandds said:
Hi everyone! This is my first time here and I'm hoping for some advice. I took my DAT yesterday and I’m still in a bit of shock. I was aiming for a 23 and never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would get a 27. Here's a breakdown of my scores:

AA 27
TS 29
PAT 28
RC 25
QR 26

I have a concern though: I just turned 18, and I’m worried that my age is a negative factor since two of my advisers had told me that I may be too young and that I should take a gap year. However, I didn’t want to take a gap year so I applied to 8 schools. I’m wondering if I should apply to more schools in case.

Does anyone know of any students who got into dental schools at a young age (19)? I’m in VA and I applied to VCU, UMD, Penn, Pittsburgh, Temple, Case Western, OSU, and Detroit Mercy (and Harvard, but I’m lacking one letter from faculty so not sure if I’d qualify.) Do you guys think I’m okay, or should I apply to more schools just in case, and if so, what schools? Btw, I have a 3.98 GPA with adequate shadowing, volunteering, and working hours. I’d greatly appreciate any input!
Click to expand...
Do it.
 
Every so often someone pops up here who would clearly do well at anything they put their mind to. The OP seems to be that person. If dentistry is the career path he has chosen, I suggest he get on with it. Harvard, Penn and Columbia would be solid choices, and I am sure one of them will want you. I expect to see the OP in a leadership role in dentistry before long, and we all met him here.
 
setdoc7 said:
Every so often someone pops up here who would clearly do well at anything they put their mind to. The OP seems to be that person. If dentistry is the career path he has chosen, I suggest he get on with it. Harvard, Penn and Columbia would be solid choices, and I am sure one of them will want you. I expect to see the OP in a leadership role in dentistry before long, and we all met him here.
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*her

Not trying to be smart or anything, just wanting to give her credit here
 
With scores that high they won't care how young you are. To add icing on the cake I'd go to UoP if accepted and become a dentist at 22, lol
 
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I'm a bit late to the party, but if you got a 27 DAT at age 18, I'm guessing you are one of those really high IQ kids (150+) who skipped many years of school, the ones you see on TV who were solving algebra problems at age 2 etc.

If you truly are that smart, then I feel like you are limiting yourself by going into dentistry. This is not bashing dentistry, don't get me wrong, I'm going into dentistry myself and its a great field. But it's a field for people who are really smart and want to make a good living. For you, quite frankly, dentistry might just become boring after a while, since there aren't many things (not even dentistry or medicine) that can truly challenge such a high powered brain.

Not sure if you've looked into it, but maybe going into medical research/or even dental research would be better for you. It would be more intellectually stimulating, and someone of your caliber could make good money in it too. The average researcher doesn't make much, but the average researcher also doesn't have a 27 DAT by age 18...you could be a top researcher, make big medical discoveries.

Good luck
 
Shak Muscles said:
I'm a bit late to the party, but if you got a 27 DAT at age 18, I'm guessing you are one of those really high IQ kids (150+) who skipped many years of school, the ones you see on TV who were solving algebra problems at age 2 etc.

If you truly are that smart, then I feel like you are limiting yourself by going into dentistry. This is not bashing dentistry, don't get me wrong, I'm going into dentistry myself and its a great field. But it's a field for people who are really smart and want to make a good living. For you, quite frankly, dentistry might just become boring after a while, since there aren't many things (not even dentistry or medicine) that can truly challenge such a high powered brain.

Not sure if you've looked into it, but maybe going into medical research/or even dental research would be better for you. It would be more intellectually stimulating, and someone of your caliber could make good money in it too. The average researcher doesn't make much, but the average researcher also doesn't have a 27 DAT by age 18...you could be a top researcher, make big medical discoveries.

Good luck
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There is still plenty of room for research in dentistry. There are also plenty of options, such as DDS/PhD, and residencies that have an academic track option.
 
schmoob said:
There is still plenty of room for research in dentistry. There are also plenty of options, such as DDS/PhD, and residencies that have an academic track option.
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Yeah I was suggesting to go into research, in my last paragraph.
 
Thanks doc toothache for the link. It's giving me hope that my age won't be a hindrance.

Shak Muscles, I was able to skip 2 grades in high school. I also took some classes at my community college while in high school, and with AP credits, I skipped a year of college. I'm definitely not one of those prodigy kids, just one who knew she wanted to go into dentistry at a young age.

I have an interview with UNC Chapel Hill this Friday and Saturday and one with VCU next week and I'm wondering if they know my age before inviting me. I'm so nervous about my interview at UNC; it's one of my top choices and also my first interview!

Thanks everyone for your advice!
 
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mylandds said:
Thanks doc toothache for the link. It's giving me hope that my age won't be a hindrance.

Shak Muscles, I was homeschooled until high school and when I signed up at my local public school, they let me skip 2 grades since I had already taken 9th and 10th grade subjects. I also took some classes at my community college while in high school and with AP credits, I was able to skip a year of college. I'm definitely not one of those prodigy kids, just one who knew she wanted to go into dentistry at a young age.

I have an interview with UNC Chapel Hill this Friday and Saturday and one with VCU next week and I'm wondering if they know my age before inviting me. My plan is to not mention my age at all unless ask since I'm also Vietnamese which is a double whammy in my book. I'm so nervous about my interview at UNC; it's one of my top choices and also my first interview! Anyone here going to UNC this Friday? My name is Mylan so reach out if you're there.

Thanks everyone for your advice!
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Understood.

Good luck at your interview!
 
aggie-master said:
I’ll say this again, if you are that smart you don’t want to waste it being a general dentist like me. If you are set on dental school you should shoot for becoming an oral surgeon. You have to be near the top of your dental school class and score really well on some standardized tests to have a shot at becoming one. The money is great and you get to do much cooler stuff than a general dentist ever gets to do.

The reason I bring this up is that if that is your goal you are looking at 8 years or 10 years depending on if you do a 4 or 6 year OMFS residency. That means you are 27 or 29 when you finish residency if you start dental school next year. I wouldn’t waste a year of my life in a gap year if that is your goal.
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Hi OP, if you are really that smart then don't waste it going for surgery like a chimp or some other MD where half of the field is composed of eager beavers who compensate for only being mildly above average intelligence by developing pathological study habits. Heck, even as a MD PhD, there's a solid chance at an alpha of .05 that your biggest paper is actually just noise and it'll shortly be found irreproducible by your peers. Crunchy granola clinical science hippies.

Instead, aim for a real high IQ job like theoretical physicist, astronaut, or sorcerer supreme so that your brain can go towards circumventing the impending apocalypse for all mankind instead of one stupid patient who probably won't take care of themself anyway.





.... Okay, if you couldn't pick that up, heavy sarcasm.

OP,
General dentistry involves 4 years after undergrad for the potential (if you want it) to be in the office 4 days a week and still pull in well over 200k (could be much much more) if you're willing to optimize (and not live in LA). To boot, you're still helping your patients, often in a fairly dramatic fashion. The demand for those positions naturally exceeds the supply, which is why most dental schools have single digit acceptance rates and the second highest average matriculant GPAs behind MD among the health professions (yes, that includes DO as well as opto, pharm, etc).

Don't let the silly hierarchical thinkers tell you how you should be spending your time on earth. Most dental could've gone DO, many could've gone MD, and plenty of us at the ivies, UConn, UCLA, etc (i.e. people who could've aimed for oral surgery with a solid chance of success) have elected general dentistry.

Not everybody wants to use up the 8-12 years (depending on specialtys fellowship, etc) involved with MD or oral surgery.

Doesn't make you any less of a thinker. Plenty of time to attend Mensa meetings when you're not doing 110 hr/wk surgery residencies. Again, I'm thankful for surgeons, but it's not for everybody.
 
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