4 yr programs vs. 3 yr?! Also dent experience?

[3aliyah]

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Hi people....
I'm kind of new to the dent school search because I was planning on medical school and finally had to make a decision for the benefit of my daughter (and since I love dent too it isn't killing me to take this route). So anyway, I'm not too certain what's what yet.

I've been surfing dental school sites and the more I look the more confused I get. I was at the U of Pacific site and it said they have a 3 year program. No 4th year for internship?? Maybe they excluded that one? I've been to tons of other sites and it seems the norm is 4 years including the internship.

Checked out Harvard (too expensive), Columbia (not too bad), U of MN (lower DATs and higher GPAs), and the TX schools which are all ok (though if you want good weather Houston is out of the question! Yuck!)

Also I've been reading that having dental experience is a plus. How do I go about getting volunteer experience in the dental field...? Ask my dentist if I can be his shadow??

Any suggestions and input are appreciated! Thanks!

 

[EyeCandy]

3alyiah,
by reading your post, I personally do not have any idea where you are at in your academic career so I will do my best to help you. As far as UOP goes, it is the only dental school in America that is a 3-year program, which means that you can get your DDS in 3 years. All other dental schools are 4 year programs but the cost of UOP still exceeds most 4 year dental school costs. This is not only because of their tuition but also b/c Frisco is not actually the cheapest place to live. If you are concerned about money, then you should look into applying to some of the midwest schools, their living expenses are less than half of Westcoast or Eastcoast schools. Also, internships are not that common in dentistry as their are mandatory in medicine and not many people even consider internships so don't worry about it too much. As for volunteering, asking your dentist is a good idea or you could also find out from your university, they usually will have a directory of sorts which lists local volunteering openings. I hope I was a help.

 

[3aliyah]

EyeCandy -

Thanks for your post. I guess I wasn't too clear about where I am in school. I just finished an M.S. in Biology this past December, but wonder of wonders - I haven't taken my ochemII or physics. Never had to take them for undergrad (BA in Anthropology).

Thanks for the info on UOP - I kinda thought that was the case. I was cheking out Harvard's site just for fun and I thought it was a typo when they said they were taking apps for 2007!!!!!!!! They weren't kidding!!!! Sheesh! Forget THEM!

Also - don't I need to have some dental experience? We don't have a very active pre-dent program here and so I'm on my own I guess.