7-Year Programs?

[habibah91]

Hi, everyone!

I'm a high school senior. So I'm really thinking of going into Dentistry. I have a wide background of all field of healthcare after attending several different camps and job shadow experiences. I attend an accelerated program high school that specializes in Allied Health careers (very general so I'm very grateful for such a high school experience). After comparing all types of physicians I decided dentistry is for me.

Ok, so it's time to roll out college applications and apply. There is a specific 7-year dentistry program. I think I have everything for it except SAT scores (which I am taking Saturday), that needs to be raised around 50 points. I have a 95.2 GPA (don't know what that is on a 4.0 scale), and I will have an Associates degree from the county college by the end of my senior year (Yep - 2 years of college right there). What in your experiences have been the best/worst of 7-year programs? What are the benefits? Does it hurt that my high school does not rank (we all are like .001 apart)?

I'm getting nervous about applying. I think my GPA is alright, SAT just needs a little bit of review (no problem), but I want an inside scoop. There will be several interviews involved in the process (any tips)? I'm genuinely very interested now in dentistry, but my background has been very diverse. Currently I am in an EMT training program and I will finish that in the end of January. I volunteered at the hospital for a summer. I took nurse camp this past summer and was placed on a cardiology floor. I worked with kids that had cerebral palsy in a special school. I've job shadowed sonography, perinatology, radiology and dentistry (once each). Does this look good/bad?

I spoke with an admissions representative and evaluated my courses. I can transfer a year or more worth of credits...that makes the time into 6 years....and I'm pretty sure I want to finish college early by taking classes in the summer after my freshman year. So maybe I'll be done in one and half year with college and that leads to 4 years of Dentistry school. Is this the right track to go by? Or am I rushing into things? (I'd take summer classes regardless of the program I'm in). I mean, there are certain science courses you need to take for dentistry school...will this be enough time? Maybe I should spend summer revising? There is the DATs.

I appreciate any advice from pre-dental students, dental students and dentists themselves. I'm thinking of eventually going into orthodontists.

habibah91

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[novahopeful]

don't rush your life. take it one day at a time. you will change a lot in the coming years, and very few people actually know what they want to do at your age. don't let anybody else pressure you into a career in life.

 

[Katalyst]

Personally, I had the choice to go into UoP's five year program right out of high school and my family pressured me into getting an undergrad degree before doing to dental school. Best freakin' advice I could have gotten. I could have been a dentist at 23 years old, but I would be a very different person than I am now. Different being bad.

Life at college and immediately after is unlike any other time in life. It's almost like retirement, but with a young body and no ball-and-chain (wife ). You grow up so much as a person during those 4-6 years after high school and that growth will define what makes you happy for the rest of your life. Yes you may still want to go dental school as did I, but there is no iota within me that wishes I had gone the shorter route. I wouldn't want my career to define who I am. I want who I am to direct me to a career.

Additionally, dental school is far easier for me than anyone else in my class because of the science background I have built up.

 

[Katalyst]

As far as the DAT is concerned, very few college majors require Anatomy or physiology, but that material is very heavy on the DAT Biology section.

 

[ORLO]

Hey, I am in a 7-year program (aka 3+4 program) and I can absolutely say that it was a great decision. I'm in my junior year of college and just returned from my dental interview. If you have done the proper shadowing and truly have the passion to become a dentist, the 3+4 program is great. As far as your associate's degree goes, I'm not sure how that will play out...Most schools offering a 7-year program have very specific course requirements that you must take. Still, as long as you maintain a high GPA (which really isn't that difficult) and do well on your DAT and interview, you have an extremely high chance of getting into dental school after 3 years of undergrad. So when it's time for your interview and all the other applicants are nervous about being accepted, you can just relax and stand behind your hard work. Plus, when you're in the 7-year program, the dental school has an "agreement" with your university to reserve your seat if and when you meet the requirements. This puts you at a great advantage. You should feel lucky even knowing about this accelerated program...when I was at my interview last week, there were 14 students there. Not a single one had ever heard of the 7-year program! Sorry for the long post, but to sum it up, I would highly recommend this program if you are serious about dentistry. You will be doing more work in a smaller period of time, but it is very much worth it. Good luck on your decision!

 

[tinman831]

Moving to pre-dental.