A parent in the dental field

[munecaDDS]

Does having a parent as a dentist who owns their own practice help me with my application process? Also i have been working in the office since I was 16 im 22 now and I have my dental x-ray licnese for about 2 years Any feedback would be great thanks!!!

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[Roto Picante]

That will help your application but it obviously isn't going to be the most important part of your application. DAT scores and GPA are the initial things that adcoms look at and if those don't meet their requirements as a school then you are toast no matter how many years you have worked in a dental office. Get good DAT score and bring up your GPA a little and you will be golden. Good luck.

 

[armorshell]

I'm sure it will help you once you graduate from dental school, but I don't know how much it will help you getting in. Maybe your parent has some buddies on the admissions committee somewhere?

 

[potatoman]

half of the people who apply to dental school are legacy kids, so there's no real point of differentiation there. i'm not sure what you mean by "application process," but i think your experience will help you write your personal statement and load up your application. the greatest benefit beyond that would come if your parent is a faculty member at a ds or has connections to faculty members. otherwise, i think you just end up in the same boat as everyone else. not sure if that's what you wanted to hear, sorry

 

[54807]

Does having a parent as a dentist who owns their own practice help me with my application process? Also i have been working in the office since I was 16 im 22 now and I have my dental x-ray licnese for about 2 years Any feedback would be great thanks!!!

Having that is a pretty profound way of saying "I know what I'm getting into". You've seen the office for a few years, you've worked in the field, you see your parent(s) at home and complain about the day. There can't be any better way of 'shadowing' than that.

AND perhaps that office has given a donation to the school?!?! Now you practically don't even have to take the DAT!

 

[DiNoZeRo2o9]

Helps more for private schools who can give a little favoritism to those parents who know people in the school still or give generous donations.

 

[206127]

Does having a parent as a dentist who owns their own practice help me with my application process? Also i have been working in the office since I was 16 im 22 now and I have my dental x-ray licnese for about 2 years Any feedback would be great thanks!!!

I don't think it's going to help much... schools want to know you are doing it for the right reasons not because mom/dad did it. Having mom/dad as a dentist means you need to prove yet another thing to dental schools... are you really doing this because you want to or because mom/dad want you to? My mother and father are dentists, so far all of my interviewers have asked me questions to see if I am in it for the right reasons.

 

[armorshell]

I don't think it's going to help much... schools want to know you are doing it for the right reasons not because mom/dad did it. Having mom/dad as a dentist means you need to prove yet another thing to dental schools... are you really doing this because you want to or because mom/dad want you to? My mother and father are dentists, so far all of my interviewers have asked me questions to see if I am in it for the right reasons.

Not my experience at all, but whatever.

 

[munecaDDS]

futuredentist what kinds of questions have they asked you?

 

[206127]

futuredentist what kinds of questions have they asked you?

Here are just a few off the top of my head:
-You come from a family of dentists, is that why you want to be a dentist?
-Did your family influence your decision on applying for dental school? How or how not?
-You come from a family of dentists, if you don't get into dental school how do you think your family respond? and what would you do?
-If your parents weren't dentists would you still want to be a dentist? why or why not?
or the more general Why dentistry? that many people get

Maybe I'm reading into their questions too much but I get they feeling they want to make sure I'm not doing it because of mom/dad.

 

[Mazmel]

half of the people who apply to dental school are legacy kids, so there's no real point of differentiation there. i'm not sure what you mean by "application process," but i think your experience will help you write your personal statement and load up your application. the greatest benefit beyond that would come if your parent is a faculty member at a ds or has connections to faculty members. otherwise, i think you just end up in the same boat as everyone else. not sure if that's what you wanted to hear, sorry

I have a cousin who is the head of a department at a dental school... does that extremely increase my chances to either that dental school or another?

 

[doc toothache]

It will help you in that you will have a clear idea as SaxyDucky suggested. Beyond that, you will have to be able to stand on your own two feet.

 

[a1pha]

On a somewhat related note... my dentist has a pretty sweet story of how he got into dental school. His dad was a well known surgeon in the Cleveland area and he was friends with someone in admissions for Case. His dad's friend called up one day and asked if he wanted to come check out the school, and he told my dentist to bring along his transcript. He went and met the admissions committee and they just talked for awhile. End of the day rolls around and they ask him if he wants to go to Case. He replied with something like "yeah that would be cool..." and the guy was like "no...as in we're offering you a spot in the school." He said he wasn't even aware he was "interviewing". He hadn't taken his DATs or started applications at this point. They made him take his DATs but it basically didn't matter what he got (he did really well anyway). I doubt this type of stuff happens anymore given that this was like 30 years ago, but pretty crazy regardless. Don't think you can find too many other people who get into dental school before even taking the DAT.

 

[doc toothache]

Don't think you can find too many other people who get into dental school before even taking the DAT.

How about with no DAT?

http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas/Final Statistics Report - EY07 - Dental.pdf

 

[needa20]

have a parent in the field may help if you are applying to the school that they graduated from and they still know a few people there.

also, like a few others said, tell the interviewers that YOU want to be a dentist for such and such a reason and luckily you really know what you are getting yourself into because you have been exposed to it first hand for X amount of years

 

[dr bojangles]

your experience WILL help you.
having a parent who is a dentist WILL NOT (unless they are or know an adcom member)