Academic Advisor suggested something weird, not sure about it.

[CleverThought]

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So, my AA and I were talking and he suggested I take the DAT this summer and just see if I can get in DS a year early.

My top choice school doesn't require a undergraduate degree, so technically I could apply.

The only kicker is, I won't have O-chem by the time I take the DAT. I would, however, have taken organobiochemistry. So I have a little background in O-chem, but nothing too extensive.

Is o-chem something I can just study for? Would it be worth it? I'm just really hesitant about going into a test where I haven't taken the class that will be on DAT.

Opinions?

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

So, my AA and I were talking and he suggested I take the DAT this summer and just see if I can get in DS a year early.

My top choice school doesn't require a undergraduate degree, so technically I could apply.

The only kicker is, I won't have O-chem by the time I take the DAT. I would, however, have taken organobiochemistry. So I have a little background in O-chem, but nothing too extensive.

Is o-chem something I can just study for? Would it be worth it? I'm just really hesitant about going into a test where I haven't taken the class that will be on DAT.

Opinions?

Do you consider yourself highly intelligent and capable of self studying through any class?

If so then the answer is yes.

If you've experienced some difficulty in achieving high grades and you know for a fact that there are plenty of people around you smarter than you... then no, I would not risk it.


You know yourself better than your adviser knows you so use your best judgment

 

[shiftypoptart]

tbh I learned nothing during the year in my ochem class. I used Chads ochem and chem videos to study for the DAT and got a 23 on the ochem section and a 20 on the gen chem. Ochem is just one of those things you can learn by yourself pretty easily with a good book. I remember one entire quarter of ochem I went to class for the midterm and final and got a B+ in the class just reading the book by myself.

 

[GoBucks32]

tbh I learned nothing during the year in my ochem class. I used Chads ochem and chem videos to study for the DAT and got a 23 on the ochem section and a 20 on the gen chem. Ochem is just one of those things you can learn by yourself pretty easily with a good book. I remember one entire quarter of ochem I went to class for the midterm and final and got a B+ in the class just reading the book by myself.

I didn't use them, but I think the American Chemical Society books w/ problem sets would be a useful supplement to self-learning..Use the official DAT guide/faq thing and find what subjects/reactions could show up on the DAT to avoid wasting time studying more than required for the exam

 

[crax]

You can learn it from a review book. TBH organic on the DAT is more test taking than understanding in my opinion. I got a 20 on organic (my lowest score) and i really feel like my understanding did not represent my score, but i might just be acting a bit self conscience. anywho, youd be fine

 

[youknowthedrill]

It can't hurt to try. I have no doubt that you can learn Organic on your own. I'm taking it now and the professor might as well teach it in Chinese or German. I am self teaching with the book, internet and some study guides. I would look up the stats for your state school in the ADEA Guide to Dental School. My state school says that they accept applicants w/o a degree but no one has been admitted this way in several years.

I don't think the lack of Organic will hurt you on the DAT...but I don't think dental schools can seriously consider your application and compare you with other applicants if you haven't taken the course. You should check with the school(s) you are considering before you apply.

 

[qhorse]

So, my AA and I were talking and he suggested I take the DAT this summer and just see if I can get in DS a year early.

My top choice school doesn't require a undergraduate degree, so technically I could apply.

The only kicker is, I won't have O-chem by the time I take the DAT. I would, however, have taken organobiochemistry. So I have a little background in O-chem, but nothing too extensive.

Is o-chem something I can just study for? Would it be worth it? I'm just really hesitant about going into a test where I haven't taken the class that will be on DAT.

Opinions?

I would recommend against this.

I think MOST schools that would let you apply early, require very insane DAT scores. I think Pittsburgh requires a 26 on each section for early decision.

Also, what's the rush? You have time to get a better GPA, take orgo, take some good classes to flesh out your transcript. Plus, you'd get more time to study for your DAT and hopefully you'll do well when you take it.

 

[dantemac]

I would wait to take the DAT and apply with an undergrad degree. Yes, your top school may not require it, but many other schools do.

Unless your school is handing you a 3+4 accelerated program, I would not try this.

 

[azdental89]

so i dont know if my story will help you out at all but basically it was teh same thing i took the dat in the summer of sophmore year (17aa 16ts 3.45 sci and cum gpa) mainly because i did not take ochem and that brought down my score and i applied in september last cycle. I received 2 predecember and 1 post december interview. as you can see i got waitlisted at one and rejections from the other so i didnt get in but i retook my dat in march and applied in june and the schools that i interviewed at gave me interviews almost immediately

 

[AmpedUp]

Please take your time and thoroughly enjoy the undergrad ride! 😀

travel the world, take fun classes, spend time with fam/friends...then take the "beastly" DAT before your senior year. dental school is a huge time commitment and physically draining, although it's enjoyable at the same time with new info you are learning (which is presented at an overwhelming fast pace)...just don't try to get in early in my opinion. it may backfire.

note: my school doesn't require a BS/BA degree, but 100% of my class has a BS/BA degree or higher and I'm sure most dental schools in the country have similar stats.

 

[Bis-GMA111]

see, i feel this is a toss up.

if you happened to get a reaction heavy orgo section of the DAT, there is no doubt in my mind that you could pull off a 19

however, if you get a conceptually based section, or an even split b/w concepts and reactions you'd be screwed.

chad's videos only help so much, but i feel like you should at least get your feet wet with orgo in your undergrad years. Granted, I didn't learn much in orgo when i took it (my prof was horrible), but it gave me a decent background.

if you're really confident in your abilities, I would recommend buying an orgo crash course book to get the concepts and basic reactions down, and from there invest in chad's videos.

 

[zgoettsc]

This is exactly what I am doing. I took the DAT in August, am I am a junior now. I too did not have organic chemistry before I took the DAT, but I found that it wasn't very hard to learn the concepts. (It is also helping me now that I am in Organic II, because I have seen it all! 🙂) I have an interview on the 26th, so the school I applied to didnt mind the timeline that I took. Hope this helps! Go for it!

 

[jackalo34]

This is exactly what I am doing. I took the DAT in August, am I am a junior now. I too did not have organic chemistry before I took the DAT, but I found that it wasn't very hard to learn the concepts. (It is also helping me now that I am in Organic II, because I have seen it all! 🙂) I have an interview on the 26th, so the school I applied to didnt mind the timeline that I took. Hope this helps! Go for it!

Congratz! But to the OP, be cautious. While he was able to land an interview, it was at his state school, so don’t let it fool you -getting accepted without a degree is rare and difficult.

 

[Charmm]

Hire a senior to teach you the stuff. In my senior year, a girl hired me for 2k to teach the whole ochem, I taught her everything but most importantly, she was motivated as hell. She got into UOP with no degree.

Basically you need the right resources
Its very doable and I recommend it; at this point I am convinced that undergrad is a total waste, thats why other countries dont do it the way its done in US

 

[Blarelli]

So, my AA and I were talking and he suggested I take the DAT this summer and just see if I can get in DS a year early.

My top choice school doesn't require a undergraduate degree, so technically I could apply.

The only kicker is, I won't have O-chem by the time I take the DAT. I would, however, have taken organobiochemistry. So I have a little background in O-chem, but nothing too extensive.

Is o-chem something I can just study for? Would it be worth it? I'm just really hesitant about going into a test where I haven't taken the class that will be on DAT.

Opinions?

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If money isn't a problem then I'd totally go for it.
I don't remember a heck of a lot about O-Chem, but I feel confident that I could relearn everything in less than 2 weeks.
Start with a basic overview like in Kaplan, then find a copy of Organic Chemistry by Brown, Foote, Iverson, and Anslyn and make copies of the end of chapter review. I would say they are sufficient to learn all of the reactions and concepts covered on the DAT.
Then do problems like nuts. I did the Destroyer O-Chem section several times times and got a 28 on the O-Chem section