Advice for Undergrads

[elemental951]

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I know a lot of you have just gotten done applying and facing the tough journey of getting good grades and DAT scores. I'm coming in as a freshman biology major planning to go to dental school and I was wondering if any of you have any specific advice you could share or things you wish you knew as a freshman.

 

[bumpntrunk]

Take the hardest courses first,no point taking easier ones until you know you can get the more difficult material done and at the level needed (getting good grade). What is hardest is different for each person so determine if your most difficult subject is chem or bio and just dive in. Everyone always said how hard o-chem is so I basically just took chem courses till I completed them all. Once I finished with a good gpa, I moved on to bio and physics which were way easier for me (but that is for me, again, you might have difficulty with something else). Additional advice, buy one of those DAT study guides and start reading it so by the time you take the DAT, it will be second nature.

 

[rootz02]

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[Dainotda]

Keep your academics solid, join clubs/organizations that you have a passion for, help lead those eventually if you can, stay involved on campus and in your community, actively volunteer, expose yourself to dentistry as much as you can (predent clubs, volunteering at a dental clinic, more shadowing), get lab experience/research if you can

The grades/numbers will help get your foot in the door, but your extracurriculars will help you stand out

 

[hplfe]

i don't necessarily agree with this. i think it is ill advised to take anatomy and physiology without taking gen bio lol. i also think it's ill advised to take o chem your freshman year when you're still adjusting to college and are bound to be less efficient than your soph - sen years.

assuming bio major-

fresh year: Gen bio + Gen Chem + 2 other classes (i took required english course and Calc 1)

Soph Year: Advanced bio courses + O chem + 2 other classes

Junior Year: Advanced Bio courses + Physics + 2 other courses

by junior year, you will be thoroughly prepared for taking the DAT. Independent study will still be necessary, but by 21 you will be mature, developed, and ready to dedicate the necessary amount of time to succeed on the DAT.

And i think everyone on sdn can agree that the best piece of advice is to maintain the highest gpa possible. a bad college gpa isn't necessarily unsalvageable, but it is an absolute pain to continue education beyond the BS degree to fix it. good luck to you all. work hard.

This schedule works, I did something similar myself. As for advanced bio courses sophomore year, I suggest genetics. With this schedule, you can take the DAT at the end of your sophomore year. Trust me, getting the DAT out of the way a summer earlier than most people helps so much (especially since you just finished ochem so that stuff will be fresh). A lot of my friends are still studying/preparing to take the DAT the same time they are applying and they are so stressed out. As for me, I'm just chilling since my applications are already out and I don't have the DAT to worry about


One last note. In addition to getting a high GPA, make sure you understand the material. Don't just take a test to get an A. If you actually understand everything in gen bio, gen chem, ochem, studying for the DAT will be 1000 times easier.

 

[Dainotda]

One last note. In addition to getting a high GPA, make sure you understand the material. Don't just take a test to get an A. If you actually understand everything in gen bio, gen chem, ochem, studying for the DAT will be 1000 times easier.

This is especially true for Organic Chemistry.
The orgo on the DAT is very basic compared to what you'll be going over in class.

 

[yappers2009]

1. Take the DAT the summer after your sophomore year if you have already taken organic.
2. Learn how to study the right way early. My high school didn't prepare me well for college, so I struggled until mid-sophomore year.
3. Get involved with volunteering, clubs, and shadowing dentists--Some schools require an extensive amount of hours.
4. Look early into the schools you're considering applying to for the courses they require. Social Sciences, such as Psychology and Sociology are some of the easy ones you can take as a freshman/sophomore instead of taking unnecessary classes to fill space in your schedule (I learned the hard way).
5. I took physics my sophomore year so that I could take upper-level biology classes my junior year. Depending how the pre-reqs are for those classes, it may not even be possible to take those until you're an upperclassman, so it was nice not to have to worry about physics.
6. (Optional) Consider a more advanced major than just Biology, such as Behavioral Neuroscience, Cellular Biology, Biochemistry, etc. so that your application will stand out as being more difficult.

 

[kstoothfairy]

Depending on where you live, you should definitely research your state schools and see if any do reserved admissions programs. I would give anything to have known about the program UMKC has, being a KS resident myself. You get to apply for reserved admission after soph. year, and then if all goes well you get a conditional admission right then! You just have to keep your grades up and you don't have to go through the entire application process... the waiting... the stress. Something worth looking into for sure!

 

[Predent36]

Take the DAT after you've finished ochem. I should have taken the DAT last summer, and if I did, it would have been easier to retain all of my ochem.

Get involved on campus with leadership and research. If you go to a research university, there are likely many research opportunities available. Maybe even try to TA gen chem, ochem, or bio sophomore or junior year.

Look into schools you are interested in ahead of time and make relationships with two science professors, a non-science prof, and a dentist for letters of recommendation so they can write you strong ones.

Oh, and find a predental club at your school so you can make friends with older pre-dental students further along for advice specific to your university.

 

[Stacker]

Never think you're smart. Always have the mindset of the underdog.
Whenever you're not studying, remember that you should be studying because someone else out there is studying more than you.
Study to learn with the goal of improving yourself. Feed your curiosity; it's the best motivator. Don't let the goal be an arbitrary letter grade. Always ask questions in your head when you're reading.
Every morning you wake up, have an idea of who you want to be (personality, ideals, and work-ethic wise) and go throughout the day as that person.

 

[circa86]

here's some free advice. don't be a bio major. save yourself years of stress and lonely nights in the library. that's what dental school is for

 

[Predent36]

Whenever you're not studying, remember that you should be studying because someone else out there is studying more than you.

Yes! That's a great piece of advice!

 

[teethlove]

Major in whatever you want!!! Take advanced classes (not necessarily early), and have fun taking those classes! Get interested in bio, chem, etc. because it is very relevant to dentistry. Shadow a lot and love that too! Then get a solid DAT score and you'll be well on your way. Make sure you make time for your DAT studying. I personally wish I had taken off work and stayed away from my family, but do whatever is best for you!

Good luck 🙂

 

[MrSummerlin]

i don't necessarily agree with this. i think it is ill advised to take anatomy and physiology without taking gen bio lol. i also think it's ill advised to take o chem your freshman year when you're still adjusting to college and are bound to be less efficient than your soph - sen years.

assuming bio major-

fresh year: Gen bio + Gen Chem + 2 other classes (i took required english course and Calc 1)

Soph Year: Advanced bio courses + O chem + 2 other classes

Junior Year: Advanced Bio courses + Physics + 2 other courses

by junior year, you will be thoroughly prepared for taking the DAT. Independent study will still be necessary, but by 21 you will be mature, developed, and ready to dedicate the necessary amount of time to succeed on the DAT.

And i think everyone on sdn can agree that the best piece of advice is to maintain the highest gpa possible. a bad college gpa isn't necessarily unsalvageable, but it is an absolute pain to continue education beyond the BS degree to fix it. good luck to you all. work hard.

Completely agree. Creating a good and balanced course load allows time for extracurriculars, good grades, shadowing etc.

 

[LaughingGas]

-Learn how to study efficiently, not hard.
-Learn good time management.