any advice?

[PreDent21]

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hey guys
this is my first post on sdn,
i just recently decided that i want to do dentistry. im a freshman at a 4 year university. I was wondering what are some things that i can start doing from now that will strongly increase my chances of getting into a good dental school?
thanks in advance!

 

[Lurchdubious]

hey guys
this is my first post on sdn,
i just recently decided that i want to do dentistry. im a freshman at a 4 year university. I was wondering what are some things that i can start doing from now that will strongly increase my chances of getting into a good dental school?
thanks in advance!

Does your school have a Pre-health Professions club? That would be a great resource.
Do whatever you can to set yourself apart from other applicants. Shadow tons. Volunteer in whatever organization you can, especially if you can find a free dental clinic or similar. It doesn't hurt to get involved in research, particularly anything dental related (or that you can relate to dentistry). Be active in a few extra curriculars~lead a flag football team, or show leadership in other activities. Join a club or two. Be active in the community, whether it's habitat for humanity or big brother/big sister. Get good grades, etc. It's good that you're starting early. Many don't get the ball rolling on these things until their last couple years of undergrad. Some schools, such as ASDOH like to see a lifetime commitment to service, so getting as much of that in as possible definitely helps your app there. Good luck.

 

[doc3232]

Does your school have a Pre-health Professions club? That would be a great resource.
Do whatever you can to set yourself apart from other applicants. Shadow tons. Volunteer in whatever organization you can, especially if you can find a free dental clinic or similar. It doesn't hurt to get involved in research, particularly anything dental related (or that you can relate to dentistry). Be active in a few extra curriculars~lead a flag football team, or show leadership in other activities. Join a club or two. Be active in the community, whether it's habitat for humanity or big brother/big sister. Get good grades, etc. It's good that you're starting early. Many don't get the ball rolling on these things until their last couple years of undergrad. Some schools, such as ASDOH like to see a lifetime commitment to service, so getting as much of that in as possible definitely helps your app there. Good luck.

👍 Agreed.

 

[appleonius]

focus on academics.
4.0 & 22s on the DAT ftw. wish i had done that.

also, read lots & lots of SDN. get started now.

 

[somethinpositiv]

In my opinion, I'd list the following things in order of importance:

1. BCP/Science GPA (try for 3.5+, higher the better)
2. Overall GPA (try for 3.5+, higher the better)
3. DAT (19+, 19 is the nationwide average for matriculants)
4. Shadowing (40-100 hours)
5. Leadership (become Prez or VP of a club, any club, start a club if you have to)

Other things you need:
- Great Letters of Recommendation (I'd try to get 3 Sci, 1 Non-Sci, 1 Dentist)
- Great Personal Statement (Why Dentistry? Have a really good answer.)
- Great Interpersonal Communication & Interviewing Skills (there's classes for this)
- Your school's Pre-Dental Club, an invaluable source of information (and your state school might prefer to accept Officers from the Pre-Dental Club, at least that's how it is at my school).
- SDN.

Optional (definitely do some of these, if you have the time and it doesn't negatively effect your grades):
- Volunteering
- Research
- Mentoring
- Work

 

[PreDent21]

thanks for the great advice!
i dont think my school has a pre-dent club, so im thinking of starting one.
as far as my gpa goes, my first semester, i got a 3.7 aGPA, and a 3.0 sGPA
i only took one science (biology) and got a B.... not to happy about this, but from what iv read on sdn, i guess its not that big of a deal

this semester, my classes are going pretty well, i think im going to get a 4.0
im taking gen chem, psychology, English, and a language

i havent started voulenteering yet, however i plan on getting some hours over the summer.

im going to take orgo 1 over the summer, then orgo 2 in the fall of 2010, along with cell biology. in the winter im going to take an extra bio class (not sure what yet...any adivce?) along with a kaplan or princeton course for the dat.
then i plan on taking the DAT my sophmore year in the summer, and applying to d school.
i really want to finish in three years, so thats why im rushing everything, but i just wanted to know what you guys think of my plan,

if any one has any improvements or suggestions let me know
thanks!