average age of dental students?

[predental7200]

I know this can vary A LOT, but I'm just curious as to the average age of dental students. For the people that got accepted into a dental school, what have your experiences been like? I know that every year it can change but I'm still curious. Anybody know for UoP and Case Western specifically?

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[jigabodo]

It's usually around 24-25 according to the ADEA guide.

 

[Curious 138]

yea, i believe it's 24

 

[doc toothache]

I know this can vary A LOT, but I'm just curious as to the average age of dental students. For the people that got accepted into a dental school, what have your experiences been like? I knowhat every year it can change but I'm still curious. Anybody know for UoP and Case Western specifically?

try http://www.adea.org/Resources/OG/OG_3_WhereToApply.pdf or buy the ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools 2008

https://access.adea.org/adeassa/ecs...st_id=&p_order_serno=&p_promo_cd=&p_price_cd=

 

[cowbuddha]

Spot on the national average of 24yrs at my school. Oldest was 56 in my class. Someone in the class under mine is 18. These are both the largest variations I have heard. Anyone know personally of larger out-liers? Don't mean to hijack the thread.

 

[bodiddely]

Someone in the class under mine is 18

 

[blankguy]

The biggest problem with under 18 is that he/she may not have the emotional maturity. He/she may have the smarts but it is not all about smarts.

 

[pidbull]

The biggest problem with under 18 is that he/she may not have the emotional maturity. He/she may have the smarts but it is not all about smarts.

yeah true
but im sure the dental school thought more than twice before they admitted an 18 year old, he probably had his head on his shoulders

 

[Farantino]

yeah true
but im sure the dental school thought more than twice before they admitted an 18 year old, he probably had his head on his shoulders

or maybe the school realized that the kid has enough potential to be the "chosen one"!

 

[rkamsterdam]

The average age is 24 like everyone said, but I get the feeling that the median age is alot closer to 22-23 because of those oldie former investment bankers who skew the mean.

do you think this is true?

 

[dr bojangles]

my feeling is about 60% are straight from undergrad (22-23), another 30% are 1-3 years out, and like 5-10% are those "former investment banker" (non-traditional) students.
might also make you feel that avg age is closer to 22/23 because theres much more of these college age kids that are online, in these forums, etc.

 

[youngmc27]

The average age of our class this year if I remember right is about 24 but that can be scewed by a few that are older or younger I am 29 and a first year but it really doesn't matter you will stillhave 30 years to pactice when you finish.

 

[Aceofspades]

The median may prove to be more of an indicator because of skewed averages with older students.

 

[dr.rex]

I would say that most of my class is no traditional. i dont know many who came straight from undergrad and there a lot of people in my class with families and multiple kids......i think our average age is a little bit higher.

 

[eldirty]

WOW 18 ... what is the story behind that student's life? Skipped 5 grades and finished prerequisites in 1 year? Can we get a birth certificate check please

 

[USU24]

The biggest problem with under 18 is that he/she may not have the emotional maturity. He/she may have the smarts but it is not all about smarts.

I think we should leave the poor prodigies alone. They probably have a complex from getting called doogie all the time.

 

[95881]

The biggest problem with under 18 is that he/she may not have the emotional maturity. He/she may have the smarts but it is not all about smarts.

When I was an undergrad I had a 16 year old in my bio class. He was more mature than a lot of the students my age. He wanted to be a doctor and I have no doubt that he is one today. These kind of students are rare but they do exist.

 

[eldirty]

doogies ... HAHA ... thats bringing back some serious childhood memories. 1989-1993, those were the days

 

[USU24]

Yeah. I'm all about the throwbacks.

 

[newsjunkie360]

I honestly believe dental schools are making people wait longer before they accept right out of undergrad. The 60% statistic seems far-fetched, b/c I know that even in medical schools roughly 20% of people enter straight from undergrad.

They're making people work harder for it and there is something to be said for a few years of real-world experiences.

 

[Lurchdubious]

They're making people work harder for it and there is something to be said for a few years of real-world experiences.

this is true. i think that many schools are looking for slightly older students that truly know that dentistry is what they want, and that have the maturity to handle professional school.
i'll be turning 27 in a month, and i was accepted to a few more schools than my friends with similar stats who are a couple yrs younger.

 

[Dr.munchkin]

one way to be in a dental school at the age of 18 is going to a high school that belongs to a university. When they graduate from high school, they also get a bachelors by then because they take college classes in high school.

 

[nonociceptors]

one way to be in a dental school at the age of 18 is going to a high school that belongs to a university. When they graduate from high school, they also get a bachelors by then because they take college classes in high school.

Afaik most programs like that only get you your Associate degree, and honestly I don't think anything exists where you can take high school courses and an entire Bachelors worth of courses concurrently. That kid's story has to be something different.

Also you bumped a thread from 2008 lol

 

[science luv]

you know 18 is the average age to get into dental and medicine schools in United Kingdom and most Europe

 

[ncide]

you know 18 is the average age to get into dental and medicine schools in United Kingdom and most Europe

They also get less years of education. UK is 5 years, where for the US it's more like 8 years. Some countries even hand out bachelor degrees for dentistry.