being pre dental

[uclakid]

Hey guys.

1. I was wondering when the application process starts for ppl entering 2005?

2. When should the DAT be taken for ppl entering 2005?

I don't know anything about dental school or being pre-dent...but i'm thinking about it a lot now...

so, tell me whatever you can! thanks!

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[uclakid]

does anyone know any good/trustworthy links to dental reqs?

 

[Woodsy]

yeah the actual websites of the dental schools you are applying to.

 

[Bickle]

does anyone know any good/trustworthy links to dental reqs?

ALong with woodsy's advice, check out the FAQ at the top of the pre dent forum.

 

[ecdoesit]

uclakid,
It doesnt matter much about the stats, unless you get a 2.0 or below. If you want to get into a dental school, you can as long as you r willing to work hard in the proper ways. The best thing for you to do now is to shadow dentists. Ask whatever questions in your mind.

There are many oragnizations/clubs at local universities to help out pre-dental students. I assume you are at ucla, there is a 80 hrs volunteer program at the dental sch. you may want to check it out. Plus, there is the denture course. Many people, including me, have taken it and love it. At UCI, there is ASDA(American Student Dental Association) predental club. And of cos, there is the UCSD Free Dental Clinic/Pre-dental Society. If you happen to be in San Diego, feel free to pm me to discuss any pre-dental-related matters.

Talk with UOP representative in their meeting. They have good stats about future of dentistry. Be ready to notice the gap on social view between MD and DDS/DMD. Analysis the negatives to make sure that you can live with that because there are way too many goods to be a dentist.

 

[ziptree]

To answer your questions:
1) May 17, 2004 is the start of the 2005 AADSAS application cycle.
2) The DATs should be taken ~June-July. August would be a little late, but not impossible. Don't try to push it onto September.

If you say you don't know anything about being pre-dent, I'd advise you to hold off on your application until the 2006 cycle. If you don't have any dental experience now, it'd be a little disadvantageous to you to apply now. Plus, how do you know you're going to enjoy doing it for 20, 30, 40 years if you don't have at least a little exposure?

I think Eric is trying to be a little too optimistic, sorry. It's not a 2.0 or below. I know there's a 3.0 and under club here, but get the highest GPA you can. You don't want to be playing the odds when you have a 2.7-2.8 GPA with only mediocre DAT scores. To be successful, I'd say 3.4+ GPA, 20+ DATs for a very good chance of interviewing at most schools you apply to, private and in-state.

Next, if your school doesn't have a Pre-Dentistry club, don't worry. I never did much in my club. Like most everyone on SDN, I took the initiative to go out there myself and learn about Dentistry myself. If you're interested, learning about it should be fun, not a chore.

If you have any more questions, feel free to PM or just post again and I'm sure someone will be happy to answer your questions.

 

[ziptree]

I just did a quick search on your posts and see that you've been quite active in the medical forums.

Just a caveat. Dental schools ask if you've applied to and have been accepted to/rejected from any other health-profession schools, ie: medical, pharmacy... They just want to make sure that you're not making a mistake and applying to every single type of school you want. They want to know you're going to go to Dental school and stick with it the whole way through.

 

[Calculus1]

I just did a quick search on your posts and see that you've been quite active in the medical forums.

Just a caveat. Dental schools ask if you've applied to and have been accepted to/rejected from any other health-profession schools, ie: medical, pharmacy... They just want to make sure that you're not making a mistake and applying to every single type of school you want. They want to know you're going to go to Dental school and stick with it the whole way through.

In addition to what ziptree said, for those of you applying to TX schools using the TMDSAS, they will know if you've applied to both whether you want them to or not. The application for both is the same and all that seperates your app. from going to med or dental school is which boxes you check. They allow you to check any boxes that apply, but I would strongly recommend making up your mind before you decide to check all of them.