Brandeis pre dental or Muhlenberg pre dental

[tennidanlak]

I will be applying Early Decision to either Brandeis University or Muhlenberg college. I know both schools are good but Brandeis is better academically. Since I am planning to take pre dental classes, i was wondering which school would be better for that? and wich school has more students taking pre dental classes? Any help or advice is much appreciated

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[yjdentist]

hmmm i know nothing about muhlenberg, but brandeis is a great school. i got to do a summer research there, and i saw a lot of undergraduates who were pre MED. which is essentially equal to pre dent as far as fulfilling requirements. the students seemed happy with their school.

pre dent courses you are talking about are just science courses (like gen chem, orgo, bio, biochem, etc.). personally, i dont think where you take them matters as long as the school has a semi-good reputation.

but here is what i would do in your situation. i would see if each school has a pre-health committee (who will write you committee recommendation letter for dental school) and see if there is a support system for pre health students. such as advisors to guide you throughout your 4 years, meetings, seminars and etc.

good luck 🙂

 

[tennidanlak]

There is a definite difference though between the schools academically. Brandeis is definitely better then Muhlenberg but i think Muhlenberg is still a good school. How much does going to a school like Brandeis as opposed to Muhlenberg matter for getting into dental school

 

[Maygyver]

I've honestly never heard of either of the schools. But in general, your level of education depends on what you put into it. Take the prereqs you need and do well in the courses to get a good GPA, and then make sure you do well on the DAT. Your chances are in your hands. When it comes to picking a school, I would pick the one that you think you feel fits you well. You will be there for 4 years and school will be a lot easier if you enjoy your time there. Good luck!

 

[tennidanlak]

There is a definite difference though between the schools academically. Brandeis is definitely better then Muhlenberg but i think Muhlenberg is still a good school. How much does going to a school like Brandeis as opposed to Muhlenberg matter for getting into dental school?

 

[Maygyver]

Hmm. Would dental schools really know the difference between the two schools? I think name recognition matters if you were to choose an Ivy or other well known top tier school a slight bit, if you have a high GPA to prove that you did well in tough classes, but in this case I'm not really sure. I think it helps if you look at the pros/cons of each school. It seems like you are more set on Brandeis. What is the difference academically between them?

 

[tennidanlak]

I am not sure how to explain the difference but Brandeis is ranked a 34 University in America while Muhlenberg is ranked 75 on the liberal arts college list in America. ALso I knwo the average SAT score Brandeis accepts starts at an 1880 and Muhlenbergs starts at 1680. I am not set on Brandeis or Muhlenberg. I definitely liked the kids more at Muhlenberg because everyone was nicer and helpful then at Brandeis, except I wanted to find out if the difference in academics can seriously affect my chances on Dental school because then I might pick Brandeis.

 

[Maygyver]

Hm, I would say it's a toss up. Do you know which school has a better program for the major you want to pursue?

 

[Rach7]

I recently graduated from Brandeis. Go where you'll be happiest. If it's not the right fit, don't spent 4 years wishing you were somewhere else. PM me if you want more in depth details.

 

[yjdentist]

here is the thing:
your chances of dental school will NOT be affected by where you attend college.

it doesnt matter which school you go to, unless you are comparing, like Maygver said, an ivy to a local community-college level university or something.

dental schools look at:
GPA, DAT, extracurricular activities, and your potential to become a good dentist based on the quality of your application, such as your personal statement and interview.


NOT where you studied.


at this point,

i think you need worry about which school has the qualities that will help you to succeed and to increase your chances for dental schools. you should not be comparing the two schools based on their reputation.

what i mean by that is: don't be comparing the two schools, basing academics as the schools' ranking, and stats.


compare them by basing academics as the resources each school has to help you succeed: like pre health committee, i mentioned in my previous post, the quality of the science departments, and the environment you will work better in.



think about it.

one student went to brandeis. has a gpa of 3.0 and DAT 19
the other student went to muhlenberg. has a gpa of 3.7 and DAT 23

which student do you think will be chosen by the dental schools?

the fact is, the schools will choose the student who showed more efforts to become a successful dental student: by maintaining a good gpa, a solid DAT score, etc.

good luck.

 

[tennidanlak]

Oh okay. I am not sure how to find out about the pre health committee and things like that. I couldn't find one on the internet for either school. Do you know where I can find this kind of info?

 

[yjdentist]

yes, you can call/email the admissions office or academic services. just tell them you are a prospective student looking to be pre-dental and were wondering if there were resources such as a pre-health committee.

i just googled "brandeis prehealth" and found this:
http://www.brandeis.edu/acserv/health/index.html

it's their Health Professions Advising website AKA prehealth committee website.

i suggest reading about them and if you have more questions, just email the director.

good luck!

 

[snaggletoof]

OK well I graduated from Muhlenberg and I can say that it is a very very rigorous pre-health program. It's not cut-throat by any means in terms of students being competitive, and on the contrary, students definitely want to see each other succeed. I would say over 200 freshman enter as pre-health and maybe 50-70 finish. It is very difficult to get good grades at The 'Berg and I can see it stand up to any program. All the professors are 1st class and their doors are always open if you have a problem or question about class.

Lori Provost, the Pre-Health advisor for Muhlenberg, was on the back of the ADEA guidebook to dental schools for 2010. She is the former President of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions....she is very smart and knows her stuff.


Plus, I do believe that Muhlenberg still has a 3/4 program with PENN Dental....

 

[armorshell]

Sounds expensive

 

[emu]

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