Career Change

[Kiestand]

I am currently working full-time to support my husband while he is in dental school. I have a BA and an MA in International Relations and will need to take some general science classes before applying to dental school. I plan to go back to school to take some general science classes after my husband graduates in 2008 since I will not need to work anymore. I am thinking of studying for and taking the DAT while still working and before taking the general science classes. I know that the DAT scores are valid for 3 years so if I take the DAT in the summer of 2008 my scores should still be valid by the time I submit my applications. I know this is not the order in which most people approach things but it seems to make the most sense given my situation. Does anyone have some advice?

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[maksidaa]

i think that if you haven't taken any science courses in a while then you should hold off on the DAT. take your time cuz you don't want to mess up early. once you're not working and you can focus on school then you'll learn a lot more from taking the required courses than you could teach yourself right now. is there any reason you feel rushed to taked the DAT? if you want to get started, then go buy the Kaplan blue book for the DAT and see what you think. if it looks like some foriegn language then just sit back and wait. if you look at it and think that it's not so bad then find a kaplan course to take and get started. hope that helps.

 

[Kiestand]

I was also initially hesitant to take the DAT before the science classes. The reason why I want to rush things is because I am not getting any younger and an additional year can make a big difference. I also would rather focus only on the DAT instead of having to prepare for the DAT while taking other science classes. I already bought the most recent version of the Kaplan blue book and also have all of my husband's study material from when he took the DAT. It honestly looks manageable to me considering that I will have so much time to prepare. Thank you for the advice!

 

[maksidaa]

it sounds like you have an idea of what you're doing and if your husband thinks it's a good idea then i say go with it. he's a 3rd year right? so he should have some time to help you with stuff if you get lost. also, have you considered taking a kaplan course or something like that? when you get ready to take practice tests, get Topscore pro, DAT achiever and DAT destroyer. you'll be unstoppable. study for several months since you're learning it for the first time and don't feel rushed. it's not always about getting it done as quickly as possible. you'll enjoy it more if you take it easy at first.
good luck!!

 

[GoDucks69]

I have heard the Kaplan course is a waste of money.

 

[xxxTheDonxxx]

I have heard the Kaplan course is a waste of money.

Yah! I heard the class is a waste but the materials are good!

 

[DMD to Be]

Don't do the kaplan class. Just go through that kaplan blue book 2 or 3 times and know everything in it. Then buy topscore, dat achiever, and dat destroyer. Go through all of that and do practice test after practice test, and you will be fine without taking the science courses. The hardest thing to teach yourself will probably be organic chemistry, but you can do it. You have your husband who should know that material. Get him to help you out, and my bet is that you will do just fine. Best of luck to you!

 

[KOM]

Why don't you start on YOUR career now? A few loans won't matter in the long run.

 

[Kiestand]

Thanks for all the advice! I was planning on taking a Kaplan course a bit later and would mainly do it to make use of their practice question database. My husband said that he thinks one could probably do fine without taking the Kaplan course but it's nice to have access to all those additional practice questions. I also thought that Organic Chemistry might be the hardest to teach myself but I have my husband and also a friend with a PhD in Organic Chemistry.

 

[Kiestand]

I considered just making the career change now and taking out loans but my situation is a bit more complicated than that. I'm not going to get into all the details but for one I am foreign so I'm not eligible for a lot of loans until I get my citizenship and we're having a baby next month.

 

[KOM]

and we're having a baby next month.

Congratulations!

 

[Pelotari]

I am currently working full-time to support my husband while he is in dental school. I have a BA and an MA in International Relations and will need to take some general science classes before applying to dental school. I plan to go back to school to take some general science classes after my husband graduates in 2008 since I will not need to work anymore. I am thinking of studying for and taking the DAT while still working and before taking the general science classes. I know that the DAT scores are valid for 3 years so if I take the DAT in the summer of 2008 my scores should still be valid by the time I submit my applications. I know this is not the order in which most people approach things but it seems to make the most sense given my situation. Does anyone have some advice?

Very ambitious plan indeed. My opinion is that perhaps you should wait a little bit. I have two reasons for you:

i) I heard (and you can probably check on this with the ADEA), that dental applicants will only be given a maximum of three chances to take the DAT. Perhaps someone in this forum has more info on this? If this is true, then I suggest you maximize your chances and take the test when you feel absolutely ready.

ii) O. Chems were a little difficult for me, and I couldn't see myself doing it on my own. I definitely needed an instructor.

Your plan is not impossible, but it will require a lot of self discipline and a LOT of research on your part. You will soon realize that Organic Chemistry, in my humble opinion, is not that trivial. Access to a good teacher for this material will be very beneficial for you.

Best of luck !!

 

[wizziefiend]

i) I heard (and you can probably check on this with the ADEA), that dental applicants will only be given a maximum of three chances to take the DAT. Perhaps someone in this forum has more info on this? If this is true, then I suggest you maximize your chances and take the test when you feel absolutely ready.

Yup, such is the truth. But if you want a 4th chance to suck it up you just have to get a dental school to state in writing you need to retake the DAT to be further considered for entrance. Shouldn't be hard to get....but then again, it would REALLY suck to study for that thing 4 times!!

 

[laelialudisia]

i would find 3 books: 2 of which are "chem the easy way" and "bio the easy way" by barrons!!! it has been 8 yrs. since i had gen. bio and 7 yrs. since gen chem, and i got a 23 on bio and a 20 on gen. chem JUST BY USING THOSE BOOKS!!! with 1 week till the DAT, my gen chem score was STILL a 15 (after going through the kaplan online course), and in 1 week i read that barron's chem book b/c i was at the end of my rope and it raised by my score 5 pts!!! that one trip to the public library saved my TS and AA scores b/c of gen. chem.

for o.chem i would find a REALLY good textbook (ie. WADE i have heard is good) and study that. i took the kaplan online course (1K vs. 3K for the classroom course), and i found it helpful for the RC, QR and PAT. kaplan teaches you good strategies for those sections but DAT Achiever is MUCH better for preparing for the real PAT on the DAT.

best of luck

 

[Snugstar]

Hi - I'm a career changer too. In my opinion, it would not be worth it to try to take the DAT before taking the courses. The courses ARE like studying for the DAT. If you take the courses with the DAT in mind, then the test should be pretty easy to study for - it's all fresh. Here was my timeline, if it's helpful. I needed to take all of the science requriements and did the whole thing, DAT included, in just over 1 year.

Summer: Gen Chem I and II

Fall Semester: BIO I, Physics I, Organic Chem

Spring: BIO II, Physics II, Oranic II

Summer: One month to study exclusively for DAT.

There is still a lag year, but I don't see how taking the DAT first would solve that.

 

[Kiestand]

Thank you for all the tips! I will definitely take all these things into consideration.