Confused Pharmacy student trying to get into Dental school, Help!

[Sub-Zero]

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Hey everyone, I'm in Pharmacy school right now but seriously thinking about applying for Dental school. Haven't started DAT's, shadowing, or anything like that yet.

I was just wondering if there are any special requirements or guidelines for me to fulfill all the requirements. I only went to undergrad school for 2 years before being accepted to Pharmacy, and have no university degree. It's a little confusing because there's no reference sites that address my unusual situation.

My GPA is mediocre right now, in the low 3's, but I'm working to bring that up (hopefully). (still have a few years left in pharmacy school, then I'm potentially planning to apply)

Any advice is about US and Canadian dental admissions in my case is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[justletmein]

hey whats up! if you really have your heart set on dental medicine, then i suggest you start shadowing a dentist, say on saturdays if you are short on time right now. As for the requirements and everything, first find a list of schools you might like and then call'em up and tell the admissions coordinators or deans your situation. That'll give you some direction! hope this helps and good luck!

 

[HBomb]

My advice is to think about this very carefully because based on your GPA, lack of undergrad degree, and just starting to think about the DAT, you may not make the 2005 cycle, and in my opinion. Would you be willing to start D-school in 2006? That might be the earliest you can get in. I think you're going to need very good DAT scores, and that will take some time to prepare for. But think about the "Why?" really hard, because that will be your #1 question during the interview.

But to answer your question, different schools have different requirements so you should check each school's website to understand their requirements. You can call them too. Practically all require a year of bio, gchem, and ochem and all with lab. Physics w/ lab is a common requirement with some needing psych, social sciences, english comp, and english lit. But the requirements vary, so you should be proactive and check.

 

[jk5177]

Not to mention, on the AADSAs (which is the first round application), one of the question is asking whether if you have been in any other health professions. And I agree with HBomb, that one really should consider the "WHY" of being a dentist. Really.
It seems like you are young, and it behooves you to consider what the profession really entails. There's much more going on then working with teeth and collecting fees.

 

[jdcinza13]

I didn't see anyone mention this, but if you only have 2 yrs of undergrad, you will need to complete at least 30 more credits toward an undergrad degree. I don't know whether or not the pharmacy classes will count or not, but you should check into that as well. It may even be better to pursue a degree and then apply to dental school. Just look at all your options and a year or two of preparation will not be much compared to a lifetime in a profession you won't be happy with.

 

[Sub-Zero]

justletmein, I'm going to do just that (shadowing), probably in the spring/summer time. About calling schools' admission office, I'm probably going to wait until the "offseason" in the spring/summer to do that since they've probably got tons of email right now.

Sorry I wasn't to clear, but I still have a few years left in Pharmacy school before I graduate, so right now I'm just beginning to explore this idea.

HBomb, still hoping to raise that GPA, but I've done well on the SAT's and PCAT's in the past, those standarized tests are what carried my application in high school and college so I'm hoping the same for the DAT's. About asking "Why?", its because I feel like continuing my education, feel like I'm capable of being a good dentist, and want to move on to bigger and better things. But, obviously, I want to look into it more before I really begin the process to apply.

Jk, yup one of the reasons why I'm here is to find out more about the profession. I'm still new to this forum but it I've liked what I've seen so far from other threads also. 👍

 

[Sub-Zero]

I didn't see anyone mention this, but if you only have 2 yrs of undergrad, you will need to complete at least 30 more credits toward an undergrad degree. I don't know whether or not the pharmacy classes will count or not, but you should check into that as well. It may even be better to pursue a degree and then apply to dental school. Just look at all your options and a year or two of preparation will not be much compared to a lifetime in a profession you won't be happy with.

I'm not sure either, I'm planning to talk directly to an admissions person about that or perhaps attend a pre-dental club meeting in any college in the Atlanta area. Judging from other posts, I think I have all the requirements down except for physics, I only took a semester. But other than that I did a year of English, Bio, Gen chem, and Ochem, and got some humanities and math credits as well. Hopefully they'll accept some Pharmacy school credit.

 

[Sprgrover]

I didn't see anyone mention this, but if you only have 2 yrs of undergrad, you will need to complete at least 30 more credits toward an undergrad degree.

Although if he/she receives a Pharm degree, which is higher than an undergraduate, adcoms might be willing to acknowledge the advanced schooling and spare Sub-Zero the necessity of finishing a pointless undergrad degree or further classes - which would be great for the OP. I would certainly discuss this point with a couple of schools and an experienced pre-dental advisor.

Sub-Zero: It's nice to know that you are considering a switch to dentistry - we need a lot more good dentists out there! If I were you I would go to your local book store and examine the Kaplan DAT blue book so you can start to get a feel for the what the exam covers and where you'll need to start shifting your focus. For the most part, most admissions requirements for dental school are the same (of course there are a few schools out there that have some addition courses/experience that you'll have to be aware of). Welcome to the dental forums! 👍

 

[msf41]

I was just wondering how you are thinking about handling the debt of pharm school and then straight to dent school. I'm thinking pharm school is at least $50,000 + $100,000 for dent school (approx).

Are you just in the first year of Pharm school and you hate it already. What changed that made you want to get out of the pill business?

 

[toothcaries]

imo, it's difficult (but not impossible) to switch to a different health profession while in pharmacy school.
it's much the same as the grad school student that applies in the middle of a master's degree program.

again...imo, it's better to wait until u graduate.
but still..u may find things difficult. (u matriculating=another lost pharmacist for the public)
ask all the former premed nurses and predental dental hygienists for their experiences....


that said,
i think pharm dudes make great dentists...and dental school in general would be easy for you.

Hey everyone, I'm in Pharmacy school right now but seriously thinking about applying for Dental school. Haven't started DAT's, shadowing, or anything like that yet.

I was just wondering if there are any special requirements or guidelines for me to fulfill all the requirements. I only went to undergrad school for 2 years before being accepted to Pharmacy, and have no university degree. It's a little confusing because there's no reference sites that address my unusual situation.

My GPA is mediocre right now, in the low 3's, but I'm working to bring that up (hopefully). (still have a few years left in pharmacy school, then I'm potentially planning to apply)

Any advice is about US and Canadian dental admissions in my case is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Sub-Zero]

Although if he/she receives a Pharm degree, which is higher than an undergraduate, adcoms might be willing to acknowledge the advanced schooling and spare Sub-Zero the necessity of finishing a pointless undergrad degree or further classes - which would be great for the OP. I would certainly discuss this point with a couple of schools and an experienced pre-dental advisor.

Sub-Zero: It's nice to know that you are considering a switch to dentistry - we need a lot more good dentists out there! If I were you I would go to your local book store and examine the Kaplan DAT blue book so you can start to get a feel for the what the exam covers and where you'll need to start shifting your focus. For the most part, most admissions requirements for dental school are the same (of course there are a few schools out there that have some addition courses/experience that you'll have to be aware of). Welcome to the dental forums! 👍

As of right now, I'm thinking of finishing up my degree before going to Dent. school. For a Pharm.D., the last year is just rotations, so hopefully I'll be able to skip that once all my classes are out of the way. That's another concern, because technically I won't graduate, but I will have all the required coursework for graduation.

And I'm definetly planning on picking up some books to get more insight on the profession before absolutely deciding on what exactly to do.

 

[Sub-Zero]

imo, it's difficult (but not impossible) to switch to a different health profession while in pharmacy school.
it's much the same as the grad school student that applies in the middle of a master's degree program.

again...imo, it's better to wait until u graduate.
but still..u may find things difficult. (u matriculating=another lost pharmacist for the public)
ask all the former premed nurses and predental dental hygienists for their experiences....


that said,
i think pharm dudes make great dentists...and dental school in general would be easy for you.

Hmm...I've never thought of switching while still in school. Definetly something to consider. But I'll probably have to stay on Pharm school for atleast couple years to bump up my GPA. What exactly do you mean by "predental dental hygienists". Sorry but I'm not too familiar with all the dental lingo right now.

As of right now, I think I'll enjoy dentistry, but of course there's alot more that I need to know right now.

*******************

msf41, I'll have approx. $30,000 (ouch!) in debt if I leave my third year and skip my last year of rotations. My best guess is right now is to start paying that off after I'm done with school. They are gov't loans, so they'll be low-interest, and I'll be able to pay it off relatively quickly w/ a starting salary. Good question, though, haven't thought about that aspect too much right now.

I don't hate Pharm school. In fact, I think I'll enjoy a career as a pharmacist, but I'm only 20 right now, and would like the opportunity to continue my education and move on to a more rewarding career if possible in the future.

 

[jk5177]

Hi. I don't understand why you want to switch around?
For me, I actually went into a clinical social work program and left because I wasn't satisfied with it, plus they don't make that much money. Come on, how much does a social worker gets paid? Not much.

But, why would you want to switch from pharmacy? That isn't such a bad career. That is a pretty good career.

 

[Sub-Zero]

Hi. I don't understand why you want to switch around?
For me, I actually went into a clinical social work program and left because I wasn't satisfied with it, plus they don't make that much money. Come on, how much does a social worker gets paid? Not much.

But, why would you want to switch from pharmacy? That isn't such a bad career. That is a pretty good career.

Well I'm not sure if I want to switch or not yet. Didn't use the right choice of words in my title and it was a little misleading. I would enjoy a career as a pharmacist.

But after I'm done with Pharm school, if I'm able to get into Dent. school, and feel like I have enough left in me for 4 more years, then why not?

 

[uop4pharm]

lol nice, so after dent school, and you still have a little left, why not go to medical school too ! 👍 👎thumbdown👎

 

[doc3232]

lol nice, so after dent school, and you still have a little left, why not go to medical school too ! 👍 👎thumbdown👎

I was going to say that...👍

 

[Lopyswine]

nothing like bumping a 4 year old thread

 

[StudentDentist]

nothing like bumping a 4 year old thread

Sub zero's already a D2 now.

 

[dr bojangles]

wow 4 year old thread.

 

[PDizzle]

lol nice, so after dent school, and you still have a little left, why not go to medical school too ! 👍 👎thumbdown👎

Funny you say that cuz we have a dude in our class who came straight from UCSF Pharm school. He's one of the smartest mofo's in our class. He's going OMFS and prob gonna match in SF. Hehe,..he's gonna be 3 doctors in one!