Considering switching to Dental school

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insaiyanpredent

insaiyanpredent

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With that GPA I would shoot for at least 25. Best bet in that area is probably NYU if you're willing to pay the $$.
 
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pharmacy tech, to medical applicant, to hopeful pre-dent. IMO, I would seriously consider what profession to go into and have some strong connection to the career. maybe even take a year off and just figure it out before committing to something haphazardly especially with less than stellar stats.
 
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Totally doable, my path was similar. You can send me a direct message if you'd like if you have questions.
 
First, let me just say this, if you're thinking that dental school is easier to get in with lower stats than med school, then you might wanna think again. It's just as competitive to get into dental schools (there are far less dental schools and no DO schools). Now that it's out of the way, you need to do really well on the DAT. You might need to do Post Bacc or Masters to boost GPA a bit.
 
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Dental school is easier because you don't have to do all the fluff and so much volunteering like you do in medicine. Also, DAT is way easier than MCAT. 23AA/TS + 18PAT minimum should be adequate. Do a feelgood volunteering experience in something dental related like a homeless shelter, get a 23 and keep your gpa up and you're probably in. I always thought that shadowing was pointless, except to get a good letter of recommendation from a dentist.
 
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BeggarsCantBeChoosers said:
First, let me just say this, if you're thinking that dental school is easier to get in with lower stats than med school, then you might wanna think again. It's just as competitive to get into dental schools (there are far less dental schools and no DO schools). Now that it's out of the way, you need to do really well on the DAT. You might need to do Post Bacc or Masters to boost GPA a bit.
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Conjectures are easy to come by; statistical evidence to support the claim are more difficult, if not impossible, to come by. The number of schools has absolutely nothing to do with the degree of competitiveness. The ratio of applicants to enrollees is a much relevant metric.
forums.studentdoctor.net

Head to Head Combat- Medical/Dental Schools

A mean GPA comparison of institution that have both medical and dental programs is made. Maybe this issue can finally rest.
forums.studentdoctor.net forums.studentdoctor.net
forums.studentdoctor.net

Medicine, Dntistry, Vet- The quest for Top Dog Status

Every year the question of who is Top Dog comes up. Here's a discussion on the subject.
forums.studentdoctor.net forums.studentdoctor.net
 
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HRNYKIng said:
Hi, I'm currently a first-semester student at Rutgers SMP. From Undergrad not SMP, My cGPA is a 3.24 AMCAS sGPA is a 3.2 and AACOMAS sPGA is a 3.17, I'm a super ORM, NJ resident.
200 Hours shadowing; 100 in the ER and 100 in Neurology Clinic
Scribing since January, on hold due to COVID
Pharmacy technician for 3 years
Clinical EC; 300 hours, Big Hospital
Clinical Research with leadership position; 500 hours, big hospital

I have few dental experiences, but the main reason for the switch is because I'm considering a job still in the healthcare field that will have good incentives yet will allow me to graduate in a fair amount of time and start working. I haven't taken either MCAT or DAT yet. Would probably have to shadow a dentist. I'm doing well in the SMP so far we had midterms.

Just wanted to know what DAT score I would need and EC's to get me into schools within the tristate area. Thanks
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I think you should probably shadow a dentist first. I also like the idea of taking some time off to figure out what you want to do.

I would aim for a 23 on the DAT as well.

also I've not heard this term, what exactly is a super ORM?
 
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PerioDont said:
I think you should probably shadow a dentist first. I also like the idea of taking some time off to figure out what you want to do.

I would aim for a 23 on the DAT as well.

also I've not heard this term, what exactly is a super ORM?
Click to expand...

Azn
 
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TanMan said:
Dental school is easier because you don't have to do all the fluff and so much volunteering like you do in medicine. Also, DAT is way easier than MCAT. 23AA/TS + 18PAT minimum should be adequate. Do a feelgood volunteering experience in something dental related like a homeless shelter, get a 23 and keep your gpa up and you're probably in. I always thought that shadowing was pointless, except to get a good letter of recommendation from a dentist.
Click to expand...

Thank you. I'm currently in the Rutgers SMP doing well so far. The plan is to keep it up and take the DAT in the coming summer. Could you elaborate on the homeless shelter volunteering?
I've so far did ER research volunteering, and also did the typical volunteering with helping patients in the ER get questions answered, blankets, water/food etc. I volunteered in the geriatric unit with patients that were candidates for dysphagia/delirium/dementia helping them with food and stimulating their brain with thinking exercises.

Where should I look for specific dental ECs? I was thinking about possibly becoming a dental assistant, but that requires course work and money.
 
NJ_Doc said:
pharmacy tech, to medical applicant, to hopeful pre-dent. IMO, I would seriously consider what profession to go into and have some strong connection to the career. maybe even take a year off and just figure it out before committing to something haphazardly especially with less than stellar stats.
Click to expand...

I graduated 2.5 years ago, I like medicine but the time is a problem because I want to be able to do other things. I also rather become a Dentist than a PA, podiatrist, or any other medical professional. I initially thought about dentistry before medicine so I'm kind of coming back to it.
 
insaiyanpredent said:
Thank you. I'm currently in the Rutgers SMP doing well so far. The plan is to keep it up and take the DAT in the coming summer. Could you elaborate on the homeless shelter volunteering?
I've so far did ER research volunteering, and also did the typical volunteering with helping patients in the ER get questions answered, blankets, water/food etc. I volunteered in the geriatric unit with patients that were candidates for dysphagia/delirium/dementia helping them with food and stimulating their brain with thinking exercises.

Where should I look for specific dental ECs? I was thinking about possibly becoming a dental assistant, but that requires course work and money.
Click to expand...
You don’t have to be a dental assistant but just make sure you get 100+ hours of shadowing
 
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insaiyanpredent said:
I graduated 2.5 years ago, I like medicine but the time is a problem because I want to be able to do other things. I also rather become a Dentist than a PA, podiatrist, or any other medical professional. I initially thought about dentistry before medicine so I'm kind of coming back to it.
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Yea I graduated pre-med, canceled my mcat and then decided to pursue PA for a year and now I’ve had 5 dental interviews so far.. part of me thinks PA would have been a good choice because I am interested in medicine but the lack of procedures and cap on hierarch/pay deterred me away.. id like to get into real estate at some point down the road so I think PA would have been a better way to fund that given tuition is way cheaper (40k total at my state school) and you still make good money but I probably wouldn’t enjoy my career as much.. just hoping my loans don’t make it impossible to get into real estate later if that’s something I want to pursue later on..
 
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2thDoc11 said:
Yea I graduated pre-med, canceled my mcat and then decided to pursue PA for a year and now I’ve had 5 dental interviews so far.. part of me thinks PA would have been a good choice because I am interested in medicine but the lack of procedures and cap on hierarch/pay deterred me away.. id like to get into real estate at some point down the road so I think PA would have been a better way to fund that given tuition is way cheaper (40k total at my state school) and you still make good money but I probably wouldn’t enjoy my career as much.. just hoping my loans don’t make it impossible to get into real estate later if that’s something I want to pursue later on..
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What are the 5 schools that you have done interview with if you do not mind me ask
I have similar stats as yours
 
frenzysword said:
What are the 5 schools that you have done interview with if you do not mind me ask
I have similar stats as yours
Click to expand...
Nebraska, Creighton, MWU-as, Loma Linda, nova... really hoping to hear from MN
 
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