Difficulty of acceptance into U Pacific's dental school

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btpayne13

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What kind of stats should a high school student have to be accepted into the 2+3 program (2 years undergrad, 3 years dental school) Arthur A. Dugoni Dental School at University of the Pacific? GPA? ACT score? Extracurriculars?

Also, their website said that tuition for their dental school is $80,000. How could anyone pay for that, unless their a millionaire?

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Also, their website said that tuition for their dental school is $80,000. How could anyone pay for that, unless their a millionaire?

You have a lot to learn. That is cheap my friend.

Also, I'm quite certain that Pacific is much more than this unless that was a figure for yearly tuition.
 
I was accepted and offered acceptance into 2+3, 3+3, or 4+3. I was salutatorian out of 550ish at time of application, 1500 SAT, 4.0 GPA, and lots of shadowing and volunteering done in both medical and dental fields. However, it's not a guaranteed program, and UoP is about 110-110K a year (that includes budgeted living expenses I believe), so much much more than the 80K you have mentioned. I did not get need-based aid, and the merit based aid I received would've left me paying about 30K for undergrad a year. Furthermore, 2+3 program does not give you a bachelors. Those aspects led me to turn down the offer...

Please do consider the costs before you commit. I am reapplying back to UoP, but I'll be getting my bachelors debt free and in 3 years elsewhere. So if you're looking to be "accelerated" theres no need to really go into a program, just finish your bachelors in 3 years and it will be "accelerated" in a sense.
 
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I was accepted and offered acceptance into 2+3, 3+3, or 4+3. I was salutatorian out of 550ish at time of application, 1500 SAT, 4.0 GPA, and lots of shadowing and volunteering done in both medical and dental fields. However, it's not a guaranteed program, and UoP is about 110-110K a year (that includes budgeted living expenses I believe), so much much more than the 80K you have mentioned. I did not get need-based aid, and the merit based aid I received would've left me paying about 30K for undergrad a year. Furthermore, 2+3 program does not give you a bachelors. Those aspects led me to turn down the offer...

Please do consider the costs before you commit. I am reapplying back to UoP, but I'll be getting my bachelors debt free and in 3 years elsewhere. So if you're looking to be "accelerated" theres no need to really go into a program, just finish your bachelors in 3 years and it will be "accelerated" in a sense.

I agree with your point about 2+3 not getting you a bachelors (though a friend of mine got her BS in Bio in 2 years AND got into UCSF dental school in those 2 years...but she's an extremely rare case so forget it haha), but I disagree with your "no need to really go into a program".

If you're aiming for UOP dental school (like you said you are), it's in your favor to be in the Pre-Dental program because the advantage requirements are lower than they would be for someone "from outside". For example, people from outside need 20+ (21+ oftentimes for PAT) and around 3.5 to be admitted. Someone in the 3+3 Pre-Dent program at UOP only needs 18 across the board and a 3.15.

So, OP, if you have the financial means for it, and UOP dental school is your first choice, then go for it :) Be warned though, life in Stockton sucks :laugh: Not to mention that biology classes here are TOUGH and the ochem is more than likely one of the toughest ochem classes offered on a Northern California university campus.
 
I agree with your point about 2+3 not getting you a bachelors (though a friend of mine got her BS in Bio in 2 years AND got into UCSF dental school in those 2 years...but she's an extremely rare case so forget it haha), but I disagree with your "no need to really go into a program".

If you're aiming for UOP dental school (like you said you are), it's in your favor to be in the Pre-Dental program because the advantage requirements are lower than they would be for someone "from outside". For example, people from outside need 20+ (21+ oftentimes for PAT) and around 3.5 to be admitted. Someone in the 3+3 Pre-Dent program at UOP only needs 18 across the board and a 3.15.

So, OP, if you have the financial means for it, and UOP dental school is your first choice, then go for it :) Be warned though, life in Stockton sucks :laugh: Not to mention that biology classes here are TOUGH and the ochem is more than likely one of the toughest ochem classes offered on a Northern California university campus.

So if you do get into the 2+3 program, there wouldn't be much to worry about at all in terms of getting accepted into their dental school if you had a very solid 3.8-4.0 GPA in pre-dent? Also, would you be saving money if you attended this school, considering it's only 3 years (and of course 2 years undergrad work)?
 
I agree with your point about 2+3 not getting you a bachelors (though a friend of mine got her BS in Bio in 2 years AND got into UCSF dental school in those 2 years...but she's an extremely rare case so forget it haha), but I disagree with your "no need to really go into a program".

If you're aiming for UOP dental school (like you said you are), it's in your favor to be in the Pre-Dental program because the advantage requirements are lower than they would be for someone "from outside". For example, people from outside need 20+ (21+ oftentimes for PAT) and around 3.5 to be admitted. Someone in the 3+3 Pre-Dent program at UOP only needs 18 across the board and a 3.15.

So, OP, if you have the financial means for it, and UOP dental school is your first choice, then go for it :) Be warned though, life in Stockton sucks :laugh: Not to mention that biology classes here are TOUGH and the ochem is more than likely one of the toughest ochem classes offered on a Northern California university campus.

This is true. I misspoke on that aspect. Requirements are generally lower or more relaxed in the combined programs. Still UoP's program is not guaranteed, while many other programs are guaranteed (provided you maintain a certain GPA and DAT score ~ 19 average). I would want to believe that maintaining a 3.8+ and good DAT score will be enough to get you in, but I can't answer that. A call to UoP can give you a definite answer. *On a side note, there is still worrying about getting that 3.8+ GPA in undergrad, there is a reason not everyone gets that kind of GPA

If I had all the money I wanted so I could attend the program, I would have done the 3+3 myself. As for saving money... I don't think that can be answered... Generally the less time you're in school the more you save. But if you were to compare going to the 2+3 program to say 3+4 (or maybe even 4+4) at a state school and state dental school, it could very well be cheaper the longer way. Just look at your options when you get your results and financial aid packages, and do the math then.
 
I was accepted and offered acceptance into 2+3, 3+3, or 4+3. I was salutatorian out of 550ish at time of application, 1500 SAT, 4.0 GPA, and lots of shadowing and volunteering done in both medical and dental fields. However, it's not a guaranteed program, and UoP is about 110-110K a year (that includes budgeted living expenses I believe), so much much more than the 80K you have mentioned. I did not get need-based aid, and the merit based aid I received would've left me paying about 30K for undergrad a year. Furthermore, 2+3 program does not give you a bachelors. Those aspects led me to turn down the offer...

Please do consider the costs before you commit. I am reapplying back to UoP, but I'll be getting my bachelors debt free and in 3 years elsewhere. So if you're looking to be "accelerated" theres no need to really go into a program, just finish your bachelors in 3 years and it will be "accelerated" in a sense.

Why do you feel the need to have a bachelors degree if you're gonna end up going to dental school anyways? That bachelors of science in biology is gonna really pave the way for you as a practicing dentist... :rolleyes:

I can never understand why people think a college degree is so great. It's like people saying that college basketball stars should stay in school and get a degree before making the jump to the pros. College is there to teach you and prepare you for a job. Why do you need a worthless degree thats gonna pay you 60k a year when you already have the skills to make millions. Let's say Lebron James went to college and got a degree in communication...I'm sure that degree is gonna open numerous roads for him after his playing days are over.

Same thing with bill gates, steve jobs, mark zuckerberg. Why do people make such a big deal about them dropping out of college... these guys were smarter than their professors so continuing college would've been worthless for them.
 
Why do you feel the need to have a bachelors degree if you're gonna end up going to dental school anyways? That bachelors of science in biology is gonna really pave the way for you as a practicing dentist... :rolleyes:


Same thing with bill gates, steve jobs, mark zuckerberg. Why do people make such a big deal about them dropping out of college... these guys were smarter than their professors so continuing college would've been worthless for them.

People like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg are an exception and shouldn't be used as an example for "college" being worthless. IMO, college is an AMERICAN tradition. A "right of way" before you enter the real world. It's where you "discover" your true self, friends, and find out what you want to do with your life. I would argue that is the college that most "Americans" assume college to be.

If I didn't go to college, I would of never ended up in dentistry. Most people aren't gunners that go straight for 2+3/get out quickly go onto grad school. Most people are just normal people that don't know what they want out of high school. Yes, I do agree that bachelors in science will probably not help that much in dental school, but most people would never know what DO if they never stayed and got a degree. People are different, and the majority are average. It's not about if it will help you a million-fold in dental school, but rather, do you WANT to do dental school. College certainly allows individuals to experience different ideas, values, and education in order to make that decision. :)
 
People like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg are an exception and shouldn't be used as an example for "college" being worthless. IMO, college is an AMERICAN tradition. A "right of way" before you enter the real world. It's where you "discover" your true self, friends, and find out what you want to do with your life. I would argue that is the college that most "Americans" assume college to be.

If I didn't go to college, I would of never ended up in dentistry. Most people aren't gunners that go straight for 2+3/get out quickly go onto grad school. Most people are just normal people that don't know what they want out of high school. Yes, I do agree that bachelors in science will probably not help that much in dental school, but most people would never know what DO if they never stayed and got a degree. People are different, and the majority are average. It's not about if it will help you a million-fold in dental school, but rather, do you WANT to do dental school. College certainly allows individuals to experience different ideas, values, and education in order to make that decision. :)

With the 2+3, you still get two years of "college" experience. The person was specifically talking about passing over the program because it did not offer a bachelors degree. Those two years of undergrad is more than enough to decide if you still want to persue dentistry. If you already got into the 2+3 programs, I'm 100% sure you've already gotten in a good bit of dental experience to make the decision before you even finished highschool.

I never said a college education as a whole is "worthless." I said a bachelors degree is worthless if you already possess the skillset or opportunity to surpass what you would get from that bachelors degree. If you are given the opportunity to skip the final 2 years of undergrad and go straight into dental school, why in the world would you turn that down just because you wouldnt have that worthless bachelors degree in hand? If you wanted 2 more years of the partying passed out drunk on your face experience, then I'd understand, but passing over the program just because you wouldn't have bachelors degree is just plain stupid.

People giving this false sense that a bachelors degree is this all mighty thing when in reality most of them are worthless, especially one in the science field. In this world, its who you know and not what you know. If I didn't persue dentistry, my bachelors degree would be a $50,000 piece of paper that holds no weight.

I've never met a single dentist who flaunts their bachelors degree, but 9 out of 10 of them have that nice DDS/DMD Degree displayed in their practice.
 
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Obviously the value of a bachelors degree for an aspiring dentist could be debatable. I personally believe it's something good to have, just in case you don't get into UoP dental or decide you want to apply out of the program to a cheaper school. Most d-schools do prefer you to have a bachelors before entering, so that has to count for something right? Furthermore, the 3rd and 4th years of undergrad are the years where you can take many of your upper level biology classes - classes that can prep you better for the science courses in d-school. And lastly, if you're investing 2 years of hard work to get that 3.8+ gpa you're aiming for, why not spend one more year and get that degree you deserve?

Nonetheless, most of us here are just pre-dents, or recently graduated students that aren't in dental school yet. That said, I think it would be best to ask others who can be trusted for their opinions as well.
 
That and I believe a fairly sizable percentage of the specialty programs require a bachelors to be competitive. Just a thought.
 
If you already got into the 2+3 programs, I'm 100% sure you've already gotten in a good bit of dental experience to make the decision before you even finished highschool.

I actually attend Pacific as one of the students in the Pre-Dent programs, and let me tell you that there is no way all 100% of us know exactly that we wanted to do dentistry before coming here. No way. It's not a requirement for admission on paper (how would you measure that anyway? Require shadowing hours in high school? a lie detector test?) I knew I wanted dentistry specifically, but a large number of people I know simply wanted to have a doctorate degree in 5-6 years....they shadow because they have to, not because they want to. Simply put, they wanted prestige and monies in a little amount of time. In an ideal world, all Pre-Dents in an accelerated program are there because they know and want the profession itself. In the real world, many are there just because they want a shortcut.

I never said a college education as a whole is "worthless." I said a bachelors degree is worthless if you already possess the skillset or opportunity to surpass what you would get from that bachelors degree. If you are given the opportunity to skip the final 2 years of undergrad and go straight into dental school, why in the world would you turn that down just because you wouldnt have that worthless bachelors degree in hand? If you wanted 2 more years of the partying passed out drunk on your face experience, then I'd understand, but passing over the program just because you wouldn't have bachelors degree is just plain stupid.

A degree takes WORK, TIME, and EFFORT. In the process, one learns not only advanced scientific knowledge but also time management, better study habits, good work ethic, etc. A handful of my degree-less friends just advanced to the UOP dental school after 2 years of undergrad, and they are barely surviving. They don't know how to handle 3, 4, 5 science classes at once because they've never had to do it--they just needed to do their pre-reqs, which never involved more than 2 classes at once. There are a couple that are doing just fine, but they are the exception, not the trend.

I don't know about you, but I don't go to graduate school to be a bottom feeder and merely scrape by. I want to succeed. What you view as needless years and extra courses is utilized by others as mental, physical and intellectual preparation.

I've never met a single dentist who flaunts their bachelors degree, but 9 out of 10 of them have that nice DDS/DMD Degree displayed in their practice.

No one is trying to argue that a bachelor's degree is more prestigious or useful than a DDS/DMD. It isn't--anyone off the street would know that. However, a bachelor's degree is preparation for that DDS/DMD degree more than anything, and in many cases, a tool used to get the most one can get out of a gap year...to get a job, for example.

Obviously, if you're achieving your goals just fine in only 2 years in undergrad, that's great for you. But again, this makes you the exception, not the trend.
 
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So if you do get into the 2+3 program, there wouldn't be much to worry about at all in terms of getting accepted into their dental school if you had a very solid 3.8-4.0 GPA in pre-dent? Also, would you be saving money if you attended this school, considering it's only 3 years (and of course 2 years undergrad work)?

Well...even if you do manage to get that GPA, there is the DAT to worry about ;) So you'd have to try for 18+ there. Though, if you want to get interviewed before January, try to get 20+.

As for saving money...usually, that is the idea--cut a year off the regular dental school curriculum, make money in that 4th year you would've spent still in class had you gone somewhere else. I can't answer this, though, really, because it depends on whether or not you secure a job right after graduation. Some people can, some people can't.
 
A handful of my degree-less friends just advanced to the UOP dental school after 2 years of undergrad, and they are barely surviving. They don't know how to handle 3, 4, 5 science classes at once because they've never had to do it--they just needed to do their pre-reqs, which never involved more than 2 classes at once.
Theres only 2 kids in my class that came from an accelerated program... and let me tell you, they are doing WAY better than just "getting by" lol. These schools dont select just anyone for these programs... the selection process is way more strict than for normal dental school admission. I didn't find my undergrad useful at all... just a gap of 4 years where you are just paying for the grade and learning nothing that would contribute to your future craft. I got a 24 on the DAT, and that was mostly just from what I learned in highschool. Then again, maybe it was just me and people found all four years on college helpful. VERY VERY VERY little of the stuff you learn in your sciences will be helpful to dentistry. Even the first two years of dental schools are mostly just there to prepare you for the boards. After that, its mostly all clincs. You're not gonna have to recall what hexokinase does or know what a lung tissue looks like under a microscope.

No one is trying to argue that a bachelor's degree is more prestigious or useful than a DDS/DMD. It isn't--anyone off the street would know that. However, a bachelor's degree is preparation for that DDS/DMD degree more than anything, and in many cases, a tool used to get the most one can get out of a gap year...to get a job, for example.

Obviously, if you're achieving your goals just fine in only 2 years in undergrad, that's great for you. But again, this makes you the exception, not the trend.

You will NOT get a job with that BS in biology. You will NOT, its plain simple. You must not know anyone in their gap year if you say differently. A BS in biology/chemistry/biochemistry/physiology/biomedical sciences/etc. will get you nowhere, you either need to have some pretty damn good connections or have a masters/phd to get a job in the field.
 
You will NOT get a job with that BS in biology. You will NOT, its plain simple. You must not know anyone in their gap year if you say differently. A BS in biology/chemistry/biochemistry/physiology/biomedical sciences/etc. will get you nowhere, you either need to have some pretty damn good connections or have a masters/phd to get a job in the field.

I can't comment on the rest of your arguments, but this part, at least, is incorrect.
 
they shadow because they have to, not because they want to. Simply put, they wanted prestige and monies in a little amount of time. In an ideal world, all Pre-Dents in an accelerated program are there because they know and want the profession itself. In the real world, many are there just because they want a shortcut.

I think people should just start telling the truth because its pretty obvious when people are lying. Saying you shadow because you want to is like saying you are becoming a dentist because you love teeth. Most except a select few shadow because they have to, not because they want to. After the first 40 hours, it becomes pointless.

Isn't the whole point of going UoP is for the shortcut? The number one reason for going to UoP is that you get out one year earlier and therefore start making money one year earlier.
 
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With the 2+3, you still get two years of "college" experience. The person was specifically talking about passing over the program because it did not offer a bachelors degree. Those two years of undergrad is more than enough to decide if you still want to persue dentistry. If you already got into the 2+3 programs, I'm 100% sure you've already gotten in a good bit of dental experience to make the decision before you even finished highschool.

I never said a college education as a whole is "worthless." I said a bachelors degree is worthless if you already possess the skillset or opportunity to surpass what you would get from that bachelors degree. If you are given the opportunity to skip the final 2 years of undergrad and go straight into dental school, why in the world would you turn that down just because you wouldnt have that worthless bachelors degree in hand? If you wanted 2 more years of the partying passed out drunk on your face experience, then I'd understand, but passing over the program just because you wouldn't have bachelors degree is just plain stupid.

Hmm, it makes sense if you're a type A gunner that absolutely knows he wants to go do dental school right out of high school. And with that, I give you a tip of the hat. However, most people are not like that at all, and need time to figure stuff out. I guess it can work both ways: good and bad. I go to an accelerated university and it's sad/ironic that people switch their 2+3/3+3 4-5th year of graduate school to a different major entirely together. Why? Because most young adults do not know what they want, and went into the program because it allows for acceleration/quick money.

You have a point, but like I said, not everyone is that type of person. Even if you are, I've seen people doubt themselves/their profession late in the game when they have already accumulated a massive amount of debt. So to the OP, if you are dead sure about dentistry go for it! But realize once you get in to the graduate school, its hard to get "out of it" as you lack many pre-reqs for med school/pharm school or any other thing you may of wanted to get out of life.
 
I agree with your point about 2+3 not getting you a bachelors (though a friend of mine got her BS in Bio in 2 years AND got into UCSF dental school in those 2 years...but she's an extremely rare case so forget it haha), but I disagree with your "no need to really go into a program".

If you're aiming for UOP dental school (like you said you are), it's in your favor to be in the Pre-Dental program because the advantage requirements are lower than they would be for someone "from outside". For example, people from outside need 20+ (21+ oftentimes for PAT) and around 3.5 to be admitted. Someone in the 3+3 Pre-Dent program at UOP only needs 18 across the board and a 3.15.

So, OP, if you have the financial means for it, and UOP dental school is your first choice, then go for it :) Be warned though, life in Stockton sucks :laugh: Not to mention that biology classes here are TOUGH and the ochem is more than likely one of the toughest ochem classes offered on a Northern California university campus.

take ochem with vollhardt or bio lab with meighan at berk and i think youd reconsider that statement haha
 
That and I believe a fairly sizable percentage of the specialty programs require a bachelors to be competitive. Just a thought.

I've seen some debate as to if a bachelor's is required or helps to get into specialty programs. So it would be wise to stay for one more year to do the 3+3, where you could get your bachelor's?
 
I've seen some debate as to if a bachelor's is required or helps to get into specialty programs. So it would be wise to stay for one more year to do the 3+3, where you could get your bachelor's?

I would say yes. You never know if you want to specialize in the future, so it's always good to have your bachelors.

Is UoP's accelerated program the only one you're looking at? There are many others around the nation (mostly 3+4), especially in the NE
 
I would say yes. You never know if you want to specialize in the future, so it's always good to have your bachelors.

Is UoP's accelerated program the only one you're looking at? There are many others around the nation (mostly 3+4), especially in the NE

Besides UoP, the only accelerated program I know of is a small, private, very well-respected liberal arts and sciences college in my hometown that has a "guaranteed and early acceptance" agreement with the University of Iowa College of Dentistry (you are accepted at the end of your freshman year in undergrad, but it is still a 4+4 program, however they might change that or you could try to finish bachelor's in 3 years).

What are the other accelerated programs out there? I'm absolutely positive this is what I want to do after high school, and I'll probably volunteer at my dentist's office, whom I've known for my whole life, to get at least a little feel for what it's like and to get shadow/volunteer hours on apps.
 
Ok, I found UIC's GPPA program and UMDNJ's program that's connected with various undergrad colleges/universities throughout New Jersey. And I've heard of Tufts, not sure if they have an accelerated program. Any others?
 
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