Explaining the Dental School Application/DAT flow

[ekoorbnadroj]

Hi everyone!! I'm currently a rising junior at my university right now. My major is Pre-dental/Dental Hygiene, which is pretty cool major because not only do I graduate a semester earlier than I normally would (Dec 2018 vs. May 2019), but once I graduate, I'll be eligible to take the boards to become a dental hygienist and work as that position if I wanted to because my curriculum for the next year and a half is all clinical classes. At the same time, I just finished taking the prerequisites needed to prepare for the DAT this past spring semester and I did pretty well in all of them.

My plan is to go to dental school in the fall of 2019. My resume is pretty dry as my school is known for having very rigorous and difficult classes, so I spend a lot of my time studying. Right now, my cumulative GPA is 3.67 (not sure of the science vs. non-science GPA).

So here are my questions, and I know there's a bunch of knowledgable/experienced people on this forum so I really hope you guys take the time to read and answer these questions as it'd be VERY appreciated!
1. Can someone PLEASE explain the flow of applying to take the DAT and when I should sign up to take it if I want to go to dental school in Fall 2019?
2. How do I get shadowing hours with a dentist?
3. When should/can I apply to dental schools?

Thanks so much!

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[WaveRace]

1) I'll let someone else explain in detail, but basically you pay ~400 dollars online to sign up. You should take it whenever you are comfortable, preferably before June of next year (when you would apply). Be sure to give yourself ample study time before you take it.

2) You have to seek out shadowing on your own. You can cold call offices, show up and give the front desk your resume, or use connections (if you have them). Many people shadow a dentist from childhood.

3) Next summer would be when you should apply, as close to June 1st as possible.


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