Going into junior year of BS, need guidance!

[Shingo123]

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Hey guys, I have only rather recently decided to do Dental.

I have finished 2 years towards a BS in Bio at a CC. Now I am transferring to a 4yr uni to finish. I have all the pre-reqs except physics.

I have not done any shadowing or volunteering, so no EC activities.

I have not taken the DAT.

Plus I have the CC working against me, although I do have a 3.9 GPA.

I need to figure out whats the best course of action to apply for dental school as soon as possible.

Here is my questions:

1: If I have 2 years left to finish BS, when do I apply?
2: What should I do with this summer to best help my application?
3: When should I take the DAT?

I am thinking to do some shadowing, volunteer work, and possibly work in a dental setting this summer.

4: Last thing: When I apply, i am worried that I won't have many classes done at the uni, but mostly CC classes 🙁
Would taking summer classes at the Uni help change this?



Thanks!

Btw, I am going to talk to a counselor at the uni soon, so don't think I am relying solely on you info.

 

[30isthenew20]

*disclaimer* I haven't applied yet so I'm basing all this info on things I've researched and learned. I'm planning on applying and taking the DAT next spring/summer. Anyone else can feel free to correct me.

*Take upper level bio/chem classes this year to prove you learned something in cc (Bio Chem, A&P, Histology, Cell Bio etc).
*Take the DAT and apply the summer between your jr and sr year. Then they see what you've taken at uni and that you got good grades. By the time you enter ds (assuming acceptance in first cycle), you will have your BS. Most don't require BS but it is rumored to help.
*Use this summer/this year to shadow then get lor's and confirm this is what you want to do.

 

[Shingo123]

*disclaimer* I haven't applied yet so I'm basing all this info on things I've researched and learned. I'm planning on applying and taking the DAT next spring/summer. Anyone else can feel free to correct me.

*Take upper level bio/chem classes this year to prove you learned something in cc (Bio Chem, A&P, Histology, Cell Bio etc).
*Take the DAT and apply the summer between your jr and sr year. Then they see what you've taken at uni and that you got good grades. By the time you enter ds (assuming acceptance in first cycle), you will have your BS. Most don't require BS but it is rumored to help.
*Use this summer/this year to shadow then get lor's and confirm this is what you want to do.

That sounds like good advice. Just wondering, is applying in summer the earliest that you can apply?

For anyone who might know: is playing on the school football team a good EC or just an average one?

 

[30isthenew20]

yeah, the application process starts in june. all schools (except 2 or 3) only accept applications through one central website and apps are accepted starting june 1. schools have rolling admissions so the earlier you apply, the better. apply before you take your dat. your app will be held up at the school, but they'll know your dat score is coming. the dat score goes directly from the proctor to the school. dats have blackout dates for all of april.

 

[whoaaitzkyle]

Hey guys, I have only rather recently decided to do Dental.

I have finished 2 years towards a BS in Bio at a CC. Now I am transferring to a 4yr uni to finish. I have all the pre-reqs except physics.

I have not done any shadowing or volunteering, so no EC activities.

I have not taken the DAT.

Plus I have the CC working against me, although I do have a 3.9 GPA.

I need to figure out whats the best course of action to apply for dental school as soon as possible.

Here is my questions:

1: If I have 2 years left to finish BS, when do I apply?
If you want to go straight out of school you will start filling out your application May 15, 2010. If you want to take a year off then apply your senior year May 15, 2011.
2: What should I do with this summer to best help my application?
If I were you I'd study for my DAT. You took all your classes already and it should be the most fresh. Get that out of the way so when you transfer to the 4 year university you don't have acclimating to the new environment on top of the DAT to worry about.
3: When should I take the DAT?
This summer before you transfer.

I am thinking to do some shadowing, volunteer work, and possibly work in a dental setting this summer. I wouldn't do that. Upper div classes are a lot easier and less demanding in terms of time. I'd look for shadowing and other stuff to help your app after you do your DAT.

4: Last thing: When I apply, i am worried that I won't have many classes done at the uni, but mostly CC classes 🙁
Would taking summer classes at the Uni help change this?
possibly. Who knows? I guess there is probably a lot of factors involved with that statement. Probably depends on how many other commitments you may have, your coarse load, and your success in the classes.

Best of luck to you! 👍

 

[Shingo123]

Best of luck to you! 👍

Thanks.

So you think I should take the DAT this summer huh. I guess I was just hoping that I could take some of the upper level science classes before I took the DAT.

I think I could probably work and even do shadowing along with studying for the DAT. If for some reason I didn't score that well, I could take it again later.

If I were to take the DAT next summer would that be potentially delaying my application?

I have taken some other classes like micro and A&P and even a Pharmacology class so I guess that will help.

My Organic Chemistry will only get rustier though.

Any more advise and suggestions are welcome!

 

[30isthenew20]

The dat only covers gen chem, orgo and bio so you'll be good.

good luck!!

 

[Shingo123]

The dat only covers gen chem, orgo and bio so you'll be good.

good luck!!

Still I think taking a year of undergrad bio would only help my bio section.

I am pretty sure I will be taking the DAT this summer. If worse comes to worse i will take it later.

Any more advice on these questions is always welcome. 😉