High School Student seeking advice

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

alpacalover

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2015
Messages
31
Reaction score
0
Hello! I'm new to this forum but I knew from a young age I wanted to become a dentist/orthodontist...
With that being said, I would like to receive more information on what I should do/should BE doing...

I'm an upcoming senior in high school and I have NO medical/dental education experience at all.
I'm trying to shadow a dentist to see how the job works and what i should be expecting.
I'm planning to send out some letters to dentists in my area via mail explaining my situation etc.

Is this a good idea? If any dentists see this thread, do you think asking by mail is too.. idk what the word is too belittling (?) Should I ask if I can come in for a quick interview sort of thing over the phone? If anybody has done this, please give me some things that I should say that seems appropriate for this. (if that even makes sense)
Is it okay if I have no clue what is going on?
Thank you in advance and sorry for so many questions

Members don't see this ad.
 
I like the fact you are planning ahead. You have plenty time, unless you are considering a combined undergrad and dental program. I think Case has a 8-year-program and UoP also has a similar one. I would say focus on getting into a college of your choice right now. You will need to do well in your classes and have strong a DAT score to be competitive for dental school. As for shadowing opportunities, some people emailed/called their dentist while others simply stopped by at a dental office during their hours and asked if they could shadow. There are many ways you can find those opportunities


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
If you have a regular dentist, ask him or her if you can do some shadowing to gain an insight into this profession.

If you still want to pursue dentistry:

Get good grades in college. GPA >3.5
Shadowing is good, but working at a dental office to obtain a dentist's LOR is even better. (Part time is okay as long as you have spent enough time with the dentist for him or her to write a good LOR on your behalf
Do some extracurricular activities
Good LORS from your college proffessors
research (not at all that important, but some schools do favor it)
Good DAT score
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Members don't see this ad :)
You should be enjoying high-school and not worrying about this. Senior year is the best year of high school. You'll have plenty of time to worry about this once you graduate and enter college, where things will actually matter.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I like the fact you are planning ahead. You have plenty time, unless you are considering a combined undergrad and dental program. I think Case has a 8-year-program and UoP also has a similar one. I would say focus on getting into a college of your choice right now. You will need to do well in your classes and have strong a DAT score to be competitive for dental school. As for shadowing opportunities, some people emailed/called their dentist while others simply stopped by at a dental office during their hours and asked if they could shadow. There are many ways you can find those opportunities


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
yes I'm sorry I didn't specify in the thread I'm actually trying to go into UoP with their combined program!! Thank you for the reply!
 
Top