How I got into an accelerated dental program as a high school senior

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

predentwasconfused

Waiting on interviews!
7+ Year Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2015
Messages
62
Reaction score
57
Hello! I'm a high school senior, but I got accepted to University of the Sciences' accelerated 7 year BS/DMD program. I got a lot of advice here on SDN during my freshman-junior year while I was trying to get into these programs, so I figured I should give back, so I'm making this thread to possibly help others trying to do the same thing I did.

Freshman Year

So this year was basically spent on planning my high school schedule. I looked at the entire curriculum that my high school offered and made a list of all AP and Honors math+science courses. They were my priorities. I knew I wanted to study Spanish extensively as well, so I kept that on a list to the side. Then I selected the courses I knew would help me as a bio major. (This is what I wanted to major in since it covers all pre-reqs for dentistry, but I know biochem and chem would cover a lot of it, too.)

Here are the courses I decided on freshman year (excluding graduation requirements):
9th grade: Honors Algebra II, Honors Earth Science, Honors Biology I.
10th grade: Honors Lab Chem, Honors Geometry, Honors PreCalculus
11th grade: AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry,
12th grade: AP Statistics, AP Biology

Here's what I ended up taking:
9th grade: Honors Algebra II, Honors Earth Science, Honors Biology I.
10th grade: Honors Lab Chem, Honors Geometry, Honors PreCalculus, Biotechnology and Forensics (an honors course).
11th grade: AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry, AP Physics 1, Honors Anatomy and Physiology
12th grade: AP Physics 2, AP Biology, AP Calculus BC, Entrepreneurship (dental practices are supposed to be a business and I had zero foundation).

So yeah, stuff ended up changing, and I made my coursework harder than I originally planned. I ended up dropping my lunches starting sophomore year in exchange for taking more science courses. It will change eventually, just try to make your change for the better.

But clearly, there are many more ambitious students out there that take more difficult loads than I did. I wasn't the smartest kid in my grade, but I was up there.

I joined the color guard in my school's marching band. It involves a lot of manual dexterity and skill, and is related to something outside of science, so it shows well-roundedness. Plus, I'm not a sports person, I always preferred dance, so this worked really well for me. I also joined NJ Science League, Key Club, Literary Club, Prism Club, started my own Anime Club, got involved in the school play (I did set design+painting, makeup, and sewed costumes, all of which showed skill with hands), volunteered at a senior citizen shelter, volunteered at a library, volunteered at a hospital, did science fairs (THESE ARE SUCH A RESUME BOOSTER), and joined student government. I also started playing piano and violin. I took lessons for piano while I self-taught myself the violin.

Sophomore Year

This is when I started looking at programs, and organizing my accomplishments. I basically had a binder where I put all of my certificates, letters of hours logged at places I volunteered, proof of what I had done to start the anime club, etc. Anything you could use to show proof and backup your resume.

I continued with all of the above clubs, with the exception of Key Club. I got so busy running Anime Club that I just couldn't handle that, and both clubs ended up meeting on the same day, so I had to pick my club.

Get cozy with all of your teachers. By now, you've acclimated to high school and you know how stuff works, and you've (hopefully) been social. This really helped me get on my teachers' good side, so I was able to get to know other teachers as well, since a lot of them sent me to other rooms to get like distilled water or petri dishes. I ended up having a lot of those teachers junior year, so I was able to build up good relationships with them, and got fantastic LORs from those teachers.

Take the SAT/ACT. I personally did a LOT better on the ACT. I got a 33 on that, whereas my SAT was a 1920 (Crit Reading+Math was 1210). Take both, it really depends all on what kind of person you are. NOTE: I took the old SAT so your experience might be totally different.

I started shadowing this year. I talked to the dentist I go to, and he was really open to letting me shadow him. He was a general family dentist, but he did a lot of cosmetic dentistry, too, so I got to see a lot of different things, from crowns to basic fillings and cleanings (done by the hygienists). I asked my orthodontist, but he turned me down, which was unfortunate.

I made a post on tumblr a while back titled "Things I Wish I Knew Before Shadowing my Dentist". I'm just going to copy paste it below:
  • Invest in a pair of scrubs. You might not need them, but it depends on the dentist you are shadowing. They can be picked up for 6 bucks at Walmart, or you can order them online from places like Amazon. Most dentists will have a spare coat or something in the back, but often times, specialists won’t. Wear them to the office, it makes you look prepared. Check in with the doctor first, they might not require scrubs, and you don’t want to embarrass yourself.
  • Don’t be there for more than 4 hours at a time. Your feet will hurt after two hours, and after 4 you will want to melt. Not all dentist’s practices are spacious and let you sit, so you’ll be standing for hours at a time. Don’t push yourself. I got used to the schedules of the dentists I shadowed and made sure I knew all of the shifts by heart. I suggest doing the morning shifts. They don’t run more than 5 hours usually (the ortho I shadowed has 4 hours in the morning before lunch, whereas the GP had 5) and can be knocked out early in the day and you’re home before 2.
  • Try to find a good position before the doctor sits down with the patient!! Their hand might be in the way, the assistant might block your view. etc. Know each room well and find the good spots. I stood near the patient’s waist at my GP and leaned forward just a bit, and usually the doctor’s finger would block my view every now and then, but other than that, I was able to see everything live and clearly!
  • Watch videos of procedures before you head in. You want to know what’s going on and don’t want to pester the dentist with 8000 questions. Each doctor will do things differently, but you should be familiar with the common tools and know how things work.
  • Bring some masks and gloves. This goes along with the scrubs, but are so much more vital. Usually, dentists have them sitting in each room, but on the off chance that they run out, have a spare pair in your pockets.
  • DO NOT BRING A PURSE. I did the first day and regretted it so much. Get a small wallet that fits in your pocket so you have your license and keys and everything.
  • TALK TO THE ASSISTANTS/HYGIENISTS!!! They will be your best friends, especially when the dentist is running around from patient to patient, too fast to follow. The hygienist will explain things to you and tell you the nitty gritty bits about working in the office. Some work in several offices and know how two different places work. Make friends with them, get to know them, help them carry things.
  • Don’t ignore the receptionists. They know the logistics better than the doctor themself. They can help you learn how the practice runs, how things work with booking patients, etc. These are things (I’m told) you have to do in dental school.
  • Don’t bring a notebook. It makes you look like a dork, and if you did your research, there is no need to do that. When you are shadowing, you are gaining live experience. In 2015, you can look up interviews of practitioners, learn names of tools, and watch procedures online in minutes. There is no need to hold a tiny notepad and take notes like a dweeb. This is your chance to watch and learn on your own, talk and converse with the dentist.
  • On the notebook, a good idea is to write down what you saw when you get home. Just make some notes, some questions you may have forgotten to ask, etc. You can keep a running list on your phone and look over it before walking into the office to shadow the next time you go.
  • SNEAKERS. If it wasn’t obvious enough already, here’s a friendly reminder.
  • Don’t come up with a cookie-cutter list of questions to ask. Just be yourself!! You’ll come up with questions, trust me. If you don’t, maybe dentistry isn’t for you and you might want to reconsider. This is really time to observe and ask questions you maybe wanted to ask when watching one of those videos of a root canal on youtube (there are lots, just do some looking up!)
  • If you’re getting bored, then don’t think that you shouldn’t be a dentist!! Everyone gets bored when shadowing. You kind of have to get through it, work on not looking at your watch every 5 minutes.
  • Break down your shadowing. I’m not an expert on this, but let’s look at it this way: Keep a target of 200 hours before starting your junior year. Let’s say you do 4 hours a day. 200/4 is 50. 50 days of hanging out with the dentist may sound bad, but cut it up between 2 years. 25 days in one year. Go twice a month!! Or cram it into 4 months, going twice a week. Find a way to make it seem like less a load and you’ll look forward to racking up hours!
  • Find a specialist or two, something you’d like to do. I did ortho and perio and liked the change up. For ortho, find out when they do the actual installation or removal of braces. Those are the most interesting! For perio, just hope you get to watch some crown lengthening! There are other specialties out there, too, just find what you like. I’m into cosmetic so that’s what I looked into, but whatever floats your boat! DO NOT NEGLECT GP THOUGH!!! They are the ones that do common procedures like extractions and fillings. They don’t do the same thing over and over again, so they might be a bit more interesting.
  • Try to not find all male dentists! I’m a girl so I liked my experience with the lady periodontist than the dude ortho, even though ortho is my dream specialty. However, the guys were funnier, and joked more. The lady explained everything as she did it. It depends on the doctor themselves, but trying all genders is a good idea so you get to know how each runs their practice. They’re all successful, just know that before you judge them.
  • Don’t get too close to the patients. Some may harass you, I know and speak from personal experience. Also, don’t judge them, don’t whisper about them, nothing leaves that room unless the patient hurt or harassed you.
  • LEARN SOMETHING!!! You will have to have learned something by the end, whether it be the atmosphere of a practice or some technical thing about dental equipment. Do not let it be a waste of time, even if you don’t go into dentistry! I can’t say have fun, but take something out of it.
Junior Year

Get your sucking-up game on, because you really have to do that this year.

I ended up becoming a lab tech for my Anatomy teacher, so I basically helped him prepare histo slides, made some quizzes, graded some stuff, and ordered new equipment. I helped him teach his classes, too, so I included that on my resume. It was fun, too. I dropped my lunch period to do this and loved it. When the class was taking a test or quiz, I just sat at the front or back and did extra homework or ate, and if anyone had questions, they could come to me. It gave me an almost-free block and it was fun! I even helped my teacher's wife (who taught me bio) make a chandelier for her bathroom during that time. See if your school offers anything like that, it's so much fun, and this teacher wrote the best LOR for me.

Make a list of all of the programs you want to do. And make sure your ACT/SAT scores meet the minimum. If not, retake the test. Do what you've gotta to improve your score. I just got an ACT book from the library and did all of the practice tests starting two months before the exam and did fine.

GET YOUR LICENSE FOR GOODNESS SAKE. I got mine a few months after my 17th birthday, and wish I'd gotten it earlier, since I missed out on my entire spring break, where I could have shadowed a lot more. It's really frustrating relying on your parents for a ride. Also, it really hurts seeing everyone else in your class driving around and having a great time. Treat yourself and practice that parallel parking.

Continue shadowing. I ended up getting an orthodontist to let me shadow, though he was a bit further than I liked, and a periodontist, who I absolutely adored.

Senior Year

Apply apply apply! Get LORs from teachers you've gotten to know really well and make thank you cards for them! I drew little comics on the side of the card and custom made it to the teacher. I got my Anatomy teacher and my Spanish III teacher to write me letters. My A&P teacher got anatomy jokes and funny diagrams, while I wrote my entire thank you card for my Spanish teacher in Spanish. Give it to them after they agree to write you the letter, so when they think about you while writing it, they remember the card. It also doesn't hurt to include some chocolates or treats.

I had to write a personal statement one page long. This was really hard to compress to one page, but I managed. I would include it below, but idk, I might get in trouble if I do. But basically, I talked about at what point I got into dentistry and knew I wanted to do it as a career, and why I would be a good dentist. I mentioned my long fingers and how I had really good manual dexterity, which is something dentists must have. I talked about my hobbies, such as jewelry making, sculpting, playing piano+violin, color guard, sewing, etc. I went into what classes I took, and what classes I'll have to take in dental school.

For the interview (if you make it that far): Research the undergrad school and the dental school! I went to two open houses for USciences and looked up Temple's dental school online and sucked up as much info I could. They love it when you talk about the schools themselves. It's good to include some jargon, like waxing and veneers, but be sure you explain it to them. I was interviewed by an assistant dean, an MD, and the lady that organizes these programs. None of them were dentists. When I walked in, the first thing they asked me was "Why do you want to be a dentist". I thought they might ask me that, so I had prepared an answer ahead of time. But they did throw curveballs at me, and I did stumble and stammer several times, mostly about academics. I personally thought my interview had gone very badly, but I got in the program, so I must have done something right.

Overall Advice

PLEASE just get good grades! If you're considering dentistry, you should already be smart, but you really need to be aware. I got a huge shock when I got my first B EVER in AP Calc, and it was just one point away from being an A, which really hurt. But you have to make the most of it and use every failure (or B) as a learning experience.

And you don't have to be the smartest person in your class. I certainly wasn't. And it's important to remember that. You have to show the college that you can handle a lot of work and get fairly good grades while doing a crap ton of stuff off to the side. I did so many extracurriculars, I had to cut about half of them out of my resume because it went over two pages. That's what the programs like to see. The kid that is valedictorian got rejected from all of the 7-year medical programs. I don't know how difficult it is to get into med programs and I have no way of telling the competition for them, but the valedictorian knew how to get A's in his classes and did one sport and like 2 clubs. He only volunteered at a hospital and thought that would be enough, but it wasn't. Remember, there's very little difference between a 3.94 and 3.99 GPA when it comes to the time of application. Be a strong student, but pool your resources elsewhere, too, like doing things outside of the box.

The science fairs really helped me! I did it all four years of high school and won a handful of awards, and it's really nice to see students taking the initiative to do their own mini research projects. The one that really locked me into this program was probably the project I did where I analyzed the effects of alcoholic vs non-alcoholic mouthwash on oral bacteria, and since that was so related to dentistry, it probably caught the school's attention.

~*~*~

Whoo! That was longer than I expected, but I really hope it helps! I will be enrolling in the USci program. I got into NJIT's program, too, but I don't want to go to Rutgers Dental School so I'm not planning on going there, and that one was basically the same as the USP program, I just preferred Philly.

If you have any questions, please ask! I have email notifications on and can answer questions within a day or two.

I really hope this helps anyone out there! :D

Members don't see this ad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Members don't see this ad :)
Wait...so you will have to apply for the DMD spot later on right?

Okay, I probably should have explained the program I got in. It's a 3+4 program where I do a condensed version of the biology program and have a guaranteed interview so long as I keep my GPA above a 3.4 and get a DAT AA score of 20 or more. I would go through the application like a normal student and apply to the DMD program during the first semester of my junior yr of undergrad. It gives me an edge over others because I've shown qualifications since high school, and save a crap ton on application fees and hotel+air fares for interviews. Plus I save a year of undergrad.

This only lets me apply to Temple's dental school a year early, no others.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Are you still going to apply to other schools (if possible)? Having a guaranteed interview is great, but an acceptance is never guaranteed! I'm sure the chance of being accepted is very high, but you never know?

Yeah, that's why I love this program. Temple is my safety, but if I get in there my junior year, I'll be going there instead of doing my senior year. If I get rejected, I revert to a traditional bio major and then apply again after fixing whatever got me rejected. Having this is great because it gives me like a security blanket to hold onto for a while.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Congrats!!! I am sure this post will help any future young minds interested in dentistry :) it was so great reading your story. If only I was half as determined and disciplined as you, I probably wouldn't have needed to take two gap years, lol. I wish you the very best ~ you've set up a good future path for yourself ^_^
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
@SubAtomicCherry nice work! I agree with @sweetpeeas -you've clearly done a great job/have the drive and a bright future ahead.

One recommendation: most of the people who frequent this forum are in college already or have completed college/are non-trads going for a post-bac and then dental school- therefore, they are not your ideal target audience.

Have you considered making an account over at the forums of collegeconfidential.com and posting your story there? You'll find lots of high school students who are ambitious about careers in medicine and dentistry, just like you, and they will be very appreciative of your advice.

Congrats again- you're killing it!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Okay, I probably should have explained the program I got in. It's a 3+4 program where I do a condensed version of the biology program and have a guaranteed interview so long as I keep my GPA above a 3.4 and get a DAT AA score of 20 or more. I would go through the application like a normal student and apply to the DMD program during the first semester of my junior yr of undergrad. It gives me an edge over others because I've shown qualifications since high school, and save a crap ton on application fees and hotel+air fares for interviews. Plus I save a year of undergrad.

This only lets me apply to Temple's dental school a year early, no others.
Hi! I was looking into many of the accelerated dental programs. I'm starting my senior year (of high school) in about 2 weeks and I was just wondering how you applied to this program? Like what was the application procedure (forms, deadlines, etc.)?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
You really have great self control and amazing determination to do this OP. Well done :D! If I could go back in time and be more like you in HS I probably would. Heck I didn't learn how to work hard till I was about 20 years old. Be proud of your accomplishment and keep it up! Maybe we'll see a 28 AA from you on the DAT or you can just enjoy yourself and get a 21 ;). I was a lazy bum in high school and breezed through it (not near a 4.0 but ~3.8 with no effort lol). I applied to a few 7/8 yr programs and not surprisingly got rejected from all of them because of my lack of ECs and meh grades.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Hi! I was looking into many of the accelerated dental programs. I'm starting my senior year (of high school) in about 2 weeks and I was just wondering how you applied to this program? Like what was the application procedure (forms, deadlines, etc.)?
Hi!!

The actual application wasn't too bad. I applied to two programs and got into both (NJIT and USP) but each had a little different process for applying. NJIT had like a pdf form you filled out, signed and uploaded to the common app and they process it from there.

USP had a pdf file that was sent to me after I expressed interest in the program after I emailed them. They sent the file to me, it was shorter than NJIT's but you had to include the personal statement and everything. Then I got called back for an interview at USP, and about two months later I got my acceptance letter. (Interview was towards the end of January and I got accepted end of March)

Each school has a different way of applying but it usually requires a supplemental application that isn't very long and grueling. I know I was planning to apply for Temple's program too but I wasn't 100% sure I wanted to go there for my undergrad, just based on the atmosphere of the college, but I remember their application was like a google form that you had to type everything into, like a personal statement and LOR from a dentist.

So yeah, each school does it differently and you've just gotta snoop around and ask questions. I sent out a dozen different emails before I started applying and these people are usually really good at answering questions. I found calling them for application information doesn't go well, usually you just get transferred around in an endless loop. Email the schools you want to apply to and they'll give you more info if you end up looking in the right place!

I hope this helped you out! :^)
 
You really have great self control and amazing determination to do this OP. Well done :D! If I could go back in time and be more like you in HS I probably would. Heck I didn't learn how to work hard till I was about 20 years old. Be proud of your accomplishment and keep it up! Maybe we'll see a 28 AA from you on the DAT or you can just enjoy yourself and get a 21 ;). I was a lazy bum in high school and breezed through it (not near a 4.0 but ~3.8 with no effort lol). I applied to a few 7/8 yr programs and not surprisingly got rejected from all of them because of my lack of ECs and meh grades.
Thank you so much!

Oh I hope I can get a solid DAT score, I took one practice test and had like a 17.

But thank you so much! I'm sure you still ended up being an amazing dentist regardless.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
@SubAtomicCherry nice work! I agree with @sweetpeeas -you've clearly done a great job/have the drive and a bright future ahead.

One recommendation: most of the people who frequent this forum are in college already or have completed college/are non-trads going for a post-bac and then dental school- therefore, they are not your ideal target audience.

Have you considered making an account over at the forums of collegeconfidential.com and posting your story there? You'll find lots of high school students who are ambitious about careers in medicine and dentistry, just like you, and they will be very appreciative of your advice.

Congrats again- you're killing it!
Oh gosh sorry this is so late I just realized I never replied.

I have made this exact post on CC! I actually got a lot more traffic on this site than on CC, I don't think anyone replied over there lol.

And thank you so much! Your kind words mean a lot!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
So...your dropped your lunch period? That's another level. I had to have that in high school.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using SDN mobile
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
Members don't see this ad :)
Thank you so much!

Oh I hope I can get a solid DAT score, I took one practice test and had like a 17.

But thank you so much! I'm sure you still ended up being an amazing dentist regardless.
Not a dentist yet! Hey a 17 while still in high school is impressive... I'd probably get like a 14 or 15 then maybe lower. I'm only 21 not even close xD. You definitely have the makings of a very hard worker and I know you'll be successful :).
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Not a dentist yet! Hey a 17 while still in high school is impressive... I'd probably get like a 14 or 15 then maybe lower. I'm only 21 not even close xD. You definitely have the makings of a very hard worker and I know you'll be successful :).
Is orgo even an option in high school?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Is orgo even an option in high school?
Actually, my AP chem teacher HATED gen chem so he gave up halfway through the year and taught us orgo, which he adores. So I know a little bit of general chemistry (I got a 3 on the AP exam...) but in return, I learned a bit of organic chemistry, so I think that was a fair trade off.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Not a dentist yet! Hey a 17 while still in high school is impressive... I'd probably get like a 14 or 15 then maybe lower. I'm only 21 not even close xD. You definitely have the makings of a very hard worker and I know you'll be successful :).
Aw, don't say that! And thank you again! Well, I'm sure you will become an amazing dentist, especially if you have the motivation to turn yourself around and start working really hard!
 
Congrats on your acceptance dude. What are the GPA and DAT requirements? I am in Nova's 4+4 program and you may not appreciate it as much going into college, you quickly find out how valuable it is knowing you have a seat saved for you when you start to think about your transition to dental school. Be sure to absolutely be well above the GPA they require though!
Thanks!

Yeah, the GPA is 3.3 minimum, and DAT is 20 minimum. I'll definitely keep that in mind, I don't want to take this opportunity for granted and slack off after I got this far lol
 
So...your dropped your lunch period? That's another level. I had to have that in high school.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using SDN mobile
Well, none of my friends ever ended up having the same lunch as me so I was pretty bored and just played on my phone anyway, so it was actually better for me this way. Plus, all of my teachers really didn't care if I ate in their class so I just ate during their lessons. It's not like I starved myself!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Thanks!

Yeah, the GPA is 3.3 minimum, and DAT is 20 minimum. I'll definitely keep that in mind, I don't want to take this opportunity for granted and slack off after I got this far lol
You will be able to maintain that :). My stats are higher than that and I was awful the first 2 years of college! It's awesome how you're being nice to me even after I'm acknowledging my screw ups xD. Good luck in starting your 7 year program soon! Don't forget to take some breaks and enjoy yourself :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
You will be able to maintain that :). My stats are higher than that and I was awful the first 2 years of college! It's awesome how you're being nice to me even after I'm acknowledging my screw ups xD. Good luck in starting your 7 year program soon! Don't forget to take some breaks and enjoy yourself :D
Awesome! I'm just slightly concerned about the amount of classes I need per semester to pull this off (I'm taking 7 classes my first semester...) but hopefully I pull through.

And thank you! I'll definitely remember to pace myself
 
Hello! I'm a high school senior, but I got accepted to University of the Sciences' accelerated 7 year BS/DMD program. I got a lot of advice here on SDN during my freshman-junior year while I was trying to get into these programs, so I figured I should give back, so I'm making this thread to possibly help others trying to do the same thing I did.

Freshman Year

So this year was basically spent on planning my high school schedule. I looked at the entire curriculum that my high school offered and made a list of all AP and Honors math+science courses. They were my priorities. I knew I wanted to study Spanish extensively as well, so I kept that on a list to the side. Then I selected the courses I knew would help me as a bio major. (This is what I wanted to major in since it covers all pre-reqs for dentistry, but I know biochem and chem would cover a lot of it, too.)

Here are the courses I decided on freshman year (excluding graduation requirements):
9th grade: Honors Algebra II, Honors Earth Science, Honors Biology I.
10th grade: Honors Lab Chem, Honors Geometry, Honors PreCalculus
11th grade: AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry,
12th grade: AP Statistics, AP Biology

Here's what I ended up taking:
9th grade: Honors Algebra II, Honors Earth Science, Honors Biology I.
10th grade: Honors Lab Chem, Honors Geometry, Honors PreCalculus, Biotechnology and Forensics (an honors course).
11th grade: AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry, AP Physics 1, Honors Anatomy and Physiology
12th grade: AP Physics 2, AP Biology, AP Calculus BC, Entrepreneurship (dental practices are supposed to be a business and I had zero foundation).

So yeah, stuff ended up changing, and I made my coursework harder than I originally planned. I ended up dropping my lunches starting sophomore year in exchange for taking more science courses. It will change eventually, just try to make your change for the better.

But clearly, there are many more ambitious students out there that take more difficult loads than I did. I wasn't the smartest kid in my grade, but I was up there.

I joined the color guard in my school's marching band. It involves a lot of manual dexterity and skill, and is related to something outside of science, so it shows well-roundedness. Plus, I'm not a sports person, I always preferred dance, so this worked really well for me. I also joined NJ Science League, Key Club, Literary Club, Prism Club, started my own Anime Club, got involved in the school play (I did set design+painting, makeup, and sewed costumes, all of which showed skill with hands), volunteered at a senior citizen shelter, volunteered at a library, volunteered at a hospital, did science fairs (THESE ARE SUCH A RESUME BOOSTER), and joined student government. I also started playing piano and violin. I took lessons for piano while I self-taught myself the violin.

Sophomore Year

This is when I started looking at programs, and organizing my accomplishments. I basically had a binder where I put all of my certificates, letters of hours logged at places I volunteered, proof of what I had done to start the anime club, etc. Anything you could use to show proof and backup your resume.

I continued with all of the above clubs, with the exception of Key Club. I got so busy running Anime Club that I just couldn't handle that, and both clubs ended up meeting on the same day, so I had to pick my club.

Get cozy with all of your teachers. By now, you've acclimated to high school and you know how stuff works, and you've (hopefully) been social. This really helped me get on my teachers' good side, so I was able to get to know other teachers as well, since a lot of them sent me to other rooms to get like distilled water or petri dishes. I ended up having a lot of those teachers junior year, so I was able to build up good relationships with them, and got fantastic LORs from those teachers.

Take the SAT/ACT. I personally did a LOT better on the ACT. I got a 33 on that, whereas my SAT was a 1920 (Crit Reading+Math was 1210). Take both, it really depends all on what kind of person you are. NOTE: I took the old SAT so your experience might be totally different.

I started shadowing this year. I talked to the dentist I go to, and he was really open to letting me shadow him. He was a general family dentist, but he did a lot of cosmetic dentistry, too, so I got to see a lot of different things, from crowns to basic fillings and cleanings (done by the hygienists). I asked my orthodontist, but he turned me down, which was unfortunate.

I made a post on tumblr a while back titled "Things I Wish I Knew Before Shadowing my Dentist". I'm just going to copy paste it below:
  • Invest in a pair of scrubs. You might not need them, but it depends on the dentist you are shadowing. They can be picked up for 6 bucks at Walmart, or you can order them online from places like Amazon. Most dentists will have a spare coat or something in the back, but often times, specialists won’t. Wear them to the office, it makes you look prepared. Check in with the doctor first, they might not require scrubs, and you don’t want to embarrass yourself.
  • Don’t be there for more than 4 hours at a time. Your feet will hurt after two hours, and after 4 you will want to melt. Not all dentist’s practices are spacious and let you sit, so you’ll be standing for hours at a time. Don’t push yourself. I got used to the schedules of the dentists I shadowed and made sure I knew all of the shifts by heart. I suggest doing the morning shifts. They don’t run more than 5 hours usually (the ortho I shadowed has 4 hours in the morning before lunch, whereas the GP had 5) and can be knocked out early in the day and you’re home before 2.
  • Try to find a good position before the doctor sits down with the patient!! Their hand might be in the way, the assistant might block your view. etc. Know each room well and find the good spots. I stood near the patient’s waist at my GP and leaned forward just a bit, and usually the doctor’s finger would block my view every now and then, but other than that, I was able to see everything live and clearly!
  • Watch videos of procedures before you head in. You want to know what’s going on and don’t want to pester the dentist with 8000 questions. Each doctor will do things differently, but you should be familiar with the common tools and know how things work.
  • Bring some masks and gloves. This goes along with the scrubs, but are so much more vital. Usually, dentists have them sitting in each room, but on the off chance that they run out, have a spare pair in your pockets.
  • DO NOT BRING A PURSE. I did the first day and regretted it so much. Get a small wallet that fits in your pocket so you have your license and keys and everything.
  • TALK TO THE ASSISTANTS/HYGIENISTS!!! They will be your best friends, especially when the dentist is running around from patient to patient, too fast to follow. The hygienist will explain things to you and tell you the nitty gritty bits about working in the office. Some work in several offices and know how two different places work. Make friends with them, get to know them, help them carry things.
  • Don’t ignore the receptionists. They know the logistics better than the doctor themself. They can help you learn how the practice runs, how things work with booking patients, etc. These are things (I’m told) you have to do in dental school.
  • Don’t bring a notebook. It makes you look like a dork, and if you did your research, there is no need to do that. When you are shadowing, you are gaining live experience. In 2015, you can look up interviews of practitioners, learn names of tools, and watch procedures online in minutes. There is no need to hold a tiny notepad and take notes like a dweeb. This is your chance to watch and learn on your own, talk and converse with the dentist.
  • On the notebook, a good idea is to write down what you saw when you get home. Just make some notes, some questions you may have forgotten to ask, etc. You can keep a running list on your phone and look over it before walking into the office to shadow the next time you go.
  • SNEAKERS. If it wasn’t obvious enough already, here’s a friendly reminder.
  • Don’t come up with a cookie-cutter list of questions to ask. Just be yourself!! You’ll come up with questions, trust me. If you don’t, maybe dentistry isn’t for you and you might want to reconsider. This is really time to observe and ask questions you maybe wanted to ask when watching one of those videos of a root canal on youtube (there are lots, just do some looking up!)
  • If you’re getting bored, then don’t think that you shouldn’t be a dentist!! Everyone gets bored when shadowing. You kind of have to get through it, work on not looking at your watch every 5 minutes.
  • Break down your shadowing. I’m not an expert on this, but let’s look at it this way: Keep a target of 200 hours before starting your junior year. Let’s say you do 4 hours a day. 200/4 is 50. 50 days of hanging out with the dentist may sound bad, but cut it up between 2 years. 25 days in one year. Go twice a month!! Or cram it into 4 months, going twice a week. Find a way to make it seem like less a load and you’ll look forward to racking up hours!
  • Find a specialist or two, something you’d like to do. I did ortho and perio and liked the change up. For ortho, find out when they do the actual installation or removal of braces. Those are the most interesting! For perio, just hope you get to watch some crown lengthening! There are other specialties out there, too, just find what you like. I’m into cosmetic so that’s what I looked into, but whatever floats your boat! DO NOT NEGLECT GP THOUGH!!! They are the ones that do common procedures like extractions and fillings. They don’t do the same thing over and over again, so they might be a bit more interesting.
  • Try to not find all male dentists! I’m a girl so I liked my experience with the lady periodontist than the dude ortho, even though ortho is my dream specialty. However, the guys were funnier, and joked more. The lady explained everything as she did it. It depends on the doctor themselves, but trying all genders is a good idea so you get to know how each runs their practice. They’re all successful, just know that before you judge them.
  • Don’t get too close to the patients. Some may harass you, I know and speak from personal experience. Also, don’t judge them, don’t whisper about them, nothing leaves that room unless the patient hurt or harassed you.
  • LEARN SOMETHING!!! You will have to have learned something by the end, whether it be the atmosphere of a practice or some technical thing about dental equipment. Do not let it be a waste of time, even if you don’t go into dentistry! I can’t say have fun, but take something out of it.
Junior Year

Get your sucking-up game on, because you really have to do that this year.

I ended up becoming a lab tech for my Anatomy teacher, so I basically helped him prepare histo slides, made some quizzes, graded some stuff, and ordered new equipment. I helped him teach his classes, too, so I included that on my resume. It was fun, too. I dropped my lunch period to do this and loved it. When the class was taking a test or quiz, I just sat at the front or back and did extra homework or ate, and if anyone had questions, they could come to me. It gave me an almost-free block and it was fun! I even helped my teacher's wife (who taught me bio) make a chandelier for her bathroom during that time. See if your school offers anything like that, it's so much fun, and this teacher wrote the best LOR for me.

Make a list of all of the programs you want to do. And make sure your ACT/SAT scores meet the minimum. If not, retake the test. Do what you've gotta to improve your score. I just got an ACT book from the library and did all of the practice tests starting two months before the exam and did fine.

GET YOUR LICENSE FOR GOODNESS SAKE. I got mine a few months after my 17th birthday, and wish I'd gotten it earlier, since I missed out on my entire spring break, where I could have shadowed a lot more. It's really frustrating relying on your parents for a ride. Also, it really hurts seeing everyone else in your class driving around and having a great time. Treat yourself and practice that parallel parking.

Continue shadowing. I ended up getting an orthodontist to let me shadow, though he was a bit further than I liked, and a periodontist, who I absolutely adored.

Senior Year

Apply apply apply! Get LORs from teachers you've gotten to know really well and make thank you cards for them! I drew little comics on the side of the card and custom made it to the teacher. I got my Anatomy teacher and my Spanish III teacher to write me letters. My A&P teacher got anatomy jokes and funny diagrams, while I wrote my entire thank you card for my Spanish teacher in Spanish. Give it to them after they agree to write you the letter, so when they think about you while writing it, they remember the card. It also doesn't hurt to include some chocolates or treats.

I had to write a personal statement one page long. This was really hard to compress to one page, but I managed. I would include it below, but idk, I might get in trouble if I do. But basically, I talked about at what point I got into dentistry and knew I wanted to do it as a career, and why I would be a good dentist. I mentioned my long fingers and how I had really good manual dexterity, which is something dentists must have. I talked about my hobbies, such as jewelry making, sculpting, playing piano+violin, color guard, sewing, etc. I went into what classes I took, and what classes I'll have to take in dental school.

For the interview (if you make it that far): Research the undergrad school and the dental school! I went to two open houses for USciences and looked up Temple's dental school online and sucked up as much info I could. They love it when you talk about the schools themselves. It's good to include some jargon, like waxing and veneers, but be sure you explain it to them. I was interviewed by an assistant dean, an MD, and the lady that organizes these programs. None of them were dentists. When I walked in, the first thing they asked me was "Why do you want to be a dentist". I thought they might ask me that, so I had prepared an answer ahead of time. But they did throw curveballs at me, and I did stumble and stammer several times, mostly about academics. I personally thought my interview had gone very badly, but I got in the program, so I must have done something right.

Overall Advice

PLEASE just get good grades! If you're considering dentistry, you should already be smart, but you really need to be aware. I got a huge shock when I got my first B EVER in AP Calc, and it was just one point away from being an A, which really hurt. But you have to make the most of it and use every failure (or B) as a learning experience.

And you don't have to be the smartest person in your class. I certainly wasn't. And it's important to remember that. You have to show the college that you can handle a lot of work and get fairly good grades while doing a crap ton of stuff off to the side. I did so many extracurriculars, I had to cut about half of them out of my resume because it went over two pages. That's what the programs like to see. The kid that is valedictorian got rejected from all of the 7-year medical programs. I don't know how difficult it is to get into med programs and I have no way of telling the competition for them, but the valedictorian knew how to get A's in his classes and did one sport and like 2 clubs. He only volunteered at a hospital and thought that would be enough, but it wasn't. Remember, there's very little difference between a 3.94 and 3.99 GPA when it comes to the time of application. Be a strong student, but pool your resources elsewhere, too, like doing things outside of the box.

The science fairs really helped me! I did it all four years of high school and won a handful of awards, and it's really nice to see students taking the initiative to do their own mini research projects. The one that really locked me into this program was probably the project I did where I analyzed the effects of alcoholic vs non-alcoholic mouthwash on oral bacteria, and since that was so related to dentistry, it probably caught the school's attention.

~*~*~

Whoo! That was longer than I expected, but I really hope it helps! I will be enrolling in the USci program. I got into NJIT's program, too, but I don't want to go to Rutgers Dental School so I'm not planning on going there, and that one was basically the same as the USP program, I just preferred Philly.

If you have any questions, please ask! I have email notifications on and can answer questions within a day or two.

I really hope this helps anyone out there! :D
Just curious is your tuition the same as a regular undergrad for your Bachelors? Assuming it will be the same regardless for dental school
 
You my friend are a boss...

If I had half the direction as a 14 year old kid as you did. Seriously awesome. Your parents did something right

You will be very successful...
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
So are you in your freshman year of college now? And why 7 classes? That's a lot. Did you make that choice or is it a requirement?
Good on you for your determination, drive, discipline, and success thus far. But don't put so much pressure on yourself. Many many people have become dentists by doing far less. It honestly sounds like your life is not well balanced currently.
So we went over to my wife's cousins place, and she has a daughter about your age. The daughter is very motivated in everything she does, and much of her story parallels yours, except dentistry. So my wife's cousin is frustrated because her daughter is pushing herself so damn hard. TOO hard. She says she very proud of her daughter, but she wished that she wouldn't put so much pressure on herself. Her parents aren't pressuring her.
You will be a dentist soon, it's guaranteed now. Dental school will always be there, but you will only be this age once. Enjoy it away from the books and EC'S occasooanlly.
 
Awesome! I'm just slightly concerned about the amount of classes I need per semester to pull this off (I'm taking 7 classes my first semester...) but hopefully I pull through.

And thank you! I'll definitely remember to pace myself
I just did that in the spring of this year. Oh it was painful but it was a solid semester lol
 
Is orgo even an option in high school?

Not sure about the U.S, but in my high school we did half a semester of basic 'orgo'. Basically naming/drawing, looking at organic reactions, etc.. No synthesis or anything.
 
Jeeeeez, that's a serious high school agenda. Good work. I was too busy playing Halo and making pizzas at Papa Murphy's to do any of this.

If you don't mind me asking, are you a first generation American?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Jeeeeez, that's a serious high school agenda. Good work. I was too busy playing Halo and making pizzas at Papa Murphy's to do any of this.

If you don't mind me asking, are you a first generation American?
Haha trust me I spent so much time playing games on my 3DS instead of paying attention in AP physics... And since I worked at Rita's I ate water ice all day. I just made time for things, but thank you!!

Yes and no. I was born in another country but I moved here when I was 3, so technically I'm an immigrant but I was so young I don't even remember that move. I guess I have the best of both worlds? The immigrant mindset of working hard, but I became really fluent in English and adapted to the US pretty quickly.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I am in an accelerated early acceptance program as well. I just finished my first year of college and have 2 more years till I graduate and begin dental school. I plan on taking my DAT in April/May. If you need any guidance please feel free to PM.
Awesome thank you so much! I'll definitely do that if I stumble.

But how are you going to be able to study for it if you have school work going on? I'm already so overwhelmed with college work I can't think to find time to study for the DAT aside from during breaks lol
 
Just curious is your tuition the same as a regular undergrad for your Bachelors? Assuming it will be the same regardless for dental school
No actually. I go to a private uni so the tuition is up there, but Temple dental has a tuition of $58k I believe for out-of-state. Temple is really close to my house so I'm thinking of commuting, even if people make fun of me for that because it saves SO much money.
 
So are you in your freshman year of college now? And why 7 classes? That's a lot. Did you make that choice or is it a requirement?
Good on you for your determination, drive, discipline, and success thus far. But don't put so much pressure on yourself. Many many people have become dentists by doing far less. It honestly sounds like your life is not well balanced currently.
So we went over to my wife's cousins place, and she has a daughter about your age. The daughter is very motivated in everything she does, and much of her story parallels yours, except dentistry. So my wife's cousin is frustrated because her daughter is pushing herself so damn hard. TOO hard. She says she very proud of her daughter, but she wished that she wouldn't put so much pressure on herself. Her parents aren't pressuring her.
You will be a dentist soon, it's guaranteed now. Dental school will always be there, but you will only be this age once. Enjoy it away from the books and EC'S occasooanlly.

Yeah. I'm taking 19 credits, but some of the classes are 1-credit courses mandatory towards my bio degree (bio orientation, phys ed, etc). But I'm taking at least 2 classes every day so it's quickly getting stressful.

I actually do have a pretty balanced life right now. It's not like I don't have any friends or anything. I just developed good study skills in middle school because I had a few learning issues (I'm dyslexic but it's not as bad anymore) and picked up on little tips and tricks that really helped me in high school and seem to be helping me in college. Don't worry, I still find time to go to parties and join clubs and have a social life and I go home every other weekend too! I'm just hoping I can keep this up because this is going to be my easiest college semester.

It's actually kind of funny because my parents are putting pressure on me and they're still upset I chose dentistry rather than med school. They think MD's are the highest degree, best form of education I could possibly have. Meanwhile I'm not fond of premeds.
 
Yeah. I'm taking 19 credits, but some of the classes are 1-credit courses mandatory towards my bio degree (bio orientation, phys ed, etc). But I'm taking at least 2 classes every day so it's quickly getting stressful.

I actually do have a pretty balanced life right now. It's not like I don't have any friends or anything. I just developed good study skills in middle school because I had a few learning issues (I'm dyslexic but it's not as bad anymore) and picked up on little tips and tricks that really helped me in high school and seem to be helping me in college. Don't worry, I still find time to go to parties and join clubs and have a social life and I go home every other weekend too! I'm just hoping I can keep this up because this is going to be my easiest college semester.

It's actually kind of funny because my parents are putting pressure on me and they're still upset I chose dentistry rather than med school. They think MD's are the highest degree, best form of education I could possibly have. Meanwhile I'm not fond of premeds.
I couldn't agree with your statement here any more lol! Also, what games on the 3DS? Are you hyped for Pokemon sun and moon? ^__^
 
Yeah. I'm taking 19 credits, but some of the classes are 1-credit courses mandatory towards my bio degree (bio orientation, phys ed, etc). But I'm taking at least 2 classes every day so it's quickly getting stressful.

I actually do have a pretty balanced life right now. It's not like I don't have any friends or anything. I just developed good study skills in middle school because I had a few learning issues (I'm dyslexic but it's not as bad anymore) and picked up on little tips and tricks that really helped me in high school and seem to be helping me in college. Don't worry, I still find time to go to parties and join clubs and have a social life and I go home every other weekend too! I'm just hoping I can keep this up because this is going to be my easiest college semester.

It's actually kind of funny because my parents are putting pressure on me and they're still upset I chose dentistry rather than med school. They think MD's are the highest degree, best form of education I could possibly have. Meanwhile I'm not fond of premeds.
Well, as long as you know what you're doing...
Keep in mind, it's only going to keep getting harder and harder. 19 credits is alot. But dental school is very demanding too. Keep up the hard work, just don't forget to have a good time occasionally. Your dedication will pay off.
As for your parents, don't worry about them. You're going to be a doctor, and you will hopefully have a good quality of life. If they are pressuring you to do something that is more stressful, demanding, and with a lower job satisfaction overall so they can have the prestige of a daughter with an MD- then they aren't taking you seriously. So don't worry about their pressure, do what makes you happy.
Sounds like you are first generation American if I were to take a wild guess....
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Top