How is this possible???

[DentistWanaB]

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I'm going thru the process of applying to dental school right now. I asked my dad, who's a successful dentist, about his pre-dental journey to gain some insight.

I was really surprised by what he told me because his story is so unusual.

Here's some of his background.

He was an Asian immigrant, came here alone with no money, put himself thru college, and then had a family and worked for 10 years as a medical technician to support 9 individuals (some were extended family). Then he took a chance and applied to only 1 dental school. He got in and graduated in 1997.

Here's the part that really boggles me. His cumulative undergrad GPA was a 2.8 and he had really bad DAT scores. His English wasn't so great so he had a really tough time studying and plus he didn't have the finanical means to get his hands on a lot of study prep materials. He said that he barely remembered anything because he had graduated from college 10 years prior. I asked him if he thought there was a good chance he wouldn't get accepted. He said that he wanted it so badly, he just knew he would get in.

But I'm sure lots of people want to get into dental school just as badly and don't. So what did dental school see in him? Was it because he was older and had "real world" experience? Was it because of his disadvantaged background? Was it because he was a minority back then?

I just don't understand. 😕

Well, I guess the moral of the story is that you'll never know until you go for it.

 

[Kkae]

hmmm, thats really peculiar, to say the least. But, keep in mind that was wat? 15yrs ago? Alot has changed since and there are ALOT more dentists now than there were then so it is waaay more challenging to get in now. U may be right about one thing though, maybe they saw a quality that they look out for in him through his PS.
Hard to really tell what they REALLY look for in spite of what they tell us.

 

[Brownstain]

I'm going thru the process of applying to dental school right now. I asked my dad, who's a successful dentist, about his pre-dental journey to gain some insight.

I was really surprised by what he told me because his story is so unusual.

Here's some of his background.

He was an Asian immigrant, came here alone with no money, put himself thru college, and then had a family and worked for 10 years as a medical technician to support 9 individuals (some were extended family). Then he took a chance and applied to only 1 dental school. He got in and graduated in 1997.

Here's the part that really boggles me. His cumulative undergrad GPA was a 2.8 and he had really bad DAT scores. His English wasn't so great so he had a really tough time studying and plus he didn't have the finanical means to get his hands on a lot of study prep materials. He said that he barely remembered anything because he had graduated from college 10 years prior. I asked him if he thought there was a good chance he wouldn't get accepted. He said that he wanted it so badly, he just knew he would get in.

But I'm sure lots of people want to get into dental school just as badly and don't. So what did dental school see in him? Was it because he was older and had "real world" experience? Was it because of his disadvantaged background? Was it because he was a minority back then?

I just don't understand. 😕

Well, I guess the moral of the story is that you'll never know until you go for it.

Really simply put...dental school used to be a dumping ground for alot of guys who didn't have what it took to get into med school. Yes, let's admit it guys, it wasn't as prestigious and without much of modern science dental care was considered very optional and having little affiliation with systemic health.

Now with malpractice, the inability of doctors to keep a majority governing voice (god bless the ADA), increased importance of lifestyle, an increase in earning potential in dentistry, advances linking oral health to systemic health, cosmetic advances, a rich rich rich crop of baby boomers, population growth, a lack of dentists due to a cutback after the 60's and 70's (ex. schools that graduate 100 used to graduate 250 back in those times), a crappy economy (people alwasy flood to health care in crappy economic times), increased public awareness of dental care, the list keeps on going and I know I left out a ton.

Anyway, it's blown up in the last 5 yrs. When I applied they were telling us a 18 on teh DAT was what I needed, now they say 20 is more like what you want. People don't wnat to be M.D.'s and deal with the B.S. It's a wonderfull lifestyle in which you can run your own business, help peole, and make a great living.

 

[DentistWanaB]

Yeah, that's true...it was a long time ago and the competition has definitely driven up a lot.

He didn't have to write a PS back then. And another interesting thing was that his DAT exam was 8 hours long before it all became computerized. Imagine taking a test all day like that. Eek. :-/

(EDIT: I was replying to Kkae. I'm new to this thing and I didn't know how to quote him/her.)

 

[btizzels]

I'm going thru the process of applying to dental school right now. I asked my dad, who's a successful dentist, about his pre-dental journey to gain some insight.

I was really surprised by what he told me because his story is so unusual.

Here's some of his background.

He was an Asian immigrant, came here alone with no money, put himself thru college, and then had a family and worked for 10 years as a medical technician to support 9 individuals (some were extended family). Then he took a chance and applied to only 1 dental school. He got in and graduated in 1997.

Here's the part that really boggles me. His cumulative undergrad GPA was a 2.8 and he had really bad DAT scores. His English wasn't so great so he had a really tough time studying and plus he didn't have the finanical means to get his hands on a lot of study prep materials. He said that he barely remembered anything because he had graduated from college 10 years prior. I asked him if he thought there was a good chance he wouldn't get accepted. He said that he wanted it so badly, he just knew he would get in.

But I'm sure lots of people want to get into dental school just as badly and don't. So what did dental school see in him? Was it because he was older and had "real world" experience? Was it because of his disadvantaged background? Was it because he was a minority back then?

I just don't understand. 😕

Well, I guess the moral of the story is that you'll never know until you go for it.

Well i really can't say what they "saw in him" but remember it was a different ball game in the 90's, it was much easier to get in. Plus from the looks of it your dad may not have had the scores but he was sure well rounded, and that is probably what they saw in him.


"He said that he wanted it so badly, he just knew he would get in.

But I'm sure lots of people want to get into dental school just as badly and don't."

I think that your dad had the right perspective about getting... If you want it bad enough it will happen. Now that might mean you have to take more classes or retake a test, but if you really want it bad enough you will make it happen one way or another

 

[DRHOYA]

That is inspiring. What dental schools saw in him was a great man who overcame lenghts and still managed to pursue and achieve his goal. Obviously times have changed now as far as applicant stats go.......but what others have said is right. "If you want it bad enough, you'll get it"

 

[SugarNaCl]

Dental school was difficult to get into in the 70s but much easier after the 70s, until about 2003. Since then, it has just been going up and up. I wonder if it will taper off again or stay up in light of increasing insurance rates for malpractice in medicine and the lifestyle. I read an article stating that now people have been using WebMD to self diagnose taking the God-like quality away from physicians. I wonder if true, how much that is playing a part.

 

[fayew]

He seemed to have worked very hard and deserved his success!

This story reminds me of all the times I've shadowed and heard dentists say " If I were applying now, I wouldn't even have a chance"... and they're all great dentists. Time's change and numbers change, but hopefully we'll all be great dentists too 🙂

 

[Neuro178]

Question for all...

Do you think it's harder to get into dental school than medical school now? Most pre-meds at my college I know get into at least a few med schools. But it seems like pre-dents are lucky if they get into one!

What do you guys think?? I haven't really read up on the pre-med forums here on sdn...

 

[War Eagle]

Question for all...

Do you think it's harder to get into dental school than medical school now? Most pre-meds at my college I know get into at least a few med schools. But it seems like pre-dents are lucky if they get into one!

What do you guys think?? I haven't really read up on the pre-med forums here on sdn...

I don't have anything to back this up, but this is what I have seen at my school. It seems that it is a little tougher to get into an MD program than dental school, but that it is easier to get into a DO program than into dental school. So if you want to get into a top notch med-school, it's probably tougher, but if you want to go to just any med school, its probably a little easier. There are also Carribean med schools to fall back on. Once again, I have nothing to back this up except for my own observations.

 

[Brownstain]

Question for all...

Do you think it's harder to get into dental school than medical school now? Most pre-meds at my college I know get into at least a few med schools. But it seems like pre-dents are lucky if they get into one!

What do you guys think?? I haven't really read up on the pre-med forums here on sdn...

Having some knowledge of applying to med school I'll give it a shot. Remember I've been out of the game for a little while!

So there are tons and I mean tons of medical schools if you include D.O programs and all of the international programs which are accepted in the united states. There are what 56 dental schools now? It's been a few years since I applied. The odds are pretty good, especially from an In-state perspective in some states. Medical schools run on rolling admissions, there is no, December 1st tell date. So students can hold on to acceptances, continue to interview, and med schools move with the flow accordingly. This is something you may not think as a predent but is very true. There really isn't such thing as say "bad" dental schools. There are so few and they are very highly regulated. The whole ivy vs. state school is complete crap when talking about dental schools, don't believe the hype on this pre-dent forum. In med schools there is such thing as a "bad" program. There are tangible measurements, there are rankings, there are major differences in programs. Going to different med schools DOES have a huge influence on your residency potential, earnings, etc. When is the last time you heard some people bragging about their Harvard educated dentist, but I've heard lawyer and doctor all the time. A big buck law firm or the Mayo clinic cares, Sears dental doesn't care if your diploma says Harvard or WVU (not dissing wvu, just an example), neither does yoru patient, they care if you are a doctor and if you treat them well.

There has also been a huge increase in dental school apps in the last few years. This is mainly due to the reasons a few of use previously posted in this thread. I remember one of the admissions guys at Case showing some graph that applications had tripled since 2000. So there really seems to be an imbalance of applicants to seats. Dental schools are hard to set up, they are from what I've heard a complete drain on money, something like dental is the most expensive profession to educate. Think about it...what does a med school cost to set up...a couple classrooms, couple labs, cadaver lab, and access to a hospital which is elated to have people pay them to essentially work there.

The whole harder to get in or harder curriculum is impossible to compare. I'm sure people in my dental school class could blow away the people in our very highly ranked med school and vice versa. I can tell you I had both a competitive MCAT and DAT, It's all relative. Professional schools are an exclusive group of scholars no matter what. I don't know the stats, but based on numbers there may be a higher applicant:seat ratio in dental school...which in the long run is the only measurement. You have to remember you can't go to the bahamas or Thailand if you don't make the cut at your state school like in medicine. There are none of those safety nets. There still is some D.O. stipulation which is arguable easier to get into and often used as a back-up by med school applicants. There is also the back-up physicians assistant school or Pt school which people all of a sudden switch to their senior years when they find they aren't making the cut. I don't think I've ever heard of someone not making dental school and settling for hygiene.

Ok, hope that kinda put in some perspective

 

[americanpierg]

I'm going thru the process of applying to dental school right now. I asked my dad, who's a successful dentist, about his pre-dental journey to gain some insight.

I was really surprised by what he told me because his story is so unusual.

Here's some of his background.

He was an Asian immigrant, came here alone with no money, put himself thru college, and then had a family and worked for 10 years as a medical technician to support 9 individuals (some were extended family). Then he took a chance and applied to only 1 dental school. He got in and graduated in 1997.

Here's the part that really boggles me. His cumulative undergrad GPA was a 2.8 and he had really bad DAT scores. His English wasn't so great so he had a really tough time studying and plus he didn't have the finanical means to get his hands on a lot of study prep materials. He said that he barely remembered anything because he had graduated from college 10 years prior. I asked him if he thought there was a good chance he wouldn't get accepted. He said that he wanted it so badly, he just knew he would get in.

But I'm sure lots of people want to get into dental school just as badly and don't. So what did dental school see in him? Was it because he was older and had "real world" experience? Was it because of his disadvantaged background? Was it because he was a minority back then?

I just don't understand. 😕

Well, I guess the moral of the story is that you'll never know until you go for it.

I think your dad has alzheimer, but doesn't want to admit it, so he fabricated a story to get off the hook.

 

[PSU SHC 414]

Really simply put...dental school used to be a dumping ground for alot of guys who didn't have what it took to get into med school. Yes, let's admit it guys, it wasn't as prestigious and without much of modern science dental care was considered very optional and having little affiliation with systemic health.

Now with malpractice, the inability of doctors to keep a majority governing voice (god bless the ADA), increased importance of lifestyle, an increase in earning potential in dentistry, advances linking oral health to systemic health, cosmetic advances, a rich rich rich crop of baby boomers, population growth, a lack of dentists due to a cutback after the 60's and 70's (ex. schools that graduate 100 used to graduate 250 back in those times), a crappy economy (people alwasy flood to health care in crappy economic times), increased public awareness of dental care, the list keeps on going and I know I left out a ton.

Anyway, it's blown up in the last 5 yrs. When I applied they were telling us a 18 on teh DAT was what I needed, now they say 20 is more like what you want. People don't wnat to be M.D.'s and deal with the B.S. It's a wonderfull lifestyle in which you can run your own business, help peole, and make a great living.

Well put 👍

 

[Dentalishus]

I think your dad has alzheimer, but doesn't want to admit it, so he fabricated a story to get off the hook.

All kinds of wrong!!!

 

[SugarNaCl]

Question for all...

Do you think it's harder to get into dental school than medical school now? Most pre-meds at my college I know get into at least a few med schools. But it seems like pre-dents are lucky if they get into one!

What do you guys think?? I haven't really read up on the pre-med forums here on sdn...

I agree with some others on here. The stats show for the most part
Vet>MD>DDS>DO>Pharmacy>Optometry>Podiatry etc. It is still harder to get into an MD program than a DDS program by stats alone. However, fewer percentage of DDS applicants are accepted because there are so many fewer schools. I think MD acceptance rate is somewhere around 44-46% and dental school acceptance rate is somewhere around 38%. DO programs have similar acceptance rates to dental school. Figure that one out.

 

[War Eagle]

I agree with some others on here. The stats show for the most part
Vet>MD>DDS>DO>Pharmacy>Optometry>Podiatry etc. It is still harder to get into an MD program than a DDS program by stats alone. However, fewer percentage of DDS applicants are accepted because there are so many fewer schools. I think MD acceptance rate is somewhere around 44-46% and dental school acceptance rate is somewhere around 38%. DO programs have similar acceptance rates to dental school. Figure that one out.

I disagree that vet is harder to get into. I had always believed this, but a few months ago, someone posted the stats of each specialty. It showed that the average GPA of vet school enrollees was the same as that of dental school enrollees, but there were more applicants per seat for dental schools. I think that the old rumor you need a >3.9 to get into vet school is just that, a rumor.

 

[Cymbidium]

I disagree that vet is harder to get into. I had always believed this, but a few months ago, someone posted the stats of each specialty. It showed that the average GPA of vet school enrollees was the same as that of dental school enrollees, but there were more applicants per seat for dental schools. I think that the old rumor you need a >3.9 to get into vet school is just that, a rumor.

My friend just got in to 3 vet schools with a 3.3 and community college classes.