How much is easier is it to go to dental school?

[yalla22]

Is it easier to get into dental school? If so, do people who have been trying to get into med school but cant, sometime just opt for what they believe is the next best thing (for them) than being an md and go the dmd route? Or is gaining admissions just as hard?

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[kyidmnmaiv]

I can't completely answer your question, but I do know that gaining admission to dental school has become much more competitive in recent years. You should look at the dental forum for more information.

 

[NonTradMed]

You need to ask someone who've gone through the admissions process for both. They can probably say with more certainty on which is harder to get into. That said, I have heard of people who have gone to dental school after being rejected from med school (in recent years).

 

[ALWAYSanANGEL]

It is WAAAAYYYYY easier! The average gpa to be very ocmpetitive is around 3.3 Going dental is the backup for most wither that or pharmacy.

 

[binsbts]

I can tell you for sure that having a 3.3 GPA is not a competitive figure for gaining admission to dental schools. However, it is true that getting in any dental school is less competitive than medical schools.

The average GPA for getting into Harvard is about 3.7-3.8. And I think for UCSF is 3.6. I think either for NYU or Boston was 3.2-3.3ish two years ago or so.

so I think that if you have a low GPA (maybe 3.4 or less), then you have a better chance of getting into a dental school than a medical school. But, dental field is a bit different from medical field because the clinical part of it invovles a lot of mechanical work.

 

[braluk]

Not to mention that you also have to take the DATs- something Im sure most premeds wouldn't want to touch (any standardized exam for that matter) after the MCAT.

 

[baylormed]

It's really not that much easier, because even though the averages are "somewhat" lower, the # of dental schools is also lower and competition is just as intense.




Also, there must surely be a limit as to how many threads a member may start in a year.

 

[MDizzy]

It's really not that much easier, because even though the averages are "somewhat" lower, the # of dental schools is also lower and competition is just as intense.




Also, there must surely be a limit as to how many threads a member may start in a year.

If there are so few seats in dental school doesn't it stand to reason they could afford to "cherry pick" those applicants with the highest stats? Your logic doesn't make sense. The averages are what they are, AVERAGES. The average dental school matriculant has lower stats than the average medical school matriculant. You may draw your own conclusions as to what that means.

 

[baylormed]

If there are so few seats in dental school doesn't it stand to reason they could afford to "cherry pick" those applicants with the highest stats? Your logic doesn't make sense. The averages are what they are, AVERAGES. The average dental school matriculant has lower stats than the average medical school matriculant. You may draw your own conclusions as to what that means.

My point is that is isn't really much easier. You have to have recommendations from a DDS you have interned with (at least it is that way at the schools I have heard about...I have many pre-dent friends). In any case, dental schools aren't dumping grounds for medical school rejects.

Also, if you have "high stats" I don't see why you are giving up on applying to medical schools.

 

[MDizzy]

My point is that is isn't really much easier. You have to have recommendations from a DDS you have interned with (at least it is that way at the schools I have heard about...I have many pre-dent friends). In any case, dental schools aren't dumping grounds for medical school rejects.

Also, if you have "high stats" I don't see why you are giving up on applying to medical schools.

Bottom line it is easier to get into dental school. How much easier is a matter of debate. I have never heard of anyone going to Africa to volunteer to get into dental school, that's for sure.

 

[sashie19]

Bottom line it is easier to get into dental school. How much easier is a matter of debate. I have never heard of anyone going to Africa to volunteer to get into dental school, that's for sure.

My friend who's trying to get into dental school this year has been going with her dad (who's a dentist) to South America for the past two summers. They mostly pull teeth since the people they see are far beyond what could be repaired. And from what I've seen her go through, it's not really that much easier to get in.

I found this today though, and it's a look at things from some dental school students' perspectives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhDPNfa3lpY

 

[MDizzy]

My friend who's trying to get into dental school this year has been going with her dad (who's a dentist) to South America for the past two summers. They mostly pull teeth since the people they see are far beyond what could be repaired. And from what I've seen her go through, it's not really that much easier to get in.

I found this today though, and it's a look at things from some dental school students' perspectives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhDPNfa3lpY

Are you sure they were dental students who made the video?

 

[searun]

My point is that is isn't really much easier. You have to have recommendations from a DDS you have interned with (at least it is that way at the schools I have heard about...I have many pre-dent friends). In any case, dental schools aren't dumping grounds for medical school rejects.

Also, if you have "high stats" I don't see why you are giving up on applying to medical schools.

Why are you so defensive about dentists? Is it because your father is a dentist?

 

[baylormed]

Why are you so defensive about dentists? Is it because your father is a dentist?

And why are you so quick to attack them? You are just a pre-med after all.
Remember that.

 

[mahasanti]

Well, the accepatance rate of people applying to medical school from my undergrad university is about 65%. The acceptance rate for dental school is 95%. I'd say dental school is a bit easier!

 

[Khanal007]

i taught both an MCAT and a DAT prep class this summer and i noticed that the science on the DAT was pretty difficult. Granted, none of it was passage based so that may have been the biggest difference between the DAT and the MCAT, but you still have to know your sciences very well to do well.

just my random observations. I'm not saying anythign about the differences in the curve for the overall tests, etc. Just question difficulty wise, it seemed like the DAT was a bunch of MCAT discrete questions put together.

 

[searun]

And why are you so quick to attack them? You are just a pre-med after all.
Remember that.

I like dentists. When did I say anything negative about dentists? You just seem a bit edgy on subject. Just an innocent observation. Calm down.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Well, the accepatance rate of people applying to medical school from my undergrad university is about 65%. The acceptance rate for dental school is 95%. I'd say dental school is a bit easier!

How large of a sample are we talking for each group? I would think that if you have 30 people applying to med school, only 20 if them would have to get in to have a 65% acceptance rate.....assuming that fewer people apply to dental programs, then what you are seeing is a bias based on an insufficent sample size and clouded by the fact that your own ego is getting in the way of your ability to draw correct assumptions from the available data.

 

[healthnut]

you can check out applicant's stats in the ADSAS, just like how med school applicants use the MSAR.

 

[AlberttheGator]

i taught both an MCAT and a DAT prep class this summer and i noticed that the science on the DAT was pretty difficult. Granted, none of it was passage based so that may have been the biggest difference between the DAT and the MCAT, but you still have to know your sciences very well to do well.

just my random observations. I'm not saying anythign about the differences in the curve for the overall tests, etc. Just question difficulty wise, it seemed like the DAT was a bunch of MCAT discrete questions put together.

Yeah that is true, but the DAT has a perception ability section that is pretty tough too, at least from my vantage point as an accepted medical school applicant.

 

[Khanal007]

oohh yeah, the PAT was nutso and it was weird teaching it cause:
1) where's my credibility when I took the MCAT and have never studied and been tested on PAT?
2) THE PROBLEMS ARE HARD and involves imagining shapes in ur head and I couldn't see how that was testing intellingence/science ability, etc.

I should say that all of the students in my two DAT class (50ish kids total) only a few (2-3) were medschool rejects who then applied to dental school. Most were genuinely interested in dentistry, or at least expressed that when we did introductions. but who knows, maybe there were some that while taking the pre-reqs switched over to dentistry, but my students were all genuine.

 

[mahasanti]

How large of a sample are we talking for each group? I would think that if you have 30 people applying to med school, only 20 if them would have to get in to have a 65% acceptance rate.....assuming that fewer people apply to dental programs, then what you are seeing is a bias based on an insufficent sample size and clouded by the fact that your own ego is getting in the way of your ability to draw correct assumptions from the available data.

That's a really funny comment (I'll let the personal attack slide...)

And, the particular undergrad university is has one of the top ten largest applicant bodies to both medical and dental schools... so your objections, while interesting, are not really applicable.

I know plenty of intelligent smart people that really want to be dentists. But the point is, if you have a relatively high GPA and a relatively good DAT score you're going to get into dental school... That is not the case with medical school. (sadly....)

 

[DropkickMurphy]

That's a really funny comment (I'll let the personal attack slide...)

And, the particular undergrad university is has one of the top ten largest applicant bodies to both medical and dental schools... so your objections, while interesting, are not really applicable.

I know plenty of intelligent smart people that really want to be dentists. But the point is, if you have a relatively high GPA and a relatively good DAT score you're going to get into dental school... That is not the case with medical school. (sadly....)

It was not a personal attack, I was just pointing out likely observer bias. If it had been a personal attack, it would have been more personal.

 

[sashie19]

Are you sure they were dental students who made the video?

Nope. Just going by what the video said.

 

[mahasanti]

It was not a personal attack, I was just pointing out likely observer bias. If it had been a personal attack, it would have been more personal.

It's all cool... I just think it's funny that any time you infer that medicine is harder then another field, or that some school is better than another school, or pretty much make any comparison on SDN, someone automatically jumps to the conclusion that you are an egotistical maniac...

Then again, maybe they're right...

 

[Doctor Bagel]

It's all cool... I just think it's funny that any time you infer that medicine is harder then another field, or that some school is better than another school, or pretty much make any comparison on SDN, someone automatically jumps to the conclusion that you are an egotistical maniac...

Then again, maybe they're right...

Yep, usually they are.

These threads are always so lame. Who cares if it's harder to get into medical school or not?

To the op, do you want to be a dentist? If so, try to go to dental school.

 

[EBI831]

i have to say dental is not that much easier. it is just for a different kind of person. the DAT has math and perception on it and if you can't handle that you could easily ace the mcat and fail that. also, as pointed out there are way fewer dental schools so you might not land one easily so i would say dental school is really competitive to get into. it always boggles my mind why pre-MDs always seem to have a superior attitude toward doctors, pharmacists, vets, etc...in most cases it's just a matter of personality and preference not intellect.

 

[DreamyKid]

I can only say the DAT is much, MUCH easier than MCAT. I tried some questions on the DAT before. You can answer them by comming out of high school if u took ap chem or ap bio. And I felt the Math portion was like Math IIC all over again, if not easier. In terms of overall competition, obviously dental and pharm are easier than med, but to what degree is questionable

 

[DreamyKid]

oh, the one thing hard about DAT is like what previous posts said (I didn't read before I post). The imaginary part is fairly difficult. So be you gota really have an open, visual mind
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[TleilaxuMD]

It is WAAAAYYYYY easier! The average gpa to be very ocmpetitive is around 3.3 Going dental is the backup for most wither that or pharmacy.

 

[OncoCaP]

The really nice thing about dentistry is not so much that you get to go to dental school (whether easier or not) ... the best part is that you don't need to go through internship & residency, which is where the heavy lifting really takes place for the physicians in training. Also, most dentists have a better work schedule than physicians.

So, yes, if you are looking for a shorter / easier path toward a professional career with a great lifestyle, I would certainly look at a career as a dentist. This may come as a shock, but just because something is more difficult or competitive doesn't mean it is a better career. My dentist is perfectly happy with his job and often jokes about how his physician friends had to go through much more school than he did. He was originally a pre-med, but his mom talked him out of it; he is glad she did. You should pick what is right for you, but I wouldn't assume that getting into dental school and completing it is going to be a cakewalk. However, it is a career worth checking into whether you can get admitted to medical school or not.

 

[mahasanti]

For what it's worth, according to the ADEA, only 47% of dental school applicants in 2004-2005 ended up matriculating!!!

So, looking at acceptance rate only, it looks like Dental school is very competitive! (Much more than I would have guessed!)

However, the average GPA of a "competitive" applicant is only 3.3. So, if you took someone with a 3.5 GPA and of average test taking ability they would probably be a more competitive dental school applicant than medical school.

 

[Enwysefinest]

Even though med students are better applicants and have to go through a more competative and stressful process, dont knock dentists. In 6 years when you are knee deep in residency, possibly miserable and regretful, dentists will be living off the cream of life.

 

[xylem29]

guys - we all know the most intelligent people are pursuing doctorates in graduate school...anyway, i hear that dental school provides a backdoor to med school by way of OMFS...but just to prove that i'm not trolling let me say that most dental graduates are not able to obtain an OMFS residency...so i'm not saying it's a sneeky move to get into med school. just saying that DDS can become DDS/MD by getting into dental school.

 

[xylem29]

The really nice thing about dentistry is not so much that you get to go to dental school (whether easier or not) ... the best part is that you don't need to go through internship & residency, which is where the heavy lifting really takes place for the physicians in training. Also, most dentists have a better work schedule than physicians.

So, yes, if you are looking for a shorter / easier path toward a professional career with a great lifestyle, I would certainly look at a career as a dentist. This may come as a shock, but just because something is more difficult or competitive doesn't mean it is a better career. My dentist is perfectly happy with his job and often jokes about how his physician friends had to go through much more school than he did. He was originally a pre-med, but his mom talked him out of it; he is glad she did. You should pick what is right for you, but I wouldn't assume that getting into dental school and completing it is going to be a cakewalk.c However, it is a career worth checking into whether you can get admitted to medical school or not.

no it's apparently even worse than med school - they take the same classes PLUS dental labs.

 

[123880]

guys - we all know the most intelligent people are pursuing doctorates in graduate school...anyway, i hear that dental school provides a backdoor to med school by way of OMFS...but just to prove that i'm not trolling let me say that most dental graduates are not able to obtain an OMFS residency...so i'm not saying it's a sneeky move to get into med school. just saying that DDS can become DDS/MD by getting into dental school.

And keep in mind that not all OMFS programs are a path to MD via DDS. There are only a few programs in the country that grant a DDS/MD.

 

[PZMO]

I applied for med this cycle as my boyfriend applied for dentistry... so we went through all the same stuff at the same time, only me for med and him for dent. Here's my two cents:

Averages for the dental schools he applied to were 3.4-3.5ish. So, not too far from the lower-tier allo schools and very similar to DO schools. But on the other hand, significantly lower than higher-tier allo.

We studied for our respective tests at the same time (MCAT/DAT), and.....they're just different. Like someone mentioned, the DAT is not passage-based, so his studying involved trying to memorize as many details as he can, while I was doing the "learning how to take the MCAT" studying we're all so familiar with. The PAT section was very difficult at first, but nothing you couldn't train yourself to do. So- just depends on whether memorizing is your thing or not.

As far as interviews/admissions in general, I would have to say it might be even more of a crapshoot than medicine, if that's possible... whether you had dentist parents was a HUGE issue, whereas I didn't feel like coming from a non-physician family hurt me. His acceptances/rejections did not seem to logically follow his stats/ECs, etc, etc... where mine seemed appropriate.

Overall, easier, yes. Not much, though, and it is getting very competitive very quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if in five years if averages crept up to what most would think of as the med school range.


I know this is anecdotal. But for what its worth thats my experience.

 

[pretenda]

Dental-Crapshoot

I have a friend with a 3.9 and a decent DAT score that has yet to get in. Also a family of dentists. He is a little awkward so maybe his interviews didnt go as well as hoped but with his stats he should be in.

On the other side of the coin, I have another friend that got into the same school with a 3.2 and three points lower on his DAT.

Medical-Less of a crapshoot.

If you have a 3.2 and a 28 on your MCAT you simply wont pass the cutoff that most schools have for their applicants. Anything can be accomplished with hard work and determination but (almost) every school have cutoff markers in regards to MCAT and GPAs.

 

[whoisthedrizzle]

However, the average GPA of a "competitive" applicant is only 3.3.

Not true. The average GPA of a competitive applicant to dental school is a 3.6. It was a 3.3 about five years ago.

 

[whoisthedrizzle]

And keep in mind that not all OMFS programs are a path to MD via DDS. There are only a few programs in the country that grant a DDS/MD.

There's more than a few. Half of all OMFS residency programs are DDS/MD.