How much organic chemistry is in the DAT

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Bigbirdo

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I am struggling with dilemma that weather to take a super hard, but very good teacher whom I will learn a lot from, or a mediocre teacher whom I might get a higher grade, but not learn as much. How much organic chemistry is in the DAT? Is it possible to pick up the materials when I later study for the DAT?
I am also thinking of taking orgo lab over the summer. Does it look back to dental school?
 
Take the more difficult teacher - he will teach you better strategies to understand the concepts. An easy teacher is just cutting corners. Orgo is hard no matter what.

Organic is one section of the DAT - nothing to scoff at.
 
Take easy professor and maybe sit in on hard professor lectures.
The grade matters and you will probably study just as hard
 
I was in this same situation for orgo 2. If you have a good base from orgo 1 definitely go with the easy teacher. You'll likely be using the same textbook so just take it more seriously, kill the exams, and you'll be ready for the DAT.

Plan B, take the easy teacher no matter what, get the A, and then watch Chad's videos.
 
Definitely take the easier prof. There's no point to kill your GPA. I'd rather get an A- in orgo vs. trying to be a hero and wind up with a B or B-. You can then use the textbook, the destroyer and other aids to brush up on the weaker concepts.
 
I agree with the philosophy of taking the easy teacher--unfortuanately GPA is too important to risk it. Although I had really hard O chem teachers I was frustrated at how little of what I learned was actually on the DAT. Chad's videos cover exactly what you need, and not more. With the help of those vids I got a 30 on ochem on the dat--it really helped my scores and stand out on applications (got into 7 out of 7 schools i interviewed at).
 
I agree with the posters before me, take the easier professor. If you want to feel better about the situation, substitute watching Chad's videos with the time saved taking the easier professor. This way you'll be able to supplement your orgo knowledge and you'll be able to ask your professor questions that didn't make sense from the videos.
 
Thank u guys. What about taking Oreo lab over the summer in a coummunity college? It at least saves me a afternoon each week, but does it look bad to dental school u took a requirement in a community college?

Sent from my SGH-T989 using SDN Mobile
 
I would not take it at CC, just because some schools don't like science pre-reqs taken there (Temple, Tufts).

Also, no matter which professor you settle on, whoever mentioned Chad's videos is right - they are worth the money. $30 for a month of the best ochem review you'll ever get.
 
While in theory it would be pretty interesting to take the harder teacher, learn more and have a better understanding.. For the sake of GPA and free time, i would take the easier one and put more than necessary effort into it. Im sure the prof could answer any questions you might have.

The DAT really tests general concepts and then a select few of reactions/mechanisms. Orgo is surely important and takes 30 minutes of the 90 for natural sciences. But you can do well even after having done poorly in class if you know how to study for standardized exams. Also as an afterthought, if youre more interested in learning orgo 2 for the good grade & the DAT, i would reccomend buying ORGOMANS Destroyer ahead of time, so you will have it in advance of studying for the DAT. This way, you can see what you need to know/ pay extra attention to during orgo2, and even ask professors help for questions you dont understand.



Dental Admission Test----
Survey of Natural Sciences 90 minutes
Perceptual Ability Test 60 minutes
Reading Comprehension Test 60 minutes
Quantitative Reasoning Test 45 minutes
 
What about I take it in a 4 years non prestigious college over the summer?

Sent from my SGH-T989 using SDN Mobile
 
Sorry, I am still fairly new around here, but can someone please enlighten us newbies as to what "Chad's Videos" are? 🙂 Thanks!
 
Cello said:
Sorry, I am still fairly new around here, but can someone please enlighten us newbies as to what "Chad's Videos" are? 🙂 Thanks!
Click to expand...

chad= a chemistry saint

he may seem like an ordinary man, but don't let his chemistry t-shirts and normal appearance fool you. he is a saint.

lol, but really, he's an amazing chem teacher. he has a video crash course on gen chem, orgo, quant reasoning for the DAT.

i sucked at orgo in undergrad, and i put in a lot of effort into learning from those vids and did well on the orgo and gchem part of the DAT
 
Cello said:
Sorry, I am still fairly new around here, but can someone please enlighten us newbies as to what "Chad's Videos" are? 🙂 Thanks!
Click to expand...

Is it that difficult to Google "Chad's videos?"
 
Is it that difficult to be civil? 😉 I'll Google it, as I was under the impression from this thread that Chad was a member of SDN and that his videos were part of a personal blog, or perhaps had been circulated here on these forums...
 
Cello said:
Is it that difficult to be civil? 😉 I'll Google it, as I was under the impression from this thread that Chad was a member of SDN and that his videos were part of a personal blog, or perhaps had been circulated here on these forums...
Click to expand...

I am civil, but it's a huge pet peeve of mine when people don't take the time to do a basic search for info and expect people to just hand it to them. Even if you thought he was a member of SDN, a search on this site would easily show what his videos are. Rant over...
 
It's a pet peeve of mine to perform a Google search, stumble across a great forum (such as this one) and encounter what seems like a relevant thread, only to find five or six posters replying to another poster to do a search. Like I said, I had no idea who Chad was (another poster? someone from their school?)... Had I expected it to be someone to do a search for on Google or the SDN search function, I would have. Anyway, there's no point in continuing this, except to say that you should be more patient, especially if you plan to be any sort of medical practitioner.
 
Thank you! 😀 Unfortunately, I think studentdoc may block outgoing link addresses, hence the *********? But thanks for the gesture, I have already Googled them! 🙂
 
Take the easier teacher for sure. In the end dental schools put a higher emphasis on you GPA rather then your DAT score so take the easier teacher and try and get that A and improve your GPA. The OC section of the dat is a lot more general then an actual OC class so you can still do pretty well on the dat if you take the easier class. Lets put it this way, dental schools will be more impressed with an A in orgo classes then a 20 in the orgo section of the DAT.
 
jmukid said:
Lets put it this way, dental schools will be more impressed with an A in orgo classes then a 20 in the orgo section of the DAT.
Click to expand...

Are you saying this because you sit on an adcom?
 
customx said:
Are you saying this because you sit on an adcom?
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No he says that because its a fact! and how does one really "sit" on an adcom lol
 
dru180 said:
That is not a "fact" and there is no way you can claim this, especially since this may vary from school to school. If you can, i'll acquiesce.


adcom = admissions committee. One usually 'sits' on a committee. Here is a link to an english/grammar website for proof:
http://www.carolinebrownenglishlessons.com/sitphrasals/menu.php
Click to expand...

thanks mom 😀

GPA is often more important than the DAT and while "sit" is the proper term thats used more in Canadian lingo such as I "wrote" the exam instead of the American version of I "took" the exam.
 
customx said:
Are you saying this because you sit on an adcom?
Click to expand...

No i dont sit on an adcom but its common sense. With DAT you can study for like 2 months and do well but with your GPA you have to study hard for 4 years to do well. You can get a 24 on your dat but if you have a 3.0 your chances of getting into dental school arent great. But if you have a 3.5 gpa and a 18 dat score you still have a decent chance of getting into a dental school. I wish it was the other way around but from my own personal experience i know its not. I ended up with a 3.1 gpa in undergrands an got a 20 on my DAT but thats still not good enough so now im taking grad classes to boost my gpa.
 
jmukid said:
No i dont sit on an adcom but its common sense. With DAT you can study for like 2 months and do well but with your GPA you have to study hard for 4 years to do well. You can get a 24 on your dat but if you have a 3.0 your chances of getting into dental school arent great. But if you have a 3.5 gpa and a 18 dat score you still have a decent chance of getting into a dental school. I wish it was the other way around but from my own personal experience i know its not. I ended up with a 3.1 gpa in undergrands an got a 20 on my DAT but thats still not good enough so now im taking grad classes to boost my gpa.
Click to expand...

👍 I agree with your post. Most people on SDN always have a thing about high DAT scores as the utlimately measure of an applicant. Its apparent from looking at majority of schools the GPAs are ultimately what sets applicants apart and NOT the DAT scores. So yes an A in orgo (esp since its like 5 credits or more) is worth more in the grand scheme of things.
 
Cello said:
Thank you! 😀 Unfortunately, I think studentdoc may block outgoing link addresses, hence the *********? But thanks for the gesture, I have already Googled them! 🙂
Click to expand...

LoL opps. It's *********** just for reference.
 
Wow blocked again. Google it damn it! Hah.
 
wired202808 said:
thanks mom 😀

GPA is often more important than the DAT and while "sit" is the proper term thats used more in Canadian lingo such as I "wrote" the exam instead of the American version of I "took" the exam.
Click to expand...

Weird distinction you are making. 'Sit' on a committee is used pretty universally in the US. Aren't you from Russia or something?
 
white fang said:
Weird distinction you are making. 'Sit' on a committee is used pretty universally in the US. Aren't you from Russia or something?
Click to expand...

I liked you better when you apologized to me.
 
wired202808 said:
I liked you better when you apologized to me.
Click to expand...

I am sorry for asking if you are Russian, didn't know that was an offensive question considering I thought I remember you openly sharing it before.
 
white fang said:
I am sorry for asking if you are Russian, didn't know that was an offensive question considering I thought I remember you openly sharing it before.
Click to expand...

I would like to nominate you as the DAT moderator!
 
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