How old are people when they start dental school?

[matthewc]

Hi,

I am new here.

I was wondering what the usual age of first years is in dental school.
Does anybody go directly into dental school right after getting their bachelors? Or do they work a few years and travel before they go into dental school?
And how old are dentists with DMD/DDS when they grad?
Do dental students work during their dental school studies?

I am asking because I am in third year of my four-year bachelors and I don't think I will be as mature or as experienced as some of the other candidates. Gathering from other people's admission essays, they have WAY more experience than someone who had just finished their bachelors eg. worked at dental clinics, voluteering experience in other countries, done all kinds of life science research.

Thanks.

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[sandman]

Here at SDN you have a ridiculous amount of gunners on the board. What this means as that the scores are inflated, the admissions essays are flawless, everyone gets into an ivy league school, and their $hit doesn't stink. This is not the real world, this is studentdoctor. That being said welcome. You can search old posts to find more info but you'll find most people get out of undergrad and enter dental school. You don't need to mature any or gain life experience, or win a gold medal in the olympics. Your first semester will open you eyes enough as it is. There will be people in your class who have had other jobs and have decided to come back and do dentistry instead. Overall my class was anywhere from 21 years old to 30 years old with the majority being around 22-23 I believe when we started.

 

[ElDienteLoco]

I got in one year prior to finishing a bachelor's degree (23 yrs old) and I believe experience and maturity has more to do with the person than their age. There are 21 year olds at my school with more maturity than most 40 yr olds. I don't think I could have held down more than a work study job during 1st year, now I'm in my 2nd year and I think the opportunity is a little better if you need the money. If you don't really need the money for family/kids then I would suggest spending dental school years focused on your studies.

 

[dentalman]

We also seem to have one in every class that did not earn a bachelors degree, because they entered at the end of their junior year.

A majority came straight through. The other majority did not! If you know this is what you want to do, don't be intimidated by lack of experience. If you are not sure, then go an get more "real world" experience. Just don't assume that a year not in school will guarantee admission. I had a friend who took a year off, then did not get in. They finally got in on the second try, but now they are graduating two years behind me!

As for work, I would try not to. I did a small part time job during 3rd year, but school is already a full time job!

 

[Smilemaker100]

Hi,

I am new here.

I was wondering what the usual age of first years is in dental school.
Does anybody go directly into dental school right after getting their bachelors? Or do they work a few years and travel before they go into dental school?
And how old are dentists with DMD/DDS when they grad?
Do dental students work during their dental school studies?

I am asking because I am in third year of my four-year bachelors and I don't think I will be as mature or as experienced as some of the other candidates. Gathering from other people's admission essays, they have WAY more experience than someone who had just finished their bachelors eg. worked at dental clinics, voluteering experience in other countries, done all kinds of life science research.

Thanks.

I think the graduating class I was in had a good mixture of different age categories. The oldest graduating member was about 52 (she was a dental hygienist for 30 or so years) while the youngest was around 23!

I don't think you should concentrate so much on what the ages of the other candidates for dental school are. Everyone has a different life path. Just focus on your own life, Ok? 🙂

Good luck