I need advice.

[doseofdopeness]

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This might sound really ridiculous to most people, but I CANNOT stop worrying about admission into dental school. (I have OCD). I know this might be a seperate issue but I would really appreciate some advice.

I am currentlly a sophmore (3rd semester) at a CC with a 3.65 GPA. I also have 4 W's most becuase of various health issues. (Sleeping problems, mono, OCD, depression). I also have been unemployed and not involved in any extracurriculars. I plan on transfering to a small university in the fall.

What should I do? If I transfer and graduate with say a 3.3-3.5 and a average DAT would I be ok? How soon should I start shadowing? Should I volunteer? Does my undergrad school choice mean alot?

I know this probably looks crazy, I apologize. Thanks.

 

[wizi]

This might sound really ridiculous to most people, but I CANNOT stop worrying about admission into dental school. (I have OCD). I know this might be a seperate issue but I would really appreciate some advice.

I am currentlly a sophmore (3rd semester) at a CC with a 3.65 GPA. I also have 4 W's most becuase of various health issues. (Sleeping problems, mono, OCD, depression). I also have been unemployed and not involved in any extracurriculars. I plan on transfering to a small university in the fall.

What should I do? If I transfer and graduate with say a 3.3-3.5 and a average DAT would I be ok? How soon should I start shadowing? Should I volunteer? Does my undergrad school choice mean alot?

I know this probably looks crazy, I apologize. Thanks.

No need to apologize for having questions.
I am sorry to hear that you have health issues. I also admire you that you don't give up on your dream.

If I were you, I would give dental schools a call to see what they say. Ask them the same questions. Make an appointment (phone) with Dr. Benningfield at Louisville, she is really nice and will give you some good advice. Loma Linda is really nice too. Search for Dr. Golden on LLU website, send him an email to set up an appointment with him. He has his own practice and is a busy man but willing to talk to you. Such a nice doctor.

My advice:
First, move to a 4-year University.
2nd, volunteer + shadow right now. Consistency counts.
3rd, your 4-year undergrad University doesnt mean much but your CC means something. You gotta keep the same GPA when you move to 4-year Uni.
4th, if you get 19, 20 DAT with a 3.5, you are fine.
5th, good luck....

 

[uva09]

Call or email the dental school(s) in your homestate and setup a meeting with someone on the admissions staff. These people are employed to answer questions similar to the series of queries you posed. If you do not have a homestate dental school, contact a few others you may have interest in. Do not rely on internet forums for sound advice.

Extracurricular Resume: While it is not compulsory to have a long list of extracurricular involvements or employment history to gain admission, a substantive background will be advantageous. In particular, you need to shadow dental professionals or gain relevant dental experience through some other avenue. Some schools have required hours. You will also need some volunteer experience. Spend time bolstering your resume and many other aspects of your application (i.e. letters of recommendation and essays) will soon take care of themselves. It is never too early to begin this process. Start yesterday. Remember, quality over quantity is generally a wise montra to follow.

Grades: This is pretty simple. You need to get the best possible grades You also need to meet the core requirements and demonstrate a strong path of coursework. There are certainly students that gain admission with sub-3.0 GPA's, but in general, you need to shoot for high marks across the board. The stronger the school you attend, the more relative flexibility you will be afforded in terms of grades and general performance. Always avoid withdrawals, failures, incompletes, etc.

Institution: While it is not compulsory to have attended a certain school or certain quality of school, there is undoubtedly a number of advantages connected to attending stronger programs. That being said, you can get into DS from anywhere. Period. This issue is hotly contested on these boards for some reason. Your GPA is largely a function of the quality of students around you. This should be intuitive. And given that fact and to add to my previous point, if you attend, say Princeton, a 3.0 GPA will look much more favorable than a 3.0 from a community college. Makes logical sense, right? If you attend a community college, regardless of whether you transfer to a traditional 4-year school, a higher degree of scrutiny will be placed on your record. You must maintain strong marks. Aim for the best grades and highest level of coursework difficulty regardless of undergraduate institution.

Finally, quit stressing and sensationalizing the process by pre-maturely obsessing over dental forums with a pool of equally anxious individuals. Do some research Make a to-do list. Stick to it. And get off the forums!

 

[Tootyfruity]

get into a university.

there's been threads from ppl complaining about not getting in anywhere with 4.0s from CC.

grades and dats you can control by studying. a comfortable guideline is low to mid 3s and 18-20s to get in at least somewhere. expect a gpa drop when you switch though, you're gonna be competing with those 90s kids from high school now, but in a class with a typical avg of 60-70.

references are a pain in the ass to get, and it takes the most time to prep for imo. a committee letter or a letter from a prof from one of your classes is not gonna be very competitive. for good letters and content to fill your application you need to sow the seeds early. log ~100 hours with a dentist and find 2 lab joints. most schools want 2 science prof letters but some require a bio and a chem, so ideally you'd want to volunteer for a bio and a chem prof. then for your 4th letter get something that makes you unique. there's a fair bit of flexibility here but i don't think you can go wrong with this regimen.

above all else you need to work on your health problems though. dental schools should not discriminate based on your past psych problems, in fact they might even show leniency regarding your past indiscretions/inadequacies. but if they think you're still a competency risk at the time of your application, as a dental student and as a dentist, they're not gonna be very enthusiastic about accepting you. references, better grades, extracurriculars, and your interview can all serve to demonstrate an improvement. if you're transferring schools, use it as an opportunity to tackle these problems more aggressively. anxiety disorders and depression have very good prognosis if you stick with your therapy and prescriptions. i think this oughta be your top priority 'cause it will permeate through all aspects of your life and will benefit your application while you're at it.

 

[tpwelie34]

I don't think constantly worrying about admission to dental school is that big of a problem. I am also constantly thinking/worrying about it as well. It just makes me study harder every day so I guess it's good.

 

[doseofdopeness]

Thank you all for the advice, I appreciate it.