Introduction...aspiring 31 yo dentist.

[jcpom25]

Hey guys! My name is James, I'm 31 years old and living/working in the suburbs of Chicago. I graduated from Missouri State way back in 2002 with a B.S. in Biology, cum gpa in the 3.77 neighborhood. I intended on attending medical school after taking a year off, but ended up in seminary and then working full-time as a Children's Pastor. (long story)

Being in the ministry for the last few years has been incredibly fulfilling; however, I still feel drawn to enter the healthcare field before I lose my nerve and my motivation. At the present time, I'm thinking that dentistry is the right avenue for me. My dentist is around my age and he's enlightened me to what a rewarding career it can be. I think my experience caring for people in ministry will help me greatly in the field as well.

I have obvious reservations, mostly revolving the reabsorption of massive amounts of science material that have long left my memory. While I feel my undergrad record is solid and I even have 3.5 years of experience teaching Anatomy and Physiology labs as an adjunct at a university, I'm wondering what else I should to to boost my chances of getting into a great school. Obviously, the DAT is very important. I can totally cover the shadowing, but not sure about research opps here. Other than that, any advice?

I'd love to connect with others who've entered dental school or are applying later in life. I need some support!!

Thanks and God bless!

James

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[tntme321]

You may want to look into the d schools that you are interested applying to, sometimes I think they require that you take your prereqs within X number of years before you apply, however I am not entirely sure on the specifics just something to keep in mind.

 

[JLum]

You may want to look into the d schools that you are interested applying to, sometimes I think they require that you take your prereqs within X number of years before you apply, however I am not entirely sure on the specifics just something to keep in mind.

I think this may be correct. Call the schools or check websites. Cram hard for the DAT, nothing else much matters. Do some shadowing and community service when you can.
Good luck!
JL

 

[UBDent19]

I completed my prereqs between '97-'03, spent 8 years running my own music business, made the decision to go to dental school, studied for the DAT, did some shadowing and applied. I started this past August at age 32 and am loving it.

I only had one school say they needed recent courses, so I didn't apply there. It turned out they just wanted the most recent course to be from within the last 5 years.

Just kick butt on the DAT, get some good letters/shadowing experience and go for it! There are several people in my class that are starting in their late thirties and a bunch in their late twenties.

 

[jcpom25]

UBDent19...Thanks for the response! What did you find most helpful as you prepared for the DAT? I've been in ministry for several years and am finding that all the chem and bio that I mastered years ago isn't rising to the surface as easily as I'd hoped. I'd love to hear how you went about prepping for the exam...

James

 

[RunDMD2b]

For chemistry you could start with chad's videos many people here recommend them

 

[UBDent19]

UBDent19...Thanks for the response! What did you find most helpful as you prepared for the DAT? I've been in ministry for several years and am finding that all the chem and bio that I mastered years ago isn't rising to the surface as easily as I'd hoped. I'd love to hear how you went about prepping for the exam...

James

My DAT prep was all done through books:

Cliffs Notes Review (Biology, Chemistry)
AP Biology, Chemistry
Organic Chemistry for Dummies I
Organic Chemistry as a Second Language I & II (these were amazing!)
Kaplan Blue Book
TopScore
Crack DAT (the PAT portion is the best)
ADA Sample DAT (Online and Mail Order versions)

Good luck!