Is it too lofty of a goal to shoot for 2006 entrance?

[lovewestny]

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You all have a magnificent forum here and I am enjoying all of your informative posts. I know you all have limited time, so I'll get right to it.

I have a 3.52 undergrad in Journalism, and have found my calling in dentistry. I have, obviously, very few science and math courses. I enjoyed them in high school but was quite young when I graduated (16) and just wanted out.

So this fall I have enrolled in Bio I, Gen Chem I and a math refresher for next semster's Calc I. I bought my textbooks early and am getting prepared for the semester. I plan to take Bio II, Gen Chem II, and Calc in the spring, and to take O Chem I in summer. That leaves fall and spring open for the remainder of the pre-reqs and some additional courses.

I am thinking of having my application ready to go and taking the DAT at the end of the summer. I currently have about 80 hours (with many more to come) shadowing a dentist who is like a father to me and is an adjunct professor at the school I'd like to apply to, as well as 100 or so hours of volunteering in the OR/ER at two hospitals. The school I am thinking of applying to is Nova Southeastern. I bought the Kaplan DAT book and I have been practicing what I can and am going to take a practice DAT at Kaplan just for the (ahem) fun of it.

1. Is August going to be too late to take the (computerized) DAT?
2. Do I have even a glimmer of a chance of getting in for fall 2006? If not, what course of action can I plan for 2007?
3. Can you make any recommendations to improve my chances of getting in?

Thank you all so very much for listening and for any feedback you can give me. Best of luck! C.

 

[Sprgrover]

Welcome to SDN, Lovewestny! I think you have a very good plan and appear to be very proactive - two things that bode well for you. When you state August for your DAT, I presume it is for 2005 and not for 2004. If not, then I think you would fare better with more science courses fresh under your belt. Plus, dental schools like to see applicants with the majority of their science pre-reqs completed so as to determine how you will perform in your dental studies. If you do well, and your gpa thus far is very attractive by the way, I think that you have an excellent chance at matriculating into a dental school. Beyond getting the best grades that you possibly can in your science courses, and likewise about scoring on the DAT, I would recommend that you take some additional science courses during that year following your summer of organic chemistry. These include biochemistry, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, histology, and so on. Doing so will not only add to your knowledge of science and the dynamics of the human body, it will also demonstrate your aptitude for rigorous upper-division courses - the kind that you will encounter during your first years in dental school.

I am impressed with your volunteering/clinical experience, and having a dentist mentoring you is awesome. 👍 Also, your choice of major, which emphasizes societal awareness and to a certain degree the ability to connect and communicate with a diverse audience, will set you apart from the other applicants in a positive fashion. While I can't speak for Nova I think that if you do the above and continue to perform well over the next two years then you are a strong applicant for their school, not to mention other ones as well. I wish you the best of luck during the coming year!

 

[zimaad]

Do you need physics/physics labs for the dental schools you are applying to? You SHOULD be ok with only OCHEM I before the DAT's,but both would be helpful. August is definately not too late to take the DAT's. Once you take them, immediately fax the tentative results to the schools you applied so you don't miss any possible first round interview cut-off's.

Also, the best thing to do is make an appt with the dean of admissions at the school you want to apply to and make sure you are doing all the things he/she thinks is necessary.

 

[Col Sanders]

Dooo Itt!!!
-Starsky and Hutch

 

[lovewestny]

Thanks for your help and answers, Sprgrover and zimaad. Yes, I am talking about taking the DAT in August '05, after Bio I and II, Gen Chem I and II, Calc and O Chem I. From what I am reading, it seems to be adequate classroom preparation for the DAT. I am taking the practice DAT at Kaplan in two weeks just to try it out, and I plan to take the Kaplan course. I know a lot of it will be totally unfamiliar material right now, but I want to make sure my PAT skills are sharp. I'm not anticipating reading comprehension as being a problem, but you never can tell. I am thinking of taking anatomy and physiology, Physics I and immunology in Fall '05, and O Chem II, Physics II and histology in Spring '06. The summer prior to matriculation, with any luck, I would like to take biochemistry and any other course Nova wants to see beforehand.

I own a small business here and summers are notoriously slow in South Florida, so that's the time I will be preparing to sell my business as well, assuming I am accepted for Fall '06.

Many posts in this forum indicate research work, and the only research I am contemplating is a article I would like to submit to Dental Town or one of those journals about the benefits of standardization in the dental clinic. It's become sort of a pet project of ours at the clinic, but I fear it may be too abstract rather than scientific. Is there another approach in addition to this that you would suggest, such as extra reseach in my Bio class?

Last thing: when you say meet with the dean, do you mean to sit down with them and ask them if I am meeting the requirements for admission? And if so, when should I go about this?

You've been very helpful; thanks for your help, again! C.

 

[Sprgrover]

Your plan sounds good to me! If you want research then what you can do is check around with some of your professors. At my university a lot of the biology and chemistry professors had research projects posted outside of their doors. Check around, talk with them, and find one you like and see if you can fit it into your schedule.

 

[jes1ca]

Sounds like you have a great plan! Good luck and get as much clinical and research experience as you can!

 

[zimaad]

Yes, I am recommending sitting down with the dean of admissions at the school you are interested in and going over your plans. They will be able to tell you what they think you should do, which since they are on the admissions committee is a pretty strong vote to try and follow. I don't know if you are planning to take pre-req's at the undergrad campus of the dental school, but if so, the dean may likely know when classes are or aren't offered; which can definately influence when you can complete all the requirements. I would try and meet with him/her as soon as you can to get things started. It is also good PR to get your face seen in their office🙂 When you do go, be prepared with transcripts. Once you do get going in your venture, if you are near the Dental School you want to go, make an effort to go volunteer in the clinic. Not only will you get to see a lot of cool things, you'll get to meet some profs and see how student life is.

best of luck!