Just trying to figure it out..

[ldav07]

Alright guys well I am 16 and a sophmore in highschool. Just started thinking about maybe going into Dentistry.. seems like a pretty great occupation. Hopefully I will be able to shadow my dentist soon, and see what its like. I just had a few quick questions though. I have no idea about any of the tests or anything you need to do to get in to a Dentist School, and was hoping someone could give me an idea of what all you need to do. Second, I live in Washington, and was curious if you had to go to one of the state colleges to get into a state dental school, like the UW one. Do you need to go to UW or WSU, or can you go to a smaller more private university..

Well thanks to anyone who adds anything, much appreciated!

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[musl85]

wow, nice to see someone young looking to their future. Dentistry is a great profession to be getting into. Firstly, like you said shadow a dentist and see if you like what is going on. Secondly dont slack off in college, the better you do, the easier it will be to get into the school of your choice. Also you need to take the DAT (dental admissions test) prior to applying to dental school.

For all your dental school related questions, thank God that you found this website. It will give you an edge over people who have no clue this place exists

As for your other question, in order to get into UW for example, being a resident of the state boosts your chances. I dont believe what state you go to college in or whether it is public or private plays a role in residency determination.

also add www.predents.com to your favorites as well.

 

[ummjoey]

yeah..........you dont need to go to state college to go to state dental school.

now just worry about getting into a university. which university?

there is a lot of debate over this. there are "harder" or more competitive university than others.

an "easier" or less competitive university MIGHT help you more when you apply for dental school.

for example, i go to UC riverside and my gpa is 3.7. if i had gone to harvard would i have gotten a 3.7? i have no idea. but most people would probably say i would get a lower gpa at harvard. therefore what you need to think about is does a 3.7 @ UCR look better or a 3.2 @ harvard? again, there is a lot of debate over this.

maybe someone else can give their input. but i personally believe a 3.7 at UCR is better than a 3.2 at harvard.

you usually take the DAT around your junior year at a university.

rough timeline: you apply to dental school at the end of your junior year. do interviews your senior year. then graduate and start in the fall. if you apply your senior year you will have 1 year "free."

here are some tips for when you are still in high school.

-take as many community college classes as you can (these grades will raise your AADSAS gpa when you apply to dental school). but make sure you get all As.

-AADSAS is a website that you use to apply for dental school. they will calculate a gpa for the dental schools from all the colleges/universites you have been to. therefore higher the gpa the better. AADSAS will send your application to however many dental schools you want them to

-i said take CC classes because they are usually easier than university. hopefully you are a good student and will get like a 3.5 gpa at your university. if you took a bunch of CC classes and got As. your AADSAS gpa will combine the university gpa(3.5) with the CC classes. again more CC classes you take the higher your AADSAS gpa.

-here is a little background info on AP tests. people in high school can take the AP calc test so they dont have to take calc at their university. this is nice because they dont need to take calculus. however.......

-dont take the AP calc test. this is bad for dental school beacuse dental schools would like to see you take 1 year of math. therefore at your university you will have to take multi variable calculus classes since you skipped calculus. i think multi variable calculus is harder than normal calculus.

-furthermore, another benefit of NOT taking the ap calc test is when you do get into your university and take calc it will be easier since you already took calc.

-i heard AP stats and AP english is similiar to this. can anyone else comment on this?

-you will be placed into higher stats and higher english..........

these are the only "tips" i can think of. sorry for writing so much. if something is confusing please tell me.

 

[C equals]

I don't know what it's like where you go to school but here in Calif. if you don't take the AP test as ummjoey suggested, you will not get the "weighted" benefit of taking the AP class in High school. In other words, you take the AP classes for 2 reasons: to get the benefit of a weigted grade (i.e. getting a C in an AP class gives you a 3.0 instead of a 2.0 in that class.) and the other reason is to test out of (hopefully with a good score on your AP test) the college level class. If you don't take the AP test in high school here, they will not give you the weighted grade i.e. if you earn a C in the AP class and don't take the AP test, you will get a C or 2.0 for that class instead of a B or 3.0. This will affect your total GPA which you want to be as high as possible when applying for college. If you take the AP test, and don't do well, you will still get the benefit of the weighted grade even though you don't test out of the college level class. So my advice is to TAKE the AP test- If you really would rather take the class again in college- just don't do well in the AP test.

 

[ummjoey]

I don't know what it's like where you go to school but here in Calif. if you don't take the AP test as ummjoey suggested, you will not get the "weighted" benefit of taking the AP class in High school. In other words, you take the AP classes for 2 reasons: to get the benefit of a weigted grade (i.e. getting a C in an AP class gives you a 3.0 instead of a 2.0 in that class.) and the other reason is to test out of (hopefully with a good score on your AP test) the college level class. If you don't take the AP test in high school here, they will not give you the weighted grade i.e. if you earn a C in the AP class and don't take the AP test, you will get a C or 2.0 for that class instead of a B or 3.0. This will affect your total GPA which you want to be as high as possible when applying for college. If you take the AP test, and don't do well, you will still get the benefit of the weighted grade even though you don't test out of the college level class. So my advice is to TAKE the AP test- If you really would rather take the class again in college- just don't do well in the AP test.

when i took AP classes all of them gave me weighted grades and i didnt have to take the AP test for any of them.

if what C equals says is true then you should do what he says. just take it and dont do well.

 

[ldav07]

Yeah, well im taking AP Biology next year, and then AP Calc will be my senior year.. Hmm, this is strange hearing that I should no take my AP Calc test, but ill ask around, and look into it. I guess it makes sense.

Are there any other science classes I should take in hs to prepare..

and when do you do sign up for the (AADASP??) thing?

 

[armorshell]

All you need to do to have a reasoable chace to get into UW is be a Washingto state resident, ad have some pretty good stats. I was a Wa residet when I applied, went to WSU and had multiple acceptances out of state and a big fat rejection from UW.

Best reaso to go to UW or WSU though is the $. You're education as a pre-dent is goig to be all about what you put into it, so you might as well save some bucks. Plus Pullman ROCKS! Cougs WHOOP!!

 

[ummjoey]

Yeah, well im taking AP Biology next year, and then AP Calc will be my senior year.. Hmm, this is strange hearing that I should no take my AP Calc test, but ill ask around, and look into it. I guess it makes sense.

Are there any other science classes I should take in hs to prepare..

and when do you do sign up for the (AADASP??) thing?

AADSAS is for when you apply for dental school. end of junior year in college/university. exact date would be the may 15th of your junior year in college/university.

 

[TempleDMDKrazd]

AADSAS is for when you apply for dental school. end of junior year in college/university. exact date would be the may 15th of your junior year in college/university.

i never took a single math class in college and did fine with interviews/acceptances...

i took the ap calc bc test and passed that..
i also took the ap stats test and passed that

ap calc bc = 2 quarters
ap stats = 1 quarter

1 year of math ftw

 

[Streetwolf]

I'm next to positive that a 4 or 5 on AP Calc BC will meet a 2 semester calc requirement for dental schools. A 4 or 5 (maybe a 3?) on AP Calc AB will meet a 1 semester calc requirement for dental schools. Just make sure you get the credits on your college transcript.

Also I wouldn't worry about dental schools until you are in college. Focus your efforts on getting into college. If you start worrying about things like dental school at this age, you're never going to have any fun during undergrad.

Your school *should* have a pre-health committee or adviser or something. That should cover dental as well. Use it - when you get into the school.

 

[ummjoey]

i never took a single math class in college and did fine with interviews/acceptances...

i took the ap calc bc test and passed that..
i also took the ap stats test and passed that

ap calc bc = 2 quarters
ap stats = 1 quarter

1 year of math ftw

it is true that math is not required for dental school. i said they "would like" to see. calculus is part of the recommended classes.........i think

i guess this really depends on the person. i wanted to take calc and stats again in college for "easy As" and they were also recommended classes for dental school. 2 birds with 1 stone.