Looking for Advice..Please Help!

[skittles123]

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Hey all,

This is my first time posting. I just wanted a general opinion. I'm currently deciding if I should apply for dental school in this upcoming cycle or next cycle. I'm a junior so I'm a little apprehensive about applying for the next cycle because that would mean I would take a year off and work, shadow, etc.

Just a little about me...I'm a Business major in my third year. I was pre-med and then I switched to pre-dent for numerous reasons, which is one of the reasons I'm worried because I don't have any experience working specifically with dentists. I took the MCAT in late January and am going to be taking the DAT in early May. My GPA is currently 3.45.

So far, I'm looking to get a recommendation from a pediatric dentist that I'm going to be shadowing, a science professor that I did a study abroad with, and possibly two business professors.

I guess I just want a general opinion of:
1) Am I competitive enough? If not, what can I do to improve?
2) If I take a year off, what do you recommend I do?
3) Should I find a prof that's science or one that knows me a little better?
Any additional advice would be great!

In addition, I listed what I've done so far below. Sorry for the long post! I guess I'm not really sure how to evaluate if I should apply or not right now..

Asian Business Students Association – Scoring Careers Public Relations Committee Member, Feed Your Mind Committee Member
Big Brother Big Sister of Central Texas - Mentor
Alpha Phi Omega – Pledge
Natural Sciences Council - Catalyst Committee Chair
Dell’s Children Medical Center - Therapy Gym Inpatient and Wound Care Volunteer
Freshmen Leadership Organization HOSTS Program – Elementary School Tutor
UT Reads - Read-A-Thon Volunteer
Bering Omega Community Services - Dental Clinic Secretary, Hospice Volunteer
St. David’s Medical Center - Gift Shop Volunteer

 

[Frederico Albin]

Your GPA is around average, just work harder this last year and maybe take a few upper level science classes to make your transition a little easier. Most of the schools require 1 LOR from a dentist and 2-3 others from science professors. So the LORs from your business teachers work be accepted in some schools. If you end up taking a year off, I would recommend you to do a lot of shadowing. Research and pick your schools wisely so you spend less money with applications. Some schools require a certain amount of job shadowing hours(For example, I heard VCU requires a min of 150 hours of shadowing). I would also recomment shadowing different specialties just for you to make sure dentistry is the right path for you. This will also enable you to make more connections with dentists, which means more LORs. Before you ask your dentist or your teachers for LORs, go talk to them outside of class. Let them get to know you a little better, maybe bring your resume or a letter stating why you are so interested in dentistry. After all, you want them to write the best letter of recommendation for you, show them that you really want it. Other than shadowing, I would suggest doing some volunteering work at a local hospital or a free dental clinic. Volunteering is a great way to get involved with the community, there are tons of opportunities out there. I see that you already have a few of those in your resume, which is good. That leaves you with more time to shadow, maybe find a job as a p/t dental assistant. Maybe get involved with research in your school.

Other than that, make sure you study hard for your DATs. Write a solid statement letter and have a few people look at it before applying.

Good Luck