most important factors for acceptance?

[petriedish716]

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Hey peeps, I am now entering my third year of undergrad at my state school this following semester and I have been studying for the DAT's. My gpa is around a 3.65. Besides those, what else do dental schools look at for strong candidates? I heard ordinary volunteer work at a hospital wouldn't do much... =/

Thanks for the help in advance!

 

[alexamasan]

Well, you need recommendation letters from science professors or a committee letter if your college has a pre-dental department to write those. Also, many (I think most) schools require a letter from a dentist also.

Also, your dental experience is important too. Some schools don't require very much, others require at least 100 hours of dental experience (VCU for example requires 100 hours, but recommend at least 150 hours, too bad they don't tell you that on the website). Dental experience can be shadowing a general dentist (dental schools like general dentist better than specialists because general dentistry is what they teach you in dental schools, so don't go for the specialists), you can volunteer at a dental clinic, or even work as a dental assistant.

And yes, hospital work doesn't have much to do with dentistry, so dental schools don't really care so much for it I don't think.

 

[Predoctalk]

GPA and DAT are going to be the main factors. To supplement, LOR's, PS, volunteer/work experience. Well Roundedness is the key.

 

[crmdental]

An Admission Advisor at a dental school told me:
1. DAT score
2. GPA and Course load
3. Personal Statement
4. Application and Extracurricular Activities
5. Interview

Advice:
1. DO WELL ON THE DAT, and to alleviate stress take it before the app opens
2. Keep your GPA up while taking 3 science courses a semester
3. Write your personal statement 4-6 months before your app cycle opens and love your personal statement because it is who you are and how you present yourself to others around you.
4. Know what categories are on the previous application so you are prepared with what you want to submit when asked on you application.
5. APPLY EARLY (June or latest July)!!! Many schools fill up their class by September.
6. Go to school pre-dent prep courses if you can afford them
7. Get involved in your college and local community
8. Do manual dexterity activities
9. If you did all the above and you can tell stories about all of your experiences, you can ace your interview


GOOD LUCK

 

[DropShot 2014]

An Admission Advisor at a dental school told me:
1. DAT score
2. GPA and Course load
3. Personal Statement
4. Application and Extracurricular Activities
5. Interview

Advice:
1. DO WELL ON THE DAT, and to alleviate stress take it before the app opens
2. Keep your GPA up while taking 3 science courses a semester
3. Write your personal statement 4-6 months before your app cycle opens and love your personal statement because it is who you are and how you present yourself to others around you.
4. Know what categories are on the previous application so you are prepared with what you want to submit when asked on you application.
5. APPLY EARLY (June or latest July)!!! Many schools fill up their class by September.
6. Go to school pre-dent prep courses if you can afford them
7. Get involved in your college and local community
8. Do manual dexterity activities
9. If you did all the above and you can tell stories about all of your experiences, you can ace your interview


GOOD LUCK

This must vary significantly between schools because I have always heard from several schools in my region that it is 1/3 DAT, 1/3 GPA, and 1/3 Interview. Of course they like to see some ECs and involvements to show your well-roundedness, but i would def put course load and personal statement below interview in the rankings of importance.

 

[dentalWorks]

Hey peeps, I am now entering my third year of undergrad at my state school this following semester and I have been studying for the DAT's. My gpa is around a 3.65. Besides those, what else do dental schools look at for strong candidates? I heard ordinary volunteer work at a hospital wouldn't do much... =/

Thanks for the help in advance!

GPA and DAT are the most important....but other things that help are:
-exposure to the field (shadowing hours)
-any sort of volunteering, dental or medical or non health care related, just to show that you care about your community
-some schools like some research (this is NOT as important as the 2 I mentioned above)
-Leadership experience is always a plus (again, you DON'T have to have this)
-something unique about you (example, you've flown to the moon, your a member of United Nations, your an ex president of a country, etc etc)

 

[crmdental]

The reason she mentioned personal statement and extra curricular activities above interview was because she said you have to explain why you deserve an interview other than your scores. Schools get over 3200 applications and 800 of them are competitive.

 

[UltimateHombre]

This is a tricky question because so many schools look for different things. With out a doubt GPA and DAT are most important, however ASDOH for example wants like 300-400 of volunteer work before they will seriously consider you.

I think it is also important to note that your GPA and DAT will get you an interview, but if you suck at that then dont count on an acceptance letter. The interview is the deal maker or breaker.

These are just my understandings and personal opinions, could be way off. Good luck!! 😀