Need some advice from the experts

[daunit]

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ok guys sorry if this is in the wrong place i'm new on here but have been reading for awhile. i have the opportunity to take the kaplan course this semester at the college i attend in the evenings. problem is i'm only a sophomore so i'll still be taking o chem this semester. i can't really take the course over the summer because the closest testing center is atleast 2 hours away. i want to take the course and definitely want the classroom one. what do you guys think i should do? should i wait to take the dat or is it good to get on it early like i am trying to do? Thanks for your help

 

[doc3232]

Problem with taking it early is that you won't take it seriously.
Talk to Kaplan and make sure the material with be available to you till your test date.
So start the class about 5-6 months early (you can extend the online resources for about 2 months which I think are the most important part of the class).

 

[dent2009]

unless you're going for the 3 year undergrad + 4 year dental program, wait to take the class/DAT till your junior year. so take the class next spring. Most schools have a DAT expiration date of 3 years (sometimes only 2) so by taking it in the sophomore year you're robbing yourself 1 year that the DAT score can be used. Of course, this wouldn't be a problem if you're accepted the first time around, but nothing is 100% certain. As of now 30% enroll into D.school annually. So a majority will need to reapply - sometimes more than once.

 

[doc3232]

unless you're going for the 3 year undergrad + 4 year dental program, wait to take the class/DAT till your junior year. so take the class next spring. Most schools have a DAT expiration date of 3 years (sometimes only 2) so by taking it in the sophomore year you're robbing yourself 1 year that the DAT score can be used. Of course, this wouldn't be a problem if you're accepted the first time around, but nothing is 100% certain. As of now 30% enroll into D.school annually. So a majority will need to reapply - sometimes more than once.

I disagree (respectfully 😉), plan to get accepted and don't think about it any other way. If you have taken all your prereqs by the end of your soph year and you don't think you will be taking many classes that will further help you on your DAT then take it at the end of the summer following your soph year. You will slowly forget the bio, the gchem, and ochem that you learned by the end of the junior year.

 

[klutzy1987]

I wouldnt bother with Kaplan. I would study by yourself or something, or find another private study course, but Kaplans is a waste. There are better ways to spend your money.

 

[joonkimdds]

I would rather donate $1500 to SDN (if I had money 😀)

 

[PrincessDDS]

Hey!

Sophomore year is kinda early for the DAT but if you're looking to get ahead, I have the review notes book for the Kaplan class that I'm selling... Its brand new, never used!! just PM me and I'll gladly sell it to you if you'd like....

 

[umkc09]

You really should wait to take the test until you've finished all your core courses. It'll give you a better understanding of the test. Otherwise, no amount of review materials is going to help you for the DAT.

Also, don't do Kaplan. Complete waste of time and money.

 

[doc3232]

Hey!

Sophomore year is kinda early for the DAT but if you're looking to get ahead, I have the review notes book for the Kaplan class that I'm selling... Its brand new, never used!! just PM me and I'll gladly sell it to you if you'd like....

Please stop with the spamming. The classifieds section is there for a reason. 🙂

 

[full]

First i would suggest following your feelings (i.e your heart) as opposed to rushing into doing something if it doesn't feel right, but it's up to you.

I took my course after having taken all the pre-req science courses and I think this way is much more beneficial because the in class courses usually assume you have a base knowledge in each subject. They aren't there to re-teach you everything except maybe some small areas that may be hard to remember and people have trouble with them in general.

I took Princeton Review DAT in class course. i was very pleased with it. I choose PR after compiling about 25 different people's respones about Kaplan and compiling that all in my head...about 15-20 were from the archives on this site and 5-10 were real people at my school.

The in class course really isn't needed BUT it just makes the whole studying process easier. I really was reluctant to study and the PR kinda forced me to , and it was easier to take in the material via the lectrue format.

All the instructors were top notch...the bio and gen. chem instructors were really really good. The RC/math and PAT instructors were also good. I didn't get much out of the PAT or RC in class sections, as i had already read what they talked about on this site. They don't even dedicate that much of the course to RC/ PAT, and I think that's actually good because it is not something that really requires that much instruction as it does practice using that instruction.