New to Pre-Dental! What are my chances? Need intro advice!

[novafan3000]

Hey Guys!

Read so much on this site, thought I'd give it a try. So I recently switched from pre-med to pre-dental (various reasons) and I was wondering how it differs from the medical pathway (residency etc...) Do you think having medical shadowing experience will hurt my chances? I currently have a 3.86 cum and sGPA of 3.82. What do you guys think is a good shot for the DAT? I am currently still shadowing an ENT (in which sometimes i shadow his oral surgeries) and also shadowing a dentist (20hrs/month) . I've heard 100 hours is a good number to shoot for with dental schools. I will be applying this coming cycle, and was wondering if taking the DAT mid-June would be too late? I also have 100+ hrs of research, Honor society leadership, bank work experience and 3 solid LOR's.

Any other general advice for a newbie will be well-appreciated! Thanks for your time!

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[Seamonkey Doc]

Hey Guys!

Read so much on this site, thought I'd give it a try. So I recently switched from pre-med to pre-dental (various reasons) and I was wondering how it differs from the medical pathway (residency etc...) Do you think having medical shadowing experience will hurt my chances? I currently have a 3.86 cum and sGPA of 3.82. What do you guys think is a good shot for the DAT? I am currently still shadowing an ENT (in which sometimes i shadow his oral surgeries) and also shadowing a dentist (20hrs/month) . I've heard 100 hours is a good number to shoot for with dental schools. I will be applying this coming cycle, and was wondering if taking the DAT mid-June would be too late? I also have 100+ hrs of research, Honor society leadership, bank work experience and 3 solid LOR's.

Any other general advice for a newbie will be well-appreciated! Thanks for your time!

Lots of questions so I'll try to keeps my answers as condensed as possible:

- There's no residency in dentistry unless you choose to do a general practice residency (not a choice in some states like NY) or you want to specialize (ortho, perio, etc).

- Medical shadowing should not hurt but not working on dental shadowing will hurt you. But that doesn't seem to be a problem for you.

- Good GPA. The avg DAT score for admitted students is 19. 19 should keep you safe but of course, the higher the better for your top choices.

- Taking the DAT mid June will not hurt you. But be sure to submit your application as early as possible.

Good luck

 

[omnipoDent]

Hey Guys!

Read so much on this site, thought I'd give it a try. So I recently switched from pre-med to pre-dental (various reasons) and I was wondering how it differs from the medical pathway (residency etc...) Do you think having medical shadowing experience will hurt my chances? I currently have a 3.86 cum and sGPA of 3.82. What do you guys think is a good shot for the DAT? I am currently still shadowing an ENT (in which sometimes i shadow his oral surgeries) and also shadowing a dentist (20hrs/month) . I've heard 100 hours is a good number to shoot for with dental schools. I will be applying this coming cycle, and was wondering if taking the DAT mid-June would be too late? I also have 100+ hrs of research, Honor society leadership, bank work experience and 3 solid LOR's.

Any other general advice for a newbie will be well-appreciated! Thanks for your time!

I would take the DAT before June 1. Getting your application in as quickly as possible is important. If you wait to mid-June to take the DAT, you will either be using precious time right before the test filling out applications, or you will be waiting two or three weeks to begin working on your application (including your personal statement, which you should spend time on to get it right). You will also be busy trying to make sure all of your professors writing your LOR get them in quickly, as your application is not considered completed until the do. In short, while the three to four extra weeks it might mean until your application is considered complete isn't a huge deal, I'd personally move up the DAT to the end of May. Best of luck.

 

[BrutalViking]

I don't think shadowing an MD would hurt your chances, but why would you mention that you shadowed an MD? if you do, be prepared to explain why you chose dentistry over medicine when you're interviewed.
From what I've read: your GPA is good and 100 hours shadowing is good/enough. However, you still need a good DAT score (some schools focus on GPA, some on DAT and others want both to be high). Taking the DAT in mid June means that you'll submit your application late June/early July since the DAT usually takes ~2 weeks before it is confirmed with aadsas. You should also keep in mind that if you get a bad score and want to retake, you'll have to wait three months. I, myself, will be taking it late May. Hope that helped, good luck!

 

[Seamonkey Doc]

I would take the DAT before June 1. Getting your application in as quickly as possible is important. If you wait to mid-June to take the DAT, you will either be using precious time right before the test filling out applications, or you will be waiting two or three weeks to begin working on your application (including your personal statement, which you should spend time on to get it right). You will also be busy trying to make sure all of your professors writing your LOR get them in quickly, as your application is not considered completed until the do. In short, while the three to four extra weeks it might mean until your application is considered complete isn't a huge deal, I'd personally move up the DAT to the end of May. Best of luck.

It's beneficial to take the DAT as early as possible, but if you feel that you will not be ready until mid June, there is no need to rush yourself. I personally took the DAT in July and submitted my application in July. Looking back, I wish I submitted the application earlier but I don't regret taking the DAT in July. It's important to feel comfortable and ready, especially if you are taking it over the summer. Just my opinion, choose the option that's best for you.

 

[novafan3000]

Thanks a lot for your help guys! I will definitely use your advice. Also, I will have attended 7 different schools by the time I hopefully matriculate (5cc and 2 universities). I ironically did better at the university level than the cc. I asked this question to a few medical schools and they said they didn't mind--just that the MCAT may be more heavily weighted. Do you guys think dental schools feel the same way?

 

[ddsnotdmd]

Hey Guys!

Read so much on this site, thought I'd give it a try. So I recently switched from pre-med to pre-dental (various reasons) and I was wondering how it differs from the medical pathway (residency etc...) Do you think having medical shadowing experience will hurt my chances? I currently have a 3.86 cum and sGPA of 3.82. What do you guys think is a good shot for the DAT? I am currently still shadowing an ENT (in which sometimes i shadow his oral surgeries) and also shadowing a dentist (20hrs/month) . I've heard 100 hours is a good number to shoot for with dental schools. I will be applying this coming cycle, and was wondering if taking the DAT mid-June would be too late? I also have 100+ hrs of research, Honor society leadership, bank work experience and 3 solid LOR's.

Any other general advice for a newbie will be well-appreciated! Thanks for your time!

Your GPA, sGPA, and your shadowing is fine. Apply and submit your application as early as June 4th and then send in the transcripts and letters to AADSAS. Look into Interfolio.com if you intend on gathering your letters before June 4th . I did this and it saved me a lot of time. With a high GPA like yours, I'm sure you will kill the DAT. The earlier you take it, the better your chances are at schools. However, don't kill yourself and take it just to bomb it. Submit all your documents on June 4th and take the test when you are ready. Taking it min-June will equal a complete application sometime in early July.

 

[ddsnotdmd]

Thanks a lot for your help guys! I will definitely use your advice. Also, I will have attended 7 different schools by the time I hopefully matriculate (5cc and 2 universities). I ironically did better at the university level than the cc. I asked this question to a few medical schools and they said they didn't mind--just that the MCAT may be more heavily weighted. Do you guys think dental schools feel the same way?

Looking at historical data, both GPA and DAT are very important. Some schools care more about the DAT and others more about the GPA. Your GPA is high enough to help you get into a lot of schools, your DAT will determine what other types of schools you can get into i.e. Columbia, Harvard, UCLA