PA & Dentistry

[RoadToDDS]

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[free99]

Hey Guys!

My dream is to be a dentist. I am almost done with my 2nd year in College and have something that is on my mind, and I am sure it was on your mind as-well.

Is it bad? Will schools know? [If it was two different institutions, example: Apply to USC dentistry, and Western PA] If you were to apply to both dentistry and PA school. Dream is to be a dentist but if that doesn't work and I don't want to wait a whole other year to re-apply how will it be if I apply to both PA and Dentistry?

-Will me applying to both PA and Dentistry kill my chance of getting into Dental school? Do schools have some sort of connection where they will know? If I were asked the question : have you considered any other programs be straight forward and tell them PA as a backup although dentistry is my dream? Don't get me wrong I love dentistry and I enjoy working at a dental office and overall the idea of working with patients that you see over and over again 🙂

Any responses are highly appreciated , and with the competition now a days gotta expect the worst.

Pick one and stick to it. In twenty years, you don't want to regret the decision you made when you were 22. If it means taking an extra year to figure it out, shadowing more, gaining work experience/exposure to the field, then so be it. Though both professions are in the health field, they are two very different careers. With hundreds of thousands of dollars of tuition on the line, I urge you to not take the decision lightly and truly consider your options. Maybe you'll find it's neither.

Also: there is a section on the AASSAS application that asks if you've applied to any other professional programs. You could lie (the shadiest of options), you could tell the truth and run the risk of sounding uncommitted, or you could figure out where you would be happiest / most successful and devote yourself to one field.

 

[RoadToDDS]

Pick one and stick to it. In twenty years, you don't want to regret the decision you made when you were 22. If it means taking an extra year to figure it out, shadowing more, gaining work experience/exposure to the field, then so be it. Though both professions are in the health field, they are two very different careers. With hundreds of thousands of dollars of tuition on the line, I urge you to not take the decision lightly and truly consider your options. Maybe you'll find it's neither.

Also: there is a section on the AASSAS application that asks if you've applied to any other professional programs. You could lie (the shadiest of options), you could tell the truth and run the risk of sounding uncommitted, or you could figure out where you would be happiest / most successful and devote yourself to one field.

I appreciate your response : ) It is not a matter of a decision because I know dentistry is what I want to do. Just throwing a what "If" out there. There are people that dedicated and don't get in. What if that happens to me? What do I do from there? Do I kill myself? what is there to do if you don't get in and your dream is crushed! Is thinking of a back-up really that bad ----

 

[wcombs]

^ Good advice

It doesn't sound like you're very passionate about dentistry if you aren't even willing to wait an extra year to achieve your "dream." If entering the workforce and generating income as soon as possible is your goal then just apply to PA schools. If you genuinely want to be a dentist then don't you think you'll feel unfulfilled as a PA 5-10 years down the road? Really, what is ONE year in the grand scheme of things? Think long term man!

As far as your question, I think schools would find it INCREDIBLY SHADY if you told them you were applying to PA schools as well. To them, that looks like you don't care about your career and just want to make money and that's a huge red flag. Just figure out what your passion is and pursue it; things will work out, especially since you're only in your 2nd year. Good luck!

edit: Look at the bright side. By the time you find out you were officially rejected from all your schools, it's about time to start applying again! I haven't gotten in yet though I'm still holding onto that last shred of hope; and look, June is just around the corner and I'm ready to reapply should I need to 😛.

 

[free99]

I appreciate your response : ) It is not a matter of a decision because I know dentistry is what I want to do. Just throwing a what "If" out there. There are people that dedicated and don't get in. What if that happens to me? What do I do from there? Do I kill myself? what is there to do if you don't get in and your dream is crushed! Is thinking of a back-up really that bad ----

Yikes, no!

Don't waste your time thinking in "what-ifs," rather, put in the effort to get where you want to be. Doubt is a self fulfilling prophecy. I don't know if PA school admissions are more lax than dental school admission and that's why you're considering that route (they may be, I really have no idea). Regardless, you're only a sophomore and you have plenty of time to get your application to where it needs to be. Any effort or time spent making yourself a competitive applicant for PA school is misplaced, assuming the eventual goal is dental school. Maximize your efficiency, and focus on one.

And to answer your question, no, I don't think having a backup plan is bad at all. But for you, it's too early to start considering other options when you haven't exhausted all your effort into the first.

Keep us posted and good luck this semester!

 

[asdfray]

Not much of a dream if you aren't willing to wait an additional year, in case you don't get in 😉. If you were reapplying for a 2nd or 3rd time then mb I would suggest applying to both but as of now, it's not a good idea.


Just pick one. It'll be easier to focus on one application process instead of splitting your time between the two (and less stressful)

 

[Bottle]

i actually thought of that as my back-up plan.

if i get rejected, i will pick good master program that provide me with avg-high paying job.
however, i will not stop re-applying. and going to try every year until i get in.

 

[Teeths]

Hey Guys!

My dream is to be a dentist. I am almost done with my 2nd year in College and have something that is on my mind, and I am sure it was on your mind as-well.

Is it bad? Will schools know? [If it was two different institutions, example: Apply to USC dentistry, and Western PA] If you were to apply to both dentistry and PA school. Dream is to be a dentist but if that doesn't work and I don't want to wait a whole other year to re-apply how will it be if I apply to both PA and Dentistry?

-Will me applying to both PA and Dentistry kill my chance of getting into Dental school? Do schools have some sort of connection where they will know? If I were asked the question : have you considered any other programs be straight forward and tell them PA as a backup although dentistry is my dream? Don't get me wrong I love dentistry and I enjoy working at a dental office and overall the idea of working with patients that you see over and over again 🙂

Any responses are highly appreciated , and with the competition now a days gotta expect the worst.

I understand where you're coming from with this. To become a dentist has been my goal since I was 13...I'm now 24, so even though people may not take it seriously, I have been looking into this career for over 10 years, even if I was just a kid seeing what the job entailed, etc back then. I don't have a stellar GPA and I have an average/little above average DAT, but I'm currently in a masters program to raise my GPA and prove I am capable. I am out of undergrad going on two years now and I can admit that I was scared a few times and thought, maybe I can't do this. It's all great and dandy when those who have 3.95's and 23's across the board say 'you can do it too!' but in reality, some can't. I have decided to put all of my effort into this masters program and make the most of it, so I'll keep applying to dental schools until someone gives me a chance to prove I can do it now and the rest of my life even though I wasn't focused in the past.

I think for you, it's a little too early to worry about 'what ifs' so just focus on dentistry if it truly is your dream. Even if you don't get into a dental school the first time applying, you're certainly not alone and it certainly doesn't mean you can't spiff up your application and make it happen the next cycle. I know around this age we start to feel this urgency to become an adult and have our career and everything all planned and executed, especially when friends are getting married, working full-time at their jobs, etc, but you have to be patient if this is what you want. Be patient and work hard... someone will see your effort and you'll be rewarded with an acceptance. Good luck

 

[RoadToDDS]

I love you all. I appreciate every bit of advice, and motivation ! I will focus on one goal [Which is dentistry] It's my priority ! Good luck of you who have applied, and I wish the best for all <3

 

[OBI603]

Hey Guys!

My dream is to be a dentist. I am almost done with my 2nd year in College and have something that is on my mind, and I am sure it was on your mind as-well.

Is it bad? Will schools know? [If it was two different institutions, example: Apply to USC dentistry, and Western PA] If you were to apply to both dentistry and PA school. Dream is to be a dentist but if that doesn't work and I don't want to wait a whole other year to re-apply how will it be if I apply to both PA and Dentistry?

-Will me applying to both PA and Dentistry kill my chance of getting into Dental school? Do schools have some sort of connection where they will know? If I were asked the question : have you considered any other programs be straight forward and tell them PA as a backup although dentistry is my dream? Don't get me wrong I love dentistry and I enjoy working at a dental office and overall the idea of working with patients that you see over and over again 🙂

Any responses are highly appreciated , and with the competition now a days gotta expect the worst.

I was just shadowing a dentist earlier today that said that her backup was Physician Assistant also. I would say to pull all your eggs in one basket for dentistry but also have that backup if your dreams don't come true. Hopefully they do come true.

 

[RoadToDDS]

I was just shadowing a dentist earlier today that said that her backup was Physician Assistant also. I would say to pull all your eggs in one basket for dentistry but also have that backup if your dreams don't come true. Hopefully they do come true.

I appreciate your input : )

 

[Davermz450]

^ Good advice

It doesn't sound like you're very passionate about dentistry if you aren't even willing to wait an extra year to achieve your "dream." If entering the workforce and generating income as soon as possible is your goal then just apply to PA schools. If you genuinely want to be a dentist then don't you think you'll feel unfulfilled as a PA 5-10 years down the road? Really, what is ONE year in the grand scheme of things? Think long term man!

As far as your question, I think schools would find it INCREDIBLY SHADY if you told them you were applying to PA schools as well. To them, that looks like you don't care about your career and just want to make money and that's a huge red flag. Just figure out what your passion is and pursue it; things will work out, especially since you're only in your 2nd year. Good luck!

edit: Look at the bright side. By the time you find out you were officially rejected from all your schools, it's about time to start applying again! I haven't gotten in yet though I'm still holding onto that last shred of hope; and look, June is just around the corner and I'm ready to reapply should I need to 😛.

I am not trying to start a fight here, this is an honest question. That gets lost on the Internet because of typing. How can you be passionate about something you have never done? So many pre dents say they are passionate about the feild but I don't get it. For example my passion is motorcycles, I love everything about them. I didn't just look at them and say I'm passionate. I see so many pre dents say they are passionate about dentistry when they haven't done it! So what we have all shadowed and all volunteered dental related but no one has extracted a tooth or whatever. I can't just see a surf board and tell people I am passionate about it because I like the way it looks and the culture. Sorry for the rant I just hear that all the time and when I ask other pre dents how they are passionate about something they haven't done the responses are usually uhhhhhhh. So just asking!🙂

 

[Teeths]

I am not trying to start a fight here, this is an honest question. That gets lost on the Internet because of typing. How can you be passionate about something you have never done? So many pre dents say they are passionate about the feild but I don't get it. For example my passion is motorcycles, I love everything about them. I didn't just look at them and say I'm passionate. I see so many pre dents say they are passionate about dentistry when they haven't done it! So what we have all shadowed and all volunteered dental related but no one has extracted a tooth or whatever. I can't just see a surf board and tell people I am passionate about it because I like the way it looks and the culture. Sorry for the rant I just hear that all the time and when I ask other pre dents how they are passionate about something they haven't done the responses are usually uhhhhhhh. So just asking!🙂

Just feel like putting my two cents into this -

It's a different kind of 'passion' and it holds for anyone studying for or finding their interest in a career. Do students at flight schools have a passion for flying 777s? Does your typical fireman have a passion for putting out fires? Does a pre-pharm student have a passion for medications? It's all based on speculation; we don't know until we actually do it but you can surely come to an educated conclusion about a career and if the fit would be right for yourself. In my personal case, I had horrible teeth as a child and it sorta caused me to become obsessed about making them better and I've met some very good-hearted dentists to help me along the way. So it just takes the initial spark of interest and from there you seek out whether this could be something you'd be interested in for the rest of your working life. I think when people say 'passionate' it's more of a 'determined attitude' to become a dentist since there's a strong interest involved. I think it also speaks volumes when someone doesn't get into dental school the first time they apply and try again until they get in - it's obviously something they want that isn't based off of financial reasons since there's lots of ways to make the same amount of money with a lot less hassle! Pre-dents and Adcoms 😛 just get lazy by saying the filler word instead of the whole idea behind it.