Plans for the future..help

[damien]

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Hi everyone I am 17 and have recently enrolled In my first semester of community college. I have dreams of becoming an orthodontist but first I must get into dental school.

My question is how should I go about taking my classes to get into dental school? I understand how you would do it if you were in a 4 year uni. but I am confused when it comes to junior college.

My plan is this please correct me if I am incorrect:

Take only the needed pre-reqs for the DAT at the junior college as well as the core requirements to transfer to a university. Hopefully pass the DAT with great scores by this time I would have already transfered to the university there I would take the rest of the pre-reqs as well as finishing my B.S and then apply to dental school.

I hear that DAT scores last a couple a years so it should not be a problem.

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[DDSY]

If I remember corretly DAT scores last only two years. Sorry, I can't help you with the other questions, since I attended a 4 year university.

 

[1992Corolla]

I would take the required courses at the junior college for a year...get a 4.0 and transfer to university right away. If it comes down to it, you may have to take some prereqs at the j college. Depends on what junior college it is and if they have a good program.

Get the grades and the DAT score. That is the first priority. There is a list here for recommended classes.

Usually you take the basic classes before the DAT and then finish up the harder ones before starting dental school. Prepare yourself for the long rewarding road ahead!

 

[denteng]

Also consider attending doing your undergrad at a university that has a dental program.

Some schools, like UOP, Case, etc. guarantee acceptance if you score a certain GPA and DAT score. Look into their numbers, and decide if you feel it is realistic. It never hurts to have another "in" at a dental school.

 

[sejin8642]

I heard Dental schools are not fond of prerequisites taken at a community college. So I plan on taking prerequisites at a 4-year college.

 

[plasticsoul]

Agreed. First thing I would do is transfer to a 4-year. Dental schools will look more favorably at you and it will also connect you to more dental resources (hopefully!)

 

[Red Falcon]

I heard Dental schools are not fond of prerequisites taken at a community college. So I plan on taking prerequisites at a 4-year college.

Agreed. First thing I would do is transfer to a 4-year. Dental schools will look more favorably at you and it will also connect you to more dental resources (hopefully!)

Complete and utter horse dung. With the exception of a few dental schools (i.e. Tufts) that don't accept JUCO courses, most dental schools in the US are fine with students taking prerequisites at a JUCO and rightfully so. Most of the prereqs are just that - courses to prepare an individual for upper level studies. When you transfer from the junior college to the four year university, how well you transitioned to the upper level courses will tell the tale of your academic fate. That's primarily what the adcoms look at to see how well you handled those courses. Many applicants attend junior college for various reasons (proximity, cost of tuition, marriage status, felt unprepared, etc). All are understandable reasons to tell an adcom if they bring it up during an interview.

Whether you took general chemistry or general biology at a 4-year university or a community college will not make a difference in your application. I'll repeat that: It will not make a difference in your application. What will make a difference in your application? Good grades and a solid DAT score. Those are the objective components of most admission committees, and those determine whether you get an interview or not. If you sport a 3.5 GPA and a 20 on the DAT, then you will be granted an interview over the guy that went to All-America University for 4-years, earned a 3.3 GPA, and a 19 on his DAT. Never underestimate the power of numbers in admission requirements. Adcoms could give a fart in the wind where you went to school. Seriously.

The stats are the most critical component to you getting into dental school. The adcoms put your stats into a formula and output a number that determines your "ranking" for interview invites. The DAT is the ultimate equalizer since applicants come from different academic backgrounds. Once you have the numbers, then all you have to do is impress during the interviews. Let them see that you have plenty of extracurriculars and shadowing experience. Volunteering experience is also a major plus. The goal is to show that you are studious (GPA/DAT) and a good person (ECs, personality, shadowing experience) at the same time. They want to know if you can "handle it".

Study hard.

 

[damien]

well I was not planning on taking all the pre-reqs at the junior college just the ones that I would need to take the DAT. after taking the DAT I would transfer to a university and finish the rest of the pre-reqs there.

 

[Ex_EE]

I think that is a great idea. I took most of my prereqs at a junior college and I felt like I received a better education there than when I took the upper level bio at a 4 year university.

 

[damien]

Can you still get into dental school if you go to a cal state university instead of a school like UCLA, USC, UC IRVINE.

 

[damien]

what pre -reqs are needed to take the DAT

 

[DMD to Be]

You'll need general chemistry 1 and 2. Organic 1 and 2 and two or three basic biology classes. I'd also recommend brushing up your math whether that be taking classes in math or just reviewing on your own.