Please help.. really need advice.

[nanali]

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Hi there! I am a pre-dental student who is contemplating on when I should take my DAT and apply for dental school. I am classified as a junior, I switched to Bio major last semester, therefore, I am pretty much starting over because I don't have that many science classes. I have already finished bio1 and 2, chem 1 and 2.. working on my last organic class this semester. The reason why I am asking for your advice is b/c I don't know whether or not I should be studying for the DAT this semester and take it in may. I haven't really taken any upper level science classes yet and so should I wait it out and take the DAT and apply next year? Also I am planning on taking 17 hours this semester.. do u guys think I should lower it to 14 hours so I have more time to study for the DAT? Hopefully I am making sense here. Thanks

P.S. Here are the classes I am taking this semester:
Organic 2
Zoology
Bio Stats
Pre-Cal
Medical terminology

 

[howui3]

technically you don't need upper division bio for the DAT (though it coud help). Since the dent school reqs are (for most schools) only 1 year into bio you can do well wit just that. The same goes for chem, you don't really need biochem to do well in the science section.

That said, you might have to work a little harder then a bio major, but you can do it.

Try taking some practice exams, like the ones from the Kaplan blue book (you can get it from a book store). See how you do and you can get an idea the material tested on the DAT. It might not be a bad idea to start studying and take it in May or June. If you do well, then great, but if you have any problems you will still have time to retake it.

Good luck. see you in dental school soon!

 

[Rajan247]

Seeing that you are going to applying for the cycle of 2007, why rush? Take the DAT when you feel comfortable and enjoy your undergrad. Have everything ready in your app, and if the AADSAS window for 07 opens before you take the DAT, send your stuff and forward your scores. I applied in early october of 05 (which is late) but it seems like you have everything in order. The main thing is you do well on it, its a huge part of the app.

g-luck

raj

 

[howui3]

Seeing that you are going to applying for the cycle of 2007, why rush? Take the DAT when you feel comfortable and enjoy your undergrad. Have everything ready in your app, and if the AADSAS window for 07 opens before you take the DAT, send your stuff and forward your scores. I applied in early october of 05 (which is late) but it seems like you have everything in order. The main thing is you do well on it, its a huge part of the app.

g-luck

raj

remember that the 2007 cycle will start this comming summer. so if she wants to be on the ball for that cycle it is a good idea to take the DAT this summer (May, June, July) so her application can be complete and delivered to dental schools as early as possible.

 

[William Olympus]

Hey Nanali,

Yeah, you can definitely relax a bit. It really doesn't matter if you take the DAT in May or in August, it's all going to be for the same application cycle. While some may frown on taking it that late, I took the DAT in late September and did just fine.

You don't need to have upper level courses at all. If you have a solid understanding of the prereqs and feel comfortable with practice material (despite some minor gripes, Kaplan does a pretty good job) you'll do just fine. I took Biochem thinking that it would help and in the end there was just one question on the DAT that the course helped me with.

You don't have to be a bio major, either. I was an Asian Studies major and I started dental school four years after graduating with just the prereqs, Biochem and human Anatomy and Physiology under my belt.

To be fair, higher level courses will definitely help you once you get here, but really, worry about getting in first. So yeah, chill. You'll get in, you just don't have to kill yourself doing it. You can free up your schedule a bit, do some shadowing, volunteering, whatever, and by rounding out your application you'll have a much better shot at getting in.

-S