Pre-dental Freshman

[lovepeaceandteethgrease]

hello, i am a freshman (and a half) kinesiology major desiring to attend a dental school. i graduated high school in May 2016 and I've been going to school year-round since. I plan to graduate a year early which would be in 2019 and I want the keys to success to being able to enter dental school immediately after undergrad.

any advice or tips?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DMDDDSHopeful]

I want the keys to success to being able to enter dental school immediately after undergrad.

Fine. Here you go!

 

[deleted696582]

I don't have any keys to success, but I have a few tips.

- Try to get A's in every class. One or two bad grades won't kill you though. Take some tough upper level science classes.
- Get a high DAT score.
- Get involved with some clubs and gain leadership experience.
- Do research if it interests you.
- Talk to your professors to get good letters of recommendation.
- Get some work experience or meaningful volunteer time.
- Shadow dentists and specialists.
- Party it up.

 

[Universitygeek]

Is there a reason why you're trying to race through undergrad? I'm not trying to discourage you or anything, but this is a marathon, not a sprint and the last thing you want to do is burnout.

 

[rolltide15]

Check out my blog for some info! http://diaryofapredent.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html

 

[lovepeaceandteethgrease]

Fine. Here you go!

View attachment 214168

shut up.

 

[lovepeaceandteethgrease]

Is there a reason why you're trying to race through undergrad? I'm not trying to discourage you or anything, but this is a marathon, not a sprint and the last thing you want to do is burnout.

This is just what my personal goal for myself is. I graduated high school #2 in my class at 16 yrs of age.. I won't be 17 until March. I enjoy the work load. I like a good challenge.

 

[DOC YANKEM]

shut up.

Classic Freshmen material. I hope you can grow some thick skin soon. The world out there is a jungle full of thorns.

In all sincerity, check out @Scumbag_Steve guide here:
https://forums.studentdoctor.net/th...7-application-cycle-and-the-universe.1197114/

 

[SmileItsLife]

This is just what my personal goal for myself is. I graduated high school #2 in my class at 16 yrs of age.. I won't be 17 until March. I enjoy the work load. I like a good challenge.

Damn your smart. I constantly feel stupider on this website; the longer I stay. BTW: How are you allowed to live on campus if you are a minor?

 

[helprosie]

Fets gave a really great guideline. What you can also do, if you haven't done so already, is create a three year class schedule so you see what classes you will be taking. That way you can make sure you finish the pre-reqs and also see if there are spots that you can fill with upper level courses.

 

[stoopidmonkeycatdog]

It's not very difficult.

Take the classes listed, join a lot of extracurriculars, take your DAT and apply.

It's pretty straightforward.

Source: graduated in 2.5 years and going this year.

 

[schmoob]

shut up.

It'll be tough without a sense of humor. Come on, you have to admit that the timing and delivery of that was pretty solid...
Also keep in mind that despite being very smart, your age will show compared to the folks here. They are older, wiser, more bitter (in a good way), and make fun of one another as encouragement. Take it in stride!

 

[lovepeaceandteethgrease]

Damn your smart. I constantly feel stupider on this website; the longer I stay. BTW: How are you allowed to live on campus if you are a minor?

I don't live on campus. I live at an apartment thats near my campus and in my parent's name.

 

[lovepeaceandteethgrease]

It'll be tough without a sense of humor. Come on, you have to admit that the timing and delivery of that was pretty solid...
Also keep in mind that despite being very smart, your age will show compared to the folks here. They are older, wiser, more bitter (in a good way), and make fun of one another as encouragement. Take it in stride!

I think that it was an ok joke, I definitely didn't take it to the heart.. If it was followed by any sort of actual advice I would've appreciated it.

 

[DMDDDSHopeful]

shut up.

It'll be tough without a sense of humor. Come on, you have to admit that the timing and delivery of that was pretty solid...
Also keep in mind that despite being very smart, your age will show compared to the folks here. They are older, wiser, more bitter (in a good way), and make fun of one another as encouragement. Take it in stride!

I think that it was an ok joke, I definitely didn't take it to the heart.. If it was followed by any sort of actual advice I would've appreciated it.

I found it silly to ask for what the keys to success are and expecting a serious answer. I would also advise to stay away from books that title "My keys to success" or "101 Recipe to Success" or "How I Became a Successful Millionaire and You Can Too!". Those things prey on people like you to think there are such "keys" and you can hold them too.

It boils down to hard work, perseverance, and research. Get A's, volunteer, do outreach, care about people, make people SMILE and laugh (very important to have a sense of humor and make people smile otherwise they will find another dentist), and apply with a good DAT and GPA early in the cycle. Practice interview skills, dress nice, and be cordial. Make sure your personal statement is amazing.

Have a nice weekend.

 

[8_man]

Here ya go

If you have any specific questions in mind, I'll be happy to answer them.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

This is just what my personal goal for myself is. I graduated high school #2 in my class at 16 yrs of age.. I won't be 17 until March. I enjoy the work load. I like a good challenge.

You are definitely going to be a gunner

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

.

 

[DentalEnigma]

You can't be that smart, your major is Kinesiology.

 

[Carbohydrates]

You can't be that smart, your major is Kinesiology.

Uhmmmm @Typical Average Student

 

[DOC YANKEM]

You can't be that smart, your major is Kinesiology.

Spicy.

 

[Polkadotfan]

Honestly?
Get a job.
Not even trying to be rude but I can't even say how much actually working outside of school helped me grow as a person. I had to learn how to take criticism, work with a team, have to reach sales goals, and just communicate with others. I can't say how many students (freshman to seniors) that I've met that have ZERO people skills/management skills.
Even just a part time in retail would be great. Plus you get store discounts and great stories!

 

[Typical Average Student]

You can't be that smart, your major is Kinesiology.

hello, i am a freshman (and a half) kinesiology major desiring to attend a dental school. i graduated high school in May 2016 and I've been going to school year-round since. I plan to graduate a year early which would be in 2019 and I want the keys to success to being able to enter dental school immediately after undergrad.

any advice or tips?

Maintain a high GPA, take upper level sciences, do well on the DAT, volunteer, be involved, and seek leadership.
My rank in dental school is pretty high and I was a kinesiology major. In fact, kinesiology helps a lot with understanding human biology and H&N anatomy, we're able to utilize it to our understanding of applied physiology.