pre-dental sophomore with no guidance!

[happyasaclam88]

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hi everyone!
i'm a sophomore at an ivy league university, and currently the ONLY pre-dental student in my entire class. because i'm such a rarity, there's pretty much no one to give me advice on classes, schools, extracurriculars ... or anything else.
Could anyone farther along in the process give me some advice?
a few questions are:
-what classes are best other than the prereqs, and when should i take them?
-what gpa's are necessary for certain schools (for financial reasons, ucsf, ucla, and uconn would be top choices)?
-when should i start preparing (and how) for the dat?

thanks so much to everyone and good luck!

 

[Mila]

Other than the prereq's, just take classes that you're interested in and classes for your major and do well in them. Remember, this could possibly be the last time where you have the opportunity to take a class like "Ancient Egyptian Art" (or whatever you're interested in) - so choose your classes wisely - and they do not have to be all sciences. That said, biochemistry is a good course to have under your your belt (a lot of schools are begining to require that now), microbiology is also good, and it's a good idea to have one to two psychology/sociology-type classes in there as well.

To prepare for the DAT, get the materials (I know a lot of people here like destroyer) or just take a course if you think you need more structured learning. Most important thing to do is to take as many practice tests as you possibly can. You really shouldn't need more than 2-3 months of intensive studying. If possible, plan to take the DAT in our junior year, so that way, if you really need to, you can push it off by a couple of weeks. If you let it wait until the summer that you apply, you might end up pushing it off too much and applying later than you should.
*Always remember: Most important factor in applying to dental school is applying early!

 

[Regmata]

Go to the premed counselor, ask them what they would have a premed do, follow those directions:

exceptions: try to orient your volunteering/shadowing/hospital experience towards dentistry and review high school math opposed to physics when prepping for the DAT

 

[rose786]

Remember that this is primarilly a numbers game. Yes, schools look at your EC's and LOR's, but if you don't have the GPA or a high enough DAT score it is really tough. So, I guess my advice would be to study your butt off! Not so much that it consumes your whole life, but enough that you don't have any regrets later. Doing well in your classes also makes studying for the DAT much easier. Also, if you can fit it into your schedule, try to take some upper level bio before taking the DAT. Not a necessity but it helps.

 

[lisunia]

I had a very similar situation at the University of Chicago. Attending many of the pre-med events helped since much of the info overlaps. For example, the pre-meds had mock interview sessions which I was able to join. If there's a pre-med club at your school you should get on the listhost so you're informed of any helpful events they might have.

I think the reputation of my school has helped me - I have interviews from NYU, Case, UCSF, Michigan and UIC so far, and still haven't heard from a few other schools. One piece of advice I wish I had was which schools I should be going for. I ended up applying to some school I really don't want to end up at.

Wish you luck!

 

[diane07]

Go to a couple of dental school websites. Take note of the upper level division science classes they recommend. Then take those courses because it will only strengthen your application. Some schools will outright say on their website that preference is given to applicants who've taken them.

 

[Lesley]

hi everyone!
i'm a sophomore at an ivy league university, and currently the ONLY pre-dental student in my entire class. because i'm such a rarity, there's pretty much no one to give me advice on classes, schools, extracurriculars ... or anything else.
Could anyone farther along in the process give me some advice?
a few questions are:
-what classes are best other than the prereqs, and when should i take them?
-what gpa's are necessary for certain schools (for financial reasons, ucsf, ucla, and uconn would be top choices)?
-when should i start preparing (and how) for the dat?

thanks so much to everyone and good luck!

I would recommend, regardless of your major, you take anatomy, physiology, biochem and microbiology. These courses will come in handy when are in dental school. I would also recommend if your school offers a hands on sculpting class take it. I took one while I was in college. It was only a two credit course and taking it was not intentional, but I found it really gave me confidence when I started waxing in dental anatomy. I think the reputation of the shool you are attending will definitely be a factor in your favor; however, your GPA and DAT's will still need to be strong. I started DS almost 30 years ago and took the DAT's twice. Taking the Kaplan course and studying their material boosted my DAT scores. I'm not sure if it's recommended now, but I'm sure you will get a lot of opinions. Lastly enjoy you college experience. I went to Penn State and loved it. I think it sustained me through the whole dental school experience, which is a very different experience than college. Good Luck!

 

[psdent79]

Like everyone else said, i definitely recommend taking biochem and human physiology. Also, it is a numbers game so try to do your best in all your science classes and on the DATs. Finally, when your applying after junior year, apply as early as you can because the later you wait, the later you hear back from schools.

Good luck with everything!!🙂