Pre-med to Pre-Dent

[DoctreDrey]

Hi everyone,

Don't feel like justifying the switch right now but here is the situation:

cGPA is 3.62
BCMP GPA: 3.58
BCP GPA: 3.63


I got a 27O on the MCAT (11PS/7VR/9BS) -- I've always scored 10+ in BS in practice tests so dunno what happened there.... Anyways, would I be able to get a 20+ on the DAT or am I too stupid? (assuming theres some predictive power here) I'm thinking of enrolling in Kaplan's DAT course over the summer and writing in august.

Major ECs:
1 yr Neurosurgery clinical research (spent >200 hours in the ICU/hospital)
1 yr Osteoporosis clinical research (ongoing) lots of time in clinic with study participants (did a poster presentation)
150+ hours of hospital volunteering in cardiology/ICU/ER with lots of patient contact (ongoing)
2 yrs as a lifeguard + swim instructor
2 yrs working as a medical office assistant in an underserved family clinic
1 yr serving as a mentor for disadvantaged students at a high school in a poor area
Lots of misc stuff: Golden Key honor society, Phi sigma honor society, piano player, many years church/community volunteer, etc etc.

I'm trying to find dentists to shadow right now.

My questions:
1. Do I have a good shot at UCLA/UCSF/USC? assuming I get 18+ on the DAT (trying to be conservative)
2. How many hours of dentistry-related shadowing do I need?
3. When should I submit my app? before or after DAT scores?
4. Would it be unwise to ask someone to write LORs to both dent/med at the SAME time?

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[ducksfly]

i got below a 27 on the mcat (kaplan class, virtually no studying on my own. didnt care.). i got above a 20 on all sections of dat except quant (no kaplan. studied like a mad man for a month and a half). got in at several schools (be ready for questions about the switch because they WILL come). dat is totally diff than the mcat and is suited to a different kind of test taker. obviously, if you studied your brains out for the 27 you may have some trouble with the dat, but thats a call that only you can make. good luck. switching was the best decision i ever made.

 

[dentalaee]

I'd say if you make 21+, you got a decent shot at UC's. Good luck. I do not know about USC.

 

[DoctreDrey]

are NYU/Tufts/BU really considered safeties?

 

[doc toothache]

Don't feel like justifying the switch right now but here is the situation:
my cGPA is 3.62
my BCMP GPA is 3.58 but my BCP GPA could be slightly higher because I only got a B- in calculus. (dental schools use BCP instead of BCMP as "science GPAs" right?
How many hours of dentistry-related shadowing do I need? [/COLOR][/B]
3. When should I submit my app? before or after DAT scores?
4. Would it be unwise to ask someone to write LORs to both dent/med at the SAME time?

You do not need to justify your switch on SDN but you quite likely will have to address the issue with ds adcoms.
Nothing kills a relationships faster than trying to court two at the same time. If unsure, stick to med.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=698800
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527523
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527700

 

[DoctreDrey]

I will apply to only one or the other this cycle.

Doc toothache, for the list of gpa ranges you gave are those admitted GPAs or matriculatant GPAs?

also, should i dedicate my PS to explaining the switch? or wait for the interviews to do that

 

[psi169]

The prompt for the personal statement is "paste personal statement here." Its very open ended. I think talking about the switch would be a good idea. What things drew you to medicine? Why did you become disillusioned? What things that drew you to medicine are also found in dentistry? What does dentistry offer for you that medicine doesn't? Etc.

 

[dentalWorks]

I got a 27O on the MCAT (11PS/7VR/9BS) -- I've always scored 10+ in BS in practice tests so dunno what happened there.... Anyways, would I be able to get a 20+ on the DAT or am I too stupid?(assuming theres some predictive power here) I'm thinking of enrolling in Kaplan's DAT course over the summer and writing in august.

MCAT is not a predictor of DAT scores. There is simply no relationship. But it seems that 1/3 of your MCAT issue is with verbal anyways and your sciences seem to be pretty good. I say you have more than a good shot of landing a 20 or higher on the DAT (guessing here)

I know a kid from one of my classes, he got a 24 on the MCAT and a 24AA on the DAT lol.

My questions:
1. Do I have a good shot at UCLA/UCSF/USC?assuming I get 18+ on the DAT (trying to be conservative)
2. How many hours of dentistry-related shadowing do I need?
3. When should I submit my app? before or after DAT scores?
4. Would it be unwise to ask someone to write LORs to both dent/med at the SAME time?

1) with 18? Possible but unlikely
2) 100 would be good as it is the maximum requirement for some schools. Many have 50 and others don't even specify
3) The application cycle opens up on June 3rd this year, you can submit your application WITHOUT a DAT score cause it takes them like 2-4 weeks to verify it.... So I guess taking the DAT late june would still qualify you as one of the earliest applicants. The cool thing about taking the DAT is that you get your scores RIGHT after your done with the test, the scores actually pop up on the screen, its totally different from the MCAT where you have to wait like a month
4) Same time asking? thats kinda weird, I can't answer this. Are you planning to apply to both dental and medical schools at the SAME time?

 

[doc toothache]

Doc toothache, for the list of gpa ranges you gave are those admitted GPAs or matriculatant GPAs? also, should i dedicate my PS to explaining the switch? or wait for the interviews to do that

Ranges are for the entering class. A ps should not be used to discuss your previous love affairs.

 

[DoctreDrey]

Ranges are for the entering class. A ps should not be used to discuss your previous love affairs.

Any more opinions on this? I've had mixed replies so far...

 

[DoctreDrey]

MCAT is not a predictor of DAT scores. There is simply no relationship. But it seems that 1/3 of your MCAT issue is with verbal anyways and your sciences seem to be pretty good. I say you have more than a good shot of landing a 20 or higher on the DAT (guessing here)

I know a kid from one of my classes, he got a 24 on the MCAT and a 24AA on the DAT lol.



1) with 18? Possible but unlikely
2) 100 would be good as it is the maximum requirement for some schools. Many have 50 and others don't even specify
3) The application cycle opens up on June 3rd this year, you can submit your application WITHOUT a DAT score cause it takes them like 2-4 weeks to verify it.... So I guess taking the DAT late june would still qualify you as one of the earliest applicants. The cool thing about taking the DAT is that you get your scores RIGHT after your done with the test, the scores actually pop up on the screen, its totally different from the MCAT where you have to wait like a month
4) Same time asking? thats kinda weird, I can't answer this. Are you planning to apply to both dental and medical schools at the SAME time?

Thanks dentalworks! that rly boosted my morale--something that i rly need atm... looked at the ADEA sample DAT questions and they seem very similar to MCAT discrete questions.

Are the scores u get RIGHT after your test your OFFICIAL scores? in other words, would i be able to "complete" my application right after i take the test, provided I have everything else verified/filled out?

 

[dentalWorks]

Are the scores u get RIGHT after your test your OFFICIAL scores? in other words, would i be able to "complete" my application right after i take the test?

Well, the copy of the score report you get when you get out of the test center says "unofficial test score" but from what I heard, those scores are pretty much "written in stone". I have never heard of anyone getting scores that are different from the unofficial report

 

[DoctreDrey]

Well, the copy of the score report you get when you get out of the test center says "unofficial test score" but from what I heard, those scores are pretty much "written in stone". I have never heard of anyone getting scores that are different from the unofficial report

so will adcoms use this "unofficial" score to begin considerations?

Also, how mcuh weight do adcoms place on ur undergrad institution and major? I know med schools dont care..

 

[dentalWorks]

so will adcoms use this "unofficial" score to begin considerations?

Also, how mcuh weight do adcoms place on ur undergrad institution and major? I know med schools dont care..

well, when you apply, you will type down your DAT scores on AADSAS but you also have to contact ADA and have them sent out your "official" DAT scores to each school you are applying to.... Most of us are doing that right now, for example, next week I am going to contact ADA and have them send out my official dat score report to the 20-ish schools that I am planning to apply to this June.

As far as adcoms go, the application procedures between both dental vs medical are pretty much the same... they all want to see strong GPAs, nice DAT/MCAT scores, some exposure to the field of interest (shadowing), none of them care what kind of undergrad major you had or what college you attended, community involvement via volunteering, etc etc.

 

[DoctreDrey]

How are u able to start ur app now?? I thought first day was june 3?

 

[dentalWorks]

How are u able to start ur app now?? I thought first day was june 3?

The application cycle opens june 3rd.... but ADA is accessible anytime of the year. ADA is the one that sends out your official DAT scores

 

[DoctreDrey]

Thanks for the responese guys.

A couple more questions: do you guys think my ECs will strengthen my app? or will they be looked upon as being too "medicine-oriented"?

 

[journeybegins]

Thanks for the responese guys.

A couple more questions: do you guys think my ECs will strengthen my app? or will they be looked upon as being too "medicine-oriented"?

I think your ECs look pretty good-- research and any form of volunteering/mentoring are favorable.

As long as you know exactly why you want to pursue dentistry and believe it wholeheartedly, you should be fine. I believe there is some truth to what Doc Toothache said. "If you are unsure, stick to med," since your ECs have been more catered towards that area and have already developed reasons for pursuing it.

However, if you do have a solid reason for switching to dentistry, maybe shadowing will help you see if you really like it, but since June is coming up soon, you should get on it!


I do think that you should try to get more exposure to dentistry for ECs, maybe in addition to shadowing to balance out the medicine-relatedness.

 

[dentalWorks]

A couple more questions: do you guys think my ECs will strengthen my app? or will they be looked upon as being too "medicine-oriented"?

No one in their right mind can answer this. Some adcoms might not care and some might thing your just using dentistry as a "backup plan"....who really knows right? If (keyword "IF") adcoms are interested in why you made the switch, then the most important thing for YOUR application in particular will be to have a strong reason why dentistry made such an impact on you that it knocked you off your pre-med path. Simply saying "oh I love to work with my hands" ain't gonna cut it chief, cause surgeons are also great with their hands.

 

[Vicviper]

Here is the exact Prompt for the personal statement

"Your Personal Statement should address why you desire to pursue a dental education and how a dental degree contributes to your personal and professional goals"