Recent college grad deciding to apply for dental school

[danman095]

I recently graduated from a state school with a B.S. in Biochemistry and a 3.73 GPA. I have 2.5 years of research experience, leadership experience, and minimal hospital volunteering (about 30 hours). I always thought I would do a PhD in Biochem after a gap year, but my senior research project didn't turn out well and I really don't feel like it's something I would be passionate about anymore. I also should have solid recommendation letters. My questions are:

-Is it unfavorable for admissions when they see someone switch to dentistry after graduation?

-Are my credentials competitive so far? How could I get more competitive outside of shadowing/volunteering more and doing well on the DAT? (I only know that my GPA is around the average for the dental school at the university I went to)

-Is it realistic for me to apply during summer of 2019 if I just decided that I want to switch?

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[Pearl E. White]

I don't think it would be unfavorable. It gives you a unique situation. Your credentials that you have accrued so far are competitive. You need a minimum of 100 hours shadowing a general dentist. It would be good to have more than that with a specialist. Be sure you do plenty of volunteer work. Summer of 2019 would be plenty of time to do all of these things. Good luck!

 

[Bingwen]

I recently graduated from a state school with a B.S. in Biochemistry and a 3.73 GPA. I have 2.5 years of research experience, leadership experience, and minimal hospital volunteering (about 30 hours). I always thought I would do a PhD in Biochem after a gap year, but my senior research project didn't turn out well and I really don't feel like it's something I would be passionate about anymore. I also should have solid recommendation letters. My questions are:

-Is it unfavorable for admissions when they see someone switch to dentistry after graduation?

-Are my credentials competitive so far? How could I get more competitive outside of shadowing/volunteering more and doing well on the DAT? (I only know that my GPA is around the average for the dental school at the university I went to)

-Is it realistic for me to apply during summer of 2019 if I just decided that I want to switch?

I am in the same boat. I have had some more time since deciding not to chase a PhD. Given though that you will be light on the shadowing hours I think you should have a good answer to how sure are you about dentistry given that you don't have a huge exposure to it. I would maybe address that in your PS.

 

[wwdentist]

As the others have said, dental experiences like shadowing will be important on your application to show that you're investing in a career in dentistry and that you know what you're getting into. I do not think admissions will look unfavorably on switching to dentistry, so long as you don't give them a reason to. And don't worry, no one gets bonus points for telling the admissions team about their lifelong fantasy of becoming a dentist anyway. Show them that you have many concrete reasons for choosing dentistry and that you're truly committed to joining the field. Your PS will be a great place to show them these things, so make sure you give them a well polished statement. Your GPA and experiences will help you, but your DAT will matter a lot too (as you've acknowledged). During your gap year, make sure you commit to participating in various dental activities - things that will enrich your education and appreciation for the field. If you just decided to switch, I'd be skeptical of applying this summer. First of all, you haven't had much time to think about your decision, so it might not be the best idea quite yet. Even though it would cost you another year before starting dental school, your future is probably worth thinking about more. On top of that, studying for and taking the DAT is a whole 'nother beast in itself. It is certainly possible to submit an application in very late summer/fall, but your chances are much higher if you were to hold off. More time will allow you to accrue more experiences, probably a better DAT score, and a buffer window to think about your decision. Best of luck!

 

[danman095]

As the others have said, dental experiences like shadowing will be important on your application to show that you're investing in a career in dentistry and that you know what you're getting into. I do not think admissions will look unfavorably on switching to dentistry, so long as you don't give them a reason to. And don't worry, no one gets bonus points for telling the admissions team about their lifelong fantasy of becoming a dentist anyway. Show them that you have many concrete reasons for choosing dentistry and that you're truly committed to joining the field. Your PS will be a great place to show them these things, so make sure you give them a well polished statement. Your GPA and experiences will help you, but your DAT will matter a lot too (as you've acknowledged). During your gap year, make sure you commit to participating in various dental activities - things that will enrich your education and appreciation for the field. If you just decided to switch, I'd be skeptical of applying this summer. First of all, you haven't had much time to think about your decision, so it might not be the best idea quite yet. Even though it would cost you another year before starting dental school, your future is probably worth thinking about more. On top of that, studying for and taking the DAT is a whole 'nother beast in itself. It is certainly possible to submit an application in very late summer/fall, but your chances are much higher if you were to hold off. More time will allow you to accrue more experiences, probably a better DAT score, and a buffer window to think about your decision. Best of luck!

Thanks, I appreciate the thorough response! It makes me feel a lot better about my situation, and I do think some more time to think about the decision would be beneficial. Right now, I'm going to mainly focus on shadowing to be sure that it's really something that I want to do, then start to study for the DAT. Thanks again!

 

[danman095]

I don't think it would be unfavorable. It gives you a unique situation. Your credentials that you have accrued so far are competitive. You need a minimum of 100 hours shadowing a general dentist. It would be good to have more than that with a specialist. Be sure you do plenty of volunteer work. Summer of 2019 would be plenty of time to do all of these things. Good luck!

I am definitely going to get going on the shadowing to get to that 100 hour mark, and you're right, it is a unique situation. As others said I could explain the reasons in my PS. I'll try to get my volunteering hours up as well. Thanks!

 

[biochem5]

I think if some of your reasoning includes wanting to interact with people all day vs lab setting (assuming this is true) then you should be good