Recently decided to go Pre- Dentistry- Do I still have a chance of getting in?

[virtualmaster999]

Hey everyone,

Please bare with me and with all the info I have here. I need a lot of advice please!!

***Made a similar post about 1-2 weeks ago, but my main concern is getting experience in dental care. I know a lot of people started earlier than me, and have dental experience including shadowing, volunteering in dental settings, and dental brigades. But since I'm a junior, could I get enough experience? (Shadowing general dentists, maybe a few specialties, and maybe volunteering in dental setting- looking to get maybe 100-200 hours before I apply)****** Please read more info below:



I've been in a difficult predicament lately. So I'm currently pre-med, but after a lot of thinking, shadowing, and personal decisions, I believe it's not for me. I've been considering other health related careers, and dentistry has been at the top of my list (I don't want to go into the specifics of WHY dentistry in this post; im here for something else).

So I'm currently a junior, and I wanted to share my stats/ extracurriculars to help explain more info:
-3.93 cumulative gpa; 3.91 science gpa
-Volunteering in ambulatory surgery/ pre-surgery at hospital (150 hours, ongoing)
-Work experience:
-3 months KMART
-2 years Muvico Theaters
-1 year Jewelry Store
-Member of Alpha Sigma Nu
-Member of NSCS
-Member of Golden Key Honor Society
-2 school related scholarships for GPA
-Tutoring for 2 years
-Member of Alpha Epsilon Delta (Pre health) (2 years)
-Member of Neuroscience Society (1 year)
-Member of Pre Dental Association for school (Started this year)
-Research in Ecotoxicology Lab (May 2014- on going)
-Floor hockey team captain
-Assistant soccer coach for summer

Now, obviously I don't have any dental experience, and I know time is running out as I'm starting my junior year and I am behind. I want to shadow a dentist for a long duration of time (Already shadowed one in the past to see how it was), and maybe some dental specialties as well, and I would like to volunteer at a dental office/clinic. Assuming I do all this, and do good on the DAT, what would be my chances? Would I be fine since I started getting experience this year, and until I graduate (Would I still be competitive with less experience compared to others)?

Also, when do most people take their DAT, and when do you apply to dental school?

I know this is a lot of info, but this is a big life decision and I would like to get some advice. Please help me out. Thanks in advance!!

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[DATtestTho]

If you want to be a dentist, start shadowing. You have all the basics down except the shadowing and DAT. You take that the end of your junior year/that summer and send in the dental app junior/senior summer in June. Between now and then go follow a couple dentists around for ~100 hrs and youre fine.
Again you already had people answer this for you. You know what to do if you want it.

 

[jeffity]

Don't sweat it. You're in better shape than you think. Seems pre-med kept you focused on doing well and being competitive. Keep it up. Sure, there's a lot of pre-med in your ECs, but who cares? You were involved. You had a change of heart. It happens. If your reasons for going the dental route are sincere, you will have no problem answering essay and interview questions regarding the matter. No big deal.

Shadowing is what people do. Sure, some go on exotic foreign missions trips or get into a clinic to get some hands-on experience, but it's not necessary. Just shadow. You have plenty of time to get sufficient hours. You'll be solidifying your decision in the process of doing so. I think most people take the DAT right after junior year and apply then too. I didn't so I don't know what the current trend is. You could apply next cycle and just take your DAT early summer and be solid if you can get a decent score and keep up your GPA.

I think you're in good shape.