Schedule Advice for Pre-dent

[Cofo]

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Hello, I am a freshman this spring. I am just taking some basics this spring and summer at a community college. I was planning on taking the DAT over Christmas break 2008. I am going to summer classes this year, 2008, and 2009. I am planning to graduate in the Summer of 2009 from a 4 year university. I will have taken all of my prereq's for dental school by Christmas break 2008...except my 2nd (final) semester of Organic Chemistry. I will have to take the 2nd semester of organic chemistry in Spring 2009. ...
What would you do in this situation? Is it possible for someone to teach themselves the 2nd half of organic chemistry before taking the class? I want to start dental school in 2010, so I have to apply in 2009. Should I take the DAT before I take my 2nd (final) semester of Orgo? Could I still score well? Or should I wait until I finish the 2nd (final) semester of Orgo, and then take the DAT in May or June? Would my chances still be really good of getting in a dental school?

 

[diane07]

Why don't you wait until you have taken the science pre-requisites before deciding on when to take the DAT. You will be the best judge of how much you've learned and how well you can retain information. It never hurts to start planning early (so kudos to you!) but 2010 is almost 4 years from now! Be flexible and make an informed decision after you've been exposed to the sciences.

 

[pacbum]

What would you do in this situation? Is it possible for someone to teach themselves the 2nd half of organic chemistry before taking the class? I want to start dental school in 2010, so I have to apply in 2009. Should I take the DAT before I take my 2nd (final) semester of Orgo? Could I still score well? Or should I wait until I finish the 2nd (final) semester of Orgo, and then take the DAT in May or June? Would my chances still be really good of getting in a dental school?

i took the DAT before I had taken the last ochem course and 2 years after i had taken the first courses in ochem (but we're on the quarter system...so i took the first two quarters but not the third). if you ask me it's the easiest part of the dat next than QR. and the kaplan book prepares you more than well enough for it.

anyway, i just spent a weekend learning the stuff from the last quarter, and it wasn't too bad. it's really easy to teach yourself at that point just because you have all the basics already...and it's just more of the same. more reactiosn. so it's totally doable. and ochem was my highest score on the dat.

so hope that helps and good luck. it's commendable that you're thinking of d-school and the dat this early on.