Study abroad? OAT prep? Help!

[UMD2012]

Hey Pre-dents! So, I just left the dark side (pre-med) and decided recently to do Dent, for many reasons, mostly that I don't like the idea of no sleep, residency hell, and no social life! So here I am!
I'm a junior, looking to apply this June, but am waiting to take the DAT.

Question:
With a not so heavy load this semester, should Feb-April DAT studying (like 2 hours a day) be good enough to get a 20+?

Question:
Say I get an interview at my top choice: Maryland...but I will be studying abroad from August-December. So if I need to reschedule it, will this look bad on my part? Will I lose a chance at getting a seat?

I want to study abroad, but I don't want that to affect my chances at acceptance.

STATS: Jr, overall GPA/science GPA (about the same) 3.75, many leadership ECs, great letters of Rec, research, but no shadowing in Dentistry (yet)!

THANKS!

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[UMD2012]

Also I meant **DAT** not OAT, SORRY!

 

[PreDent11]

Hey! Congrats on leaving the dark side (I did the same thing before my junior year for similar reasons). Anyway, to answer your question, I think your DAT study plan sounds good. You'll probably want increase your daily study time in the month before you actually take the test though. As for studying abroad, is there any possible way that you could do it another semester, like your last semester of undergrad? Yes, it's possible that you could get post-December interviews and still get accepted, but your chances are SIGNIFICANTLY greater if you apply early and do pre-December interviews. I'm sure you could also call the schools you're applying to, explain your situation and see what they say. Also, how many schools are you applying to? Even though Maryland is your top choice, you may get interviews at some of your back-ups that would also have to be pushed back. I'm not saying that studying abroad would absolutely prevent you from getting accepted (you have great stats and credentials) but it might decrease your chances. Good luck, I hope everything works out for you!

 

[UMD2012]

Thanks so much for your reply really appreciate it!
Sadly, UMD doesn't let me study abroad my last semester, and I kinda want to dedicate that semester to living it up before dental school!

I definitely will take your advice for the DAT plan, I am however, worried the most about the PAT section, though. I am thinking about getting the Crack the DAT PAT online tutorials.

I was just thinking of applying to Maryland; I'm paying for the apps/tuition by myself, so I really don't have much money to spend on traveling for interviews. I might apply to 2 others: Columbia, and...(any suggestions?)?

Also, I was wondering if you know if dental students have to learn how to perform teeth extractions, root canals, braces, etc. during dental school, or is that just something done in a particular residency?