Suggestions on where to apply?

[randomasianperson]

Hi guys, I'm a last-minute pre-med switcheroo to pre-dental. I was wondering if you guys could help me (advice or whatnot) with my current situation. So...

As I said earlier, I was previously a premed student. My stats are:

cGPA : 3.9ish
MCAT : 30
DAT : didn't take it yet. Hoping to get a 20?
Extra-curriculars : 1000+ hrs of volunteering, work

So my decision to cop out of the physician route and enter dentistry was due to my desire for a more "flexible" lifestyle, which after extensive reading (on reddit, hah) and talking to my dentist/orthodontist, I believe. I am by no means a workaholic, but I am willing to put in the work when it is needed to succeed. I also do enjoy helping people, as is the case for most people who opt for a career in public health. However, I felt that I was not as altruistic/passionate as my pre-med peers, and that in the long run, I wouldn't cut it as a physician. I want a job that offers a healthy balance of work and personal life. I enjoy science, and I also like to work with my hands. For me, it seems a career in dentistry fits my own personal interests in nearly every aspect.

My two main concerns with the dental route is the immense amount of debt I would incur over the course of 4-6 years of schooling, and my lack of dental-related experience. I understand that dental will cost 80-100k per year, so I would expect to be in crazy debt by the time I get out of school. I also understand that some state schools offer in-state tuition after your first year, so I am definitely looking into this option.

To address my lack of dental-related work, I am currently shadowing/volunteering at my dentist's office. Later on, I will be working at one orthodontist's office, and volunteering at another. However, this will probably be after I send out my applications to dental school (I intend to send them out as soon as the app cycle begins on June 1). So, my initial application will have maybe 100 hours of dental shadowing/volunteering. I will continue to update my application as the hours come in from my other prospective works.

TLDR's start here:
So I want to ask... what schools should I apply to to address the two aforementioned issues? Based on my cost concerns and lack of dental experience. I live in Hawaii (there is no dental school here), so applying in-state is not an option for me.

Thank you!

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[hellofuturedentists]

Can't know without the DAT, and you can't really predict your DAT score...no one really hopes for less than a 20...
Also, I think it might look a little shady to switch and have all your shadowing be last minute. Schools might question your commitment to dentistry (if you switched last minute from pre-med, maybe you'd want to switch back? or switch to something else? etc) especially compared to someone with a bunch of ECs or experience that prove how much they have wanted to go into the field for a while.
Just something to keep in mind.

 

[randomasianperson]

Can't know without the DAT, and you can't really predict your DAT score...no one really hopes for less than a 20...
Also, I think it might look a little shady to switch and have all your shadowing be last minute. Schools might question your commitment to dentistry (if you switched last minute from pre-med, maybe you'd want to switch back? or switch to something else? etc) especially compared to someone with a bunch of ECs or experience that prove how much they have wanted to go into the field for a while.
Just something to keep in mind.

I completely agree, and that is one of my primary concerns right now. I'm hoping I can articulate why I switched without making it seem like dental was a 2nd choice or spur-of-the-moment decision. I thought hard about this decision the past couple months and I can't think of a better option. But I guess no matter how I say it, this short-notice switch will definitely be a setback

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Incis0r]

Your stats are great; just kill the DAT and you'll get a state school easily.

 

[Advance]

As @hellofuturedentists said what schools you apply to depends a lot on your DAT.
There are some Hawaii friendly dental schools. UMKC comes to mind. I'm sure there are others.

 

[i D M D]

You'll be fine IMO. Be honest on your personal statement and update adcom about anything you do after submitting your app. Ace the DAT and you're in. Not everyone wants to be a dentist since 2 but if by any chance couldn't get admission this cycle with a good DAT which I think would be a bad luck, try next cycle with a shining dental related resume and you'll be in without a doubt. Good luck.

 

[hellofuturedentists]

I completely agree, and that is one of my primary concerns right now. I'm hoping I can articulate why I switched without making it seem like dental was a 2nd choice or spur-of-the-moment decision. I thought hard about this decision the past couple months and I can't think of a better option. But I guess no matter how I say it, this short-notice switch will definitely be a setback

Thanks for the feedback!

Glad you've thought about it! If I were you, I'd probably be torn between applying this cycle and taking a gap year to work in a dental office or something. Just for the sole reason that you may have the best of intentions and really thought everything out, but it might be challenging to convey your point across with enough success and without being interrogated at every potential interview.

When you do apply, I think Hawaii qualifies for WICHE? Look into that

Not everyone wants to be a dentist since 2 but if by any chance.

That's obviously not what I meant. Most people applying, I would conservatively say, have been looking into the field for at least a year. OP seems like he/she just started in the past couple months or so (correct me if I'm wrong). There's a difference between commitment to a field (schools are investing in your commitment to not dropping out) and "wanting to be a dentist since you were 2".

 

[i D M D]

Glad you've thought about it! If I were you, I'd probably be torn between applying this cycle and taking a gap year to work in a dental office or something. Just for the sole reason that you may have the best of intentions and really thought everything out, but it might be challenging to convey your point across with enough success and without being interrogated at every potential interview.

When you do apply, I think Hawaii qualifies for WICHE? Look into that


That's obviously not what I meant. Most people applying, I would conservatively say, have been looking into the field for at least a year. OP seems like he/she just started in the past couple months or so (correct me if I'm wrong). There's a difference between commitment to a field (schools are investing in your commitment to not dropping out) and "wanting to be a dentist since you were 2".

I completely agree, that's why I say it would be better to spend a year working on dental related activites. With current resume, if OP aces DAT, there is a chance to get in (to Lecome alike) but if he/she invests a year any school would be in reach if he only thinks about dentistry and doesn't apply to medical schools this cycle. My premed friend got into NYU a couple years back after failing to enter a med school, so there is a chance.

 

[hellofuturedentists]

I completely agree, that's why I say it would be better to spend a year working on dental related activites. With current resume, if OP aces DAT, there is a chance to get in (to Lecome alike) but if he/she invests a year any school would be in reach if he only thinks about dentistry and doesn't apply to medical schools this cycle. My premed friend got into NYU a couple years back after failing to enter a med school, so there is a chance.

Ok I must have misunderstood which cycle you meant. My apologies!

 

[jokersmiles]

The fact that you are switching last minute like this is a red flag, you will have to ace your DAT (in my opinion get a 21+)
if you want to enroll in the class of 2021. I can guarantee they will ask why dentistry and not medicine if you get interviews.

List of out of state friendly schools:

NYU, MWU-AZ, Roseman, Tufts, LECOM, Nova, Detroit Mercy, Columbia, UPenn, USC, Case Western, Harvard

Grants in state:

UNLV, OSU, UConn, Buffalo, UNC, UCLA, UCSF, Stony Brook

Good Luck!