Switched From Pre-Med to Pre-Dent...

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anonymousername

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Hey all,
I'm switching from pre-med back to pre-dent and I'm very rusty on how Dental School admissions work.
Shadowing: 50 hrs GP, 15 ortho, 15 endo
I will finish up my prereqs (Bio 2 and Phys 2) and stay a semester late to take Biochem and a psyc requirement and apply a year later.
Questions:

1) Is it okay that I stayed an extra semester to take biochem?

2) Should I shadow more?

3) Is it okay that I only have 1 summer of research?

5) How many and what kind of LORs are usually needed for DS?

6) What else can I do, stats/EC's wise, to get into a California Dental School? (i really can't afford to go out of state)

7) For medical school admissions, adcoms like to see "clinical experience" w/ patient contact, besides shadowing/observing, is this an issue for DS admissions?

8) Is taking Bio 1 with a DAT prep course in Fall 10 and taking the DAT right after a good idea?

9) Will being a CC transfer hurt me? I got a 4.0 last semester and I don't expect my GPA to change too much.

10) Will being a psych major who won't taken any upper division science classes besides biochem hurt me?

11) I won't be continuing with the predental club because it is somewhat a waste of time, is this a big issue?

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You might want to start getting a biology background, as the DAT is much more than just BIO 1 and 2. There is genetics, biochem (CAC, Glycolysis, Urea, ughhhh), microbiology, and lots more.
I don't think transferring from a CC will hurt you unless your grades drop dramatically.
BTW, DS loves sciences majors (i.e.,biology and chemistry). Most schools won't tell you they have a required/preferred major, but they state most of there current students majored in biology.

Hey all,
I'm switching from pre-med back to pre-dent and I'm very rusty on how Dental School admissions work.

GPA: 3.8 o, 3.6 s

Major: Psychology

CC junior transfer to a top 20 undergrad

Shadowing: 50 hrs GP, 15 ortho, 15 endo

EC's:
Predental club (1 semester, will not continue)
UCSF dental school work last summer
Psychology club
Red Cross Volunteer (~100 hrs)
I went to the APA convention 2008
A couple of psychology honor societies

Work:
After school children teacher freshman year for kids k - 8 (6hr/wk)
Same thing as above but for different company for this and last year (6hr/wk)
High school tutor freshman year (paid work)


I will do research this coming summer in psychology.

I completed Chem 1 and 2 at CC. At university I have taken Orgo 1 and I'm in Orgo 2 and Phys 1 right now. I'll take Bio 1 and a DAT review course in Fall 10 and I'll take the DAT next Winter.

I will finish up my prereqs (Bio 2 and Phys 2) and stay a semester late to take Biochem and a psyc requirement and apply a year later.

Questions:

1) Is it okay that I stayed an extra semester to take biochem?

2) Should I shadow more?

3) Is it okay that I only have 1 summer of research?

4) I took 15-16 units/semester at cc but in my first semester after transferring I took 13 b/c counselors said to "get used to university level", I'm taking 17 units now and thinking about dropping a 3 unit econ class to make my course load 14 units (12 of them are for a letter grade) so I could pick up another shift at work. How will this be viewed?

5) How many and what kind of LORs are usually needed for DS?

6) What else can I do, stats/EC's wise, to get into a California Dental School? (i really can't afford to go out of state)

7) For medical school admissions, adcoms like to see "clinical experience" w/ patient contact, besides shadowing/observing, is this an issue for DS admissions?

8) Is taking Bio 1 with a DAT prep course in Fall 10 and taking the DAT right after a good idea?

9) Will being a CC transfer hurt me? I got a 4.0 last semester and I don't expect my GPA to change too much.

10) Will being a psych major who won't taken any upper division science classes besides biochem hurt me?

11) I won't be continuing with the predental club because it is somewhat a waste of time, is this a big issue?
 
You might want to start getting a biology background, as the DAT is much more than just BIO 1 and 2. There is genetics, biochem (CAC, Glycolysis, Urea, ughhhh), microbiology, and lots more.
I don't think transferring from a CC will hurt you unless your grades drop dramatically.
BTW, DS loves sciences majors (i.e.,biology and chemistry). Most schools won't tell you they have a required/preferred major, but they state most of there current students majored in biology.
Most science majors pursue healthcare careers; that or research. So you will automatically see more science majors in dental school and medical school.
And I don't think it's the school that prefers the major, but rather the students who prefer the major.
Biology majors are required to take 6-8 upper level biology's. This gives admission committees a good indication of your ability to grasp upper level biological concepts, which you will again be taught in graduate school. So this could be a reason DS and MS like biology majors. Not a fact though.
 
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Hey all,
I'm switching from pre-med back to pre-dent and I'm very rusty on how Dental School admissions work.

GPA: 3.8 o, 3.6 s

Major: Psychology

CC junior transfer to a top 20 undergrad

Shadowing: 50 hrs GP, 15 ortho, 15 endo

EC's:
Predental club (1 semester, will not continue)
UCSF dental school work last summer
Psychology club
Red Cross Volunteer (~100 hrs)
I went to the APA convention 2008
A couple of psychology honor societies

Work:
After school children teacher freshman year for kids k - 8 (6hr/wk)
Same thing as above but for different company for this and last year (6hr/wk)
High school tutor freshman year (paid work)


I will do research this coming summer in psychology.

I completed Chem 1 and 2 at CC. At university I have taken Orgo 1 and I'm in Orgo 2 and Phys 1 right now. I'll take Bio 1 and a DAT review course in Fall 10 and I'll take the DAT next Winter.

I will finish up my prereqs (Bio 2 and Phys 2) and stay a semester late to take Biochem and a psyc requirement and apply a year later.

Questions:

1) Is it okay that I stayed an extra semester to take biochem?
No rules against it

2) Should I shadow more?
That's up to you. You could call schools and see if they have minimum requirements. If your shadowing experiences have allowed you to realize why you want to pursue dentistry, then shadowing has fulfilled its role.

3) Is it okay that I only have 1 summer of research?
Research is not required. If you like research do it, if not then don't. You have a summer under you belt, good for you. Do more if you want.

4) I took 15-16 units/semester at cc but in my first semester after transferring I took 13 b/c counselors said to "get used to university level", I'm taking 17 units now and thinking about dropping a 3 unit econ class to make my course load 14 units (12 of them are for a letter grade) so I could pick up another shift at work. How will this be viewed?
No one here can answer this. Call and discuss this with the admissions. You will just get personal opinions on SDN.

5) How many and what kind of LORs are usually needed for DS?
Schools have different requirements. The standard is 2 science, 1 dentist, and an optional personal preference (professor or other). They can be sent in individually or as a committee letter. Do some research on the ADA website.

6) What else can I do, stats/EC's wise, to get into a California Dental School? (i really can't afford to go out of state)
Work on doing well on the DAT first. This should be your primary concern for admissions in California Dental schools.

7) For medical school admissions, adcoms like to see "clinical experience" w/ patient contact, besides shadowing/observing, is this an issue for DS admissions?
No, but it could give you a better understanding of the profession, thus more to discuss in a personal statement or interview

8) Is taking Bio 1 with a DAT prep course in Fall 10 and taking the DAT right after a good idea?

9) Will being a CC transfer hurt me? I got a 4.0 last semester and I don't expect my GPA to change too much.

10) Will being a psych major who won't taken any upper division science classes besides biochem hurt me?

11) I won't be continuing with the predental club because it is somewhat a waste of time, is this a big issue?
I will answer the rest later. Ran out of time. You ask a lot of subjective questions, and no one here can give you an exact answer. I tried to make my answers less of a personal opinion and more matter of fact. They still may be slightly subjective.
 
8) Is taking Bio 1 with a DAT prep course in Fall 10 and taking the DAT right after a good idea?
The only questionable idea would be taking the DAT without all the prerequisites. If that is your dilemma, then I would rethink it. It has been done before though

9) Will being a CC transfer hurt me? I got a 4.0 last semester and I don't expect my GPA to change too much.
Another question that only an admission office can answer.

10) Will being a psych major who won't taken any upper division science classes besides biochem hurt me?
If you apply to schools like Florida, Michigan, Washington, who require microbiology it will. Check schools websites because there are schools that require certain upper levels like microbiology and histology.

11) I won't be continuing with the predental club because it is somewhat a waste of time, is this a big issue?
No. If it is an organization you don't want to be a part of then don't be part of it.

Here are the rest of my answers. Pretty cut and dry
 
Yea, I mean to be honest, everyone's kind of covered the details of stuff. The big picture you want to look at is getting into the 'right pile.' This happens via your GPA, DAT, etc. Once you get into the right pile, the committee will see all of the other perks of your application, if you will. Focus on your big stuff first. Good luck!
 
Hey all,
I'm switching from pre-med back to pre-dent and I'm very rusty on how Dental School admissions work.

Any reason for the switch? I had read in the other thread in the Residency forum you had decided on med school like a week ago. Not being inflammatory, just curious since I'm debating between the two as well.
 
Any reason for the switch? I had read in the other thread in the Residency forum you had decided on med school like a week ago. Not being inflammatory, just curious since I'm debating between the two as well.

Yeah, I updated that thread. I chose dentistry because the lifestyle is so much better. It isn't really that interesting compared to medicine (quite dull infact) but the pay is good for the amount of hours that dentists seem to put in. Medicine seemed really interesting and very competitive, which I like. But the amount of hours and training that goes into it doesn't really seem worth it. This sentiment was confirmed by the numerous doctors I shadowed and talked to.

I guess I would rather play golf or spend time with my family on my Friday's off rather than working my 70th hour with some drug abuser who could care less about an MD degree. More prestige, responsibility, and a better understanding of the human body would be nice but I'll take the 3 day weekends :D.
 
You might want to start getting a biology background, as the DAT is much more than just BIO 1 and 2. There is genetics, biochem (CAC, Glycolysis, Urea, ughhhh), microbiology, and lots more.
I don't think transferring from a CC will hurt you unless your grades drop dramatically.
BTW, DS loves sciences majors (i.e.,biology and chemistry). Most schools won't tell you they have a required/preferred major, but they state most of there current students majored in biology.

Yeah, I looked it up. For the MCAT, I just needed Bio 1 (from my school). But the DAT has evolution on it so I'll take it after I take Bio 2.

about the science majors, it's no secret that most pre-health students are science majors. but at least for med school admissions, non-science majors have a better acceptance rate than BCPM majors.
 
I will answer the rest later. Ran out of time. You ask a lot of subjective questions, and no one here can give you an exact answer. I tried to make my answers less of a personal opinion and more matter of fact. They still may be slightly subjective.

thank you, I really appreciate it.

I actually would appreciate some personal opinions for the questions that don't really have any solid, factual answers.

thanks again.
 
Yeah, I updated that thread. I chose dentistry because the lifestyle is so much better. It isn't really that interesting compared to medicine (quite dull infact) but the pay is good for the amount of hours that dentists seem to put in. Medicine seemed really interesting and very competitive, which I like. But the amount of hours and training that goes into it doesn't really seem worth it. This sentiment was confirmed by the numerous doctors I shadowed and talked to.

I guess I would rather play golf or spend time with my family on my Friday's off rather than working my 70th hour with some drug abuser who could care less about an MD degree. More prestige, responsibility, and a better understanding of the human body would be nice but I'll take the 3 day weekends :D.

Fair enough. I'm going through the same decision myself. I'd rather be a doctor I think, I just don't think it's worth the sacrifice to get there...
 
Fair enough. I'm going through the same decision myself. I'd rather be a doctor I think, I just don't think it's worth the sacrifice to get there...

Let me know what happens.

I hear what you're saying about the sacrifice to get there. We've both seen the residency forums, the residents and interns hate what they're doing. I was surprised at how many PMs I got from practicing physicians that tried to dissuade me from going to medical school.

It really came down to: do I want to spend a good portion of my life doing something interesting and fulfilling, while sacrificing family, free time, and fun? or do I want to do something that pays the same for (pretty much) a fraction of the workload and stress?

But to be quite honest, I'm still not 100% confident about my decision in dentistry. I still fear getting bored halfway through my career and wanting to do something more meaningful and fulfilling. The doctors that I shadowed seemed to enjoy the job but they were burnt out from working so much.
 
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Is math part of the sGPA?

Med schools take the sGPA from BCPM, is it the same for DS admissions?
 
Yes. Dental Schools consider all 3 GPA's: Overall, Science (which includes math), and BCP.
 
You might want to start getting a biology background, as the DAT is much more than just BIO 1 and 2. There is genetics, biochem (CAC, Glycolysis, Urea, ughhhh), microbiology, and lots more.
I don't think transferring from a CC will hurt you unless your grades drop dramatically.
BTW, DS loves sciences majors (i.e.,biology and chemistry). Most schools won't tell you they have a required/preferred major, but they state most of there current students majored in biology.

Is that really the case? Wouldn't really fit well taking all those classes :scared:
 
Most science majors pursue healthcare careers; that or research. So you will automatically see more science majors in dental school and medical school.
And I don't think it's the school that prefers the major, but rather the students who prefer the major.
Biology majors are required to take 6-8 upper level biology's. This gives admission committees a good indication of your ability to grasp upper level biological concepts, which you will again be taught in graduate school. So this could be a reason DS and MS like biology majors. Not a fact though.

I agree with this. In fact, most schools prefer students that have a diverse knowledge, so for example if you're a psychology major but have taken as many bio classes as a bio major (I guess almost double major or minor), then you would be more appealing. But if you're a psych major and have taken like 2 bio classes, that's no indication whether you can handle the DS science work, so they'd be afraid to accept you and see that you can't handle it. But then again most students who wanna go into DS or MS save themselves the hassle of having to take extra classes if they were a different major and go for biology or biochemistry. Those are somewhat default majors if you wanna go to the healthfield but I'm sure if you like doing anything else as your major you won't be at any disadvantage as long as you take enough upper-div science courses, you'd prolly be more appealing to the "unique student' factor IMO.
 
It really came down to: do I want to spend a good portion of my life doing something interesting and fulfilling, while sacrificing family, free time, and fun? or do I want to do something that pays the same for (pretty much) a fraction of the workload and stress?

with this attitude you are going to have a rough time when you realize what it takes to be a successful dentist.
 
with this attitude you are going to have a rough time when you realize what it takes to be a successful dentist.

Obviously it's no cakewalk to be a dentist. But compared to physicians and medical surgeons, dentists have it pretty good. They work a set amount of hours, no call, no death, no politics, can opt out of residency, less chance of screwing up your career, have weekends, less responsibility, less insurance co. issues, better chance at being self employed, less chance of being sued, can get a good night of sleep consistently, less stress, good pay right out of school, and the list goes on...


As much as I appreciate a pre-dent telling me "what it takes to be a successful dentist," I think that these factors qualify me to make my own decision.
 
If you do not find dentistry interesting and fulfilling maybe you should seek a different career. There are plenty of careers that pay well, why not do something you love?
 
If you do not find dentistry interesting and fulfilling maybe you should seek a different career. There are plenty of careers that pay well, why not do something you love?

realistically, doing something "i love" does not pay for the lifestyle that I love even more. :confused:
 
P.S.

I also made the switch from medicine to dentistry, and I almost find it more appealing. You can get enough kick out of running your own business in my opinion. Once dental procedures become second nature to you, they will seem dull in the same respect as many default medical specialties (FP, Psych, IM, etc)

I mean of course I can imagine someone not going into dentistry because they loathe the thought of being in the mouth; but id prefer that over being i GI doc...think of it that way

Also, compensation for a job well done is probably the biggest motivator for any professional, healthcare or otherwise
 
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