Switched over to dentistry but need insight on prioritizing

[Soleus715]

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Hello,

I am about to start my 5th year in undergrad. My problem I'm facing is that I have had it pretty tough with financial issues and grades. I have more time now to settle down and focus only on school, but I'm at a loss to where I should start.

i have around a 3.0 GPA both science and cumulative right now with no shadowing, no recommendations, and only a semester of volunteering. Also, I have never been a part of any clubs.

should I just focus on GPA and DAT during the school year or is volunteering/extracurricular activities really going to impact my chances for dental school?

I am really far behind but with my current desire to succeed I feel like I could take on the GPA, DAT, and shadowing all at once, but since i have no experience I am not sure if it's feasible. I would like to apply next year but I need to know how realistic my goals are. If need be I am willing to put in more time to become competitive for dental school.

Thank you for all the advice,

 

[MultiSportD]

I think getting yourself ready for dental school is a juggling act. You have to balance school, extracurriculars, volunteering, shadowing, and the DAT.

In your situation, I would try to focus on school and bring up that GPA as much as possible. As you do well in your classes, it'll be easier to get recommendations. In addition, depending on what classes you need to take, it can help to prepare you for the DAT.

Then when you got a handle on your studies, slowly start to add more to your plate: volunteer, shadow, or extracurriculars, even DAT.

Sure, you could use a cookie cutter schedule, but for some it doesn't work and you'll need more personalization. So just go at your own pace and enjoy the experience.

 

[autoclavemonkey]

Hello,

I am about to start my 5th year student at the university of illinois. My problem I'm facing is that I have had it pretty tough with financial issues and grades. I have more time now to settle down and focus only on school, but I'm at a loss to where I should start.

i have around a 3.0 GPA both science and cumulative right now with no shadowing, no recommendations, and only a semester of volunteering. Also, I have never been a part of any clubs.

should I just focus on GPA and DAT during the school year or is volunteering/extracurricular activities really going to impact my chances for dental school?

I am really far behind but with my current desire to succeed I feel like I could take on the GPA, DAT, and shadowing all at once, but since i have no experience I am not sure if it's feasible. I would like to apply next year but I need to know how realistic my goals are. If need be I am willing to put in more time to become competitive for dental school.

Thank you for all the advice,

Brian

Welcome Brian,

I'll try my best to help here. It may vary from person to person but most people prepare DAT by focusing on it alone. I don't know how your school load is but for me, taking 16 units (2 science + 2 electives) while studying for the DAT was tough. I tried and didn't get much done; I ended up just studying for it over the summer. If your school doesn't start until mid september, I'd suggest studying for it now for the next month and half even if you're not taking the exam in september. This way you'll at least have your materials organized and know exactly what to go over when you come back to it.

With 3.0gpa I'd think you would want alot of dental experiences with awsome letter recs. At least from perusing through ADEA offial guide (which you should invest in one) dental schools accept candidates with bit higher GPAs. Now that does not mean you don't have a chance. They are just averages. I'd suggest looking for threads that have people who got accepted with similar GPAs and see what kind of experiences they've had.

Make sure you hit those professors' office hours. I know you can wikipedia/google the questions you might have about the course but you only have a year to get 2 science LOR, 1 dentist LOR, and 1 of your choice (this usually covers most dental schools' requirements; some schools require 3 faculty lor's)

As for the volunteers, I think alot of people shadow/volunteer at private dental offices. But try to get in touch with your school's dental club/healthcare profession(career) advisor to see what opportunities are also available around your area. If you guys happen to have a free dental clinic for working poor, I'd definitely recommend getting involved at those clinic ON TOP of private clinics. I'm sure there are some since University of Illinois has a dental school of its own. And make sure you're actively participating as a dental auxiliary to provide services (as x-ray tech, chairside assistant, charting, clinic management etc.)

As you can see from above, I do think extracurricular activities and (volunteer) dental experiences play a big role in your application.

Sounds like you're motivated so I can't say if you'll be prepared or not by next June. But I highly recommend that you're 100% prepared before you apply. You got your DAT's done, have letter of recommendations that you're absolutely confident about, and got some good background in dental experience (oh and your personal statement). I know it'd be awsome if you could apply next year and get in but imo, it is more important to make sure you're as ready as you can be. At least that's my take on it.

Hope you find your opportunities to explore dentistry and see if this is what you really want! Good luck.

 

[DMDIL]

If you're planning to apply without entering post-bac/masters/phd then all you can do is prepare for DAT. Extracurricular won't matter if you can't score over their averages.

Hello,

I am about to start my 5th year student at the university of illinois. My problem I'm facing is that I have had it pretty tough with financial issues and grades. I have more time now to settle down and focus only on school, but I'm at a loss to where I should start.

i have around a 3.0 GPA both science and cumulative right now with no shadowing, no recommendations, and only a semester of volunteering. Also, I have never been a part of any clubs.

should I just focus on GPA and DAT during the school year or is volunteering/extracurricular activities really going to impact my chances for dental school?

I am really far behind but with my current desire to succeed I feel like I could take on the GPA, DAT, and shadowing all at once, but since i have no experience I am not sure if it's feasible. I would like to apply next year but I need to know how realistic my goals are. If need be I am willing to put in more time to become competitive for dental school.

Thank you for all the advice,

Brian

 

[foreveros]

Why not graduate with what you had previously, and enroll in a one year program. Only if you have had all the pre reqs for dental school, i would suggest you enroll in a one year masters program that is specially designed for dental school. Not only will that help you tremendously do well in dental school but it will also give you another chance to increase your gpa. It will also give you chance to get recommendations, etc... basically ads more to the application than you just taking random science classes to increase your gpa.

But if you were to take dat and get like 21 or above, and your both science gpa and cummulative gpa is above 3.0 then i would suggest that you can directly apply to dental school.

Good luck

 

[Soleus715]

Update:

I decided to apply june 2014 and worked a LOT. My family's financial situation is great now , and I saved up enough money and time for DAT/shadowing

I ended up graduating with straight A's in all advanced sciences through the final semester but my gpa ended up going up to only 3.11

I was able to get one excellent recommendation from a professor in adv science, but this was the only rec I was able to get.

I have started studying 10+ hours a day for the DAT and am planning on taking it around October. (8 week study)

I think that I'll be volunteering/shadowing right after the DAT and try to get recommendation letters from volunteering + shadowing to fill up my remaining 2 letters. (October '13 -> June '14)


Does my plan seem reasonable/viable? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Papasmurf1234]

Update:

I decided to apply june 2014 and worked a LOT. My family's financial situation is great now , and I saved up enough money and time for DAT/shadowing

I ended up graduating with straight A's in all advanced sciences through the final semester but my gpa ended up going up to only 3.11

I was able to get one excellent recommendation from a professor in adv science, but this was the only rec I was able to get.

I have started studying 10+ hours a day for the DAT and am planning on taking it around October. (8 week study)

I think that I'll be volunteering/shadowing right after the DAT and try to get recommendation letters from volunteering + shadowing to fill up my remaining 2 letters. (October '13 -> June '14)


Does my plan seem reasonable/viable? Any advice would be appreciated.

If there's one thing I learned from this cycle it is to ask as many professors as possible for LORs. Some professors will promise you letters but then end up forgetting about it. Secure as MANY as you can and have them sent to interfolio and then you can pick and choose which ones you want if certain schools require specific letters. For instance, NOVA requires 1 liberal arts professor LOR which I didn't have.

 

[LaughingGas]

Update:

I decided to apply june 2014 and worked a LOT. My family's financial situation is great now , and I saved up enough money and time for DAT/shadowing

I ended up graduating with straight A's in all advanced sciences through the final semester but my gpa ended up going up to only 3.11

I was able to get one excellent recommendation from a professor in adv science, but this was the only rec I was able to get.

I have started studying 10+ hours a day for the DAT and am planning on taking it around October. (8 week study)

I think that I'll be volunteering/shadowing right after the DAT and try to get recommendation letters from volunteering + shadowing to fill up my remaining 2 letters. (October '13 -> June '14)


Does my plan seem reasonable/viable? Any advice would be appreciated.

Sounds great. Remember, many schools need 2 science professors so either start familiarizing with one of the professor in the class you got an A or do additional post-bac to raise GPA and get a letter. If you have any spare time, adding research experience (even if it means c*** job) would be great.

 

[Soleus715]

hmm i really regret only meeting one professor on a regular basis...
my school is 4 hours away from home so it wont be easy to get a rec from there.

I'd have to probably go for a masters program if my DAT doesnt turn up too great right? I took a huge number of advanced science courses in my 4th and 5th year. 🙁