Swtiched over! need help :)

[greenapples]

Hey guys,

I am a junior currently enrolled in my spring semester taking Orgo I. Previously I planned to go to graduate school for physical therapy but I decided that I needed to change career paths and sought to pursue dentistry because it involves all of the aspects I look for in a career. I am taking Orgo I now, and I will be taking orgo II next semester. I already took Chem I and II (didn't do so well), Bio I&II (Did okay...), Physics I&II (did very well), Systems Physiology (did very well), and all thats left is Orgo II.

My problem is I dont know what I should do because of upcoming apps, etc... I wanted to take Orgo II over the summer, take my DATS sometime over the semester and then apply before apps close. People have told me that this isn't a good choice because I don't have much under my belt. I shadowed a physical therapist for the majority of my time (previous to career change) and then I shadowed an Oral Surgeon (not too long). I have done no research and am applying to enrichment programs over the summer. My other choice was to take and extra semester or year and take classes like genetics, biochem, etc... and then apply to dental school. I am not too sure what to do and I've read other threads, but help with my specific situation would suit me better.

Thanks!

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[LabCoatAndPearls]

It sounds like you're well underway with your courses so that's good. On the AADSAS there's a section for "future course load" which is where you could list Biochem, genetics, etc, if you decide to take those. You'll need to look at the dental schools you're interested in and see if those are required pre-reqs or not. It sounds like youre going to need a lot more shadowing hours (I would get at least 100 in to be competitive.) So if you can do that before applying this summer then that would be great.

You're definitely going to want to apply when you feel the most competitive. If this involves waiting a cycle, then so be it. There's definitely pros to doing another year, whether it be doing that enrichment program you mentioned and then being able to put that on your app, or boosting your GPA if need be with the aforementioned science classes, and it would also give you more time to study for the DAT, which you could take at a less hectic time and possibly get a higher score. But, it also involves waiting another year. If it were me and I had just switched from pre-PT to pre-dental, I wouldn't see the harm in waiting until next cycle to give myself a really competitive app. But if you feel ready, then that's up to you to make the decision.

Anywho, welcome to pre-dental! You've made a great decision!

 

[Dotoday]

You need to learn orgo well, as well as Gen chem. You should learn them before taking the DAT. Use Organic chemistry as a second language, Odyssey and ACS exam book. They will help you for orgo.
For DAT use Destroyer, Kaplan and CrackDAT. Put in some time, do not do it too quick. You'll be fine.

 

[greenapples]

Decisions, decisions.... I appreciate your responses they really give me courage and some good information to make my choice. I know that if i try to apply this coming cycle I'll be pulling my hairs out as well as some teeth (early practice).... it would involve me taking orgo II in the first cycle of summer courses, my DAT's sometime after or during the fall semester and then applying. All of this while I try to shadow some type of dentist.... Not too sure if I should suck it up and pull my hairs out for what I want and give it a try, or wait a year and build things up from there.

 

[jelsae234]

Hello!

I'm a freshman in college majoring in Biology/Predental. I started volunteering and shadowing. Could you please let me know about how many hours of shadowing and volunteering I would need for it to look good for dental school?

Thanks!