Taking Dat B/f Taking Chem & Ochem

[pre-dentalguy]

Hey guys, I only have a few classes left before I take the DAT. Here's the breakdown:

Spring 2007 - Chem 1
Summer 2007 - Chem 2 & Physics 1
Fall 2007 - Physics 2 & oChem 1
Spring 2008 - oChem 2

I was planning on taking the DAT in summer 07 after I was done with chem 2 and physics 1 and apply for D-School then, but I'm getting mixed thoughts on this. Especially since I don't have that much exposure to chem. It would make it quite difficult to learn much chem exposure through Kaplan. I was thinking that maybe I should take all the courses throughout 2007 and plan to take the DAT in the spring 2008 and apply for the 2008 cycle.

What do you guys think is the best route??

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[qwertyu]

Hey guys, I only have a few classes left before I take the DAT. Here's the breakdown:

Spring 2007 - Chem 1
Summer 2007 - Chem 2 & Physics 1
Fall 2007 - Physics 2 & oChem 1
Spring 2008 - oChem 2

I was planning on taking the DAT in summer 07 after I was done with chem 2 and physics 1 and apply for D-School then, but I'm getting mixed thoughts on this. Especially since I don't have that much exposure to chem. It would make it quite difficult to learn much chem exposure through Kaplan. I was thinking that maybe I should take all the courses throughout 2007 and plan to take the DAT in the spring 2008 and apply for the 2008 cycle.

What do you guys think is the best route??

I honestly think you should wait until you take organic. it will be really hard to learn what you need from kaplan. i think it would be possible to take the DAT after one semester of ochem if you can devote a lot of time to learning the tricks you will need to get by without the second semester.

I took the dat after one semester of chem and two of ochem (dont ask, i dont know how that happened) and i managed to learn enough gchem to take the exam but it wasnt easy and i definitely could have done much better if i had actually learned the material instead of just learning the tricks. anyway thats my advice, for what its worth. i just dont think you should cheat yourself, because after you take the exam you ahve to wait 90 days to take it again, and you will be really pissed that you spent all that time studying all the other sections (which you will probably score well on) and then having to wait to retake the exam because of one section.

good luck, whatever you decide.

 

[4thQtrDreams]

I would say it cant be done unless you plan on teaching your self orgo 1 & 2 while you learn gen chem 1..

dont rush this thing.. you're young.. just do it right .. you seriously can not expect to learn all of orgo from kaplan and i would not suggest you take any major science class the same summer you study for the DAT

the second plan is better but i would think you'd have to apply for the 2009 cycle.. again.. dont rush.. set it all up so you are applying early, not late..

 

[DDSY]

Take the DAT after you've taken the basic sciences--it's that simple. The DATs are very important and can REALLY make or break your application.

 

[pre-dentalguy]

I understand all of you guys comments, but I'm 26 right now. If I apply in the 08 cycle, I'll 28 years old, which means that I'll be 29 when I actually start D school. Dont you think that's a little too old???? I do think that the second plan is best, but time is not on my side here!!

- Pre D guy

 

[tncekm]

I understand all of you guys comments, but I'm 26 right now. If I apply in the 08 cycle, I'll 28 years old, which means that I'll be 29 when I actually start D school. Dont you think that's a little too old???? I do think that the second plan is best, but time is not on my side here!!

- Pre D guy

Say you live to be 70, the 1 year difference is hardly anything to complain about considering it will raise your science GPA and your cumulative GPA (I hope) in addition to making your DAT stronger. Unless your able to teach yourself very well and taking practice tests suggest your ready for the DAT, I'd opt for the extra year.

 

[Gordon9721]

UDM accepted a 60 year old this past year into their dental program. do your thing PDG

 

[Ex_EE]

I understand all of you guys comments, but I'm 26 right now. If I apply in the 08 cycle, I'll 28 years old, which means that I'll be 29 when I actually start D school. Dont you think that's a little too old???? I do think that the second plan is best, but time is not on my side here!!

- Pre D guy

I was in the exact same situation. I had the same thought of learning the material on my own. I am glad I didn't try. I took the classes and then took the DAT. Even though this left me with a very light schedule while I waited to hear from the schools. I will also be 29 when I start school.

 

[maksidaa]

i would say take your courses and then the DAT. your gpa's are kinda' low so you'll really need to crush the DAT to make yourself a competitive applicant and then only way you'll do that is to take your courses before the DAT. i took the DAT w/ only one semester of o.chem and even after memorizing everything i could from o.chem 2 i still only got an 18 on the o chem section. don't worry so much about age b/c you'll be a dentist for a long time. just do it right the first time and you won't regret it. if you do it worng it'll only cost more money and waste your time.

 

[pre-dentalguy]

I was in the exact same situation. I had the same thought of learning the material on my own. I am glad I didn't try. I took the classes and then took the DAT. Even though this left me with a very light schedule while I waited to hear from the schools. I will also be 29 when I start school.

So what did you end up making on the DAT? And I'm assuming that you got accepted into a school?

 

[pre-dentalguy]

UDM accepted a 60 year old this past year into their dental program. do your thing PDG

NO WAY!!!! 60???!!!

 

[pre-dentalguy]

i would say take your courses and then the DAT. your gpa's are kinda' low so you'll really need to crush the DAT to make yourself a competitive applicant and then only way you'll do that is to take your courses before the DAT. i took the DAT w/ only one semester of o.chem and even after memorizing everything i could from o.chem 2 i still only got an 18 on the o chem section. don't worry so much about age b/c you'll be a dentist for a long time. just do it right the first time and you won't regret it. if you do it worng it'll only cost more money and waste your time.

You've got a good point.. thanks!!

 

[TeethVader]

I understand all of you guys comments, but I'm 26 right now. If I apply in the 08 cycle, I'll 28 years old, which means that I'll be 29 when I actually start D school. Dont you think that's a little too old???? I do think that the second plan is best, but time is not on my side here!!

- Pre D guy

Tell that to the guy who applied at 31. Age should not concern you, you'll have enough time to practice dentistry; just make sure you do good on those classes and do excellent on the DAT

 

[floydthefish]

I'm 32 and applying for Fall 2007. I took the DAT after taking only half of Ochem and can honestly say it is very very difficult to do. I couldn't imagine doing it without having at least half of the class completed. I studied 4 hours/day all summer long to learn those reactions on my own. My Ochem score was the lowest of all of my scores and brought my AA and Sci scores down because of it. I had a good enough gpa and other aspects of my application to get interviews at good schools, and my DAT score was high enough, but it could have been much better.

One thing you might want to think about: the General Chem section of the DAT is very easy. I skipped the second semester of General Chem and jumped right into Ochem to get as much Ochem as possible before taking the DAT. I still scored a 25 on Gen Chem and studied for that section very little. Once you know pv=nrt, the rest is pretty easy. It makes the first part of Ochem a little more difficult, but not impossible by any means. I did what I had to do to not have to wait another year.

 

[HermeytheElf]

Hey guys, I only have a few classes left before I take the DAT. Here's the breakdown:

Spring 2007 - Chem 1
Summer 2007 - Chem 2 & Physics 1
Fall 2007 - Physics 2 & oChem 1
Spring 2008 - oChem 2

I was planning on taking the DAT in summer 07 after I was done with chem 2 and physics 1 and apply for D-School then, but I'm getting mixed thoughts on this. Especially since I don't have that much exposure to chem. It would make it quite difficult to learn much chem exposure through Kaplan. I was thinking that maybe I should take all the courses throughout 2007 and plan to take the DAT in the spring 2008 and apply for the 2008 cycle.

What do you guys think is the best route??

I wish I had more hands...so I could give that idea 4 thumbs down. Wait until you've had gen chem and ochem to take the DAT.

 

[Chuck1441]

.

 

[pre-dentalguy]

I say go for it.




And this is coming from experience. I took the DAT with no orgo experience... and got a 12. BUT, I did get waitlisted at a couple of schools and re-took in January after 1 semester and got an 18. I didn't get in that round, but I figure it was worth the chance (and I did get interviews at Case and NYU, turned down NYU)

So if you aren't hurtin' for money too bad, do it.

Thanks for the Intel Chuck...

 

[pre-dentalguy]

I'm 32 and applying for Fall 2007. I took the DAT after taking only half of Ochem and can honestly say it is very very difficult to do. I couldn't imagine doing it without having at least half of the class completed. I studied 4 hours/day all summer long to learn those reactions on my own. My Ochem score was the lowest of all of my scores and brought my AA and Sci scores down because of it. I had a good enough gpa and other aspects of my application to get interviews at good schools, and my DAT score was high enough, but it could have been much better.

One thing you might want to think about: the General Chem section of the DAT is very easy. I skipped the second semester of General Chem and jumped right into Ochem to get as much Ochem as possible before taking the DAT. I still scored a 25 on Gen Chem and studied for that section very little. Once you know pv=nrt, the rest is pretty easy. It makes the first part of Ochem a little more difficult, but not impossible by any means. I did what I had to do to not have to wait another year.

Thanks fpr the private message Floyd!!!

 

[Yellow Snow]

I'll be 29 if I enter next fall. I thought about taking the DAT w/o Orgo last year but I am glad I didn't. The orgo on the DAT is an easy section to score some points on which you can do if you have taken the course. Without it you would be hard pressed to do decent in this section.

 

[pre-dentalguy]

yeah, I think you're right. I need to take the DAT after getting some exposure.

 

[kappa505]

Why not substitute Ochem 1 for physics in the summer. There are no physics questions on the DAT, you could still make your Ideal schedule of when to take the DAT. You can apply before your prerequsites are finished and be accepted on the conditional basis that you finish them before matriculation.

 

[pre-dentalguy]

Why not substitute Ochem 1 for physics in the summer. There are no physics questions on the DAT, you could still make your Ideal schedule of when to take the DAT. You can apply before your prerequsites are finished and be accepted on the conditional basis that you finish them before matriculation.

Man, you've got a great point!!! I think that's the best thing for me to do. Besides, I didn't know that there was not physics questions in the DAT. WOW..... you hit it right on that for me!!!

 

[pre-dentalguy]

I heard Ochem is like physics on steroids... is it really that tuff of a course???

 

[crazy_sherm]

I heard Ochem is like physics on steroids... is it really that tuff of a course???

It's a tough course but nothing like physics. Math skills won't help with o-chem. It's more like learning a language, you'll learn a bunch of rules and trends, and how to put them together when sythesizing organic molecules. General chem doesn't really prepare you, it just gives you a foundation to understand things like what electron shells or pH really means.

 

[kappa505]

Try to learn where protons travel to, ie, where they are most reactive. Then you wont have to memorize every single reaction but rather work your way through each problem. It is definately alot of material, i took ochem 2 in the summer and did fine. Remember that practice makes perfect and that ochem 2 is on the DAT.

 

[tncekm]

I heard Ochem is like physics on steroids... is it really that tuff of a course???

No. Its a lot more memorization, but that analogy is way off.

 

[Gooble]

How do dental schools treat repeat courses? Do they average them like allopathic medical schools or take the most recent like osteo schools?

 

[dddsmack]

Hey guys, I only have a few classes left before I take the DAT. Here's the breakdown:

Spring 2007 - Chem 1
Summer 2007 - Chem 2 & Physics 1
Fall 2007 - Physics 2 & oChem 1
Spring 2008 - oChem 2

I was planning on taking the DAT in summer 07 after I was done with chem 2 and physics 1 and apply for D-School then, but I'm getting mixed thoughts on this. Especially since I don't have that much exposure to chem. It would make it quite difficult to learn much chem exposure through Kaplan. I was thinking that maybe I should take all the courses throughout 2007 and plan to take the DAT in the spring 2008 and apply for the 2008 cycle.

What do you guys think is the best route??

I don't get it, you said you only have a few classes left. It looks like you need to start.

 

[Orthodox Bear]

Make sure you take orgo before you take the DATs. Dont worry about the year difference, as people have already told you on this thread it wont make a difference in the long run. If you are planning on applying to competitive schools you have to make sure you are hitting 20's on the DAT and most people do well on orgo, you dont wanna screw that section up. Dont rush this, its a big deal, take the conservative path and you will be much more successful.