thinking about switching to dental

[luke587]

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So a little background

Currently pre-med but thinking about making the switch to dental after a couple of weeks of shadowing my dad who is currently in private practice.

I'am a sophomore with a 3.5 GPA, and from what i know pretty much pre-dent is the same thing as pre-med as far as pre-reqs go correct?

I'm not very familiar with the DAT other than im guessing its alot like the MCAT, but i wont start studying for it until after my sophomore year,

How competitive of a GPA or what is a normal or average GPA for dental school?

Thanks so much for looking

 

[4thMolar]

Your GPA is pretty much average for what dental schools are looking for, so you're doing pretty well in that department. What is your science and BCP GPA? Schools like to take those GPAs into account as well.

For the DAT, there is a natural science section (bio, gen chem, orgo), Perceptual Ability, Reading, and Quantitative Reasoning section. Look in the DAT Discussions forum and you'll find a lot more info on study materials and target scores (try to aim for at least a 20 AA).

Other than that, just make sure you take upper level science courses, volunteer in dental clinics, and shadow some specialists as well. Also, submitting your application in June/July would be ideal before your senior year begins.

 

[AmpedUp]

Your GPA is pretty much average for what dental schools are looking for, so you're doing pretty well in that department. What is your science and BCP GPA? Schools like to take those GPAs into account as well.

For the DAT, there is a natural science section (bio, gen chem, orgo), Perceptual Ability, Reading, and Quantitative Reasoning section. Look in the DAT Discussions forum and you'll find a lot more info on study materials and target scores (try to aim for at least a 20 AA).

Other than that, just make sure you take upper level science courses, volunteer in dental clinics, and shadow some specialists as well. Also, submitting your application in June/July would be ideal before your senior year begins.

Great summary!

👍

Vary your shadowing experience. Don't just stick to one place. Rotate yourself out a few weeks at a time - of course, in your spare time.

Everything is good to go though. Maintain that GPA and start studying right after you finish Organic Chemistry. You can start practicing for PAT though...Purchase CrackDATPAT for that.

 

[RSimon]

I was in the same situation as you not to long ago and I think your making a good choice, but spend time with both and makes sure before you jump ship. There are alot of perks being a dentist over being a physician which im sure you aware of with your dad being one. What it boiled down to for me was the lifestyle, stress, and duration of schooling. I spent quite a bit of time shadowing physician and surgeons and realized after a couple years that it wasnt for me. Dont get me wrong I loved observing the surgeries and procedures but the stress level of knowing that this persons life would be in my hands is not something I would want to carry around on a daily basis. The hours for most are not so good, not to mention most are on call depending on what specialty. With dentistry you have the option to start practicing after four years or can go on to specialize afterward, but with medicine that's not the case. Medicine I think has to be a calling and you would really have to love what you do. Physician live to work and dentist work to live 😉

Having taken both the MCAT and the DAT, they are really nothing alike and the MCAT is a much more difficult exam. The DAT is very straightforward and questions are pretty basic you either know the science questions or you dont. You get to use a calculator on the quatitative portion so that a plus. Perceptual ability section just takes a little practice, figure out a strategy and go with it. The reading comprehension part is very simple just pull info straight out of the passage with really no interpretation. I would not recommend take a prep for the DAT you dont need it. I used the $30 Kaplan review book and practiced using the Topscore CBT. The TS tests were pretty accurate to what the real DAT is like but I though the real test was a slightly easier.

By the sounds of it your GPA is good just try to keep it there or improve it you still have plenty of time.

 

[dentalWorks]

So a little background

Currently pre-med but thinking about making the switch to dental after a couple of weeks of shadowing my dad who is currently in private practice.

I'am a sophomore with a 3.5 GPA, and from what i know pretty much pre-dent is the same thing as pre-med as far as pre-reqs go correct?

I'm not very familiar with the DAT other than im guessing its alot like the MCAT, but i wont start studying for it until after my sophomore year,

How competitive of a GPA or what is a normal or average GPA for dental school?

Thanks so much for looking

The general rules for getting into medical schools are pretty much the same for dental schools.... You take the same pre-med / pre-dental (theyr the same), you need to do shadowing, do your volunteering, Extracurriculars, and... DAT instead of MCAT.

I dunno how familiar you are with the MCAT but the DAT (at least sciences) are the same but the format of the test is different. MCAT is passage based where the DAT are all straight up questions with multiple choice answers. MCAT verbal (in my opinion) is 100 times harder than DAT reading comprehension, the PAT section of the DAT is just practice, practice, practice, the QR (math) of the DAT is mostly high school / pre-calc stuff, its kind of annoying cause most of us haven't used that kind of math in years...... thats about it.

Visit the DAT forums when your ready to take the test