What are my chances? Help with my app...

[DownFracture]

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I am applying to dental school this June. My overall GPA is 3.43 and science GPA is 3.52 (3.63 BCPgpa) with a nice upward trend. However, as of now I have 0 dental shadowing hours and have not taken the DAT. I am taking the DAT on June 3 and am starting shadowing next week.

I'm hoping to be able to get 50+ hours in by the time I apply and then will continue to supplement my application as I gain more experience and finish some of the prerequisites (I have taken all the general prerequisites but have to take biochem, microbiology, anatomy and physiology for a few of the schools I'm applying to).

Here are my questions:
1) Do you think it would be worth it to attend the MWU clinical simulation course? Would it look good on my application and be beneficial? I would have to miss one day of my summer courses but don't think this would be too big of a deal.

2) I believe my gpa is pretty competitive, I have good LOR's, a good amount of volunteer experience (not dental related- from when I was a pastoral intern and youth director of a church) and will end up having two bachelor degrees by the spring of 2011 (long story- suffice it to say a dramatic career change- from seminary student to pre-dental). What else could/should I do to improve my chances?

Thanks!

 

[adizzle87]

You're applying to dental school in 3 weeks and you've never shadowed a dentist before?

 

[DownFracture]

Not officially shadowed, but I am aware of the responsibilities and a lot of the day to day. I've seen many procedures but I've never officially followed a dentist around for the day.

The reason I haven't is because I was pre-med up until a month and a half ago.

 

[DownFracture]

Anybody else have any input?

 

[erk005]

It looks to me like you are on the right track. Do well on the DAT and get some shadowing, and you should be ready to go!

 

[kaderoju]

Your GPA is decent and you should be comfortable enough but ....... YOU NEED TO GET MORE HOURS! I've seen applicants with 400+ shadowing hrs and not to say that that's all you need it';; put you on a level playing field with others. The admission committee looks for any and every little thing imaginable to deny an applicant so be prepared. SO score well on the DAT, write a thought provoking essay that shows your passionate for the field of Dentistry, get amazing letters of recommendations..... just make sure you have everything in order before the cycle begins and apply early. GOOD LUCK!

 

[ChapelHillT]

I'd suggest with such a low amount of shadowing that you use your personal essay to convey not just why you want to be a dentist but your knowledge of the field as well. Being in an office is definitely a must (50 hours should be your minimum goal), but you can learn a good bit about dentistry researching online as well. Just don't leave any doubt in an adcom's mind that you know what you're getting into. Good luck!

 

[dentalWorks]

I am applying to dental school this June. My overall GPA is 3.43 and science GPA is 3.52 (3.63 BCPgpa) with a nice upward trend. However, as of now I have 0 dental shadowing hours and have not taken the DAT. I am taking the DAT on June 3 and am starting shadowing next week.

I'm hoping to be able to get 50+ hours in by the time I apply and then will continue to supplement my application as I gain more experience and finish some of the prerequisites (I have taken all the general prerequisites but have to take biochem, microbiology, anatomy and physiology for a few of the schools I'm applying to).

Here are my questions:
1) Do you think it would be worth it to attend the MWU clinical simulation course? Would it look good on my application and be beneficial? I would have to miss one day of my summer courses but don't think this would be too big of a deal.

2) I believe my gpa is pretty competitive, I have good LOR's, a good amount of volunteer experience (not dental related- from when I was a pastoral intern and youth director of a church) and will end up having two bachelor degrees by the spring of 2011 (long story- suffice it to say a dramatic career change- from seminary student to pre-dental). What else could/should I do to improve my chances?

Thanks!

you pretty much have everything covered. Get that shadowing in asap and your good to go

 

[Slack3r]

50 hours? Really? I would assume you get the gist of it after a day or so.

 

[DownFracture]

50 hours? Really? I would assume you get the gist of it after a day or so.

Yeah, you can get the gist of it in a day or so but they want to make sure you've been adequately exposed to the field so you can make an informed decision. They don't want people in their programs who end up dropping out.

 

[Slack3r]

Yeah, you can get the gist of it in a day or so but they want to make sure you've been adequately exposed to the field so you can make an informed decision. They don't want people in their programs who end up dropping out.

I just think shadowing is stupid. You will never know what something is like until you're actually in the chair doing it. Watching someone for a day or 20 doesn't really change that fact.

 

[sbl6]

You're applying to dental school in 3 weeks and you've never shadowed a dentist before?

To be fair, I was in a similar situation. Although I had not shadowed a dentist until close to sending in my app, I feel I had a very nuanced understanding of what dentistry involved by exploring other avenues which I feel were much more beneficial than shadowing when looking back on it.

I just think shadowing is stupid. You will never know what something is like until you're actually in the chair doing it. Watching someone for a day or 20 doesn't really change that fact.

QFT

I think it's good to go in for a day or two split between two different practices just to get a feel for it. But some schools have like 50-100 hour requirements which are just overkill.

I found it much more beneficial to sit down and actually have a conversation with a dentist rather than just watching someone do something where you can barely see what's going on and don't have much of an understanding of it anyways.

Unfortunately, it's just a hoop you have to jump through, one of many.