It kinda just clicked in my mind that dentistry really is for me. I love everything about it! I'm not forced to go to community colleges (and or "state colleges"), but I'm a military wife so I move around 24/7 and don't have the money to pay high tuitions at 4 year universities. So almost all of my classes have been taken at state colleges. I also cant apply or go to dental schools right now until I know we won't move around! But in the meantime, what should I be doing now to prepare myself for dental school? What are good majors that would make me stand out? I'm a dental assistant right now, and will be a dental hygienist once I graduate from the University of Hawaii. But I just know I'm meant to be a dentist.
What Now?
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aloha 3421
there is a predental association at UHM
I am not able to post the link because I am a new member, but you can google it
the first general meeting is going to be the first week of September
their email address is [email protected]
aloha
macsak
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It’s not the best option but given your situation you could look into taking a few prerequisites online like physics 1, physics 2, college algebra, English, and stats. At least then you’re being productive toward your goal without just waiting around. Being an assistant is good but you’ll also need ~150 hours of shadowing. Try to get ~30 hours with 5 different doctors. 3 GP and 2 specialists would be a pretty good mix. If you have a bachelors in hygiene then you don’t have to have another major just take the prerequisites. If you don’t have a bachelors then biology is usually just the most convenient/fastest route because it pretty much requires all the courses anyway. That being said you can major in whatever you want. I was an Econ major and got into 4/8 schools I applied to. Being a former assistant/hygienist will definitely help you. Good luck!
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Why do you think she needs that many shadowing hours?
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I mean that’s pretty typical. 150 is a relatively safe number. I’m sure plenty of people are fine with less but that was my number. I’ve heard of plenty of people that have been told they need more hours but I’ve never heard of anyone saying they had to many.
People are saying shadowing hours but schools will take notice of your time as an assistant/hygienist and know you have experience in the dental field. And to be honest, dentists you work for will gladly say you’ve shadowed them for 100+ hours even if you haven’t “shadowed”. I’d say just ace the DAT while you have time.
And do remember that years 1-2 in dental school (depending on where you go) could leave you with almost no time away from study/labs.
And do remember that years 1-2 in dental school (depending on where you go) could leave you with almost no time away from study/labs.
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Did you take DAT? What about volunteering? Also, since you are moving around all across the country, I think you can experience diverse cultures that you can include in your personal statement.
