That's too bad that you didn't get into pharm school. I know a lot of people aren't happy with you that you're thinking about doing dentistry as your "back up plan". Dentistry really shouldn't be taken too lightly-esp. as a back up plan. You really should talk to the local dentists to see if you can shadow them to see what dentistry is really about. Because you're talking a big financial obligation (at least $180000!!!)as well as 3 or 4 years of time. (Not to mention the DAT fee ~$160/application fees ~anywhere between $40-60ish per school/AADSAS fees ~$195 for first school, $60 for each additional school up to 5, and then $50 per additional school after that/travel expenses ~$30 for gas or over $200 for air tickets--if you get an interview....it adds up to a lot!!) But here's the info you may find helpful....
To prepare for the DATs, you should review your basic sciences. The DAT include general chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, reading comprehension, basic math (algebra, some geometry, word problems, etc.), as well as PAT (perseptual amplitude test...or something like that--it's basically to see how well you can fit 3-D things into your mind) You can request testing material from ADA (American Dental Association) and ADEA (American Dental Education Assoc.) websites. There's also a book called something like "official guide to dental schools" by the ADA. It has info about all the schools in US and Canada....mean GPA, mean DAT, acceptance stats..M/F, avg. age, etc. The national average is about 18 out of 30. Even thought that's close to a 60%, it's actually pretty challenging to score that high on first shot based on where you're coming from.
Besides the DAT, you also have to have 3 letters of recommendations ~they prefer 2 from science profs and 1 non-science/dentist...I had all 3 science profs and it was okay (make sure they're good ones that will only say positive things about you), a personal essay for the general AADSAS application. Some schools have a secondary application you have to fill out that may also require another fee and an essay. Of course official transcripts from all institutions you've studied at should be sent directly to AADSAS.
As far as "easy schools" to get into....I heard BU and NYU take people with okay DAT and relatively low GPAs (around 2.8-3.2 ish)? (sorry if I offended anyone or if this is incorrect....please correct me if I'm wrong) I also hear that UoP in CA take relatively "low" GPA but high DAT scores. This is a 3 year program, but more expensive...but you are doing it in 3 years instead of 4, so everything averages out.
If you want to increase your chances, start getting things ready now and apply the first second AADSAS opens online for the 2006 cycle. Also, do the DATs as early as possible, as soon as you think you're ready....you do have to wait 90 days before you can retake it. Word of caution...you should NEVER take your first DAT just for a practice round...take it seriously and do your best. If you have questions, feel free to PM me. 🙂
