year off

[seiferxd]

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I just finished my master's in chemistry, and the past two years in graduate school have told me that I want to do a career with my hands and I want to see patients. Naturally, this led me to consider dentistry. However, I have missed the application cycle for the coming fall. I currently live in California. I want to move to Colorado for Dental school.

I got a 4.0 GPA in Biochem as an undergrad, still need to take the DAT. What should I do during my gap year to help my chances of getting into dental school for next fall? I would need to get a job- what should I get a job in? I know dentist receptionist jobs don't require any specialized training. What about a pharmacy technician? and shadowing dentists on the side?

 

[Nateftw]

1. Shadow a dentist to see if you like it
2. Take the DAT
3. Find a dental assisting job (you don't need any real special training).
4. Choose schools to apply to. Colorado only has 16 spaces for out of state residents.

and also take note that you should apply early, so this coming June. The majority of the stuff that you will be doing next year won't even be on the application. You can only put stuff on the application that you do from now, until this coming june...

 

[porterhouse]

1. Shadow a dentist to see if you like it
2. Take the DAT
3. Find a dental assisting job (you don't need any real special training).
4. Choose schools to apply to. Colorado only has 16 spaces for out of state residents.

and also take note that you should apply early, so this coming June. The majority of the stuff that you will be doing next year won't even be on the application. You can only put stuff on the application that you do from now, until this coming june...

#3 on your list, imho, isn't a necessity even remotely. With a 4.0 you should plan on scoring well on your DATs, collecting good letters of recommendation, spend some time shadowing a dentist or two, and look into any volunteer/extracurricular activities that interest you. Other than that, find a job where you can make some cash. Just my $.02

 

[Nateftw]

#3 on your list, imho, isn't a necessity even remotely. With a 4.0 you should plan on scoring well on your DATs, collecting good letters of recommendation, spend some time shadowing a dentist or two, and look into any volunteer/extracurricular activities that interest you. Other than that, find a job where you can make some cash. Just my $.02

yeah, the only reason why i said that is because it seemed like he wanted a job that was health care related.

You don't need to get a job related to dentistry. In fact, I wouldn't. You are going to be seeing the inside of the oral cavity for the rest of your life; use this time to do something different.

 

[two thirty]

Just get some shadowing done and do decent on the DAT. Seriously, a 4.0 in biochem is in the top .01% of applicants GPA wise.

 

[seiferxd]

1. Shadow a dentist to see if you like it
2. Take the DAT
3. Find a dental assisting job (you don't need any real special training).
4. Choose schools to apply to. Colorado only has 16 spaces for out of state residents.

and also take note that you should apply early, so this coming June. The majority of the stuff that you will be doing next year won't even be on the application. You can only put stuff on the application that you do from now, until this coming june...

I was planning on moving out there in August of this year, so technically, by the time that I attend the school, I will be a resident. Does this qualify me for one of the "resident" spots?

All good advice, I appreciate it. I didn't know if a job related to dentistry would matter in my admittance. Thanks.