Difference between revisions of "Pre-Dental Expert Answers"
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The instructions describe the five different types of experiences you should list as Academic Enrichment, Dental Shadowing, Employment, Extracurricular, Research, and Volunteer. The descriptions are found there: http://www.adea.org/uploadedFiles/GoDental/The_Application_to_Dental_School_ADEA_AADSAS/2018ADEAAADSASInstructions_4.2017.pdf . | The instructions describe the five different types of experiences you should list as Academic Enrichment, Dental Shadowing, Employment, Extracurricular, Research, and Volunteer. The descriptions are found there: http://www.adea.org/uploadedFiles/GoDental/The_Application_to_Dental_School_ADEA_AADSAS/2018ADEAAADSASInstructions_4.2017.pdf . | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Supporting Information' Section of ADEA AADSAS Application == | ||
+ | |||
+ | I am filling out the ADEA AADSAS application which can be submitted as early as June 5th. In the 'Supporting Information' section there are several subsections to fill out. These include: Experiences, Achievements, Licenses, and Personal Statement. It is my understanding that these sections change throughout the years. My question is, what should be included in the Experiences subsection? It is written to list employment, internships, and volunteer experiences. What about academic enrichment programs? Where would this information fall? Is this a broad section open to interpretation as to what you deem important as an experience? Thank you! | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | The instructions describe the five different types of experiences you should list as Academic Enrichment, Dental Shadowing, Employment, Extracurricular, Research, and Volunteer. The descriptions are found there: http://www.adea.org/uploadedFiles/GoDental/The_Application_to_Dental_School_ADEA_AADSAS/2018ADEAAADSASInstructions_4.2017.pdf . | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Shadowing Hours == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hi guys! | ||
+ | I am applying this cycle for dental school. | ||
+ | I have really good dental volunteering hours. I also do research at my undergraduate school thru the College of Dentistry. | ||
+ | DAT: 20 AA, 21 TS. | ||
+ | Overall GPA: 3.4 | ||
+ | Science GPA: 3.0 | ||
+ | |||
+ | I recently started shadowing beginning of May. I am currently shadowing 2 dentists. | ||
+ | But I only have racked up like 15 hours so far. | ||
+ | Should I submit my app even if I do not have at least 50 hours of shadowing? | ||
+ | I'm taking a gap year and just got hired to work as a dental assistant at a practice, which is why I did not shadow during my undergrad time. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Let me know your thoughts. THANK YOU | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | There's not much you can do since you've pretty much started off shadowing dentists. That said, you presumably will continue to add hours throughout the summer, and some programs may have you update your hours in their secondary applications later on. Your GPA's do seem a bit low, so you may be able to afford taking your time to submit (maybe not in early June but later in July when you have a few more hours to "document"). | ||
+ | |||
+ | I also think that you may want to wait because you want a strong letter from your dentist (for some schools), and you would want to know about how many hours your dentist would feel comfortable with you working before submitting a strong letter. That will help you with a timeline to submit your application. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Taking all my prerequisites at CC == | ||
+ | |||
+ | My first degree is Philosophy which I got from a foreign institution. But I am Registered Nurse now which I got from University in the States here. I did an Accelerated Bachelors in Nursing program. I work full time and married with a child. I am currently taking all my prerequisites at a community college and worried that it may affect admission. I took GC 1& 2 this past spring 8wks classes and made B's. It's been had juggling work, family and school and I worried I may not even make A's in my remaining classes. Do you think I still have a chance at getting in? | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Depending on your life situation, you may want to talk to programs that are closest to you and your family and ask them this question. They should be able to advise you on taking upper-level coursework and doing well in those courses at a community college or four-year institution. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Social Anxiety and Dental School == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hi! | ||
+ | So I'm a junior in college and will be applying to dental schools soon but I've been struggling a lot socially and just want to know if I'm on the right track still. I've wanted to be a dentist ever since I was first asked what I wanted to be when I grow up but over the years I've developed low confidence and struggle with talking to people. I know that communication skills have to be excellent to be a dentist which is why this worries me so much and was wondering if it's something I will develop or if I have to be born with it and if it needs to come naturally. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Thank you | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Very few skills ever come naturally, and all skills never improve without practice. This is especially true of dentistry, and that's why there is so much focus in your preclinical labs and your clinic experience. But to this end, I hope you have had a chance to work with others socially. Small-group work is common in dental school and beyond, and your ability to convey confidence in yourself is key to establishing patient-doctor rapport and trust. I would hope that you have taken advantage of free (i.e., you paid for them) resources for your wellness and other psychological services on your campus. You may not have a clinical problem, but you might gain some insight or advice on how to work through it. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Which dental schools should I apply to? == | ||
+ | |||
+ | I am a re applicant from last year and I have a oGPA: 3.42 and sGPA: 3.15, and a 19AA DAT. I am attending Midwestern's Master's program hoping to boost my GPA in August. I am retaking the DAT in hopes to increase my score. I have more shadowing opportunities than last year and more work experience and volunteering. | ||
+ | |||
+ | As far as my stats go what schools should I be prioritizing applying to? I am from Southern Californa and would love to stay here if possible but open to anywhere as long as its a school I have a chance of getting into. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hopefully in your position, you have had a chance to connect with dental students at other schools, not to mention admissions staff at the schools where you seem to want to go to. You have a chance with the ADEA GoDental Virtual Fair (5/24/2018) where many admissions officers from around the country will be available online. But the predental resources in the ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools (the sections before the school profiles) should also help you come up with some questions to help you prioritize where you want to go. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == What can I do to strengthen my dental school application? == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hello! | ||
+ | In high school, I participated in a dual enrollment program with a community college. I have done all my pre-reqs with this community college including general chemistry and biology, with all As. (and graduated with an Associates) Not planning on attending a prestigious dental school due to financial reasons- the schools I am looking into accepts CC credits. | ||
+ | With that being said, my plan is to graduate from university in 2 years (to save money), and then go to dental school after that. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Since I technically completed my first two years of college while in high school, I was wondering how my application can be strengthened since I was not able to be part of "college life" for 2 years? (ex. I was not able to join ASDA) What kinds of activities do you recommend in order to make the most of my two years at university since I technically use one to apply for dental school? Would I be able to include the activities I participated in during high school? | ||
+ | |||
+ | Thanks so much for any feedback you can provide! I sincerely appreciate it. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Activities won't matter as much as you could find strong support from professors and prehealth advisors to help you with your academic preparation and letters later on. Your peers at your college should be able to also give you insight of activities they commonly participate in, but without a strong support network, you're going to find it a bit more challenging to get a strong application out when you're ready. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == AADSAS Transcript Entry and Program Materials for Schools Prerequisites HELP!!! == | ||
+ | |||
+ | I entered all the pre-requisites for certain dental schools; however, in the program materials section on AADSAS, the section states incomplete and that I have not yet put in courses that fulfill prerequisites? What is the issue? I went back several times to see what I was missing, but I can't seem to find the problem! Help please! | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | I would connect with ADEA AADSAS with your questions directly to help you problem-solve. (They were online yesterday during the ADEA GoDental Virtual Fair day 5/23/2018.) | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Pre Requisites done by Grad but not Apps == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hi, I am a junior about to be a senior in the fall. I started late on the pre dental track and will finish all requirements by graduation but not by the time of the application cycle early "deadline". I am taking my DAT soon and have everything else in line but like i said am missing a few pre reqs before applications are due. I plan on applying over the summer for the 2019 cycle. I will be finishing my biology requirements this coming Fall and in the Spring finishing Organic Chemistry 2 with the lab. | ||
+ | |||
+ | So, in all i am missing (3 hrs bio and 4 hours Ochem). I am wondering if this will affect my application in a drastic way / will it hinder being considered for acceptance? | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | There's nothing wrong with planning on an application for the next cycle. You're competing against applicants who will have everything in and will get selected before your file because you might be lacking prerequisites. Don't rush getting a strong application. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Would I be considered for an interview? == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hi! | ||
+ | I recently took my DAT and scored 19 in sciences, however my AA was 17 due to Math and Reading since English is my second language. I have a 3. 98 GPA, Do you consider I should apply? I am thinking on retaking before this cycle deadline but still apply early. what would you recommend me? | ||
+ | |||
+ | Thanks! | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | If you have a chance to retake your DAT because you know you could have done better, I would consider it. As it stands I think your DAT scores don't put you in a group that may be highly desired in the early rounds of interviewing, but as long as you have a solid DAT result, you should still be a pretty strong candidate for consideration. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Dental Hygiene OR Nursing then apply to Dental School? == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Heres my background: | ||
+ | |||
+ | I just graduated from undergrad as a Public Health major with hopes of going to dental school. After working as a dental assistant since my junior year in high school, I planned to take the classes needed to get into dental school. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Freshman year- | ||
+ | ----Fall Semester- | ||
+ | Gen Bio I with Lab: C | ||
+ | Gen Chem I with Lab: D | ||
+ | ----Spring Semester | ||
+ | Gen Bio 2 with Lab: C | ||
+ | ----Summer 2015 | ||
+ | retook Gen Chem I with Lab: C+ | ||
+ | |||
+ | Sophomore Year | ||
+ | ---Fall Sem | ||
+ | Gen Chem 2 with Lab: C | ||
+ | ---Spring Sem | ||
+ | Organic Chem 1: F | ||
+ | ---Summer 2016 | ||
+ | Organic Chem 1: F ...again | ||
+ | |||
+ | So after a brutal, 2 years, I decided to stop taking sciences, continue on with my Public Health degree and reevalaute my career options. However, after a summer of interning at a community health center, my mind kept on going back to dentistry. Therefore, I decided that I will deal with my remaining pre-reqs after graduation. | ||
+ | |||
+ | So here I am, a fresh college graduate and I wholeheartedly and passionately still want to continue my dreams in becoming a dentist. Clearly, I still need to take Orgo 1 & 2 with labs and Physics 1 & 2 with labs. There has been a back and forth deciding if I should just close the door on dentistry, but I cannot stop thinking about it and many tears were shed. | ||
+ | |||
+ | I decided I should establish a career for myself then finish up my remaining pre-reqs. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Fortunately, $$ is not an issue for me on why I'm deciding to delay taking my remaining pre-reqs, but I want to establish a career first just in case I don't get into dental school. | ||
+ | |||
+ | With all of that being said, would matriculating into a dental hygiene program OR a nursing program for the next 2 years be a good route? Then once I finish these programs, I can finish up my pre-reqs and try my chances at dental school? | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | My own opinion is to take a deep look at your situation and your choices. There's no problem if you're trying to get into the dental profession, and getting a dental hygiene degree may be a great way to get their more quickly. Dentistry may be an option for you after a few years of working on the job but you're right that you have to take a serious effort retaking your prerequisites. But you're probably going to have to start again from scratch and really show some dramatic improvement (as in no more C's or worse) if you want to give yourself a chance. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == I withdrew from Orgo the first time and received a C- the second time, can I get accepted into dental school? == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hi all! | ||
+ | So here is my situation: I'm a junior at UF with a 3.1 Overall GPA wanting to apply to dental school after graduating (I'll be taking a gap year) and I'm really struggling with organic chemistry and Physics 2. The first time I took orgo, I withdrew because I failed the first 2 exams. The second time I took orgo, I still had a hard time grasping the material and passed right on the edge with a C-. I know that once you withdraw from a class, the second time you take it, it's good to receive an A but unfortunately, that didn't happen for me. With Physics 2, it was my first time taking the course and I failed it (D+). I'm planning on retaking it next Summer. Should I retake orgo in the future before applying to dental school? Would dental school still consider my application? Any advice would be great(: Thank you!! | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | I would presume you would ask these questions to admissions officers and perhaps other dental students. As it stands, if any admissions committee reviews your application, the difficulty you have had in required coursework is going to make a difference. I would ask your prehealth advisors at your institution for their insight about what you can do. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Masters or post-bacc better for sGPA 2.76 & AADSAS oGPA 3.0? == | ||
+ | |||
+ | I recognize with massive clarity that I'm in a horrible situation, and I'd really appreciate some advice. I've finally mostly, gotten past the sad stage and now I just want to improve. | ||
+ | |||
+ | My first 2.5 years of uni were a disaster, I went through a pretty rough time due to major financing scares and family things that really threw me off my plans, and it led me into a rut. I didn't know many other peers that also wanted to apply to dental school, and for some reason it felt very difficult to find mentors or resources that would help me on my pre-dental track. Now that I'm finally finding resources or programs, I'm finding that I'm too late to apply to them or I'm no longer eligible due to various reasons. | ||
+ | |||
+ | But with my grades I was able to create an upwards trend, especially in my senior year (not that, that means much) for my biology degree. My senior year I got nearly all A's (& a couple Bs) that pushed my sub 3.0 to a 3.0. Technically my cumulative "transcript" gpa is a 3.24 but that's with the classes that I retook omitted from my GPA, whereas my oGPA (that the aadsas app would calculate) including those retaken classes (as in the 1st and 2nd attempt), is actually a 3.0, and my sGPA is a 2.76, while BCP is 2.5. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Since I graduated I've been working for a year at a dental focused lab full-time as a research assistant, and I'm about to take my DAT soon. I've volunteered ~200 hours so far and I've done a small course that teaches some hands on dental techniques. I was previously advised to take a masters, which I was going to apply for this year. However, recently, a couple or people advised that since my sGPA is so low, I should actually do a post-bacc instead, because apparently a masters doesn't mean much? I was wondering how valid that assumption is? However, since I was so focused on the masters option, all the post-bacc apps have literally just closed this past month, so I've pretty much missed my chance this year. Does it seem more beneficial to wait till next year to try for the post-bacc or is it worth it to continue on with my original plan to apply for a masters, since those apps open earlier around september? | ||
+ | |||
+ | I mainly would like to know why a post-bacc or masters would be better? I've contacted some admissions asking about undergrad gpa cutoffs and masters gpa considerations but I've gotten some mixed signals. I'm willing to spend the time, the debt, the years, but I also want to be efficient/smart about planning for it, so I look forward to any advice you have! If possible I was also wondering if anyone knows what the hard cutoffs are for undergrad GPAs that dental schools have? Thanks in advance! | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Your advisors who have access to your transcript would be in a better position to advise you. Obviously you're acting a bit late if you're trying to find something for this fall semester. You would probably be in a better position to be admitted to a master's/graduate program for the next cycle after you focus on getting a very strong DAT score. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Started off my post-bacc poorly, will I be admitted into dental school? == | ||
+ | |||
+ | I started a post bacc program a couple of years ago and unfortunately it has not gone well. My undergrad gpa was a 3.14 but currently my post bacc gpa is way below that. It’s now to the point where I’m currently on academic probation and I can start classes again this fall. My question is, if I start up again in the fall and retake the classes I did poorly in (received 2 Fs) and get nothing but A’s in all of my pre reqs, will dental schools consider me still? I received 2 Fs because I’m also working full time and I experienced some tragedies during those classes but I know I can do well in them. Is it worth me sticking it out at this school or just transferring to another school for a fresh start? I know I can ace the DAT as well, but I want to know if schools will even take me serious due to those F’s I received. I should also mentioned one of the classes I already retook and I only received a D, so I will have to take it again. Is it possible for me to be accepted even if I get my grades up to all A’s?! | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | If the reason why you are doing a postbac is to show you can handle more challenging coursework, then yes, C's or worse in postbac coursework is going to hurt any application unless there is really a good reason. Some schools may overlook the early problems, but you need to have some conversations with your advisors in your postbac program and admissions officers. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Help with applying/chance me == | ||
+ | |||
+ | I am planning to apply to dental school and was wondering if my application will be competitive enough? I will be graduating from my university in a few weeks, and applying at the beginning of June (taking a gap year). I plan to be working in a lab and continuing my community service during my time off. I am also planning to apply very broadly. I am a VA resident. Thank you in advance! | ||
+ | |||
+ | -I am a white female | ||
+ | -Major: Biology | ||
+ | -GPA: 3.6 overall, 3.5 sGPA | ||
+ | -DAT score: 20 AA, 19 TS, 19 PAT | ||
+ | -about 150 hours of shadowing | ||
+ | -about 50 hours of community service (I know its a little on the low side) | ||
+ | -have had several leadership roles in clubs as an undergrad | ||
+ | -involved in various clubs as an undergrad | ||
+ | -did research for two years at my university | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Your chances will always depend on where you are applying. In general your profile looks good but not great, but you may get a few interviews early on. You should have already networked with a number of admissions officers and current dental students to give you confidence and support. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Taking some basic math classes at a community college == | ||
+ | |||
+ | So I currently am a freshman now going to be a sophomore at The University of Detroit Mercy and I have a question about dental school admissions. I plan to take 2 math classes this semester at a community college to catch up on my math because I a currently behind (intermediate algebra and trigonometry). I plan to take both in the summer at a community college but I have 2 questions. Will dental schools look down upon taking these two classes here and if I just get a C and do the bare minimum will dental school look at my grades from them as they don’t transfer to the school for my Gpa only the credits do. These will be my only 2 classes taken at a community college the rest will be taken at my university. Any advice and tips? My current GPA is a 3.79 | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | You should check with admissions officers regarding your question about taking math classes at a community college. I suspect there are some that really don't care unless they are prerequisites. They will definitely care if you only decide to skate by with C's, given that you have a solid GPA. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == How important is research for research schools like Harvard, UCLA, UCSF etc. == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hello, I am a junior planning to graduate this quarter. I have the option to stay an extra year and finish an independent research project, take more classes to potentially improve my GPA by 0.1 if I get all A's. And, work as a tutor. I can develop a potentially better relationship with my PI and other professors. Is this worth it, or would it be worthwhile to finish my studies and start working at a dental office for a full year? I am applying to Dental school next cycle, so next year. My goal is to get into Harvard or UCLA Dental. My current GPA is a 3.62 cum, and 3.4 BCP. I have average volunteering experiences. I have yet to take the DAT but my prognostic exam indicated a 22. Is the difference between 3.62 and 3.74 significant enough to warrant an extra year of study and time investment. Thank you!!!!! | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | It really depends on the schools where you are applying because some will focus more on your science/BCP GPA rather than your overall GPA. I'm not sure if it's significant to raise your overall GPA as much as it might be for your BCP/Science. I will say if your goal is to get to Harvard, then you better go for finishing off with a high overall GPA in general (above 3.70 perhaps). | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == DAT == | ||
+ | |||
+ | I'm finding mixed answers in regards to skipping around on the PAT. I want to know if it's possible to jump to any question you want without hitting the skip button a bunch of times? | ||
+ | On all my practices I start at hole punch (Question 46) go till the end, then jump back to question 1 and go till 45. This helps me tremendously in timing each section bc I can blaze through Hole Punch, Cubes, pattern Folding and have 38-40 minutes for Keyholes, TFE & angles (which I really need). | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Your question may be best answered in the DAT forums since you're really asking about the nuts and bolts of the exam itself. It would help you having a practice test that can be administered online, and I think Kaplan may have a practice test they administer online (for marketing purposes?). | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Question about have W on transcript == | ||
+ | |||
+ | I am currently enrolled in a calculus based physics course, and I am doubting whether I can pass it or not. I want to withdraw and take an algebra based physics course, because I feel I will do significantly better (B+ to A). Do I need calculus based physics for dental school? How will a W grade look on my application? | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Most dental schools are fine with algebra-based physics. That said, a withdraw grade on your transcript may raise a little concern, but you should check with admissions officers to know if they could understand your rationale. (Of course, the question that you'd have to ask is why you took the calculus-based physics class in the first place.) | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Can I take all my pre-reqs at a CC? == | ||
+ | |||
+ | I'm a third year undergrad at a four year university and I also attend a local community college. I'm doing a humanities degree at my four year and taking all of my dental school pre-reqs at community college. I spent my freshman year of college taking gen chem and bio at the four year and was getting really bad grades.(between 2.0-2.5) Ever since I started taking classes at community college I've been getting much better grades(between 3.6-4.0) and I've had more time to be involved with extracurriculars. My freshman year I only spent time studying and was not getting good grades. Going to community college has given me time to volunteer a lot, get published in research, make connections/do research for professors at a top dental school, attend dental conferences, and be much more involved with dentistry. I know that there's obviously people who are even more involved with me in extra stuff outside of academics and are getting straight A's in their prereqs that they take at a four-year. I know that some schools don't accept CC credits at all and that I'm making myself less competitive with my situation. However, are my chances of getting into dental school that do accept CC credits completely nonexistent because of this? Is it okay to tell dental schools that I wanted to have more time to involve myself with research and volunteering and that's why I didn't take my requirements at a four year? I'm also taking the DAT this summer and spending three months straight on that so hypothetically if I get a very competitive DAT score would that balance out my situation for pre-reqs? Thank you in advance and sorry for such a long post! | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | While you could probably take your prerequisites at a community college, the applicant pool is full of applicants who did all their prerequisites and upper-level biomedical classes at a four-year institution that your file may easily be overlooked unless you show you are able to handle a heavier, more rigorous course load at a four-year school. The chief concern for most dental schools is whether you can truly handle the course load that would be equivalent to at least 20-30 semester hours each semester (most undergraduate schedules are 12-15 semester hours in value). Some schools may accept a higher DAT score as an affirmation of your preparation for dental school but you will likely have to address an admissions committee's concerns on whether your GPA was inflated because your rigor wasn't as strong compared to other applicants they review. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == pre dental academic enhancement post bacc program at southern California == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hello, | ||
+ | I'm researching for an academic enhancement pre-dental post bacc program in southern California. I'm choosing between UCLA extension, USC open university, and UC Irvine open university. I would appreciate any advice/suggestion you can provide about these programs and how to make a decision. | ||
+ | Also, I have read some negative reviews about UCLA extension program; students were complaining about not being helped well by the advisors to choose their classes. I would like to know if that has been the case so far about the program, and if so, is there any alternative way to get help for educational plan and find right classes in the program? | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Probably the best information would come from the forums under postbac programs, but it's up to your preferences for learning style and supportive community that I think would be important. I cannot really comment regarding any specific programs and any challenges therein. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == How can I strengthen my application?? == | ||
+ | |||
+ | So, as of now I am a sophomore in undergrad looking to apply to dental school. | ||
+ | |||
+ | I'm a volunteer EMT (I respond to calls when I am on break from school) and I've been doing this since the beginning of undergrad, so its safe to say I have 2000+ hours in this. (Volunteer/Clinical Experience) | ||
+ | |||
+ | I have 240 hours in the lab for research | ||
+ | |||
+ | I am practically bilingual in Spanish | ||
+ | |||
+ | I tutor in Biology classes and Composition classes | ||
+ | |||
+ | I'm in the process of arranging a shadowing deal with a dentist this summer | ||
+ | |||
+ | I will be a Resident Assistant next year (leadership) | ||
+ | |||
+ | What I am absolutely PETRIFIED about is my GPA. Right now, I sit at a 3.2 with a C+ in 1st semester gen chem (2nd semester B+) and a C+ in 1st semester Orgo (2nd semester TBD). | ||
+ | |||
+ | 1st semester Freshman year --> 3.3 | ||
+ | 2nd semester Freshman year --> 3.7 | ||
+ | 1st semester sophomore year --> 2.6! | ||
+ | |||
+ | My GPA has been a struggle, but last semester was really rough!! So far, I am doing a lot better in my classes this semester, but I am scared that I am going to have a repeat of last semester! | ||
+ | |||
+ | And I'm wondering if I should apply to be a student phlebotomist not only for the summer job but increased clinical experience that is not related to volunteer work | ||
+ | |||
+ | Any advice is appreciated!!! Thank you! | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Without a DAT score, any advice you get is only based on your GPA, and you should seek your prehealth advisor to confirm your suspicions that your GPA from your chemistry coursework is going to be an issue. It may be hard to accept but you probably will want to really focus on your coursework performance, especially with your upper-level biomedical classes. Thus you should be really careful about your involvement outside of those classes. Yes, you need dental shadowing experience, but you don't want to be too overloaded with extracurricular activities that it would divert your efforts from focusing on your coursework and your GPA. You should be networking with admissions officers to get their sense of your application profile compared to candidates they have accepted. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Fabrication academic dishonesty == | ||
+ | |||
+ | My first semester at a 4 year university as a freshman i was caught for fabrication in a LCOM class(learning community). What will happen in terms of applying to dental school. And also if i transfer universities will this academic dishonesty incident be carried on with me at the transfer university? The fabrication incident is on my academic record. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | You should be quite honest about your conviction no matter where you wind up graduating with your undergraduate degree. I don't know if your misconduct record will be transferred to your new institution, though I suspect it depends on the policies of the first institution whether they could transfer that information due to student privacy issues. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Retake Microbiology at University of Illinois at Chicago == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hi I am currently at Kankakee Community College with intentions to transfer to UIC after my two years. I passed Micro with with an A at KCC, but when i used the Transferology ( a website where you can see if your credits will transfer), it told me that my micro class will transfer but as a "analyzing the natural world", which is a general education requirement at UIC for natural sciences. So I kind of confused... does this mean my credits transfer but the school is not accepting it as microbiology course completed? Also I noticed the micro at KCC is only 4 credits, and at UIC is 5 credits. So my question is should I retake it at UIC? I heard rumors that dental schools prefer upper level division courses to done at 4 year institutions? So what do I do? I also plan to take Advanced microbiology once I transfer to UIC, but that requires general micro first... | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | In all likelihood, you're going to need to retake the class, especially if the class is not designated as being for science majors. (This is something academic advisors would have been able to tell you before you took the class, but it's usually clearly noted by the professor.) There are biology and microbiology courses designed for non-science, nursing, and allied health students which are not as detailed or in-depth compared to classes designed for science majors at many community colleges and universities. You can probably get a better explanation from the transfer advisor and department advisor at UIC. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == i want to get into dental school as a foreigner . so i'm planning to transfer pre-dental school == | ||
+ | |||
+ | i have a bachelor's degree in chemistry and pre-medical in korea | ||
+ | i don't have a citizenship in u.s | ||
+ | so i want to transfer to pre-dental school to get into dental school. | ||
+ | i have some questions | ||
+ | |||
+ | 1. i want to know the rate of competition to get into dental school from pre-dental course students.because i want to know how hard it is | ||
+ | |||
+ | 2. what pre-dental school should i go to become a dental school student with better assurance (cc or university) | ||
+ | |||
+ | 3. i want to know what pre-dental school have short course ( quarter or semester etc..) | ||
+ | |||
+ | 4. i want to know the list of dental school which foreigner can apply for and i want to know the possibility to pass them | ||
+ | |||
+ | 5. if i fail to get the high score in DAT ,can i take test over three times? ( i want to know how much DAT score do i need) | ||
+ | |||
+ | 6. if i fail to get into the dental school, is it possible to apply for pharmacy school? | ||
+ | let me know some figures of recordings of employment rate | ||
+ | |||
+ | 7. | ||
+ | After graduating from the dental school, | ||
+ | And how much income is there and how life will spread | ||
+ | |||
+ | 8. | ||
+ | The total time and cost that you would expect to plan to study in the United States | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | A lot of your general questions can be covered on the ADEA GoDental website. You may want to inquire about the process to be admitted as a student in the United States, and you should choose a university that has strong prehealth/predental advising. For your later questions about income as a dentist, you may want to look at the American Dental Association website which probably has some basic information about careers and salary trends in dentistry, but note that you shouldn't take those estimates as gospel. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Can I take Statistics as Biology major and finish my math? I do not wish to take Calc 2 and I already passed Calc 1 == | ||
+ | |||
+ | I am applying this November to most of the UC's. I know that UCLA, UCB, and UCSD require Calc 1 and Calc 2, however I do not wish to take Calc 2. I do not want to take that intensive of a math course. I am far more interested in Stats and wish to take Stats next semester. Please tell me what schools will be okay with me having Calc 1 and Stats completed. Thank you. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | I'm not sure if you're talking about completion of your degree or the admissions requirements for dental school. If you have no choice but to take Calc 2 instead of statistics to get your degree, there's really not an argument. As for dental school requirements, you should check what the schools you desire would say about it. I wouldn't suspect there would be much objection if you don't wind up taking a second-semester calculus class depending on the dental schools you're looking at. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == What to do? == | ||
+ | |||
+ | I'm in my 4th year at York University in Toronto. I goof'd up big time / suffered a union strike for 6+ weeks in my first year, and therefore have an abnormally low Science GPA (~2.7). Otherwise, my overall GPA upon graduation will be around 3.5. I think my chances of acceptance in Canada are non-existent, but I'm wondering if anyone can help me realize my chances in the USA? I have hundreds of hours of EC's and shadowing, reference letter from an O-chem prof + more to come, and a work-study position on campus under a different professor. I'll be writing the DAT this summer and hope/plan to score very highly. Can i do it? | ||
+ | |||
+ | All input and advice is highly appreciated. Thanks very much in advance. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | It doesn't hurt to try, but I would connect with admissions officers at US institutions to get a sense of which schools would be more inclined to accepting non-US students and then their academic preferences among applicants. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == Pharmacist becoming a Dentist == | ||
+ | |||
+ | I've been thinking about trying to get into dental school for quite a while but I come from a unique background and was wondering if I could get some advice? I'm actually a practicing pharmacist in Australia however I'm a duel American and Australian citizen and would want to return to the US if I were to study dentistry. Pharmacy in Australia is also a bachelor degree with a lengthy post graduate licensing process not a doctoral degree like in America. I don't know if I'd have to do prerequisites at a community college or something because all my classes where uniquely tailored to pharmacy. Another thing is I only achieved a 3.1 GPA which I'm aware would be considered quite low for a dental school applicant coming from an American University. If anyone could help me out it would be much appreciated. Another thing I forgot to mention is that I was a commissioned officer in the Australian army as a pharmacist. I don't know if this would be considered favourable? | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | I would always suggest reaching out to admissions officers at the schools you are strongly interested in first. You would be presenting a unique situation that most faculty members may need more understanding before anyone can give you any specific advice, especially as you are transitioning from a different health professional background. You may have to do some prerequisites like physics, but we don't know for sure since we would have to see how your transcript would be evaluated on par with American curricula. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == I need help with my first dental school interview == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Dear friends, | ||
+ | I'm having my first dental school interview with Touro on Feb 14th, and I really have no experience. I hope you would be kind to please help me with my mock interviews and share with me your experience. Thank you very much. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Good luck. I'm not sure if there are any entries regarding the interview Feedback (under resources here) for Touro, but you should practice with your local career services office about interview skills in general. They should help you with mock interviews. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | == What are my chances? == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hi, I don't know if this is a good spot to post this question so please let me know if i'm in the right spot. I am a City College student (Santa Barbara City College) and I have made a little boo-boo. I have a 3.18 GPA as an overall but I messed up my Science GPA to a lower than 2.7 GPA in my general bio (animal, plant, and cell) + my general chemistry (this is what ruined it). I now have difficult choice to make, I can switch my major and apply to a 4 year near me (UCSB) or I can go to a different UC with a bio major. I know I can do better since I had many issues while taking those classes (although I hate blaming it on that). Can you let me know what chances I have to get into a Dental School. I was looking into UCSF DDS and have kept contact with the admissions staff for now. I'm trying to get some sort of idea of what to do next. My dentist has agreed to help me out by letting me shadow him and writing a letter of rec. I haven't taken the DAT but I'm more than positive I can do fairly well on it. Please ask me anything else you need to know. I already have a lot of work in computer science and will be taking on Accounting in the meantime, but I have had a passion for dentistry since I was 11. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===[[SDN Dental experts|Mr.Smile12]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | It's hard to say what direction would best position you for the challenges of dental education. I would say focus on the coursework that you are taken and that you give yourself a chance to really learn the material, not just to do well on the DAT. You do need to find strong mentors in your biomedical science classes to help you to that end. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- |
Revision as of 19:23, 10 November 2019
Below are some frequently asked questions that have been answered by SDN Dental experts.
If you have a question that is not answered here, please visit the SDN Confidential Consult forum to ask your question of our expert panel.
Contents
- 1 C- in general chem what to do?
- 2 Worried about a low GPA. 3.1-3.3
- 3 DAT scores
- 4 Is it too late to try out for dental school?
- 5 Re-take physics 1 for admission into dental school?
- 6 How does a BS/MS in Biotechnology help with my dental school application?
- 7 What should I do based on my current stats?
- 8 September applicant, too late?
- 9 DAT retake & Interview
- 10 should i try for boston ?
- 11 chance me?
- 12 Prerequisite Help?
- 13 10 years Dental assisting experience
- 14 which short term courses I can do before enrolling into a dental school?
- 15 PA to Dentistry?
- 16 Dental schools accepting community college credit
- 17 Can I get into DDS schools with a 2.65 GPA (B.S)
- 18 Does an F grade in core science requirement and 2 c’s in other science class not allow me for medical profession
- 19 What do you suggest to improve my GPA
- 20 How to use the best out of my gap years
- 21 any chance to explain situations before interviews?
- 22 Early Interviews
- 23 dental school requirement
- 24 pre dental school gpa
- 25 Am I a failure??? Advice on GPA 57 hours in 3 semesters Bios major
- 26 Pre-dental first year gpa advice?
- 27 Do I Need To Retake Physics 1?
- 28 Do I need to retake my c- at a cc for a prerequisite class if I decide to do a postbacc/masters program before dental school?
- 29 Pre-Dental Student
- 30 Pre-dental path
- 31 Question about dental school application
- 32 Studying for the DAT/In a weird place right now
- 33 What are the chances of getting into dental school with these stats? 3.26Overall, 3.07BCP, 2.98 Science, 20DAT, 100+shadowing hrs
- 34 Should I retake the DAT? 19 AA 18 TS Any advice welcome!
- 35 Should I do a masters to bolster my application?
- 36 Pre Dental Help?
- 37 Deciding what dental schools to apply to
- 38 Above average GPA/Below average DAT - Chances of being emitted
- 39 Supporting Information' Section of ADEA AADSAS Application
- 40 Supporting Information' Section of ADEA AADSAS Application
- 41 Shadowing Hours
- 42 Taking all my prerequisites at CC
- 43 Social Anxiety and Dental School
- 44 Which dental schools should I apply to?
- 45 What can I do to strengthen my dental school application?
- 46 AADSAS Transcript Entry and Program Materials for Schools Prerequisites HELP!!!
- 47 Pre Requisites done by Grad but not Apps
- 48 Would I be considered for an interview?
- 49 Dental Hygiene OR Nursing then apply to Dental School?
- 50 I withdrew from Orgo the first time and received a C- the second time, can I get accepted into dental school?
- 51 Masters or post-bacc better for sGPA 2.76 & AADSAS oGPA 3.0?
- 52 Started off my post-bacc poorly, will I be admitted into dental school?
- 53 Help with applying/chance me
- 54 Taking some basic math classes at a community college
- 55 How important is research for research schools like Harvard, UCLA, UCSF etc.
- 56 DAT
- 57 Question about have W on transcript
- 58 Can I take all my pre-reqs at a CC?
- 59 pre dental academic enhancement post bacc program at southern California
- 60 How can I strengthen my application??
- 61 Fabrication academic dishonesty
- 62 Retake Microbiology at University of Illinois at Chicago
- 63 i want to get into dental school as a foreigner . so i'm planning to transfer pre-dental school
- 64 Can I take Statistics as Biology major and finish my math? I do not wish to take Calc 2 and I already passed Calc 1
- 65 What to do?
- 66 Pharmacist becoming a Dentist
- 67 I need help with my first dental school interview
- 68 What are my chances?
C- in general chem what to do?
I initially was on the verge of getting a D in gen chem so my professor advised me to take the F freshman fall semester this way i could retake the class at my school and it would not be accounted for in my gpa but it would be on my transcript. So i did just that, retook it in the spring and ended up with an awful professor who failed most of the class and I unfortunately ended with a C-.
my next question is, now being a senior in undergrad realizing how awful this must look on my application how should i go about this? do i retake gen chem 1 at a different university to balance out the C-. Are dental schools averaging out the F and the C- already or just looking at the C-?
free99
AADSAS does not use grade replacement, therefore both grades will be factored into your overall, science, and Bio/Chem/Physics GPA. I think whether you retake this course for a second time or just let it be depends on how your other grades are. If your grades otherwise are very strong (ie, mostly As) then I don't think these F/C- alone will be enough to disqualify you from consideration. If the F/C- is accompanied by a whole slew of mediocre grades (Bs and Cs) then I think you may want to do any/all of the following:
1. Crush the DAT (22AA+) 2. Enroll and excel in an SMP 3. Get a lot of relevant work experience to boost your application 4. Consider an alternative profession
Worried about a low GPA. 3.1-3.3
Right now, I have a pretty low GPA. Haven't taken the DAT yet, but am concerned about my grades and getting in to dental school. Do you know of any one that has gotten into a school with this similar GPA?
free99
Yes, but a low overall GPA needs to be supported by other factors - ie, a high BCP GPA, a very high DAT score (22-23AA+), and/or extenuating circumstances/fascintating experiences/life story. A low GPA with little else standing out on the application does not bode well for admission.
DAT scores
Hello All,
When applying for the DAT, I didn't select any schools to send my official scores too. I am under the impression that the official DAT scores will be automatically uploaded in 3-4 weeks on my AADSAS application by just providing the Dent-pin # on the AADSAS application or is this not the case? Can someone please guide me whether this is true or not as I'm unable to find information on whether the scores will be imported to my application or do I have to take some other way.Thank you.
free99
There is little value in selecting schools to which your DAT scores will be sent. They will be automatically uploaded to AADSAS and schools will be able to view them there. A select few schools will ask that your DAT scores be sent directly to them, at which point you'll need to send them individually to the tune of $37/per using the link below.
Is it too late to try out for dental school?
I graduated from 4 years university back in 2006 with bachelors of science (with low gpa mid 2.50 ish). After I graduated I worked at the dental clinic as a dental assistant for several years and I wanted to further my education in this field so I went to study abroad and got my master’s degree in preventive dentistry and public health with 3.9 gpa (out of 4.0) and successfully completed my thesis from 2nd best university in South Korea. After Master’s, I got married , had a baby and worked for several years to save money. I am still out of country for now but my desire to become a dentist has become very clear and I am planning to move back to the states where my home is. Realistically speaking, it’s been too long Since I graduated from college with low gpa but I am willing to retake any prerequisites if I need to and if I get high dat score, What are my chances to get admitted to any dental schools in the states? any comments or honest thoughts are all appreciated! Thank you
free99
This is complicated because you live and have studied abroad. You need to call schools you're interested in and ask their policy on foreign degrees. Many will not accept those credits, leaving you only with a US degree with a poor GPA. I think your best bet to get into a US dental school is to do a formal masters in biomedical sciences degree in the states and score very well on the DAT. This is a risky path, however, because the MBS degree offers no other job prospects other than making one a better applicant for professional school (MD, DDS, etc). I think this is overall a long risky path for someone who has a family to support. To be frank, I think it'd be wise to explore other career options.
Re-take physics 1 for admission into dental school?
I took physics 1 last semester and got a CR (credit) as a grade. I think dental schools require a letter grade for admission? I asked the physics department at my college if I could re-take the course and they said I can, but the new grade I receive will not be calculated in my GPA, it will just be visible on my transcript. So the question is, should I re-take physics 1, is it necessary to have a letter grade in order to apply to dental school?
Mr.Smile12
You would probably need to recheck with admissions offices at the schools you are applying to, but in general prerequisite classes must be taken with grades and not pass/fail. You'd probably plan to retake the class, but note that your application GPA will include the letter grade you earn even if your institutional GPA will not.
How does a BS/MS in Biotechnology help with my dental school application?
I am currently in a 4+1 program and I am considering applying to dental school after I graduate with my master's degree. One of the main reasons why I've decided to go into a master's program was to show dental schools that I have attempted (and hopefully achieved) to get better at the areas that I didn't do so well during my bachelors.
I have not yet taken the DAT, but I've done about 80 hours of dental shadowing. I am aiming to take the DAT by next year before I graduate with my master's degree.
So, even though my bachelor's GPA isn't as high as I would like it to be, if my master's GPA and DAT (plus research experience and more dental shadowing) are high, would that significantly help my dental school application?
Or would I have to either retake some bachelor's courses or go for a master's in oral health?
free99
I don't think a MS is biotechnology is as advantageous to an application as a special masters program (designed specifically to prove students can hack a medical curriculum after a lackluster undergrad performance). That said, If your masters program grades are very strong (close to a 4.0) and your undergrad GPA is only mediocre (3.0+) I don't think you should jump right into taking more undergrad courses. I would do your best to ace the DAT and try a round of applications to see if you get interviews. If you apply to many schools and do not get any responses then I think you may have to consider a SMP to prove yourself. Good luck!
What should I do based on my current stats?
Hello SDN community,
I am going to be taking a gap year applying to dental school. However, I want to know what I should do in the future based on my stats.
oGPA: 3.52 BCP GPA: 3.33 AA DAT: 24, nothing below a 20 Sci DAT: 24; nothing below a 20 100+ hours of shadowing general and pediatric dentist 1000+ hours of volunteering Varying hours of research, did participate in clubs Dropped one class, W
I'm mostly worried about my gpas and as a senior it's too late to improve it too significantly. I had a really bad sophomore year that ruined my gpa. If that sophmore year was removed my gpas would be significantly higher but that's life. I'm pretty sure I'll get into a dental school but I have high ambitions and want to get into my dream school which demand higher gpas. I rather not take a master's program because I'm a financial aid student and cannot afford it probably. I know most masters programs do not give out aid anyway.
Any thoughts and opinions are welcome, and thank you for your time!
Mr.Smile12
It's hard to tell without a complete view of your transcript and any geographic advantages you have for in-state consideration. On face value it doesn't appear that you are that far off from a solid application that could result in interviews at the right places. So if anything, I would network with current dental students and admissions staff over the next year, get your evaluation letters all lined up, and submit an early application next cycle.
September applicant, too late?
Hi guys, I’ve been feeling extremely anxious because I haven’t received any news from schools yet. I submitted most of my apps beginning of Sept but I still haven’t heard back so I added a few more schools within the last week.
I have a 3.6 science gpa and 3.74 overall gpa. 22AA, 21TS, 22 RC / none below 20. I’ve done some shadowing, worked as a dental assistant for about 1.5 years, and have research experience.
I applied to 13 schools (USC, UNLV, UOP, NYU, Tufts, Rutgers, Western U, Touro, Roseman, UCLA, Buffalo, OHSU, and Stony Brook).
Do you think I have a chance of getting in this cycle? Do you think it’ll increase my chances if I apply to more schools at this point or should I just prepare myself to reapply next cycle. Since it’s already nearing the end of October, I’m sure pre dec interviews are no longer attainable... I’m losing hope and really need some advice
Mr.Smile12
It's possible some of the schools that have larger classes and have later interview calendars might be able to pick you up, but your late application pretty much has put you at a disadvantage. I would keep contact with your high-priority schools on your list to make sure nothing is preventing you from getting your file reviewed if there are still interview spots open.
DAT retake & Interview
Hello, my name is Dona I took my DAT and got 19 AA 20 TS. I submitted my application and I have an interview in two weeks, now in my application I indicated that I will retake the DAT, because I got 15 on my QR now my question is, in the interview should I ask about retaking the DAT ? should I retake it no matter what ? or should I wait and see if they will ask me about it ?
Thank you so much.
Mr.Smile12
I don't know if it's worth you asking about whether you should retake the DAT if it's already scheduled. I'm also not sure if you should retake it since you already have an interview invitation on hand.
should i try for boston ?
so the boston uni has opened the application and they say that chances of getting the invitation is highest if application is submitted by sept 1. interview invitations will continue from oct 2018 to march 2019 and the deadline of the application is 31st dec 2018. Should i apply now or wait next year ??? please let me know .
Mr.Smile12
I suppose it depends on your metrics and if all your materials are ready to go (letters, DAT scores, transcripts verified). If it's a place where you want to go, why wouldn't you go ahead and submit? If it's not, then I'd wait.
chance me?
Hi, I am a urm (AA). sgpa: 2.4 overall gpa: 3.0 dat 19. total science: 19 shadowed: 100 hours volunteers: 100 hours great LOR. applied early (2nd week of june) to howard, meharry, tufts, LSU (my state school).
chance me? Should I complete a post bac or masters? Or just retake classes.
Mr.Smile12
It's not clear how many hours of science coursework you've taken and how rigorous it is. Certainly I would recommend a master's because you will need a structured, rigorous schedule and mentoring to show you are prepared.
Prerequisite Help?
Does anybody know what should I do with " 0/6 PREREQUISITES COMPLETE Match Prerequisites"? under the Professional Transcript Entry. Also, I submitted my application 10 days ago but only 3/14 schools received my application. I am so worried that I am late for application.
Mr.Smile12
Hopefully you actually have taken the prerequisites. I think this step is to identify which courses you have taken match those prerequisites. If you don't do it, many schools will just overlook your application because you either didn't take the required coursework or you're unable to follow directions.
10 years Dental assisting experience
I have been a dental assistant for 10 years. I am a non-traditional student and have been going to school off and on for 10 years as well. I have finally applied to dental schools but have a low gpa and low dat. What are the chances of getting an interview or even getting accepted?
Mr.Smile12
It's not clear where you are applying and whether you have in-state options, which would likely help you be considered for an interview. Low DAT won't help your application when there are similar non-traditional applicants who show they can test well in spite of a lower GPA due to a longer track record of coursework (science or non-science).
which short term courses I can do before enrolling into a dental school?
Which courses should I pursue while waiting from the dental colleges ? Will it help in increasing my chances to get admission or not ? I have heard people take up courses in MPH, certificate courses in infection control or emergency procedures, etc. Please help me out here as I want to utilize my time. Please share some links/ ideas if you think it will be useful for me .
Thanks.
Mr.Smile12
Most applicants really don't do anything special during the year of their application. Many are focused on their upper-level biomedical coursework, finishing research or capstone projects, or planning volunteering opportunities. There are many applicants who get some certification before they apply, like as a X-ray technician or dental assistant. But usually these are obtained before applying so that they can count that towards their dental experience.
PA to Dentistry?
I was a PA student and I left the program after a semester. I left because of multiple reasons, I did not have my heart set on becoming a PA and I only went into it because everyone told me it was a good idea, my gpa suffered because I was not motivated which pushed me to leave and find a career I am passionate about . I graduated with Bio major and psych minor from college with a 3.6 GPA and I am now applying to dental schools. Does anyone know of a dental student/ dentist who switched to dentistry from PA or any other field?
What are my chances of getting into dental school if I considered going into another profession when I was entering college? And should I go into detail of why I decided to switch in my PS?
mark-ER
Sure. You have pretty solid grades as undergrad, and you probably have most if not all the pre-reqs. It will probably take you a year to 'switch tracks' -- study and take the DAT, shadow some dentists and perhaps do some research, either in a school of dentistry or oral/maxilofacial surgery or ENT (whatever you like best) -- those activities should get you strong letters of support. People switch tracks all the time, no sweat!
Dental schools accepting community college credit
Recently I have learned that Tufts school of Dental Medicine does not accept any community college credit... My situation is that I graduated from Santa Fe College with my A.A and transferred to the University of Florida where I am currently working on my BS in nutrition. The pre reqs I completed at santa fe included Calc, Gen chem 1 & 2, and Bio 1& 2 (which were required to transfer to UF) The rest of my pre reqs I am taking at UF. Does this still apply even if I transferred and intend on graduating from a University with higher level science courses or is it if you possess any community college credit at all you won't be accepted? Could use some guidance! Thanks (:
Mr.Smile12
The best thing to do is to read through the requirements at Tufts. If they say they don't accept any required courses taken at community college, then they don't; you can confirm with them if that's the case. You can also see if any of your upper-level biomedical science courses (with a biology or similar prefix) could be used to satisfy the requirement.
Can I get into DDS schools with a 2.65 GPA (B.S)
I just graduated with a B.S. and my final GPA is a 2.65. Before you judge me hard core, let me give you some back ground. My mom passed away unexpectedly shortly after I transferred to university. My mom and I were very close and it was the most difficult thing I have ever been through emotionally. I decided to to take 19 hours the next semester to try to not think about how sad my life was and it made things worse because I failed many classes. On top of everything, I also have dyslexia... blah blah blah. I also have more than 6 years of dental experience and even started a nationally student run organization for pre-dents in my home state.
I will NEVER give up on being a dentist, I just want to know if can get in with that low of a GPA or What I should do.
Mr.Smile12
I won't say that it will be easy to get in with a cumulative GPA like that unless you show you can really excel at rigorous biomedical science courses now that you have gotten your life back together. Your excuses won't give you a pass unless they shape you into a stronger applicant and an outstanding dentist (later on). I would probably try to start over again since I'm not sure you could get into a postbac/master's program with that low of a GPA (but you should ask around).
Does an F grade in core science requirement and 2 c’s in other science class not allow me for medical profession
I have an F grade in my physics 2 class I plan to retake the physics class and get better grade and I have 2 c’s in my other science class, will I have any chance to get admitted for DO program?
tantacles
While these grades will make it difficult to get into medical school, as long as you do well in all of your other courses, you may still be able to do well in medical school. Your overall GPA will be a much more important piece of your application.
What do you suggest to improve my GPA
Hi Friends,
I have bachelor in Interior Architecture (2002-2006) GPA 3.20 and master of Architecture (2006-2008) from Europe. I was also PHD student in Architecture for 2 years 2013-2015 in Europe. Diplomas have been evaluated . I moved to Montreal and interested in studying Dentistry or pharmacy in Canada or US.
I have started prerequisite courses in Sep 2015 at university and some colleges level with a certificate in Science . I finished pre- requisite courses last year, but I repeated 2 courses from College in university to get a better grade. Overall passed 57 university credits and GPA 3.40.
I have chosen two wrong elective courses in my second semester (Philosophy and English ESL). I Failed philosophy and C for ESL. My grades for pre-request courses are: 2 gerenal biology A-, 2 general chemistry B and B+; Organic A+, cal 1 A- and cal2 A , physics mechanic A+ , electricity A- and Modern Physics B. I mostly got 4 courses or 12 credits/ per semester.
I recently accepted to study major in Biology for fall 2018 and I need 1.5 to 2 years to finish courses in biology. My studies will be more that 4 years and I don’t think that I can get admission .
What do you suggest me to do? Start a bachelor in another University or repeat my fail and ESL courses and continue major in same university?
Thank you
mark-ER
I am not an expert in admissions for Canada, but here are my 2 cents: one F won't sink you, though it would behoove you to repeat the course and ace it. Showing you can persevere and stick with it means a lot -- it may be a better course of action than jumping ship. That is unless there are some extenuating circumstances -- behavioral or personal issues with the professor who taught the English ESL class. You have already shown you can do well academically, architecture is NOT an easy subject matter. Finish up at your university, study extra hard for the standardized exam(s) and good luck with admissions and your career switch.
How to use the best out of my gap years
Hello, This is my first time asking a question here, and I wanted to get some opinions from you guys.
To begin with, I just graduated from a college and I was wondering what I could do during the gap years before I apply for 2019-2020 cycle.
Here is my spec fyi,
GPA: 3.42 sGPA: 3.30
Extracurricular activities - President/ international student association (senior yr) Volunteering - Medical global brigade (Honduras Nicaragua) 9 days - Washington Adventist Hospital 32hrs Total 86 hours
Shadowing -General Dentistry 312 hrs (spent 2 summer and 1 winter) - Orthodontic 16 hrs ( a month)
Research -Undergraduate researcher for senior year (2 semesters, took it as a class/3credits each)
So, I have a year to prepare before I apply,, I have not yet taken DAT, but planning on taking it by October. Meanwhile, I wanted to either work as a dental assistant or research assistant in an industry as an intern. But I am insecure about my GPA, so I also thought about going to Rutgers for Postbacc next spring.
What do you guys think? Thank you in advance.
Mr.Smile12
Depending on where you intend to apply to, your GPA's appear a little low, but it's not clear what major you pursued or what courses factored into the calculation. You should continue to do well with shadowing and volunteering whenever you can, but taking the DAT is going to be critical, as is maintaining relationships with those from whom you want to get evaluation letters. If you are thinking about a postbac/master's program, contact their program directors to see about their advice for you now.
any chance to explain situations before interviews?
Hi! i am about to start my junior year of college, and last semester I had a situation in my personal life that affected my grades. (long story short, i had a crazy friend who completely faked being suicidal, i invested all of my time trying to keep her from hurting herself, and ultimately my grades suffered significantly) I got all B's that semester and still have a 3.5 GPA, but my transcript shows an extreme downhill trend which I know is frowned upon when applying to dental school. So, my question is, is there any chance to explain a situation like this on an application/supplemental applications? I know I could explain it very well in an interview, but of course I would have to make it that far first (which is what I'm worried about).
any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you!!
Mr.Smile12
On the ADEA AADSAS application you have a prompt where you can explain any academic difficulties. That would probably be the best place to disclose this information. School -specific applications will depend on the school.
Early Interviews
Is it advantageous to interview on one of the first interview days or pretty early (August/September)? Do early interviews mean a better chance of acceptance?
Mr.Smile12
All US dental schools cannot extend offers until December 1. So any interviews you have in August/September vs. October/November count the same usually.
dental school requirement
Hi I took Physics 1 and got a c- but took physcs 2 and got a b+ does that mean i still have to retake physcs 1 so dental schools can accept the class
Mr.Smile12
In general, a C-minus does not count as a passing grade for many dental schools, so chances are you will need to retake it.
pre dental school gpa
Hello I just finished my first two years of college i got a b in chem1 a C in chem 2 a C in physics 1 a B in phyics 2 An A in organic chemistry 1 and 2 An A in Bio 2 And Anatomy 2 a C- first then retook calc and got an A an A in microbiology An A in english 1 and 2 and i was wondering if Those Cs will show off badly on schools and if i can still can get into dental school.
Mr.Smile12
While grades alone are not going to prevent you from getting into dental school, having a consistent academic history of generally average performance in undergraduate isn't going to help you. All grades are calculated in the application, including retakes. You may want to talk with some admissions counselors about your situation and your prehealth advisor on campus for ideas.
Am I a failure??? Advice on GPA 57 hours in 3 semesters Bios major
So, I was homeschooled. After 2 years of doing nothing traditionally with my life (18-20 until at 19 my own dental issues sparked my passion for dentistry) I began college. First at a community college where all my credits transferred to match my university goal Sept 2017 to Dec 2017 with 20 credits (ENG1, COM, PHIL,PSY,MTH,CHM). Sadly life happened in between( car accident involving my only parent and myself) so I ended up with a C (79.8) in an intro chm. After learning the game I realized I shouldn't have taken the final and should have attempted an incomplete but I knew no one to give such advice. I transferred to University in the spring but blinded by ambition I didn't realize life still hadn't finished playing out (As the spring semester went on I ended up overenrolled, bankrupt as in filed for bankruptcy, homeless both my parent and myself evicted). I took 27 hours including two university bios, a history class, anthropology, psychology, and general chemistry 1. The GPA remained my average 3.40. I realize in accelerating my education it affects GPA in that sense but after the summer I sit at 57 hours and I plan to do 20 in the fall and 12 in the spring to study for the DAT. Am I a failure? Is there hope for me as far as ever getting an interview and accepted. I feel very beat down at this half mark :( I need advice with what to truly do boost extra curriculars? (I was an assistant for 8 months in general and have begun a job at my dream dental college assisting as well)
Mr.Smile12
I'm going to ask an obvious question: why dentistry?
It sounds to me like you actually need a plan and a lot of mentoring/support. Getting into any professional school involves a lot of hard work with courses, but you have to be motivated to pursue dentistry. Motivated enough to have sought out mentors who are dentists, science professors, prehealth advisors, and peers who can help cheer you on along with your family. You mention only some experiences at the end, but it doesn't really take a lot to be involved with extracurricular activities as long as you want to do so.
You've had a lot of troubles that have come your way. What you haven't told us is how you have overcome those setbacks and how that would make a difference in how you would take care of your patients and run a practice. At some point you will need to take responsibility for all of those things and make them part of who you are and who you will become in order to take a meaningful step to a health professional career.
Pre-dental first year gpa advice?
Hi guys! So I just finished my first year of college. I have a 2.8 GPA overall. I know it's bad, but the first semester I had a 2.644 and second semester I got a 2.97. My grades first semester were: Spanish, 4credits (A), Bio (4 credits, B-), Chem (4 credits, C), Precalc(4 credits, C-). Second semester (Bio B+), Chem B, Calc D+(ouch), Women in gender studies (B), English A. So as you can see, my grades besides math did improve, but i want to know if i should continue my pre-dental studies. next semester, i will be taking two spanish classes, psych, physiology, and orgo. Please give me advice for those. Also, if i can a 3.7. for the next 4 semester what would my overall gpa be, how about the next 6. i want to attend howard or meharry. I may retake calc just not at my school. Please help
Mr.Smile12
Set up a meeting with your prehealth advisors on your campus because they would be able to answer your questions best (highest possible GPA, courses you have to take, alternate choices if you decide to opt to pursue another career path). You have to pay attention to being able to graduate with your preferred degree in addition to your prerequisites for dental school, so you have to know what you have to do to balance both of those concerns.
Do I Need To Retake Physics 1?
I took physics 1 this year, but was not sure if I was going to pass, so I ended up signing a credit/no-credit form for the class, which gave me a credit as the final grade. The credit translates to a grade of C in my case, but does not get calculated into my GPA. Do I need to retake physics 1 in order to get a letter grade for admission into dental school?
mark-ER
I am almost 99% sure this also holds for dental schools (please talk to your pre-health adviser to confirm), but for medical school the answer would be YES, you do need to retake the required pre-req course for a grade. One pass/fail or withdrawal is OK, but do your best, try to get at least a B+.
Do I need to retake my c- at a cc for a prerequisite class if I decide to do a postbacc/masters program before dental school?
So I have a c- in inorganic chem and I know that c- grades (especially for prerequisites) are not accepted by dental schools. However, if I choose to do a masters degree/postbacc such as the Master of Science in Medical Science (MSMS) at western university or another similar program, could I just apply with the c- in my undergrad with my updated postbac gpa?
Mr.Smile12
In general, you must demonstrate you have passed your prerequisite courses, so yes, you probably will have to take that course again and pass. Work with your postbac advisors about this issue.
Pre-Dental Student
Hey guys,
I need some help. I attended Broome Community College my freshman year of college and got a 3.2 and transferred into Binghamton. My GPA restarted in Binghamton at a zero. I am going into my second at Binghamton University as a neuroscience major. My GPA is pretty shitty I went through a lot my first semester and I got a 1.59. I was able to bring that up second semester to a 2.2 and now I am determined to get all A and A-'s for the rest of my three years here. But unfortunately I think the highest my GPA could go with all A and A- is like a 3.0-3.2. I want to get into a decent dental school. I have started studying for my DAT exam and am aiming for a 20- 22 I also have experience shadowing a dentist and some extra curricular activities for my resume.
Will I get into any dental school at all? Should I do anything more to make myself stand out more as a student
Mr.Smile12
I would never say "never" unless you decide not to pursue it. That said, you're going to have to work really hard and put the right priorities in order. Start by finding your university health professions advisor (prehealth advisor) and talk about your situation. You may have to have a longer-term plan than most other applicants, but anything you do to show you can handle challenging biomedical coursework, have a sincere and deep dedication to working in dentistry as a means to help others, and develop strong study and time management skills that will help you now and in the future... you should put in all your effort to make it happen. You don't need to be a dentist to be part of the industry, but you need to know why being a dentist overrides being a hygienist or other health care provider that might be able to pay you sooner without the massive debt of a four-year dental education.
Pre-dental path
Hi! I’m an incoming freshman in ECU and I’m going to a pre-dental pathway. I know I’m still a freshman and there is still a long way to go, but can someone give me any type of advice to be successful?
Mr.Smile12
If you are at East Carolina University, the first thing I would do is talk to the admissions folks at the dental school there, then students, and then your prehealth advisors or predental club members. They'll definitely help you with the local opportunities when you are on campus. Otherwise, ADEA has the GoDental resource that you should be using faithfully.
Question about dental school application
Hi I am an US citizen but born and raised in Cuba. Im currently doing my Bachelors at FIU in Miami and wanted to know if Puerto Rico is a viable dental school for me since I am a bit confused about the applications and requirements for Puerto Rico Dental School. PS: I did my DAT once and got 18 science average. However, I dont have any dental classes because I come from a Spanish speaker country. I have a GPA of 3.74 and i have an associate in arts from Miami Dade College. My Spanish and English are fluent. I also have 80 volunteer hours in a children hospital and extensive shadowing. Choosing a dental school to apply is extensively exhausting and brain consuming. Any advice/help is highly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Mr.Smile12
You should contact the admissions staff at the dental school in Puerto Rico, or at least look up their profile in the ADEA Official Guide / Dental School Explorer. You may want to also check about their current state of resources for preclinic and clinic opportunities for students. The island infrastructure still seems to be a concern, and you want to be sure the School is in a good position to train you.
Studying for the DAT/In a weird place right now
Hi everyone! I am going to be starting my junior year this August. I want to start preparing for the DAT so I can apply to the June 2020 cycle. I have taken all the classes for my DAT besides organic chem, so I'd like to start preparing from now so I don't get stressed out with a time crunch.
I have maintained a good GPA my freshman and sophomore year and hope to continue doing that, my concern right now is doing well on my DAT as well as finding a research opportunity of some sort. I have about 80 shadowing hours currently, and would like to earn 200+.
I would love some advice on how I should study for the DAT and what books or system I should use to do so. I will have most of my summer 2019 off to study for it thoroughly.
Thanks a lot!
Mr.Smile12
I would start even at this stage to consider taking a practice DAT and become familiar with the exam. Then I'd focus on passing my organic chemistry class so I'm confident I can do well on the organic chemistry section. As for preparing for the DAT now, see what your practice exam results tell you, and maybe consider some help with the PAT if that's not a problem. There's an entire forum section about preparing for the DAT that you can get advice from.
What are the chances of getting into dental school with these stats? 3.26Overall, 3.07BCP, 2.98 Science, 20DAT, 100+shadowing hrs
Played baseball for 2 years, but decided to start focusing on school. Upward trend from sophomore to end of junior year. From Bs and Cs to all As. Strong LOR.
Mr.Smile12
In general your science performance needs some added detail from just your GPA, but you have to show you can consistently get high marks in your upper-level science classes and in a rigorous schedule. Your DAT and shadowing hours seem okay but not extraordinary to make you noticed outside of maybe in-state applicants. In general, you need to seek the advice of your health professions advisors on campus and some admissions officers to give you more guidance to move forward and prepare a solid application.
Should I retake the DAT? 19 AA 18 TS Any advice welcome!
Hey guys I am new to SDN and I took the DAT in January and I still don't know how I feel about my scores. I held off on applying this cycle so I will apply next cycle in case I want to retake the DAT. I have 50% of people saying I should retake and the others say I shouldn't. Please help! Here's a breakdown of my scores. I currently have a 3.75 GPA with around 3.6+ science GPA.
GC: 18 OC: 18 Bio: 19 RC: 22 QR: 20 PAT: 18
Mr.Smile12
This will depend on the schools you are most attracted to that you feel you fit best with. That said, most schools advise applicants to set 20+ DAT scores as a goal, especially the major scores of AA, PAT, and SCI. You definitely have a solid enough GPA that suggests you could score in the 20's.
Should I do a masters to bolster my application?
Salutations,
As for some brief background info, I am currently a senior majoring in Public Health Science at UMD. I will be taking an extra semester to finish my courses and will be graduating Fall 2018. I have been in limbo for most of college unsure of what I really wanted to do and as a result, my grades as well as extracurriculars are a bit lackluster. I am sitting right above a 3.0 overall GPA and yet to take the DAT. I do have a lot of clinical experience as I've been working on and off during school breaks at a hometown dental office.
Given my current state, I've kind of accepted that I will have to take the non-traditional route to dental school. I'm strongly considering pursuing a masters and further work on boosting my application.
Is this a viable/realistic path or am I just wasting my time/money. I would greatly appreciate some guidance and suggestions!
Mr.Smile12
It's not clear that you've taken prerequisites courses to help you prepare for the DAT or upper-level biomedical science classes that could help show you would be a strong candidate for a master's postbac program. As for your extracurriculars, some dental schools will value your commitment to serving the community, so that's an additional concern. I would connect with your undergraduate institution's prehealth advisor office to talk about your non-traditional route to dental school and things you need to show in a future application that you are truly dedicated to a dental professional career.
Pre Dental Help?
Hi all, I just graduated with chemical Engineer and my GPA is around 3.8/4.0. I would like to switch to Dentistry. However, I have some limitations
I don't have any experience with Biology at all. Morover, I have never had shadowed any where at dental office or any other places ralated to medical fields. In addtion, I have taken all my requirment science classes at community college not 4-year University.
I am planning to do master in Chemistry while working on DAT since I don't want any gap year on my resume. Do you guys think I am wasting my time on Master Degree or should I just work as a pharmacy technician/tutor while working on DAT ?
Thank you all !!
Mr.Smile12
I think you've pointed out your glaring deficiencies, so you need to focus on them. Your priority should be to shadow at a dentist's office to know if this is really what you want to do for the rest of your life. You ultimately will need some biology coursework as some dental schools will require you to take microbiology, biochemistry, or physiology. Having a gap year or so in this case won't be a problem for you since you have to get your coursework in order so that you can take the DAT.
Deciding what dental schools to apply to
Is there a recommended number of "safety" and "reach" schools that pre-dental students should apply to?
Thanks so much!
Mr.Smile12
In general, the average applicant applies to 10 schools. It depends on where you live to label any school a "safety" as some schools may give in-state applicants an advantage.
Above average GPA/Below average DAT - Chances of being emitted
Hello,
I recently took my DAT and didn’t do as well as I was hoping. I will be applying to dental school this summer and I was just wondering what everyone thinks my chances of being admitted are. I have a 3.89 GPA and my DAT scores were: AA18/PAT19/TS17. I have 400+ hours of dental experience and 300+ hours of volunteer experience. I also have been doing research dealing with oral healthcare in underserved populations. There aren’t any dental schools in my state so I will be an out-of-state applicant regardless of where I apply. The two things that make me most skeptical are my DAT score and being an out of state resident.
My schools of consideration are: U of Minn U of Neb med center Creighton U of Colorado Midwestern (AZ) AT still (AZ) UNC chapel hill, LECOM Nova Southeastern Oregon Health and Science University U of Washington U of New England (Maine)
I appreciate any feedback!! Thanks!
Mr.Smile12
Every school is going to review your application with different weights for GPA or DAT in context of your overall application. Some may be very skeptical of an applicant with such a low science DAT subscore (for example) even if your grades were fantastic; and others may actually be more likely to disregard the score if they like your transcript.
You should be able to determine whether your state has agreements with any dental schools so that you receive something similar to in-state consideration. Not all of them do or will, but it should be general knowledge (in the ADEA Official Guide).
Supporting Information' Section of ADEA AADSAS Application
I am filling out the ADEA AADSAS application which can be submitted as early as June 5th. In the 'Supporting Information' section there are several subsections to fill out. These include: Experiences, Achievements, Licenses, and Personal Statement. It is my understanding that these sections change throughout the years. My question is, what should be included in the Experiences subsection? It is written to list employment, internships, and volunteer experiences. What about academic enrichment programs? Where would this information fall? Is this a broad section open to interpretation as to what you deem important as an experience? Thank you!
Mr.Smile12
The instructions describe the five different types of experiences you should list as Academic Enrichment, Dental Shadowing, Employment, Extracurricular, Research, and Volunteer. The descriptions are found there: http://www.adea.org/uploadedFiles/GoDental/The_Application_to_Dental_School_ADEA_AADSAS/2018ADEAAADSASInstructions_4.2017.pdf .
Supporting Information' Section of ADEA AADSAS Application
I am filling out the ADEA AADSAS application which can be submitted as early as June 5th. In the 'Supporting Information' section there are several subsections to fill out. These include: Experiences, Achievements, Licenses, and Personal Statement. It is my understanding that these sections change throughout the years. My question is, what should be included in the Experiences subsection? It is written to list employment, internships, and volunteer experiences. What about academic enrichment programs? Where would this information fall? Is this a broad section open to interpretation as to what you deem important as an experience? Thank you!
Mr.Smile12
The instructions describe the five different types of experiences you should list as Academic Enrichment, Dental Shadowing, Employment, Extracurricular, Research, and Volunteer. The descriptions are found there: http://www.adea.org/uploadedFiles/GoDental/The_Application_to_Dental_School_ADEA_AADSAS/2018ADEAAADSASInstructions_4.2017.pdf .
Shadowing Hours
Hi guys! I am applying this cycle for dental school. I have really good dental volunteering hours. I also do research at my undergraduate school thru the College of Dentistry. DAT: 20 AA, 21 TS. Overall GPA: 3.4 Science GPA: 3.0
I recently started shadowing beginning of May. I am currently shadowing 2 dentists. But I only have racked up like 15 hours so far. Should I submit my app even if I do not have at least 50 hours of shadowing? I'm taking a gap year and just got hired to work as a dental assistant at a practice, which is why I did not shadow during my undergrad time.
Let me know your thoughts. THANK YOU
Mr.Smile12
There's not much you can do since you've pretty much started off shadowing dentists. That said, you presumably will continue to add hours throughout the summer, and some programs may have you update your hours in their secondary applications later on. Your GPA's do seem a bit low, so you may be able to afford taking your time to submit (maybe not in early June but later in July when you have a few more hours to "document").
I also think that you may want to wait because you want a strong letter from your dentist (for some schools), and you would want to know about how many hours your dentist would feel comfortable with you working before submitting a strong letter. That will help you with a timeline to submit your application.
Taking all my prerequisites at CC
My first degree is Philosophy which I got from a foreign institution. But I am Registered Nurse now which I got from University in the States here. I did an Accelerated Bachelors in Nursing program. I work full time and married with a child. I am currently taking all my prerequisites at a community college and worried that it may affect admission. I took GC 1& 2 this past spring 8wks classes and made B's. It's been had juggling work, family and school and I worried I may not even make A's in my remaining classes. Do you think I still have a chance at getting in?
Mr.Smile12
Depending on your life situation, you may want to talk to programs that are closest to you and your family and ask them this question. They should be able to advise you on taking upper-level coursework and doing well in those courses at a community college or four-year institution.
Social Anxiety and Dental School
Hi! So I'm a junior in college and will be applying to dental schools soon but I've been struggling a lot socially and just want to know if I'm on the right track still. I've wanted to be a dentist ever since I was first asked what I wanted to be when I grow up but over the years I've developed low confidence and struggle with talking to people. I know that communication skills have to be excellent to be a dentist which is why this worries me so much and was wondering if it's something I will develop or if I have to be born with it and if it needs to come naturally.
Thank you
Mr.Smile12
Very few skills ever come naturally, and all skills never improve without practice. This is especially true of dentistry, and that's why there is so much focus in your preclinical labs and your clinic experience. But to this end, I hope you have had a chance to work with others socially. Small-group work is common in dental school and beyond, and your ability to convey confidence in yourself is key to establishing patient-doctor rapport and trust. I would hope that you have taken advantage of free (i.e., you paid for them) resources for your wellness and other psychological services on your campus. You may not have a clinical problem, but you might gain some insight or advice on how to work through it.
Which dental schools should I apply to?
I am a re applicant from last year and I have a oGPA: 3.42 and sGPA: 3.15, and a 19AA DAT. I am attending Midwestern's Master's program hoping to boost my GPA in August. I am retaking the DAT in hopes to increase my score. I have more shadowing opportunities than last year and more work experience and volunteering.
As far as my stats go what schools should I be prioritizing applying to? I am from Southern Californa and would love to stay here if possible but open to anywhere as long as its a school I have a chance of getting into.
Mr.Smile12
Hopefully in your position, you have had a chance to connect with dental students at other schools, not to mention admissions staff at the schools where you seem to want to go to. You have a chance with the ADEA GoDental Virtual Fair (5/24/2018) where many admissions officers from around the country will be available online. But the predental resources in the ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools (the sections before the school profiles) should also help you come up with some questions to help you prioritize where you want to go.
What can I do to strengthen my dental school application?
Hello! In high school, I participated in a dual enrollment program with a community college. I have done all my pre-reqs with this community college including general chemistry and biology, with all As. (and graduated with an Associates) Not planning on attending a prestigious dental school due to financial reasons- the schools I am looking into accepts CC credits. With that being said, my plan is to graduate from university in 2 years (to save money), and then go to dental school after that.
Since I technically completed my first two years of college while in high school, I was wondering how my application can be strengthened since I was not able to be part of "college life" for 2 years? (ex. I was not able to join ASDA) What kinds of activities do you recommend in order to make the most of my two years at university since I technically use one to apply for dental school? Would I be able to include the activities I participated in during high school?
Thanks so much for any feedback you can provide! I sincerely appreciate it.
Mr.Smile12
Activities won't matter as much as you could find strong support from professors and prehealth advisors to help you with your academic preparation and letters later on. Your peers at your college should be able to also give you insight of activities they commonly participate in, but without a strong support network, you're going to find it a bit more challenging to get a strong application out when you're ready.
AADSAS Transcript Entry and Program Materials for Schools Prerequisites HELP!!!
I entered all the pre-requisites for certain dental schools; however, in the program materials section on AADSAS, the section states incomplete and that I have not yet put in courses that fulfill prerequisites? What is the issue? I went back several times to see what I was missing, but I can't seem to find the problem! Help please!
Mr.Smile12
I would connect with ADEA AADSAS with your questions directly to help you problem-solve. (They were online yesterday during the ADEA GoDental Virtual Fair day 5/23/2018.)
Pre Requisites done by Grad but not Apps
Hi, I am a junior about to be a senior in the fall. I started late on the pre dental track and will finish all requirements by graduation but not by the time of the application cycle early "deadline". I am taking my DAT soon and have everything else in line but like i said am missing a few pre reqs before applications are due. I plan on applying over the summer for the 2019 cycle. I will be finishing my biology requirements this coming Fall and in the Spring finishing Organic Chemistry 2 with the lab.
So, in all i am missing (3 hrs bio and 4 hours Ochem). I am wondering if this will affect my application in a drastic way / will it hinder being considered for acceptance?
Mr.Smile12
There's nothing wrong with planning on an application for the next cycle. You're competing against applicants who will have everything in and will get selected before your file because you might be lacking prerequisites. Don't rush getting a strong application.
Would I be considered for an interview?
Hi! I recently took my DAT and scored 19 in sciences, however my AA was 17 due to Math and Reading since English is my second language. I have a 3. 98 GPA, Do you consider I should apply? I am thinking on retaking before this cycle deadline but still apply early. what would you recommend me?
Thanks!
Mr.Smile12
If you have a chance to retake your DAT because you know you could have done better, I would consider it. As it stands I think your DAT scores don't put you in a group that may be highly desired in the early rounds of interviewing, but as long as you have a solid DAT result, you should still be a pretty strong candidate for consideration.
Dental Hygiene OR Nursing then apply to Dental School?
Heres my background:
I just graduated from undergrad as a Public Health major with hopes of going to dental school. After working as a dental assistant since my junior year in high school, I planned to take the classes needed to get into dental school.
Freshman year-
Fall Semester-
Gen Bio I with Lab: C Gen Chem I with Lab: D
Spring Semester
Gen Bio 2 with Lab: C
Summer 2015
retook Gen Chem I with Lab: C+
Sophomore Year ---Fall Sem Gen Chem 2 with Lab: C ---Spring Sem Organic Chem 1: F ---Summer 2016 Organic Chem 1: F ...again
So after a brutal, 2 years, I decided to stop taking sciences, continue on with my Public Health degree and reevalaute my career options. However, after a summer of interning at a community health center, my mind kept on going back to dentistry. Therefore, I decided that I will deal with my remaining pre-reqs after graduation.
So here I am, a fresh college graduate and I wholeheartedly and passionately still want to continue my dreams in becoming a dentist. Clearly, I still need to take Orgo 1 & 2 with labs and Physics 1 & 2 with labs. There has been a back and forth deciding if I should just close the door on dentistry, but I cannot stop thinking about it and many tears were shed.
I decided I should establish a career for myself then finish up my remaining pre-reqs.
Fortunately, $$ is not an issue for me on why I'm deciding to delay taking my remaining pre-reqs, but I want to establish a career first just in case I don't get into dental school.
With all of that being said, would matriculating into a dental hygiene program OR a nursing program for the next 2 years be a good route? Then once I finish these programs, I can finish up my pre-reqs and try my chances at dental school?
Mr.Smile12
My own opinion is to take a deep look at your situation and your choices. There's no problem if you're trying to get into the dental profession, and getting a dental hygiene degree may be a great way to get their more quickly. Dentistry may be an option for you after a few years of working on the job but you're right that you have to take a serious effort retaking your prerequisites. But you're probably going to have to start again from scratch and really show some dramatic improvement (as in no more C's or worse) if you want to give yourself a chance.
I withdrew from Orgo the first time and received a C- the second time, can I get accepted into dental school?
Hi all! So here is my situation: I'm a junior at UF with a 3.1 Overall GPA wanting to apply to dental school after graduating (I'll be taking a gap year) and I'm really struggling with organic chemistry and Physics 2. The first time I took orgo, I withdrew because I failed the first 2 exams. The second time I took orgo, I still had a hard time grasping the material and passed right on the edge with a C-. I know that once you withdraw from a class, the second time you take it, it's good to receive an A but unfortunately, that didn't happen for me. With Physics 2, it was my first time taking the course and I failed it (D+). I'm planning on retaking it next Summer. Should I retake orgo in the future before applying to dental school? Would dental school still consider my application? Any advice would be great(: Thank you!!
Mr.Smile12
I would presume you would ask these questions to admissions officers and perhaps other dental students. As it stands, if any admissions committee reviews your application, the difficulty you have had in required coursework is going to make a difference. I would ask your prehealth advisors at your institution for their insight about what you can do.
Masters or post-bacc better for sGPA 2.76 & AADSAS oGPA 3.0?
I recognize with massive clarity that I'm in a horrible situation, and I'd really appreciate some advice. I've finally mostly, gotten past the sad stage and now I just want to improve.
My first 2.5 years of uni were a disaster, I went through a pretty rough time due to major financing scares and family things that really threw me off my plans, and it led me into a rut. I didn't know many other peers that also wanted to apply to dental school, and for some reason it felt very difficult to find mentors or resources that would help me on my pre-dental track. Now that I'm finally finding resources or programs, I'm finding that I'm too late to apply to them or I'm no longer eligible due to various reasons.
But with my grades I was able to create an upwards trend, especially in my senior year (not that, that means much) for my biology degree. My senior year I got nearly all A's (& a couple Bs) that pushed my sub 3.0 to a 3.0. Technically my cumulative "transcript" gpa is a 3.24 but that's with the classes that I retook omitted from my GPA, whereas my oGPA (that the aadsas app would calculate) including those retaken classes (as in the 1st and 2nd attempt), is actually a 3.0, and my sGPA is a 2.76, while BCP is 2.5.
Since I graduated I've been working for a year at a dental focused lab full-time as a research assistant, and I'm about to take my DAT soon. I've volunteered ~200 hours so far and I've done a small course that teaches some hands on dental techniques. I was previously advised to take a masters, which I was going to apply for this year. However, recently, a couple or people advised that since my sGPA is so low, I should actually do a post-bacc instead, because apparently a masters doesn't mean much? I was wondering how valid that assumption is? However, since I was so focused on the masters option, all the post-bacc apps have literally just closed this past month, so I've pretty much missed my chance this year. Does it seem more beneficial to wait till next year to try for the post-bacc or is it worth it to continue on with my original plan to apply for a masters, since those apps open earlier around september?
I mainly would like to know why a post-bacc or masters would be better? I've contacted some admissions asking about undergrad gpa cutoffs and masters gpa considerations but I've gotten some mixed signals. I'm willing to spend the time, the debt, the years, but I also want to be efficient/smart about planning for it, so I look forward to any advice you have! If possible I was also wondering if anyone knows what the hard cutoffs are for undergrad GPAs that dental schools have? Thanks in advance!
Mr.Smile12
Your advisors who have access to your transcript would be in a better position to advise you. Obviously you're acting a bit late if you're trying to find something for this fall semester. You would probably be in a better position to be admitted to a master's/graduate program for the next cycle after you focus on getting a very strong DAT score.
Started off my post-bacc poorly, will I be admitted into dental school?
I started a post bacc program a couple of years ago and unfortunately it has not gone well. My undergrad gpa was a 3.14 but currently my post bacc gpa is way below that. It’s now to the point where I’m currently on academic probation and I can start classes again this fall. My question is, if I start up again in the fall and retake the classes I did poorly in (received 2 Fs) and get nothing but A’s in all of my pre reqs, will dental schools consider me still? I received 2 Fs because I’m also working full time and I experienced some tragedies during those classes but I know I can do well in them. Is it worth me sticking it out at this school or just transferring to another school for a fresh start? I know I can ace the DAT as well, but I want to know if schools will even take me serious due to those F’s I received. I should also mentioned one of the classes I already retook and I only received a D, so I will have to take it again. Is it possible for me to be accepted even if I get my grades up to all A’s?!
Mr.Smile12
If the reason why you are doing a postbac is to show you can handle more challenging coursework, then yes, C's or worse in postbac coursework is going to hurt any application unless there is really a good reason. Some schools may overlook the early problems, but you need to have some conversations with your advisors in your postbac program and admissions officers.
Help with applying/chance me
I am planning to apply to dental school and was wondering if my application will be competitive enough? I will be graduating from my university in a few weeks, and applying at the beginning of June (taking a gap year). I plan to be working in a lab and continuing my community service during my time off. I am also planning to apply very broadly. I am a VA resident. Thank you in advance!
-I am a white female -Major: Biology -GPA: 3.6 overall, 3.5 sGPA -DAT score: 20 AA, 19 TS, 19 PAT -about 150 hours of shadowing -about 50 hours of community service (I know its a little on the low side) -have had several leadership roles in clubs as an undergrad -involved in various clubs as an undergrad -did research for two years at my university
Mr.Smile12
Your chances will always depend on where you are applying. In general your profile looks good but not great, but you may get a few interviews early on. You should have already networked with a number of admissions officers and current dental students to give you confidence and support.
Taking some basic math classes at a community college
So I currently am a freshman now going to be a sophomore at The University of Detroit Mercy and I have a question about dental school admissions. I plan to take 2 math classes this semester at a community college to catch up on my math because I a currently behind (intermediate algebra and trigonometry). I plan to take both in the summer at a community college but I have 2 questions. Will dental schools look down upon taking these two classes here and if I just get a C and do the bare minimum will dental school look at my grades from them as they don’t transfer to the school for my Gpa only the credits do. These will be my only 2 classes taken at a community college the rest will be taken at my university. Any advice and tips? My current GPA is a 3.79
Mr.Smile12
You should check with admissions officers regarding your question about taking math classes at a community college. I suspect there are some that really don't care unless they are prerequisites. They will definitely care if you only decide to skate by with C's, given that you have a solid GPA.
How important is research for research schools like Harvard, UCLA, UCSF etc.
Hello, I am a junior planning to graduate this quarter. I have the option to stay an extra year and finish an independent research project, take more classes to potentially improve my GPA by 0.1 if I get all A's. And, work as a tutor. I can develop a potentially better relationship with my PI and other professors. Is this worth it, or would it be worthwhile to finish my studies and start working at a dental office for a full year? I am applying to Dental school next cycle, so next year. My goal is to get into Harvard or UCLA Dental. My current GPA is a 3.62 cum, and 3.4 BCP. I have average volunteering experiences. I have yet to take the DAT but my prognostic exam indicated a 22. Is the difference between 3.62 and 3.74 significant enough to warrant an extra year of study and time investment. Thank you!!!!!
Mr.Smile12
It really depends on the schools where you are applying because some will focus more on your science/BCP GPA rather than your overall GPA. I'm not sure if it's significant to raise your overall GPA as much as it might be for your BCP/Science. I will say if your goal is to get to Harvard, then you better go for finishing off with a high overall GPA in general (above 3.70 perhaps).
DAT
I'm finding mixed answers in regards to skipping around on the PAT. I want to know if it's possible to jump to any question you want without hitting the skip button a bunch of times? On all my practices I start at hole punch (Question 46) go till the end, then jump back to question 1 and go till 45. This helps me tremendously in timing each section bc I can blaze through Hole Punch, Cubes, pattern Folding and have 38-40 minutes for Keyholes, TFE & angles (which I really need).
Mr.Smile12
Your question may be best answered in the DAT forums since you're really asking about the nuts and bolts of the exam itself. It would help you having a practice test that can be administered online, and I think Kaplan may have a practice test they administer online (for marketing purposes?).
Question about have W on transcript
I am currently enrolled in a calculus based physics course, and I am doubting whether I can pass it or not. I want to withdraw and take an algebra based physics course, because I feel I will do significantly better (B+ to A). Do I need calculus based physics for dental school? How will a W grade look on my application?
Mr.Smile12
Most dental schools are fine with algebra-based physics. That said, a withdraw grade on your transcript may raise a little concern, but you should check with admissions officers to know if they could understand your rationale. (Of course, the question that you'd have to ask is why you took the calculus-based physics class in the first place.)
Can I take all my pre-reqs at a CC?
I'm a third year undergrad at a four year university and I also attend a local community college. I'm doing a humanities degree at my four year and taking all of my dental school pre-reqs at community college. I spent my freshman year of college taking gen chem and bio at the four year and was getting really bad grades.(between 2.0-2.5) Ever since I started taking classes at community college I've been getting much better grades(between 3.6-4.0) and I've had more time to be involved with extracurriculars. My freshman year I only spent time studying and was not getting good grades. Going to community college has given me time to volunteer a lot, get published in research, make connections/do research for professors at a top dental school, attend dental conferences, and be much more involved with dentistry. I know that there's obviously people who are even more involved with me in extra stuff outside of academics and are getting straight A's in their prereqs that they take at a four-year. I know that some schools don't accept CC credits at all and that I'm making myself less competitive with my situation. However, are my chances of getting into dental school that do accept CC credits completely nonexistent because of this? Is it okay to tell dental schools that I wanted to have more time to involve myself with research and volunteering and that's why I didn't take my requirements at a four year? I'm also taking the DAT this summer and spending three months straight on that so hypothetically if I get a very competitive DAT score would that balance out my situation for pre-reqs? Thank you in advance and sorry for such a long post!
Mr.Smile12
While you could probably take your prerequisites at a community college, the applicant pool is full of applicants who did all their prerequisites and upper-level biomedical classes at a four-year institution that your file may easily be overlooked unless you show you are able to handle a heavier, more rigorous course load at a four-year school. The chief concern for most dental schools is whether you can truly handle the course load that would be equivalent to at least 20-30 semester hours each semester (most undergraduate schedules are 12-15 semester hours in value). Some schools may accept a higher DAT score as an affirmation of your preparation for dental school but you will likely have to address an admissions committee's concerns on whether your GPA was inflated because your rigor wasn't as strong compared to other applicants they review.
pre dental academic enhancement post bacc program at southern California
Hello, I'm researching for an academic enhancement pre-dental post bacc program in southern California. I'm choosing between UCLA extension, USC open university, and UC Irvine open university. I would appreciate any advice/suggestion you can provide about these programs and how to make a decision. Also, I have read some negative reviews about UCLA extension program; students were complaining about not being helped well by the advisors to choose their classes. I would like to know if that has been the case so far about the program, and if so, is there any alternative way to get help for educational plan and find right classes in the program?
Mr.Smile12
Probably the best information would come from the forums under postbac programs, but it's up to your preferences for learning style and supportive community that I think would be important. I cannot really comment regarding any specific programs and any challenges therein.
How can I strengthen my application??
So, as of now I am a sophomore in undergrad looking to apply to dental school.
I'm a volunteer EMT (I respond to calls when I am on break from school) and I've been doing this since the beginning of undergrad, so its safe to say I have 2000+ hours in this. (Volunteer/Clinical Experience)
I have 240 hours in the lab for research
I am practically bilingual in Spanish
I tutor in Biology classes and Composition classes
I'm in the process of arranging a shadowing deal with a dentist this summer
I will be a Resident Assistant next year (leadership)
What I am absolutely PETRIFIED about is my GPA. Right now, I sit at a 3.2 with a C+ in 1st semester gen chem (2nd semester B+) and a C+ in 1st semester Orgo (2nd semester TBD).
1st semester Freshman year --> 3.3 2nd semester Freshman year --> 3.7 1st semester sophomore year --> 2.6!
My GPA has been a struggle, but last semester was really rough!! So far, I am doing a lot better in my classes this semester, but I am scared that I am going to have a repeat of last semester!
And I'm wondering if I should apply to be a student phlebotomist not only for the summer job but increased clinical experience that is not related to volunteer work
Any advice is appreciated!!! Thank you!
Mr.Smile12
Without a DAT score, any advice you get is only based on your GPA, and you should seek your prehealth advisor to confirm your suspicions that your GPA from your chemistry coursework is going to be an issue. It may be hard to accept but you probably will want to really focus on your coursework performance, especially with your upper-level biomedical classes. Thus you should be really careful about your involvement outside of those classes. Yes, you need dental shadowing experience, but you don't want to be too overloaded with extracurricular activities that it would divert your efforts from focusing on your coursework and your GPA. You should be networking with admissions officers to get their sense of your application profile compared to candidates they have accepted.
Fabrication academic dishonesty
My first semester at a 4 year university as a freshman i was caught for fabrication in a LCOM class(learning community). What will happen in terms of applying to dental school. And also if i transfer universities will this academic dishonesty incident be carried on with me at the transfer university? The fabrication incident is on my academic record.
Mr.Smile12
You should be quite honest about your conviction no matter where you wind up graduating with your undergraduate degree. I don't know if your misconduct record will be transferred to your new institution, though I suspect it depends on the policies of the first institution whether they could transfer that information due to student privacy issues.
Retake Microbiology at University of Illinois at Chicago
Hi I am currently at Kankakee Community College with intentions to transfer to UIC after my two years. I passed Micro with with an A at KCC, but when i used the Transferology ( a website where you can see if your credits will transfer), it told me that my micro class will transfer but as a "analyzing the natural world", which is a general education requirement at UIC for natural sciences. So I kind of confused... does this mean my credits transfer but the school is not accepting it as microbiology course completed? Also I noticed the micro at KCC is only 4 credits, and at UIC is 5 credits. So my question is should I retake it at UIC? I heard rumors that dental schools prefer upper level division courses to done at 4 year institutions? So what do I do? I also plan to take Advanced microbiology once I transfer to UIC, but that requires general micro first...
Mr.Smile12
In all likelihood, you're going to need to retake the class, especially if the class is not designated as being for science majors. (This is something academic advisors would have been able to tell you before you took the class, but it's usually clearly noted by the professor.) There are biology and microbiology courses designed for non-science, nursing, and allied health students which are not as detailed or in-depth compared to classes designed for science majors at many community colleges and universities. You can probably get a better explanation from the transfer advisor and department advisor at UIC.
i want to get into dental school as a foreigner . so i'm planning to transfer pre-dental school
i have a bachelor's degree in chemistry and pre-medical in korea i don't have a citizenship in u.s so i want to transfer to pre-dental school to get into dental school. i have some questions
1. i want to know the rate of competition to get into dental school from pre-dental course students.because i want to know how hard it is
2. what pre-dental school should i go to become a dental school student with better assurance (cc or university)
3. i want to know what pre-dental school have short course ( quarter or semester etc..)
4. i want to know the list of dental school which foreigner can apply for and i want to know the possibility to pass them
5. if i fail to get the high score in DAT ,can i take test over three times? ( i want to know how much DAT score do i need)
6. if i fail to get into the dental school, is it possible to apply for pharmacy school? let me know some figures of recordings of employment rate
7. After graduating from the dental school, And how much income is there and how life will spread
8. The total time and cost that you would expect to plan to study in the United States
Mr.Smile12
A lot of your general questions can be covered on the ADEA GoDental website. You may want to inquire about the process to be admitted as a student in the United States, and you should choose a university that has strong prehealth/predental advising. For your later questions about income as a dentist, you may want to look at the American Dental Association website which probably has some basic information about careers and salary trends in dentistry, but note that you shouldn't take those estimates as gospel.
Can I take Statistics as Biology major and finish my math? I do not wish to take Calc 2 and I already passed Calc 1
I am applying this November to most of the UC's. I know that UCLA, UCB, and UCSD require Calc 1 and Calc 2, however I do not wish to take Calc 2. I do not want to take that intensive of a math course. I am far more interested in Stats and wish to take Stats next semester. Please tell me what schools will be okay with me having Calc 1 and Stats completed. Thank you.
Mr.Smile12
I'm not sure if you're talking about completion of your degree or the admissions requirements for dental school. If you have no choice but to take Calc 2 instead of statistics to get your degree, there's really not an argument. As for dental school requirements, you should check what the schools you desire would say about it. I wouldn't suspect there would be much objection if you don't wind up taking a second-semester calculus class depending on the dental schools you're looking at.
What to do?
I'm in my 4th year at York University in Toronto. I goof'd up big time / suffered a union strike for 6+ weeks in my first year, and therefore have an abnormally low Science GPA (~2.7). Otherwise, my overall GPA upon graduation will be around 3.5. I think my chances of acceptance in Canada are non-existent, but I'm wondering if anyone can help me realize my chances in the USA? I have hundreds of hours of EC's and shadowing, reference letter from an O-chem prof + more to come, and a work-study position on campus under a different professor. I'll be writing the DAT this summer and hope/plan to score very highly. Can i do it?
All input and advice is highly appreciated. Thanks very much in advance.
Mr.Smile12
It doesn't hurt to try, but I would connect with admissions officers at US institutions to get a sense of which schools would be more inclined to accepting non-US students and then their academic preferences among applicants.
Pharmacist becoming a Dentist
I've been thinking about trying to get into dental school for quite a while but I come from a unique background and was wondering if I could get some advice? I'm actually a practicing pharmacist in Australia however I'm a duel American and Australian citizen and would want to return to the US if I were to study dentistry. Pharmacy in Australia is also a bachelor degree with a lengthy post graduate licensing process not a doctoral degree like in America. I don't know if I'd have to do prerequisites at a community college or something because all my classes where uniquely tailored to pharmacy. Another thing is I only achieved a 3.1 GPA which I'm aware would be considered quite low for a dental school applicant coming from an American University. If anyone could help me out it would be much appreciated. Another thing I forgot to mention is that I was a commissioned officer in the Australian army as a pharmacist. I don't know if this would be considered favourable?
Mr.Smile12
I would always suggest reaching out to admissions officers at the schools you are strongly interested in first. You would be presenting a unique situation that most faculty members may need more understanding before anyone can give you any specific advice, especially as you are transitioning from a different health professional background. You may have to do some prerequisites like physics, but we don't know for sure since we would have to see how your transcript would be evaluated on par with American curricula.
I need help with my first dental school interview
Dear friends, I'm having my first dental school interview with Touro on Feb 14th, and I really have no experience. I hope you would be kind to please help me with my mock interviews and share with me your experience. Thank you very much.
Mr.Smile12
Good luck. I'm not sure if there are any entries regarding the interview Feedback (under resources here) for Touro, but you should practice with your local career services office about interview skills in general. They should help you with mock interviews.
What are my chances?
Hi, I don't know if this is a good spot to post this question so please let me know if i'm in the right spot. I am a City College student (Santa Barbara City College) and I have made a little boo-boo. I have a 3.18 GPA as an overall but I messed up my Science GPA to a lower than 2.7 GPA in my general bio (animal, plant, and cell) + my general chemistry (this is what ruined it). I now have difficult choice to make, I can switch my major and apply to a 4 year near me (UCSB) or I can go to a different UC with a bio major. I know I can do better since I had many issues while taking those classes (although I hate blaming it on that). Can you let me know what chances I have to get into a Dental School. I was looking into UCSF DDS and have kept contact with the admissions staff for now. I'm trying to get some sort of idea of what to do next. My dentist has agreed to help me out by letting me shadow him and writing a letter of rec. I haven't taken the DAT but I'm more than positive I can do fairly well on it. Please ask me anything else you need to know. I already have a lot of work in computer science and will be taking on Accounting in the meantime, but I have had a passion for dentistry since I was 11.
Mr.Smile12
It's hard to say what direction would best position you for the challenges of dental education. I would say focus on the coursework that you are taken and that you give yourself a chance to really learn the material, not just to do well on the DAT. You do need to find strong mentors in your biomedical science classes to help you to that end.