Getting Into Dental School: Planning Your Pre-Dental Journey

Getting Into Dental School: Planning Your Pre-Dental Journey

  Get Started Today Call: 888-839-9997 e-mail: [email protected] 20 Minutes Free Consultation A Timeline for Pre-Dental Students – From Freshman Year to Dental School Acceptance!  By Vince Law, DDS Embarking upon your college career as a predental student with the goal of applying to dental school can feel daunting. You want to have a robust social life and a full college experience but simultaneously maintain the grades, clinical experiences in dentistry, and extracurricular activities that will make you a top-notch dental school applicant when it’s time to apply. Don’t Get Overwhelmed as a Pre-Dental Student!   The key to not becoming overwhelmed is to first and foremost embrace the pre-dental journey and come up with a pre-dental to-do list early on. Whether you plan to go to dental school straight out of college or you wish to take a gap year, having a clear timeline can help you organize all activities that would make you a strong dental school applicant. Remember, a pre-dental to-do list is not something you are going to knock out in one night! Give yourself time to carefully plan out your pre-dental journey and be flexible to adjustments as needed. Crafting a Pre-Dental Plan   Many students will elect to do a gap year between college and dental school, and that is totally fine! According to the ADEA, the average age of the incoming dental student is 24 years old. Below is a rough timeline for students who want to matriculate into dental school directly after college. For those who plan to take a gap year or two, this timeline can be adjusted accordingly. Freshman...
How to Get Into PA School: An Insider Perspective from the Admissions Committee

How to Get Into PA School: An Insider Perspective from the Admissions Committee

  Get Started Today Call: 888-839-9997 e-mail: [email protected] 20 Minutes Free Consultation How to Get into PA School: An Admissions Committee Insider Perspective – Interview with Jay Geary, MSPAS, PA-C  In an exclusive interview with Jay Geary PA-C from MCPHS Worcester, we delved into the many aspects of navigating the path to successful admission into PA school. We first share key takeaways from the interview followed by a transcript of the interview. Importance of GPA: Jay Geary PA-C emphasizes that GPA is a crucial factor in PA school admissions, advising applicants to aim for a GPA well above the minimum requirement, ideally around 3.5. Significance of Direct Patient Care Experience: Geary underscores the importance of meaningful hands-on patient care experience, suggesting that roles requiring a license or certificate carry more weight. He recommends at least a thousand hours, ideally started during undergraduate years. PA Shadowing: According to Jay Geary, PA shadowing is deemed valuable by PA schools and he suggests a minimum of 20 hours. He emphasizes that quality matters, encouraging applicants to diversify their experiences across different specialties to better understand the PA role. Leadership and Volunteer Experience: Volunteer and leadership experiences, particularly in clubs or organizations, are viewed favorably by admissions committees. Geary notes that being a leader in a fraternity, sorority, or pre-PA club can strengthen an applicant’s profile. Resilience and Determination: Jay Geary highlights resilience and determination as distinguishing factors. He shares an anecdote of a successful applicant who demonstrated a strong desire for the PA profession despite facing initial setbacks. Prerequisites and Hands-On Experience: Jay Geary cautions against applying with outstanding prerequisites and limited...
Letters of Recommendation for PA School: Tips and Considerations for PA School Applicants

Letters of Recommendation for PA School: Tips and Considerations for PA School Applicants

  Get Started Today Call: 888-839-9997 e-mail: [email protected] 20 Minutes Free Consultation Letters of Recommendation for PA School If you are on the path to applying to PA school, you probably know that PA school letters of recommendation (also known as letters of reference or letters of evaluation) are a key part of the PA school application. PA schools want to see that people you have worked with in a professional or academic capacity can attest to your aptitude and abilities.     Who Should I Get Letters of Recommendation from for PA School? Different PA schools have different requirements for letters of recommendation. It’s important to check each school’s requirements. As a general rule, applicants should aim to get letters of recommendation from the following individuals: College and university professors Supervisors from direct patient care experiences PAs from direct patient care experiences PAs from shadowing experiences Other individuals who have supervised or mentored the applicant and can attest to their intellectual aptitude, commitment to service, and work ethic Important Considerations for Different Types of PA School Letters of Recommendation Professors: Many PA schools expect applicants to submit a letter of recommendation from a professor who can speak to the applicant’s academic strengths and their ability to handle the rigors of the graduate-level course load in PA school. How to Choose the Right Professor for a PA School Letter of Recommendation? Science Professors are Preferred: The PA school curriculum is heavy in science coursework. That’s why letters of recommendation from professors who can attest to your abilities in the sciences are preferred. Some PA schools even require letters of recommendation...
Minimum GPA Requirements for PA Schools

Minimum GPA Requirements for PA Schools

  Get Started Today Call: 888-839-9997 e-mail: [email protected] 20 Minutes Free Consultation Getting into PA school with a low GPA There are many PA schools across the country and each one has its own requirements. One of the areas where many PA schools have a minimum standard is the GPA. This is a cause for concern among applicants who want to get into PA school with a low GPA. Of course, one of the best ways to overcome a low GPA is to take additional courses and to get good grades in these courses. But if this is not possible, an applicant with a low GPA should not be totally disheartened. There are PA programs with lower or less stringent minimum GPA requirements. Applicants to PA school should take the time to carefully research PA schools and find out each school’s minimum GPA requirements before applying. This way, individuals with low GPAs can ensure that they do not waste their time applying to a program that has strict minimum GPA requirements higher than their GPA. If you plan to apply to PA school but your GPA is low, try to find programs which have minimum GPA requirements lower than your GPA. If you find programs that have higher requirements than your GPA to which you are interested in applying, it may be worthwhile finding out whether these programs are lenient on their minimum GPA requirement. For example, some programs may not have an absolute minimum but a preferred minimum GPA. Other programs may take into account improvements, paying attention to the GPA in more recent academic courses (for example...
Prerequisite Courses for Different Dental Schools

Prerequisite Courses for Different Dental Schools

Prerequisite Courses for Different Dental Schools   Call: 888-839-9997 e-mail: [email protected]   Speak to a Dental School Admissions Consultant Today.   20 Minutes Free Consultation   What are the prerequisite courses for different dental schools?   One of the most important requirements for getting into dental school is prerequisite science and non-science courses. Almost all dental schools required a range of similar courses like general chemistry, biology, and physics but these requirements are not identical. For example, some dental schools require anatomy, microbiology, or biochemistry while others don’t. Also, some programs may require two semesters of a course while others only require one semester. The lab requirements for different courses can also be different across dental schools. Predental students are often busy balancing their coursework with DAT preparation, dental shadowing, and other extracurricular experiences. It can be difficult completing the requirements for all dental schools or deciding which courses to prioritize if you are uncertain that you can complete all requirements. Furthermore, when it’s time to apply to dental school, figuring out which dental schools’ requirements you meet can be confusing. One common mistake among dental school applicants is applying to programs without first checking their prerequisite course requirements carefully. We advise our students to carefully review the prerequisites for each dental school because your file will likely not make it past the first round if you do not meet all of prerequisite coursework requirements. Below we have listed specific courses that are required by different dental schools in the United States. We also indicate how long (or how many credits) the course should be and whether a lab...