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...
List of Minimum DAT Scores and Average DAT Scores for Different Dental Schools

List of Minimum DAT Scores and Average DAT Scores for Different Dental Schools

  Talk to a Dental School Admissions Consultant Today Call: 888-839-9997 e-mail: [email protected] 20 Minutes Free Consultation What Are the Average DAT Scores of Different Dental Schools?   If you are planning to apply to dental school, you probably know that your score on the DAT is one of the most critical parts of your dental school application. Dental schools review every applicant’s AADSAS application looking at the score in different subsections of the DAT as well as the DAT Academic Average and Total Science scores. What is a Competitive DAT Score for Dental School Admission?  It depends in part on which dental schools you are applying to. Some programs consider a score of 18 or higher to be competitive while others prefer applicants with a score of 20 or higher. To be most competitive for dental school admission, we advise students to aim for a score of 20 or higher in each section of the DAT. That being said, many dental school applicants get in with scores lower than 20. If your scores don’t reach 20 but are close, you may still have a strong chance, especially if you have a solid predental GPA and the rest of your application looks strong. Which Dental Schools Accept Students with Lower DAT Scores? If your DAT scores fall below the averages of most programs, the best way to improve your chances of acceptance is to retake the DAT. However, if you plan to apply with a lower DAT score, be strategic about which dental schools you target.  Some schools have minimum cutoffs and verifying that you meet these cutoffs is...
Becoming a Competitive Applicant for Dental School Part II

Becoming a Competitive Applicant for Dental School Part II

Need step by step advice on how to make yourself a more competitive candidate for dental school? Look no further! Click Here Now Look No Further. Get Started Today. Call: 888-839-9997 e-mail: [email protected] 20 Minutes Free Consultation Getting a High Pre-dental GPA: Getting a high pre-dental GPA is not as challenging as it seems if you plan your courses appropriately. Whether you are an undergraduate or you have returned to school to pursue dentistry, consider planning your coursework early on. This means having a general idea of what courses you are going to take and when you are going to take each course. It is very important to be realistic in this process. Students sometimes get ambitious and take three or four challenging science courses in one quarter/semester, which can be overwhelming. We suggest you balance difficult courses with less challenging ones and take a combination of science and non-science courses together. Thinking about scientific concepts requires using a different part of your brain than thinking about the humanities. When you combine different types of courses, you are not just putting pressure on one part of your brain. We always encourage students to talk to upperclassmen and seek their advice about what combination of courses they recommend. Having said that, you also want to demonstrate to dental schools that you can handle multiple challenging courses at the same time so taking too many easy courses at once is also a bad idea. You can start with a lighter load earlier in your education and gradually take heavier courses to the extent that you are comfortable. Remember it is best...
Becoming a Competitive Applicant for Dental School Part II

Becoming a Competitive Applicant for Dental School Part I

Need step by step advice on how to make yourself a more competitive candidate for dental school? Look no further! Click Here Now Look No Further. Get Started Today. Call: 888-839-9997 e-mail: [email protected] 20 Minutes Free Consultation Dental school admissions committees take the time to carefully review the many different elements of each dental school application. If you know what dental schools are specifically looking for when they review applications, you can better prepare yourself during your pre-dental career. Knowing why dental schools care about the things they care about is also helpful. Part I. What do dental schools want in an applicant and why? In this section, we review what dental schools are looking for in applicants and why. This is not a list of dental school admissions requirements, but a list of the achievements that make an applicant competitive for dental school. In the following sections, we will review how you can become a competitive applicant for dental school by covering all the listed areas. 1) Grade Point Average (GPA): Dental School is academically challenging and admissions committees want to know that you are capable of handling the rigorous coursework. A good undergraduate GPA is absolutely essential to proving that you are capable of academically succeeding in dental school. 2) Dental Admission Test Scores (DAT): Like the GPA, dental schools use the DAT score to determine an applicant’s ability to excel in the dental school coursework and to succeed on the dental boards. The DAT is the great equalizer because it shows not just how you performed compared to students who went to the same college as...