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...
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...
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...
Minimum GPA Requirements and Average GPAs for Different Dental Schools

Minimum GPA Requirements and Average GPAs for Different Dental Schools

Minimum GPA Requirements and Average GPAs 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 is the Minimum GPA for Getting Into Dental School?   The GPA or grade point average is one of the most important elements of a dental school application.  When reviewing applicants’ backgrounds, admissions committees evaluate both the overall GPA and the science GPA or prerequisite GPA. Often, they also review the AADSAS application or TMDSAS application carefully to examine what courses a predental applicant has taken and how that applicant has performed in each, particularly the science or prerequisite coursework. What is a Competitive GPA for Dental School? According to data available on their websites, the average overall GPA of accepted students at different dental schools ranges from 3.25 to 3.85 and the average science GPA of accepted students ranges from 3.17 to 3.81. To be most competitive for dental school, we advise our students to maintain an overall GPA above 3.6 and a science GPA above 3.5. However, many applicants to dental school get in with lower GPAs. If you have a lower GPA in your predental studies, the best way to improve your chances of getting into dental school is by taking additional courses and improving your GPA. It also helps if you can demonstrate an upward trend with better grades in more recent coursework. Which Dental Schools Accept Students with Lower GPAs? If you plan to apply to dental school with a suboptimal GPA, it’s important to be strategic about which schools you apply to as some...
A Human-Centered and Holistic Approach to Dental School Admissions: High Point University’s Goal to Disrupt Dental Education and How to Prepare for It.

A Human-Centered and Holistic Approach to Dental School Admissions: High Point University’s Goal to Disrupt Dental Education and How to Prepare for It.

By Michael Wolcott PharmD, PhD, Dean for Education, Workman School of Dental Medicine, High Point University What comes to mind when you think about the frustrations of the dental school admissions process? When we spoke with dentists about their previous experiences applying to dental school, we consistently heard the typical admissions process was complicated, expensive, and lacking transparency. Moreover, it often forgot about the person at the center of the experience. The High Point University (HPU) Workman School of Dental Medicine (WSDM) is working to disrupt dental education, starting with its novel admissions process. Designing a Novel Dental School Admissions Process: We used feedback from prior dental school applicants as a launch point to design a dental school admissions process that addresses these concerns. We have created an application that has the fewest number of components to make it as easy as possible to navigate. We have reduced the cost of applying to dental school by not using a centralized application process and eliminating the supplemental application fee that is typically charged by programs. Providing and Receiving Feedback from Applicants: We provide as much information as possible to our candidates about our expectations and how they could best prepare for successful admission to our dental school. Most importantly, we think deeply about the experience of the candidate through the whole admissions process. We continue to collect feedback from our applicants for ways to improve their experience—applying to dental school is already stressful enough; we do not want to contribute to the stress inadvertently. Using Personas to Create a New Model: One critical exercise we employed in designing our admissions...
Dentistry Post-Baccalaureate Programs Career Changers

Dentistry Post-Baccalaureate Programs Career Changers

Dentistry Post-Baccalaureate Programs Career Changers   Call: 888-839-9997 e-mail: [email protected]   Look No Further. Get Started Today. 20 Minutes Free Consultation Career Changers: these post-baccalaureate programs are tailored towards applicants who have not taken the pre-requisite courses for dental school as part of their undergraduate education and are looking to complete these pre-requisites in preparation for dental school.  Generally, the individuals entering these programs have a non-science background and have decided to pursue dentistry after completing college. Career changer post-bacc programs are listed below in this section. To learn more about which post-bacc program is the ideal fit for you, contact us today at 1(888) 839 – 9997 or [email protected] for a free 20 minute consultation! Institution: Mills College Postbaccalaureate ProgramMinimum GPA Required for Admission: 3.2Success Rate: 75%-90% acceptance rate to medical schoolStandardized Test Required: SAT/ACT/GREApplication Requirements:– 3 Letters of recommendation (at least 2 from academic sources)– 2 Official transcripts– Graduate Application for Admission (included 1-2 page Statement of Purpose Essay)– Supplemental Application– $50 Application Fee– Copy of Standardized Test ScorePrerequisite Courses: Calculus (One Semester)Admission Deadline: February 1stStart Date: Fall SemesterEmail Address: [email protected] Number: 510-430-2317Website: https://goo.gl/cvdHnnInstitution: Scripps College Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program Minimum GPA Required for Admission: 3.0Success Rate: 95% students accepted to medical schoolStandardized Test Required: SAT/ACT/GREApplication Requirements:– Volunteer or work experience in the medical field and/or social services is highly desirable– Copy of standardized test score– 750 word essay– Resume– Sealed official transcripts– 2 letters of recommendation– Signature and payment form– $60 Application feePrerequisite Courses: CalculusAdmission Deadline: March 1stStart Date: Late MayPhone Number: 909-621-8764Website: https://www.scrippscollege.edu/postbac/ Institution: UC Berkeley Extension Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Certificate ProgramMinimum GPA Required for Admission: 3.0Success Rate: 95%Standardized...