If you want a career as a dentist, you have to attend dental school. For many
applicants it is difficult to get reliable advice on the
application process. Here are some tips to enhance your application: Want to go
to Dental School?
Here's How.
1. Become familiar with the dental profession. After all, you will be doing
this for the rest of your professional life. Volunteer,
observe, shadow and/or work in dental settings so that you are sure this is the
right career for you. You can volunteer in private dental
offices, public health clinics, dental laboratories.
2. Do things with your hands that require fine motor skill, such as playing
an instrument, sewing or sculpting. Choose something you
will enjoy. Sports like basketball, football, baseball, and soccer require
skill, talent, training, good coordination and large muscle
skills, but are not particularly good demonstrations of the sorts of fine motor
skills needed in dentistry.
3. Seek out sources of information about applying to dental school early in
your college experience. Talk to the pre-dental advisor at
your school. Visit the American Dental Education web site, www.adea.org. And
purchase the book "Official Guide to US and Canadian
Dental Schools."
4. Complete all required prerequisite courses at a
competitive 4-year college or university. Make mostly "A" grades in these
courses.
Take most of these courses before you apply to dental school. You do not have to
have completed all of these courses, but most of them
should be taken in order to show the Admissions Committee your level of
performance.
5. Take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT), www.ada.org in late spring between
your Junior and Senior year of college. If you are not
currently a student, take the DAT during late spring A YEAR before you plan to
enroll as a dental student. Retake the DAT in 90 days if
you are not happy with your scores.
6. Apply through AADSAS centralized dental application service, www.adea.org,
during the summer A YEAR before you plan to enter dental
school. Apply to AADSAS online to speed processing of your application.
7. Think carefully and write reflectively in your dental school essay.
Proofread your essay before submitting it.
8. Send all of your letters of recommendation and
transcripts to AADSAS when you complete your online application. Do this early
in the
summer.
9. Apply to several schools (the average applicant
applies to ~7). Select at least one "safe" school you know you will be admitted
to, several comfortable schools and one "stretch" school.
10. Prepare for your interview by doing your homework on the school. Dress
and act like a future professional at the interview.
Ask questions. Talk to dental students. Be honest. Be yourself. Try not to
worry about the interview. Your job is to just be who you are.
Don't try to fake it.
11. You've done your best to prepare yourself for a dental
education. Focus on completing your undergraduate courses. On December
1, AADSAS schools will begin contacting applicants about their admissions
status.
Supplemental Information
DENTAL EDUCATION
Admission to dental school is very competitive and students should prepare for
application to more than one dental school. There are 56
dental schools in the country and students generally apply to about eight.
Virtually all programs prepare students to be general dental
practitioners and to render comprehensive patient care. Educational emphasis is
generally placed on scientific development; diagnostic
skills and treatment planning; clinical treatment and technical performance;
practice administration; and personal, professional and
community responsibility. Curriculum and outcomes vary from school to school, so
students should contact programs of interest directly to
determine specific curriculum content.
Each school has different
requirements, you must check with the individual schools for exact requirements.
Here are the basics that
are needed.
1 year of Freshman or
general Chemistry with labs
1 year of Sophmore or general Biology with labs
1 year of Organic chemistry with labs
1 year of Physics with labs
1 year of English
1 year of Social Science
1 year of Mathematics
Other recommended courses:
1 Semester of Microbiology
1 semester of Cell biology
1 semester of Neurobiology
1 semester of business course
1 semester of Art
1 semester of Anatomy.
Reaseach is key.
Written by Ramiz Chaudhry
UNDERGRADUATE PREPARATION
Most dental schools require a minimum of two or three years of undergraduate
education. However, many programs recommend the
completion of the bachelor's degree. For some schools, students must complete a
minimum of 90 undergraduate semester hours.
Suggested Sequence of Required Science Courses
Semester 1
General Chemistry I with lab
Semester 2
General Chemistry II with lab
Semester 3
Organic Chemistry I with lab
General Biology with lab
Semester 4
Organic Chemistry II with lab
General Biology with lab
** Take the DAT the summer after Semester 4
(or 13-15 months before you intend to start dental school)
Semester 5
Physics I with lab
Semester 6
Physics II with lab
2. Recommended Elective Courses
Science Based
Anatomy
Biochemistry
Cell Biology
Comparative Anatomy
Cytology
Embryology
Genetics
Hematology
Immunology
Mathematics
Microbiology
Parasitology
Pathology
Pharmacology
Physiology
Zoology Humanities
Anthropology
English Literature
Political Science
Psychology
Scientific Greek or Latin
Sociology
Other
Business Law
Business Organization
Economics
EXTRACURRUICULAR EXPERIENCES
Pre-Dental students are encouraged to participate in extracurricular
experiences, such as leadership roles, volunteer work, research, and
shadowing, which will help prepare them for dental school and the dental
profession. Extracurricular experiences play a significant role
in a students application to a professional school program. Such experiences
demonstrate a commitment to and knowledge of the
profession. In particular, shadowing dental professionals, as well as
participating in the Pre-Dental Club, will help students learn more
about the profession of dentistry.
APPLICATION AND ADMISSION
1. Dental Admissions Test (DAT)
The DAT is composed of 4 parts: Survey of Natural Sciences, Perceptual Ability
Test, Reading Comprehension Test, and a Quantitative Reasoning
Test. It is recommended that you complete 2 semesters of general biology, 2
semesters of general chemistry, and 2 semesters of organic
chemistry before taking the DAT. It is also recommended that you take the DAT
13-15 months before your intended enrollment. It is each
applicant's responsibility to provide official Dental Admissions Test score
reports to each school to which they apply. DAT examinations are
computer based and are coordinated by the Dental Admission Testing Program and
administered at Sylvan Technology Test Centers. To
schedule the DAT, students must submit an application form and fee payment to
the Dental Admission Testing Program. DAT brochures are
available in the Arts and Sciences Advising Center.
2. American Association of Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS)
Fifty-two of the nations dental schools, participate in a centralized
application service, the AADSAS. To initiate your application to any
of the schools participating in AADSAS, go to
http://aadsas.adea.org/.
Application materials will be available in May. It is recommended that
you apply as soon as possible. Some dental schools may also require the
completion of a secondary application, following the submission of
your initial application through AADSAS. If the school you are applying to does
not participate in AADSAS, contact the school
directly for application materials.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
American Dental Education Association
http://www.adea.org/
Written By Azariy Yusupov
