Dental School: Application Timeline

Image taken from england.edu

Many of us, at some point or another, has inquired about when at what we should do in order to apply to dental school. Unless, you have a close friend/family member who has applied to dental school, or you asked your schools pre-dental adviser you are probably pretty clueless on where to begin. Below is a detailed time line of what you should do and when.

Dental School Application Timeline


Now: 

1. In order to register for a the Dental Admissions Test or for a dental school application you will need what is called a DENTPIN. You can register for a DENTPIN on the ADA website by following this link https://www.ada.org/1225.aspx. 
2. Now that you have your DENTPIN go to the ADEA AADSAS  web site and register for an application for dental school. This will not obligate you to submit your application but will allow you to view the current application so that you can get an idea of what you will need to prepare and the types of questions that are asked. 

• I suggest copying the application and putting it into a Word Document. The web site is closed to registration during the month of May which is immediately before the next cycles application is posted (June 1st). 
• Fill the application in as you go. When the new application opens on June 1st all you will need to do is copy and past your information into the online version and check for spelling, grammar, and formatting errors. 

November-February:

1. Make an appointment with your pre-dental adviser. Become acquainted with him or her and inform them that you are preparing yourself to apply to dental school in June. At this point your adviser may be able to give you additional information or resources.
• This is a good time to find out if your school does committee letters or not. Some schools will have you send your letters of recommendation to them and give you a small interview. In return, a committee will write a summary letter to go along with your letters of recommendation.
2. Explore different resources for the Dental Admissions Test (DAT). Find out what you want to use in order to prepare for the test and when you will begin your preparation. 
• Helpful Articles
• The Hottest DAT Study Material 2011
• What you should be aiming for on your DAT
• DAT Study Plan Suggestions

February-March

1. Begin requesting letters of recommendation. Some professors get several requests, so you will want to be one of the first. See "Obtaining Quality Letters of Recommendation" for details. 
• If your school does a committee letter you should be able to have your letter writers send you letters to the pre-dental adviser. Before you request your letters be sure to talk with your adviser and see where they would like you to have the letters submitted.
• If you do not have a pre-dental committee you will want to have your letter writers hold on to the letters until June 1st (or when you register for your application after June 1st). At this point the ADEA AADSAS application will give you and your letter writers instructions on how to upload or send your letters. 
2. Prepare for the DAT and/or take the DAT if you have had adequate preparation. I would highly recommend to plan on taking the DAT only one time. Many will say that they are just going to take it the first time for "practice". NOT A GOOD IDEA. You will have to wait 90 days to take the test again if you so desire and it some schools will average your first scores with your second (most take the most recent). You also only get three chances at the DAT and you do not want to waste one on a "practice" run.

March-May

1. Follow-up with the professors and dentists who are writing your letters of recommendation. Make sure they have everything they need to write your letter. Remind them of when you need the letter completed by.
2. If you are going to receive a committee letter meet with your pre-dental adviser in order to set up an interview. 
3. Continue your preparation for the DAT and/or take the DAT if you have had adequate preparation.
4. Begin writing your personal statement. See "Writing a Personal Statement" for more details. You will want to plan on having this complete by June 1st (this is when the application opens for the new cycle).
5. Make sure that you have accounted for and documented all of your hours for shadowing, volunteering, and service opportunities. 
6. Get contact information for any and all colleges that you have attended in your entire life. When the application becomes available on June 1st you will need to request transcripts from each college. 

June-July

1. The application will open on June 1st. You will have to register for a new account even if you already registered for one during the previous cycle. Remember you will need your DENTPIN for this. 
• Filling out the application can take some time. It will take a lot less time if you already printed and filled out the previous cycles application in a Word Document. All you will need to do is copy/paste the text into the online application and check for spelling, grammar, and formatting errors.
• In order to have the best chance at getting an interview you will want your application in as early as possible. If you have it complete within the first 2 weeks of the application you will definitely be considered early. You will still be early in the cycle if you submit it any time in June or the beginning of July. Much later than that and other applicants may have a slight upper hand on you. 
• Do not rush taking your DAT just to get your application in early (Note: You can submit your application without your DAT but it will not be considered complete until you take your DAT and submit your scores). If you can, prepare and have it taken before the middle of June. If for any reason you are not ready, take extra time preparing and do well on it the first time. Remember, if you do poorly you will have to wait 90 days to retake it which will set your application back to September (assuming you took it for the first time in June). 
2. Have your letters of recommendations submitted in order to complete your application.
3. Request transcripts from all previously attended colleges.
4. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON THE APPLICATION! 
• This may seem obvious but be sure to follow all of the directions on the application. This application is not something you want to throw together so be sure to take your time and triple check for any mistakes or errors. 

July-August

1. You will receive "secondary" applications from many of the schools that you apply to. They will ask for additional information and money(approximately $50-75 for each school). Be sure to make each of these application quality and at the same time get them in quickly. The sooner you can send these the sooner you will receive an interview.
2. Some of you may begin receiving interviews near the end of July and towards the beginning of August. You will want to prepare yourself for each interview. Contact your pre-dental adviser to see if your school does mock interviews.
• Helpful Links
• "Potential Interview Questions for Dental School"
• "Interview: Asking Questions"
• "Dental School Interview: Dressing for the Occasion"
• "Interview: How to tie a tie"

September-November

1. Interviews and interview invites continued.
2. During this time feel free to follow up with each school, especially if you have not heard back from them. Do not bother them with questions such as "have I been rejected" or "what are my chances of getting an interview" but you can ask confirm that your application is complete and that they do not need anything else from you. In fact, I would highly recommend doing this as sometimes they may, for one reason or another, be missing a part of your application such as a required letter of recommendation or even your DAT scores.
3. Some Schools may begin sending out rejection notices. Never call a school to "see" if you are rejected. If they haven't sent you a notice this means they are still considering your application or they are waiting to send them at a later date.

December-April

1. December 1st is the first day that schools send out acceptances! If you don't receive one on this day don't worry. There is still plenty of time as many students will receive multiple acceptances and will have to choose to give up their seats at all but one school.
2. Interviews and interview invites continue
• Many schools will have interviews during December and throughout the spring. 
3. Acceptances will continue to be sent out throughout this time also. Some schools may handout acceptances as late as May or June. 

The key to having a good application is to be proactive. Get yourself organized and be sure that you are getting things done on time. Remember the earlier you get your application turned in the greater your chance of getting interviews. Good Luck!

Low GPA: Alternative Routes to Dental School

Do you have a low GPA and still want to gain acceptance into dental school? Are you wondering if there is still hope? I am writing this article to help anyone who has doubts about there ability to get into dental school (due to GPA) find out if it is truly possible for them to fulfill their dream and the best ways to do it.

In order to ask yourself the question "is it possible for me to be accepted to dental school?" you must first know where you stand statistically. Statistics play a key role in deciding whether a student is or is not qualified for dental school. The main statistics are GPA and the score for the dental admissions test (DAT). I am first going to briefly mention the DAT and then move onto GPA and what to do if yours is low.

The nice thing about the DAT is that you can retake it up to three times. However, you will want to make sure you do well on it the very first time. So, what is the average for the DAT? The average student that takes the DAT, according to the ADA statistics, receives a 17.5 academic average, 17.5 total science, and a 18 on perceptual ability. Note that these are the statistics of those who attempted the exam. The actual statistics of those who matriculate into dental school are in the range of 19 academic average and 19 total science. Each individual school is going to be different and this will have to be taken into consideration when applying to dental school (view "Dental Schools Ranked by DAT Scores" for more details). So if you have a low DAT then you will want to make sure you study hard and retake it for a higher score. No way around this!

Often times I hear predental students say "I have a low GPA can I still get in?". The answers to these questions are not that easy. Simply put, it depends. No one really knows until you give it a shot but hopefully by the end of the article you can make a sound judgement on whether your GPA is good enough and what to do if you have a low GPA.

The first question you ought to ask yourself is "where do I stand in regards to my GPA?". Let me help you out. The average GPA for matriculating dental students is about a 3.5 overall GPA. Once again, there are going to be several schools with a higher average GPA and schools with a lower average GPA (view "Dental Schools Ranked by GPA" for more details). However, many students still pose the question of whether their DAT score is high enough.

Most dental schools have a cutoff GPA for both an overall and science GPA of 2.75. This means that if you have anything below a 2.75 that your application will automatically be rejected. In addition, if your GPA is anywhere close to or below a 3.0 it is going to be difficult to land interviews for dental school.

What do I do if my GPA is too low?

There are several options but some may be better than others depending on where you stand in regards to your GPA.

1. Post Baccalaureate Program: If you have a GPA that is lower than a 2.75 you will need to find a post baccalaureate program to attend as your current GPA will not pass the cutoff for dental school. I would also recommend this option for anyone with a GPA that is lower than a 3.0. The reason for this is that the credits earned in these programs will directly affect your undergrad GPA. It will be essential that you make it a priority to get an A in every credit as this will maximize the opportunity of bringing your GPA above a 3.0. Not only will 2.75+ GPA now qualify you to apply to dental school but the dental school will be able to see that you have an upward trend in your GPA and that you are capable of doing well in your classes.

Note: Other programs such as a masters program and dental hygiene school will not raise affect your GPA and thus will not help you qualify for dental school if you have a sub 2.75 GPA.

2. Masters Program: If your GPA is above a 3.0 but still not optimal you may want to think about getting into a masters program. I would recommend finding a 1 year program to apply for, as this will allow you to beef up your application in a short amount of time. A masters program allows you to show dental school that you are capable of doing well in grad level courses. This also gives you the opportunity to stay academically active which is a plus on your application. If you are not accepted you the first time that you apply to dental school a masters program is a good option. Each year there are more and more students being accepted to dental school that have a master's degree.

3. Dental Hygiene: Applying to dental hygiene school is similar to doing a masters program, however, dental hygiene is a 2 year program which means that it will take an extra year before you are able to apply to dental school. This option may be good for some students but if you know you want to be a dentist I would recommend taking a faster route.

4. PHD: If you feel like you need to go this route then do what you need to do but enrolling in a 4 year PHD program is not the most efficient way to getting into dental school. There may be a few students out there who went this route but this is definitely not the easiest or even the best way of compensating for a low GPA.

5. Going Foreign: The idea of going to a foreign dental school usually crosses through the minds of students who are struggling to get into dental school here in the United States. There is a lot more to this issue than I am qualified to talk about but I will say that it is not a short or easy process of taking your foreign degree and making it valid in the states.

Yes, this was a long answer to a short question. However, I wanted to help you realize that there a select few ways of increasing your chances at getting into dental school with a sub-par GPA and that each will take considerable effort at proving yourself academically. There is no short cut around this one. If you are in a situation where you feel your GPA is low put in all the energy you have possible to get As in your courses from here on out. An upward trend is a positive in the eyes of the admissions committee and it is never to late to start!

5 Reasons Why You Did Not Get Accepted To Dental School

Taken from quickpwn.com

I was recently contacted by a student asking if I had any tips for students who are applying to dental school for a second or even third time. Because I did not know the details of this students application, just like I don't know the details of your application, I came up with five general scenarios of why students do not get into dental school. It is important that you evaluate your situation so that you can make the weak areas of your application strong. Reapplying without evaluating and changing the weaknesses of your application will likely land you  many more rejections in the future.

Scenarios of Why an Applicant Might Be Rejected From Dental School. 

1. Low GPA- The average GPA for students matriculating into dental school is about 3.5. If ones GPA is 3.3 or below they may have difficulty receiving interviews. In this situation I would definitely focus on getting As in the upcoming semesters. If you are near graduation or have already graduated I would recommend checking into a post-baccalaureate program in order to raise your GPA. In addition, I would advise dropping any extracurricular activities that may be hindering you from receiving As in your courses, as those activities will do you no good if their GPA is too low. 

2. Low DAT- The average DAT score for students matriculating into dental school is about a 19AA. Students with an AA of less than a 18 will definitely have difficulty getting accepted into dental school. Also, if the student has any section below a 17 (with the exception of math which can be 16 or maybe even a 15 depending on the other scores) they may want to heavily consider the option of retaking the DAT. A low science score, reading score, or perceptual ability score is a red flag to the admissions. To give yourself the best shot at getting in plan on getting an academic average of 19 or higher with no sections below a 17. If you fit into this category remember to give yourself adequate time for preparation. Only reschedule your DAT when you know that you are prepared and can score achieve your desired scores. Use practice test software such as Crack DAT PAT, Top Score Pro, and DAT Achiever to judge whether you are ready or not for the exam. 

3. Did Not Apply to Enough Schools or Even to the Wrong Schools - There are two scenarios within this topic. The scenarios are as follows;

a) The student has good GPA and good DAT scores but did not apply to enough schools. For the sake of this example lets say that the student has a 3.7 GPA and a 19AA with a 20TS. This students statistics are very good but if they only applied to 3 or 4 schools they still may not gain acceptance to dental school. Keep in mind that there are 1,000-4,000 students applying to each school and there may only be 50-120 seats available. In addition, if this student only applied to schools such as UCLA, Harvard, University of Washington, or any school that is not out of state friendly, their chances of getting an interview invite is much less due to the competitiveness of these schools statistics. If I were in this students situation I would apply to 8-12 schools with 2-3 schools that may challenge my statistics and the remainder of the schools matching my statistics a little closer. If you are one of these students keep in mind that statistics are not everything. Evaluate your application to make sure you have a good personal statement, extracurricular activities, and letters of recommendation.

b) The student has slightly below average or average GPA and DAT score (3.4 GPA with a 18AA). This students statistics are slightly below average however, they definitely still have a chance at getting an acceptance as long as there are no major red flags on the DAT (scores below 17). However, a student with such statistics needs to apply to at least 15 schools. Yes, this may cost them money but it could save them a whole year and the application fees. In addition, this student should plan on applying at the beginning of the cycle (June 1) in order to give them the best chance at gaining an interview. If there are any red flags with the DAT score a retake is recommended before applying for a second or third time. As mentioned above, this applicant should evaluate their application to ensure they have a good personal statement, extracurricular activities, and letters of recommendation.

4. Interviewed but Not Accepted - For the most part, once a student gets an interview they are on an even playing field with the other applicants. The interview is for the schools to see who you are and to see if you are who you say you are on your application. Remember, if you have an interview this means they like the way you look on paper! Remember, even if you have a 23AA if you blow the interviews you may not get accepted to dental school. Tip: Practice being interviewed by attending mock interviews put on by a near by university, and have family members or friends ask you interview questions. This will allow you to polish your interviewing skills so that you can give clear confident answers during your interview.

5. Applying Too Late in the Cycle - Some students do not realize the importance of applying early. I personally did not take the DAT until late August which caused my application to be incomplete all the way up until mid-September. However, I was not planning on applying until the next year but decided to give it a shot anyways knowing that I may not get as many interviews or even an acceptance. That was a risk I was willing to take. There is definitely still a possibility of getting in if you apply late but chances are much smaller. I was told by about 4 to 5 schools that if I would have applied earlier I probably would have received an interview. As long as your DAT is done and it is done well then I would plan on completing the application on or as close to June 1st as possible. Tip: Copy the current application to a word document and fill it out during the spring. Make sure that you have professors/dentists that can have letters of recommendation completed by June 1st and then plan on spending the first few days after June 1st finishing the application and getting everything completed. 

As mentioned several times throughout this article, statistics are not the only thing that make or break an application to dental school. A well written personal statement, quality letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, and a successful interview all play a role in whether you are will be accepted to dental school.

Writing a Personal Statement

A personal statement is an important piece of the application and can help give insight into who you are as an applicant. The admissions committee does not only look at your GPA and DAT scores, they look at whether you are well rounded and outgoing. Your personal statement is a perfect opportunity to show that you are more than just numbers; it is an opportunity to show that you are a person with many attributes and goals. An applicant’s personal statement can play a large role in whether he/she is invited for an interview and can be a point of discussion during the interview process. The following steps will aid in providing a focused, well written personal statements.

1. Recognize who your audience is

Yes, we know that we are writing to several different admissions committees. Have  you ever asked yourself who is on admissions committee? If you answered no to this question, then now is the time to ask yourself. So, who is on an admissions committee? The admissions committee is made up of all types of faculty. These faculty do not necessarily have to have a DDS or DMD degree nor do they have to have a science background. However, despite what their background the admission committee members know what they are looking for and they are looking for specific attributes, qualities, and uniqueness. Each admissions committee may be a little different but in general will be similar to the following list;

·   Source of motivation

·   Passion for the profession

·   Maturity

·   Compassion for others

·   Dedication to service 

·   Value lifelong learning

·   Active Learner

·  Persistant

·  Resilient  (ability to overcome obstacles)

·   Accountable

·   Focused

·   Organized

·   Efficient

·   Ethical

These are just a handful of what admissions committees are looking for in a person. Do they expect you to include all of them in your letter but they do want to see that you are this type of person and this is where you come in.

2. Decide what attributes you want to be our point of focus

This is an important step in writing your personal statement. You need to decide what attributes you want to come across in your statement. If you want them to know that you are a leader, then put that down. Make a list of about 8-10 attributes and then rank them. Keep in mind that you may only be able to focus on 3-5 of these in your statement. This does not mean that the others may not be included; it just means they are not a focus. 

3. Components of personal statement

Including the different components will enhance your personal statement. It will be helpful to reference these while writing. By doing so, your statement will remain consistent throughout. The following is a short list of some of the components of a personal statement.

·   Write it in first person

·   Keep the reader in mind

·  Relate to the audience

·  Use a theme throughout (attributes)

·  Make smooth transitions

·  Provide examples  

4.  How can you best portray the attributes you chose in your personal statement?

Before you begin writing your personal statement, one must decide how they are going to write it.  There are an unlimited number of ways that you can go.  No matter how you decide to write your statement, remember to focus on the attributes that you chose. In general your personal statement will either be in essay form or story form. Most students include a combination of both. Some make it more story based, while others insert short stories into their essays. At this point you will want to figure out what is going to suite you best.

5. Beginning the process of writing

Now you are ready to begin writing your personal statement. You will more than likely write several drafts and start over more than once. That is ok; everyone has to go through the same process. It will be easier to reflect and write about your attributes if you keep or kept a personal journal of your experiences. It does not have to be pages long per experience but enough details to help you recall the experience and what you learned from the experience.  Your journal can include things like mission trips, community service, hobbies, or dental related experiences. Reflect upon your experiences. Write them out if you have not already. Don’t worry whether the wording is pretty or if it is all that smooth. Just get the experience down

6. Including your attributes in your personal statement

With a few of your experience written down, it is time to add in the attributes. If you wrote down an experience about a mission trip then look back to the list of ten attributes that you wrote down and see which ones best fit the story or experience. Begin rewriting the story focusing on these attributes. If on your mission trip you were a leader of some sort then you may want to focus on that. You may also be able to include teamwork or interpersonal skills in the same experience if those are attributes that you chose to focus on. It may take a few drafts of each experience to get it the way that you want. Refine the experiences and make sure that you have included your top 3-5 attributes.

7. Refining your personal statement

With your experiences polished and all of your attributes included, it is time to put together and refine your personal statement. Remember that the length of your statement is limited to about 4,500 characters. You will want to come up with an attention grabbing introduction, along with a conclusion that ties the paper together.  Once, you’ve come up with a solid draft and feel like you can share it with others, then share it with others. Take it to the writing center at your school for grammatical errors and suggestions. In addition, have professors, dental students, pre-health advisor, and whoever else you can get your hands on read and critique it. You are not going to be able to please everyone but at least you are receiving lots of feedback. Take it for what it is worth and make the corrections that you feel necessary.

In the end, you want your personal statement to be an easy read for the admissions committee. It should also be unique, eye catching, filled with details, and interesting. Remember they are reading hundreds and some schools even thousands of these. What sets you apart from the rest? The obvious answer is, you are not everyone else! You are unique and different, but it is up to you to show them.  


The following is a list from my pre-health advisor on what you should and should not do while writing a personal statement.

Do’s

• Understand who your audience is.
• Give direction with a theme or thesis; the main point you want to communicate.
• Before writing, choose what you want to discuss and the order of presenting it. 
• Start with an attention-grabbing lead.
• Use concrete examples from YOUR life. 
• Be unique by telling them what excites, or has had an impression on you.  
• Be honest
• End your essay with a conclusion that refers back to the lead  theme. 
• Revise and proofread many times.

 Don’ts 

• Don’t include information that doesn’t support the theme or thesis.
• Try and stay away from the “I” syndrome. 
• Don’t write a autobiography, itinerary or resume.
• Don’t try and be a clown (gentle humor is okay)
• Don’t be afraid to start over.
• Don’t try and impress with big vocabulary. 
• Don’t provide great quotes unless you really live by it and can support it with all your heart.
• Don’t give generic statements. 
• Don’t make excuses, explain circumstances and learning. 

 Presented to you by:

Obtaining Quality Letters of Recommendation

Image taken from letters-of-recommendation.com

Letters of recommendation are a very important part of your dental school application. In fact, if you look at my previous post about the dental school statistics, you will find that most schools list it as a very important piece of the application. This means that is going to be essential that you obtain quality letters of recommendation. By following the four suggestions below the letters you receive a much larger asset to your application.

1. Ask for your letters now

The upcoming application cycle opens on June 1, 2011. That means that you have less than two months to have the letters ready. The minimum number of letters you will need is three. Each school has a slightly different requirement, as far as how many from a science proffesor or from dentists. However, the most common combination required is 2 science professors and 1 dentist. Their lives are busy and it may take some time to get the letters written. You should not only choose writers who you are in good standing with but writers who have known you for some time and know your character.

2. Give your writers an "About Me" form

You are going to want to have the "About Me" form ready and in your hand when you go to ask your professors to write you a letter. When they accept the responsibility of writing your letters of recommendations, hand this to them. You will want to explain to them that this is a form that you created that contains information about you. The following are a few things that you could include in your "About Me" form.
1) Family:
Who are your parents? How many siblings do you have? What are somethings your family likes to do together? Include whether you are married and have children. If so, how old are they and what are their names.


2) Growing Up
This is the section is reserved for telling about things that you liked to do growing up. If you played sports, instruments or had other activities that you like, write a brief explanation of why you enjoyed them. Include any awards that you won and any leadership positions that you held (team captan etc...).

3) Mission Trips
Write about any mission trips that you were able to go on. Include some of the things that you did. Remember to be brief.

4) Current Activities
Reserve this section for listing any volunteer work, jobs, or current leadership positions that you hold. Once again, just list some of the more important ones with a one or two sentance explanations. Depending on the length of the other sections only write three to five. Do not write ten or fifteen. These are there just to help the professor fill in any gaps that they have about you.

5) Academic Career
If you feel it necessary include your current GPA. More importantly include a list of classes that you took from that particular professor and the grades you recieved. Professors have hundreds of students and they don't remember all the grades. If you did well in the class this can help the professor remember that you are a hardworking student.

You can include any other pertenent information on the "About Me" form. This should not take up more than a page. Remember the professors are busy and that you are writing this to help give them a better idea of who you are. Generally, professors already have an outline of what they are going to write about. This can help them be a little more specific in the letter thus making it a stronger letter of recommendation.

3. Things to talk about in a letter of recommendation

Some of the professors or dentists may have never written a letter of recommendation or have written very few. In some cases the professors may be writing letters of recommendation but not really know what they should write about. That is why you should hand them a list of things that can or should be included in a letter of recommendation. This list should not even be much more than ten items long. I will list some ideas but feel free to come up with some of your own. You do not have to include all of them.

• Maturity
• Academic potential
• Problem solving skills
• Ability to handle stress
• Adaptability
• Communication skills
• Ability to exercise good judgment
• Self-confidence
• Resourcefulness
• Compassion
• Work ethic
• Critical thinking skills
• Capacity for empathy
• Motivation for learning
• Understanding of the profession
• Motivation for the profession
• Interpersonal skills
• Integrity

4. Follow Up
 
I am going to repeat, professors and dentists are busy people! When you hand them your "About Me" form and the list of potential writing topics, tell them the date that you need it back by. Then let them know that you will check back with them by a certain date to make sure they have everything and that everything is going ok. When that time comes, call or go to their office. See how they are doing and if they completed the letter. If the letter is not yet complete let them know that you will check back with them in the next couple weeks. Sometimes letters are not a priority for the professors and other times they just forget about them, kind of like I do when professors give me small assignments. This has a big potential to help you get better letters. If the professor waits to the last day to do it, it might look like some of your assignments do when you do it the morning of the due date. This is not what you want! If they sit down with plenty of time before then the letter will be much higher quality.
 
Follow these fours suggestions and you are going to get the best letters of recommendations possible. These are simple, and effective steps to obtaining the letters of recommendation that you want on your dental school application!

Prerequisites for Dental School

Prerequisites for
Dental School

Each Dental School Has Their Own Prerequisites

        Does this mean that you are going to be in school, the remainder of your life,
trying to complete the prerequisite courses for all the schools you want to apply to? Of course not! However, because each school does have slight variations of the requirements it is important that you check with each school to see the exact requirements. Preferably, you will want to do this sooner than later so that there will be no surprises when you decide to put in your application. There is no need to call every school asking for these. Each school has them posted on their website so that they are easy to access. The following is a list of general requirements including needed courses.

General Prerequisite Courses

2 Semesters (3 quarters)- English

2 Semesters (3 quarters)- Physics

2 Semesters (3 quarters)- General Biology

2 Semesters (3 quarters)- General Chemistry with a Lab

2 Semesters (3 quarters)- Organic Chemistry with a Lab

Depending on the school there may be other courses required such as; Biochemistry, Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, Biochemistry, Psychology, and Microbiology just to name a few.

Some schools will also have a separate list of recommended courses. Taking those courses will help prepare you for dental school. It is not that feasible to complete all of them but taking some of them may help increase your chances of getting an interview.

Along with the prerequisite courses most dental schools look for someone that has or will be completing a four year degree. They may also list a minimum credit limit such as 120 semester credits.

Letters of Recommendation

Most schools require 3 letters of recommendation that may come from science professors, dentists, or community/religious leaders. Some of the schools will require at least two letters from science professors while others will have a different combination that is required. Check with each school in order to be certain of how many of each letter you need.

Dental Admissions Test (DAT)

The DAT is required for all schools and will play heavily on whether you are a competitive applicant or not. The DAT is scored on a scale from 1 to 30. The average score according to the ADA is an Academic Average (AA) of 17. This does not mean that 17 is the average score for students getting into dental schools. Each schools average is different but generally a competitive score is a 19.

What is included on the DAT?

Subject	Number of questions	Time per Subject
Tutorial		15 minutes
Survey of Natural Science	100	90 minutes
Biology	40
General Chemistry	30
Organic Chemistry	30
Perceptual Ability Test	90	60 Minutes
Keyhole	15
Top/Front/End	15
Angle Ranking	15
Hole Punch	15
Cube counting	15
Pattern Folding	15
Optional Break		15 Minutes
Reading Comprehension	50	60 Minutes
Quantitative Reasoning	40	45 Minutes
Post-Test Survey		15 Minutes
Entire Test	280	5 Hours

The following link to the ADA has resources posted that will help you to orient yourself to the DAT. I highly recommend reading the sources before beginning to study. A few important ones include DAT User’s Manual and Reference Texts. http://www.ada.org/3746.aspx