Videos: Anything Dental Related

I thought it would be fun to make a post with a whole bunch of dental related videos. The funnier the better! Use the comment box to suggest videos and I will post them here (assuming they are decently appropriate).

Kidstones




Kids and Candy



You would have to admit that if candy is involved then it is dental related!

Leathal Weapon 4 - Uncle Benny



Mr. Bean at the Dentist



David After the Dentist

Are You a Pre-Dental Student Seeking a Scholarship?




Picture Credit to Clemson University

 

If you are either a pre-dental student and you have been looking for a scholarship, then you know how hard it might be to find one. Perhaps, applying for a scholarship from the Navy, Army, or Airforce might be for you. These type of scholarships are a great way to reduce your debt while serving your country. Not interested in joining any of those services? Well, there are not too many more oportunities for scholarships aside from the academic scholarships that a small minority may be offered.

However, today you are in luck! Crack the DAT is offering a scholarship to pre-dental students seeking a career in dentistry. The first thing you might ask yourself is, what do I have to do to get this scholarship? The scholarship application is simple. You will need to write a 500-1000 word essay explaining why you think you deserve the Crack the DAT scholarship. This will probably take some creativity on your part because an answer like "because I want to be a dentist" is just not going to cut it. In addition, you will need to send in a resume/cv, a transcript, and a recent 2x2 photo of yourself. Remember the scholarship is based on scholar merit, service, and financial need.

Next, you might be wondering, how much is the scholarship? The grand prize scholarship is worth $1,000 while the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th prize scholarships are $600, $300, and $100 respectively. So, is it worth the effort? Absolutely, it definetily worth the effort! When you are in dental school and loan money is running out this extra $1,000 will be of great help. I know this because I am nearing the end of the semester and could use the extra money for a pair of dental loupes or a handful of other things.

So what I am getting at is, if you are a pre-dental student then apply for this scholarship and any others you can get your hands on. Every little bit helps. More details for the Crack the DAT scholarship can be located at http://www.crackdat.com/scholarship/. The deadline is September 1, 2011.

Check out my article "Scholarship Opportunities for Dental Students". This article contains information and links to government sponsored scholarships. The best time to look into these programs are before you are accepted to dental school.

What should you be aiming for on your DAT?

The Dental Admissions Test (DAT) is an important part of applying to dental school. It does not matter if you have a high GPA or a lot of volunteering experience, if your DAT scores are low you will have difficulty landing an interview and essentially getting into dental school.

According to the ADA statistics the average DAT score of a dental applicant is 17.59 for the academic average, 17.56 total science, and 18.17 perceptual ability. What does this mean to you? As of right now, it does not mean much. Lets first take a look at the average scores of matriculating dental students.

 The average academic score for someone who is accepted into dental school is about a 19. There are several schools with higher averages and some with lower averages. This means that if you want to have a good chance at being accepted into dental school, and you have an average or slightly below average GPA, you will need to score at least a 19 overall. Am I saying that if you score an 18 that you will not get accepted into dental school? No, there are is a great number of dental students who scored an 18 on their DAT and were accepted into school. However, if you only want to apply one cycle and have some choices, I would highly recommend aiming for a 20+ on your DAT.

So, why do I write this? My one purpose in writing this post is to help open the eyes of predental students who do not know what they should be aiming for on their DAT. Do not take the DAT lightly! If the average score is around 17.5, that means that there are many students scoring below this and they will eventually need to retake the DAT if they want to have a fighting chance at getting accepted into dental school. You do not want to put your self in this position! The ADA statistics also show that students who retake the DAT have nearly the same average as that of students taking the DAT for the first time. Does this mean give up if you have already taken it and scored low? Absolutely not because your score will reflect the effort that you put into studying. However, I would highly recommend studying for the DAT like you only have one chance at taking it. This is not a test that you want to prepare for more than one time.

For more statistics and information on the DAT visit the ADA at http://www.ada.org/3746.aspx.

The Hottest DAT Study Material 2011

I would like to present the top 10 most useful study materials for the DAT. The study material was chosen by your peers. Those who participated in choosing the top ten where students who previously studied for and took the DAT. Each of these students knows the time, money and effort that goes into being successful on the test. Like wise, they know which materials did and did not work for them and which ones best prepared them for the DAT. Without further adieu, I present to you the Hottest DAT Study Material for 2011!

**Click Here for 2012 Results**

 #1- DAT Achiever

This was a huge surprise in my book! I suspected that DAT Achiever might make the top 5 on the list but never would have guessed that it would come in at #1. After all, DAT Achiever is demeaning and demoralizing to students who take these tests for the first time, but I guess this is what makes it so great! It is called "Achiever" for a reason. If you look at breakdowns of students who used DAT Achiever and compare their scores to that of their actual DAT scores you will see that, on average, they score 2 to 4 points higher. The questions presented are challenging but not unrealistic. DAT Achiever is preparing students for the difficult questions because those are the questions that can make a difference between getting 18 or a 21 academic average. In order to make DAT Achiever an effective study tool it is essential that you know why each answer given is either correct or incorrect. Feel like you have organic chemistry down? What about general chemistry or perceptual ability? DAT Achiever will challenge you in any section, so if you are looking for an edge over the other dental students this is the program for you. DAT Achiever accelerates in several areas including usability, question clarity, consistent upgrades, and solid customer support. For all these reasons and more DAT Achiever is the #1 Hottest DAT Study Material for 2011!

#2 - Crack DAT PAT

You are going to hear enough about this program on all my other posts and tutorials. Whether you feel that you can succeed or do not have the perceptual ability skills to succeed Crack DAT PAT will help you to improve. There are 10 full length tests along with thousands of bonus practice problems. The problems are unbelievably close to the real DAT. In fact, when I was taking the DAT I felt as if I was just taking another Crack DAT PAT test. This program is more than enough to do well on the PAT and believe it deserves to
be in the #2 Hottest DAT Study Materials for 2011.

#3 - DAT Destroyer

Overall, this is an excellent source for the sciences. The problems are difficult and as it states it will "Destroy" you your first time through. It is essential that you don't just memorize the answers but understand everything possible about each answer choice given. The problems are organized according to Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Quantitative Reasoning. However, the problems within each section are not organized by topic but randomized. Because of this and the difficulty of the problems it is important that you have a good base knowledge of the subject before you begin. If you do not have a base knowledge DAT Destroyer will only frustrate you and make studying difficult. Excellent resource if you are looking to score high on your DAT. It includes biology, organic chemistry, general chemistry, and math all of which are an excellent resource and highly recommended by the predental community. This is definitely a top 5 Hottest DAT Study Material in my book!

#4 - Chad's Videos (Organic and General Chemistry)

Were you ever frustrated because your chemistry professors did not seem to be able to make chemistry simple, interesting or easy to understand? I know I was but when I watched Chad's Videos I was amazed at how simple and clear chemistry was. Both the General and Organic Chemistry videos are a great resource especially if its been a few years since you have taken the course. The videos are invaluable and definitely worth the $50 he charges to gain access to the videos. I don't have much to say except, CHECK THEM OUT! You definitely will not be disappointed with your purchase. Chad just came out with the new HD Videos which is an upgrade from the original version that came out about 2 years ago. Ever since the videos came out they have been gaining popularity and I would suspect if I were to do the poll in another year or so that Chad's Videos would definitely be in the top 3 of the Hottest DAT Study Materials for 2011.


#5 - Cliffnotes AP Biology

Not much to say here, except that the notes are clear, concise, and contains just about everything you need for the DAT in terms of biology. It does lack a little in the physiology portion and a few other small topics. However, for the $10 that you spend on Amazon for this book it is definitely worth the money. It is basically condensed notes ready for memorization. There is not a lot of fluff to sift through and is an easy read, unlike some of the other more boring materials such as Schaum's Outlines (still good, just not as good). Currently, ranked 5th for the Hottest DAT Study Material for 2011 based on value (content & price).

#6 - Math Destroyer

Just like the DAT Destroyer the Math Destroyer will also destroy you. This is an excellent resource for studying the math section. The problems are difficult and much like the real DAT. I was only able to go over the first few tests right before my DAT and I wish I was able to go over more! I saw problems on the DAT that were just like the MATH Destroyer. Need help with the quantitative reasoning section? Get the math destroyer! Not only are the problems good but the solutions are excellent. Like the DAT destroyer the only thing this lacks is structure to the problems (which is intentional). You may want to supplement this with the outline from the ADA, a good textbook, and the internet in order to have a clear understanding of all the material you need to know for the DAT. I am not surprised that Math Destroyer is #6 on the Hottest DAT Study Materials for 2011.

#7 - Top Score Pro

If you are looking for the most accurate representation of how you are going to score on the DAT then take the Top Score Pro tests. Throughout the predental community the consensus is that Top Score Pro will give you the most accurate judgment of how you will do on the DAT. However, remember that while some students, like myself, will have nearly identical scores others will have as much as +/- 4 points on the real DAT. Most commonly scores are with in +/- 2 points. With that said Top Score Pro does lack in a few areas. The biggest area is the biology section. Don't get me wrong, the questions in the biology section are great but they add a lot of taxonomy questions (5-7 per test) to the test which causes students to score lower on their practice test. The actual DAT may only have 2-3 taxonomy questions. Also, if you are scoring 17-18 on the quantitative reasoning section you may want to do some extra practice (perhaps with Math Destroyer) because often times students quantitative reasoning scores decrease from what they were getting on Top Score Pro. All in all, this program is well worth the money and I am surprised that it is not in the top 5 Hottest DAT Study Materials for 2011!

#8 - Kaplan Blue Book

Kaplan Blue Book has all the subjects with easy to read outlines. Need instructions for the perceptual ability section? They've got it! Need an outline of the quantitative reasoning section? They've got that too! If you are rusty on any subject Kaplan breaks each section down into the basics. It will help you gain a good basis in each of the sections. Want to get a 20+ on the DAT? Perhaps, this is where the Kaplan Book lacks. Although, it has everything some areas are just to simple and not enough detail. The general consensus is that it lacks the details you need to do well on the biology section. So, is this a good book to buy? Yes, but be sure to supplement it with some of the other materials that are up higher on the Hottest DAT Study Materials for 2011.


#9 - Studentdoctor.net

If you need to ask questions or advice then Studentdoctor.Net (SDN) is the place to go. There are already thousands of posts answering just about any question a predental student could ask. If for some reason your situation or question is unique or you just want to post then those who join the SDN (free) can post and make comments. Invaluable source for any predental student. SDN is a definite top 10 on the Hottest DAT Study Materials for 2011!

#10 - Chad's Practice Material (Quiz)

I never used these materials since they are new within the last year or so. They have made the top 10 on the Hottest DAT Study Materials for 2011, so, they must be good. Don't worry about purchasing these separate because they are included with Chad's Videos (#4) when you purchase them. Sounds like an a good supplement to some excellent videos!

If you have a differing opinion or want to add anything to the above statements feel free to do so by posting a comment in the comments section.

Crack DAT PAT Reviews and Tutorials

I completed the introductory tutorial. You can locate it on the top tool bar menu under Crack DAT PAT Tutorials. The tutorial runs you through the basics of Crack DAT PAT and will orient you to the software. A short demonstration of angle rankings is also included!

What We Wished We Had Known Before Dental School

Since I was accepted into dental school, I have had several predental students ask this very question. What do you wish you would have known before dental school? Getting accepted into dental school is huge and is a big life changer for most of us. There is a lot of excitement in the air leading up to the first semester of dental school, resulting in a small amount of uneasiness and anxiety. The unknown has always been a scary place to walk and all the information we can get will help the unknown become a little more known.


It goes without saying, that each of us have a different background and with that background comes different knowledge. However, my goal today is to present to you things that we, the dental students, wish we would have known before dental school. If you can take just one of the suggestions, and put it to good use, then my duty is done for the day.

The list will continue to grow as more suggestions come. If you are a dental student and have something you would like to add feel free to e-mail me at philippines03j@gmail.com. I cannot guarantee that everyone’s suggestion will make the blog but I will do my best to incorporate as many ideas as possible. With your e-mail, include a brief description, your name (I will give credit to you for suggested idea), and school.

What We Wished We Had Known Before Dental School

1. Dental School is Awesome!

As a predental student you have probably been told by an advisor, a friend, a dentist, or a dental student that “you are just going to need to get through the first two years” or “The first year is the worst, just get through it” and other such comments. My first year in dental school is almost complete and I still get those comments almost every week. Is it true that dental school is challenging? Of course it is challenging. Is it impossible? Absolutely not! Or there would be no dentists in the world today. With that said, your first year of dental school is something to look forward to. I wish I would have known beforehand that I was actually going to have time to make friends and spend time with family! Plenty of time will be spent doing school work but there is going to be time to make new friends, enjoy hobbies, and spend time with your family. Now that is awesome!

DentalDat, IUSD Class of 2014

2. That I would rarely open a textbook

This may not be the case for everyone or every dental school but it is true for me. After I gained acceptance and the start of the semester grew near, the school began sending important things such as book lists. I spent hours looking for the cheapest way to buy the books. The total for the first semester ended up being right around a thousand dollars. I decided that it was not in our budget at the moment and would by them as each class began. Boy was I grateful I did that. After about a month of school I realized that the professor’s power points were sufficient and if I had a question either the internet or my undergrad textbooks would do the trick. One of the only books that I actually felt like I needed to buy were the anatomy texts. Other than that I have not spent a dime on a textbook. With that said, I do believe that getting the right supplemental books can aid in the study process, as you will read in number three.
Before you go out and start purchasing books call/contact the upperclassman and get their advise on which classes you will need books for.

DentalDat, IUSD Class 2014

3. Spend your money on useful resources

This goes along with number two on the list. Just because you may not be spending hundreds of dollars on the recommended textbooks does not mean you can’t put that money to good use. There are plenty of good resources that can help make studying a little easier. Generally, these books have quick reference charts or condensed easy to understand text, similar to what you used for the Dental Admissions Test. A few suggestions include ADA/PDR Guide to Dental Therapeutics, The Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy, Clinical Neuroanatomy Made Ridiculously Simple, and First Aid for NBDE Part1. Each of these books are reasonably priced and can be a tremendously useful source throughout the first and second year of dental school. Buying these beats buy a textbook any day of the month and makes for a easier and simple study session.

Idea submitted by:
Charli Steiner, IUSD Class of 2014
*All books mentioned are available at DentalDat Store

4. Taking notes

Having good notes and outlines is an important part of dental school but where do you start? Do you save all the PowerPoint's to your computer and open each one in order to hunt down the slide you are looking for? Do you spend precious loan money printing out every sing slide before class? There are a few answers to this and a thousand different suggestions.

I submit that the easiest most efficient way of organizing and taking notes is through Microsoft One Note. Haven't heard of it? Then you should check it out! You will have to open each PowerPoint and then print to One Note. Within One Note, you can organize them into semesters, courses, and modules. If you ever want to quickly check back to a previous lecture while studying just click on the appropriate tab. Don't know which PowerPoint the information is actually in? Do a general term search and One Note will locate all of the slides with that term in them.

I wish I would have known about Microsoft One Note a long time before dental school!

 












Idea submitted by:
Anonymous, Future Dental Student
*A future post will include a tutorial on utilizing the features of Microsoft One Note. Check back in the future weeks for this one...

5. Oh, The Money!

For the majority of dental students, dental school will be too much to handle on the check book. Most of us recognize that we will be taking out serious loans, some more than others. That is not what I am here to talk about. I am here to talk about the hidden fees of dental school.  I wish I would have known about all of these fees and extra expenses! No, it would not have effected my decision to come to dental school but it would have effected the way I handle my money before dental school. While in undergrad I pulled out all the government aid my family qualified for and saved as much money as possible but by the time we were settled here in Indianapolis we did not have any extra money. With a wife and 2 kids, the allotted amount is a little tight. I've made a list of some of the possible extra expenses to be aware of:

1. Moving Expenses: The U-haul alone can wipe out a good $800 + Gas. If you are going some distance, like my family did. Then you may need to spend a couple nights in a hotel which is another $100-200.

2. Housing Deposit: Some apartments may require a deposit along with the first rent.

3. First Grocery Bill: If you just moved some distance you can expect a large grocery bill the first time out. Fill those cupboards!

4. Decorating expenses: You just moved into a new apartment which means that you may need some extra lamps, new table, a study desk, a kitchen table, and possibly a washer and dryer. This all adds up!

5. School Fees: Yes, these are included and they take out the fees before they hand you the loan money. But what about class dues? Or books that you decided to purchase? Anyone want a computer? Need a new backpack or some scrubs? This too all adds up!

6. Loupes: If you are not required to buy them the first semester, you will be looking to get these sometime your first or second year. Loupes can run anywhere from $800-$1500+. Wait, don't you want a light with that? That is going to be another $300-$600 depending on the light.

By knowing these hidden or unknown expenses you are able to budget and prepare properly. I have a family of three and it is difficult to fit in some of costs. I am now saving up for a pair of loupes and will probably have to squeeze them into my second year budget. If I was aware of some of these things and made a budget accordingly, I could have already had them!

Feel free to add to the list of hidden expenses.

More to come!

Gold Inlay on #4

If you have been following me on twitter the last few days, then you have heard me talk about this gold inlay that I've been working on. Some of the predental students reading this may be asking "what in the world is a gold inlay?" You have come to the right place to find that out.

Inlays are for the posterior teeth and include the occlusal surface (chewing surface) and may also include the proximal surfaces of the tooth. An inlay can be used instead of an amalgam or resin in cases where the caries extended more lingually (towards the tongue) or buccally (towards the cheek). Using an inlay also allows for the dentist to shape the proximal (between the teeth) surface more easily because it is made on a model and not in the patients mouth.

I won't torcher you with the details of creating an inlay but I will tell you that it is a cool experience. The gold is very expensive so the key is not to lose or waste it. The following are a few pictures I snapped while in lab.

Right out of the Oven

This is what the inlay looked like, right after the gold was cast. The stem on the marginal ridge was actually longer but I cut it down. The next thing to do is to continue trimming the stem down by using a a high speed handpiece with a carbide bur or other instrument of choice. Be careful though, the gold can get very hot!

Ready to try it in the model

I just finished cutting down the stem and blending it in with the marginal ridge. I did a little bit of polishing to make it look decent and now it is time to try it in the model. The most important thing is to have proximal contact with the adjacent tooth. Some of the other minor problems such as a high marginal ridge can be fixed once it is on the model.

 Just about complete

  



The tooth is placed and everything looks good. I polished the tooth a bit more and was in the process of adjusting the height of the marginal ridge. It is a little high which means the patient won't be able to close down evenly on both sides. The last step is to cement the crown in and do some final polishing!

There you have it. An gold inlay on tooth #4!

Test Week

At Indiana University School of Dentistry we have what are called either Biweeklies, Triweeklies, or Monthlies. This means that we have a test every two, three, or four weeks depending on the semester. This semester I have tests every two or three weeks. Occasionally we will have a quiz or lab test outside of these, but other than that, all of our classes are tested on in the same test. Each professor that lectures submits their questions for their presentations and they are added to the test (they keep them organized on the test). This makes for a very busy testing week but a relaxing week after.

My upcoming test includes neurobiology, respiratory system, pharmacology, oral facial biology, and cariology. Some of the sections have 5 power points and some only have two power points. Nonetheless, there are a total of 20 total power points ranging from 35 slides to 130 slides. This is going to be a fun week!

This Should Keep Me Going

This is what a call a midnight snack! Ever feeling low on energy? Feel like you need a boost? Or just need to spice things up? Grab some Chex Mix Hot'n Spicy and a Mello Yello!

Living the Life

If I am not in class or lab, then this is where I am, a small little cubical filled with Chex Mix and Mello Yello. Ever wonder where I am at when I type these posts? Just picture this and you've got it. I spend enough time in one of these things that I have to learned to keep myself comfortable.

Breakfast of Champions

Knowing how important it is to eat breakfast, I packed myself a breakfast of champions. Nothing like a few nutritional bars, yogurt, and some fruit. The brain power has to come from somewhere.

I will continue to update with pictures throughout the week!

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