How I got into Dental School

What is Dentistry(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dentistry)? Simply put, dentistry is the science of treating and diagnosing problems or diseases of the oral cavity (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouth ). Dentistry has been around since 5000 BC at which point some thought tooth decay was caused by “tooth worms”. But dentistry has come a long way from the writings of Hippocrates and Aristotle. It has evolved into an extremely respected and sought after field of health care and prevention. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get through dental school but getting in is just as tough.


I have been successful in gaining acceptance to a prestigious dental school so I know just a little about the dental admissions process ;). In this article, I will explain to you exactly how to get into any dental school of your choice. This article is not a guarantee of any results but simply explaining what I did to gain acceptance.


To apply for dental school one must first complete one of 2 options, (i) complete 4 years of pre-dental studies or (ii) complete 2-3 years in a participating BS/DDS program. To learn more about the BS/DDS program, contact the school before applying as each school’s policies differ.


The pre-requisites vary from school to school but the typical ones are:

1 year of Biology, 1 year of Inorganic Chemistry, 1 year of Organic Chemistry, 1 year of Physics and the related labs for each science course. Many dental schools also require English and Math courses or some may even ask for Anatomy and Biochemistry. To see a specific list of what each school requires check out the ADA list of all the US dental schools and visit the sites(http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/programs/search_ddsdmd_us.asp).


Apart from having a solid GPA, particularly in the sciences, one must also be well rounded. Dental schools look favorably upon students who display versatility. So, having some hours of volunteer and shadowing in a Dental setting enhances your resume. Some schools recommend at least 100 hours of shadowing (http://www.groovejob.com/resources/job-shadowing/ ) and volunteering.



Once you have all these out the way, the next thing you need to set your focus on is acing the Dental Admission Test (DAT) (http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/ ). The DAT is an interesting exam; it is very rigorous and exhaustive so tons of preparation is needed. Some students are able to study for 2 weeks and do well while others need over 3 months and some even more time. Your personal studying tactic is your decision and no one else’s. What I did was study for 8-16 hrs per day for a total of 60 days and I was able to nail the exam with flying colors. I think any sensible person would also advise you to study for at least 2 months to ensure you are in tip-top shape before the exam. If you find that you have trouble committing, then attending a test prep course like Kaplan (http://www.kaptest.com/dat ) may help you focus. There are many books and resources to help with your studies but I would recommend these from personal experience:

(1) Kaplan Review Book (blue book) (http://www.amazon.com/Kaplan-2008-2009-CD-ROM-Dental-Admission/dp/1419551949 )

This book is the first book you will want to use. It offers a comprehensive review of all the topics that will be tested on the DAT. This book also comes with full length practice exams as well as a digital simulation of the actual thing. Once you complete this book. The next book you will want to get your hands on is:


(2) DAT Destroyer (http://www.orgoman.com/datdestroyer.html )

Yes, this book is bit expensive but worth every penny, if you are short on money then get a second hand copy. It offers hundreds of difficult questions that are sure to get you prepped for the DAT. You can know all the information but without adequate preparation by practicing, you will not be in optimum condition. It is of utmost importance that you get this book, I can not stress this enough.


(3) Kaplan Review Exams

Kaplan offers review exams for those that do decide to take the course, but even if you do not take the course please, please get your hands on these exams they offer. I did and I saw 8 exact questions from these review exams, on my actual test day!! Find a friend who took the course, pay them for the exams or take the course yourself as long as you get those review EXAMS!


(4) Other Resources

There are numerous other resources you can tap into to ensure you are over prepared for this exam. You will want to sign up for a free account on SDN (http://www.sdn.com ). Here you will be able to meet a barrage of other students who have taken the exam or are taking the exam. There is a wealth of information to be gotten from here. The next thing you want to do is take a free practice exam on Kaplan’s site (http://www.kaptest.com/Dental/Dental-Home/Apply-to-Dental-School/Prepare/DN_predent_practiceDAT.html ). Add these exams to those from the Kaplan Review Book and the Review exams from the course and you should be set.


Once you have completed the DAT and received an excellent score (DAT is graded out of 30 points total), you will need to begin working on your personal statement as well as rounding up recommendation letters. Some schools recommend you have a committee letter or at least 3 recommendation letters, 2 from science professors and 1 from any other person. Additionally, some schools require a letter from a dentist. As far as your recommendation letters, I would advise that you get as many letters as possible. Get a committee letter if you can, also get 2 science professors to write letters for you, then have a dentist write a letter for you and go as far as adding another person who knows you well. This may seem like over kill but it is necessary to make you stand out from the rest of the applicants who will simply meet the minimum requirements.


For the personal statement, there is not much I can say but ensure you write at least 3-5 drafts and have multiple professionals read it over to improve upon it till you end up with a good end product. An excellently written personal statement can tip the scales in your favor. So try to be fluent, and avoid careless grammatical mistakes. If possible, your personal statement should evoke an emotion from the readers otherwise it will be like all the other personal statements. I would say, search Google (http://www.google.com ) for sample personal statements just to get you on your way. But again, it is of the utmost importance that you have a well written personal statement.



Once you’ve got these things settled, the next thing is for you to start applying to dental schools (http://knol.google.com/k/costas-bougalis/dental-schools/iuonjocwdehl/23# ). Now applying to dental schools is a tough thing, first you have to select the dental schools you wish to apply to. Many people suggest applying to at least 15-20 schools to improve your chances but I would suggest you reduce this number to 6 or 10 that you know you stand a high chance of gaining acceptance to. This means, you must first select a list of schools you would like to attend based on location. Then visit each school’s website and compare their stats to your actual scores and see if your chances are high. Select the schools that you have a high chance of getting into, then add about 1 or 2 filler schools that you like but may not stand a good chance to get into (these are your wild card schools).


Now you have selected the schools you want, the next thing is to register on the AADSAS (https://portal.aadsasweb.org/ ) website and begin filling out your application. You will want to ensure you pay close attention when filling your application forms out as this is your one shot to make a good first impression. If possible, try to apply within the first week the application is released. The dates change per cycle so you will want to make sure you visit the AADSAS site to view when it is posted.


The final step in this long glorious journey is the interview process. Interviews are granted to only applicants that schools are interested in accepting. The interview allows the school’s AdCom (Admissions Committee) to see who a person really is before they decide that they are a perfect match for their school. So you will want to make a great impression, and be honest. In order to impress the interviewers you must sound intelligent, knowledgeable and full of enthusiasm. You must imagine that you are selling a house and you want to make a great impression for the buyer, you would be full of zeal wouldn’t you? Well sell yourself, but do not embellish. Start by reading the school’s website to learn all you can about the school. Find students that attend the school and ask them inside information that only students would know. I did this successfully and wowed the interviewers to the point that they asked me how I knew so much information. This certainly gave me an overwhelming edge. I started by visiting the interview feedback section (http://more.studentdoctor.net/welcome.php/index.asp ) on SDN. Find the schools you are interested in and read all the reviews provided by the previous interviewees. You will learn all the possible questions that the school will ask and knowing this will allow you to be prepared.


There is not much more I can go into here, I live everything up to you. I have provided you exactly the steps and tricks I used to have dental schools knocking on my door. I was able to select my first choice school and tell the others to take a hike. Don’t you want this kind of power over your destiny? If you are interested and wish to learn more about my journey visit my blog (http://MySmileDr.blogspot.com) . Thank you for reading, contact me with any questions, I will be glad to answer.