So you want to go to dental school but don’t know where to start. Hello my name is Michael Yoo a fourth your dental student at Western University in Pomona, CA and welcome to smilesforyoo.
Getting into dental school is no easy task, with Close to 11,000 students applying each year for a little over 6000 seats, chances of getting into a dental school is just above 57%.
So how do you maximize your undergraduate education in order to be within that 57%? Follow along as we break down the components every Pre-dental student needs to get accepted into a dental school program.
If you are following a traditional timeline in which you don’t take a gap year after graduating from undergrad, you will want to start your freshman year by joining a Pre-dental club. These pre-dental clubs will have resources and opportunities for you to shadow and earn clinical experience for your dental school application. Depending on the school you’re applying to, they may or may not require shadowing and volunteering hours, but it is recommended you obtain anywhere from 50-100 hours of shadowing and around 120 hours of volunteering.
In addition to Pre-dental clubs you will need to obtain a good science GPA. The average science GPA for a pre-dental students that is applying in the United States is around 3.32 with the average science GPA for students that get accepted a 3.49.
So how do you fall into this range? Be sure to find out the prerequisites for the dental programs that you want to apply to. Generally most schools will require 3 quarters of biology with Lab, 3 quartersof general chemistry with lab, 3 quarters of physics with lab, and 3 quarters of organic chemistry with lab. Depending on the school you’re applying to they may also require English composition, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, and biochemistry. Spreading these courses throughout your four years of undergraduate education will optimize your ability to do well in the required courses. Click the download button to obtain a timeline.
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Lastly all dental applicants are required to take a standardized test called the dental admissions test. Done sometime between the summer of sophomore year and in the fall of your junior year, applicants should shoot for an academic average score of above 20 to be considered competitive for dental school applications.
Frequently asked questions,
Does my major matter?
In 2020 2.2% of students enrolled had a major in business, management, or marketing. 1.8% of students had a major in engineering, and majority of students enrolled had a major in biology or biomedical sciences (63.5%). with this said however, there is no correct major for applying to dental schools. In short, as long as you complete the required prerequisites you can apply to dental school with any major.
Does research matter?
Yes and no, dental schools generally fall into three different categories. Schools based in clinical skills, schools based in volunteerism, and schools based in research. If you are applying to a school that focuses a lot on research you will need a certain number of research hours.
Do I need to be a dental assistant before dental school?
While having clinical experience before the start of dental school may be helpful, being a dental assistant is not required to be accepted into dental school program.
With all the statistics keep in mind that there’s more to applying to dental school than just the numbers. Yes, while a good science GPA and good score on the DAT may get you an interview, Schools will do a holistic review of your application. What this means is that after your interview, they will also consider things like passions outside of dental school.
If this video helped you please consider sharing it with another Pre-dental student you think it may help. If you have any other tips please leave it in the comments down below. As always thank you for watching. We’ll catch you in the next video
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