Four Year Planfor Pre-Dental

StudentsPre-Dental Society

Week 3

Announcements & Events

Boys and Girls Club in Santa Ana – Careers in Dentistry Presentation

Letter of Recommendation Workshop (10/18)

3:30 - 5:00 PM @ NS2 4201

Beginner Tooth Waxing and Denture Course (10/19) - $135

8:00 AM - 6:00 PM @ NS2 4201

Week 4 - Speed Friending with PDS

5-6:00 PM @ NS2 4201

Week 5 – USC presentation

5-6:00 PM @ NS2 4201

Grad School & Professional School Fair

10-2:00 PM @ UCI Ring Road

Kaplan ONLINE Practice Test

Polls

Who is interested in CPR Certification for $40 dollars CPR/AED certification is one of the 3 requirements to work

as a dental assistant

Which section are you most worried about for the DAT? Gchem

Ochem

PAT

1st Year & Campus Resources

Classes to Take Biology (93/94)

General Chemistry (1A-1C + labs)

English Composition (WR39 Series or HumCore)

GE Classes (psychology, speech)

Resources UCI FREE Peer Tutoring (Bio,

Chem)

LARC

Office Hours

Writing Center

BioSci Counselors (located in BS III)

Counseling Center

1st Year: Recommended

Develop study habits FIRST! Create strong foundation for GPA

“Sample” clubs before committing Explore Dentistry

Pre-dental Courses, Volunteer, Shadow

Begin Dental Shadowing Find a mentor!

1st Year: Recommended

Community Service (Non-dental related) Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Helping Hearts for the

Homeless, Circle K, etc.

Visit campusorgs.uci.edu to search for service clubs

Dental-Related Volunteering Share Our Selves (SOS) Clinic

Healthy Smiles for Orange County

2nd Year Academics

Bio 97, 98, 99, OChem Series with Lab Research - Bio 199, Look into labs that you may be

interested in, email and apply to multiple labs! Doesn’t have to be dental related

ADEA Guide to Dental Schools figure out prerequisites and plan out what courses you

need

2nd Year Academics

LOR (Letters of Rec) UCI’s LOR Service (cheap and easy!) Attend office hours, ask questions, stand out!

DAT decide on when to study and take it (over the

summer or next year) HUGE time commitment

2nd Year : Extra Curriculars

Shadowing a Dentist Volunteering:

CDA Cares, Care Harbor

Internships, clinical volunteering, organizations like Flying Sams, Habitat for Humanity, Helping Hearts for the Homeless, etc.

Hobbies and Interests manual dexterity

doesn’t have to be dental related

do what you LOVE

3rd Year - Required

University Requirements Take Upper Division Bio Classes

Physiology with Loudon (Fall)

Cell Bio with McGregor/Sutterland (Winter)

Neurobiology (Spring)

Bio 100

DAT Keep your eye on your goal! You are almost there!

3rd Year- Recommended Research Shadow/Work at a Dental Office Leadership Opportunities Networking Community Service Hobbies… you need a

life outside of dentistry and class.

3rd Year- Applying Early

Start looking at dental schools ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools

DAT ($385)

Letters of Recommendation Fall/Winter Quarter

Communicate with Professors

Portfolio/Resume

UROP/Excellence

Personal Statement

Apply for Dental School

4th Year - Required

Apply early in the cycle through ADEA AADSAS (JUNE!)

Send official transcripts & LORs ASAP!

Cost varies (~$95 per school)

Admissions on rolling basis

Secondary applications

Separate fee

Deadline usually 1-2 months after receiving it

30 days to accept offer

Academic update

Send newest transcripts and enter grades for new quarters

4th Year - Recommended

Applications open the FIRST MONDAY in June every year

Recommended window: June to mid-August

Chances decrease dramatically for a late application

Keep GPA high (not just for the obvious)

Post-doc residency

Research in dental school

Keep in mind: AADSAS Format

175-character descriptions for Extracurriculars/ Volunteering/Community Service

Must give name of sponsoring organization

Number of hours & hours per week

4th Year – More Info

Most schools will ask for SECONDARY APPLICATIONS Deadline: usually 1-2 months after AADSAS application

Schools will start giving out interviews in August Look for common interview questions online, research

about each school, what their interviews are like, etc.

Practice!!

If you plan on taking a year off, continue with leadership and extracurriculars, add more to application

Gap Years

Why take a gap year?

Applying senior year; recharge after undergrad; improve your application; save/pay off loans; take the DAT

Improving application:

Post-Bac programs vs. SMP’s (GPA booster or academic credibility)

Shadowing

Research

Volunteering (not necessarily dental-related)

PLAN ACCORDINGLY

Time, travel expenses ($$$) for interviews

Keep your mind sharp

CSU East Bay (Hayward)

Academic Enhancer Track II

Length of study: 1 yr (4 quarters) fulltime; 10-12 courses. Ends with certificate

Advantages: provides volunteering/internships, on-campus research experience, mentorship, DAT preparation

Cost of attendance: $383/unit

Admission prerequisites: biological sciences or biochemistry degree; 2.8 GPA minimum… rolling admissions so higher as application cycle proceeds; math (college algebra)

Program requirements: need at least 3.3 GPA to graduate (B+)

Sample Schedule

SFSU (San Francisco)

Formal Post-Bac Program: Academic Enhancer Track (AET) Length of study: 1 – 2 years

Admissions: Competitive. 60 students/year; 10% of program are pre-dental (support from Dental Post-Bac program)

Year-long rolling admissions; 2.5 GPA min to apply; usually higher

Cost: $550/unit ~$15000 (1 yr); ~$27000 (2 yr)

Focused on upper-divs; but can take core classes again as well

Benefits: Guaranteed classes; MCAT/DAT-style test questions & case-based learning exercises in curriculum; “close ties” with UOP Dental; comprehensive Committee Letter; success rate: 80%

Sample Schedule

Sample Electives

Boston University

M.S. in Oral Health Sciences Program Prerequisites: completion of all prereqs for dental school

Admissions: 15-20 new students/year; average 3.05 GPA and 19.5 DAT

Total cost: $45,050

Length: 1-2 years, ending with a capstone project/thesis (cost same)

Benefits: core classes (biochem, microbio, physiology) taken at BU Dental with D1 students; faculty advisor mentor; 80% success rate

Post-Bac/Masters Programs

Rutgers University in New Jersey

Dental Scholars Program (MS or MBS)

25/30 credits of course work = 3 semesters

Advantages

Concentration in Oral Biology, Academic advising, Dental courses with dental students, Complete degree in one year, Research experience with dental school faculty, Personalized advice from admissions at NJ Dental School

Total Cost of MS/MSB Program

$19,500 New Jersey residents

$25, 500 non New Jersey residents

Admissions

B.S w/ courses in Biology, 2 LOR, GRE/MCAT/DAT scores, General & Organic Chemistry, & Physics

WesternU in Pomona, CA

Master of Sciences in Medical Science (MSMS)

25-30 students

Advantages

Critical evaluation skills, Research experience with dental faculty, Personalized advice from admissions at WesternU

Total Cost of MSMS Program

$23,145 Tuition

$51,500 Estimated Total Cost

Admissions

B.S w/ courses in Biology, 3.0 GPA, 3 LOR, GRE minimum 300 on verbal/quantitative, General & Organic Chemistry, & Physics

UCSF Interprofessional Health Post-Baccalaureate Program

Special interest in individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds

Advantages

11 months, Mentoring & Academic Advising, Upper division science course work through UC Berkeley’s Extension, DAT review course, Faculty mentoring, Research

Cost of the Post-Bac Program

$13, 900 Tuition

42,700 Estimated Total Cost

Eligibility

Preference to CA residents, B.S, Complete prerequisites for dental school

LLU Post-Baccalaureate Program

Special interest in individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds

Advantages 11 months, Summer Program held at USC, UCLA & LLUSD (dental

workshops, programs, & lectures), DAT tutoring, Simulated interviews, Faculty mentoring

Cost of Post-Bac Program

Eligibility B.S, Academically/Economically disadvantaged, Minimum 2.7 GPA,

DAT average 17 or higher