PRE-DENTAL

Admission to dental school is a highly competitive process. Approximately more than of the students who apply to dental school each year do not get accepted. There are simply more applicants than there are seats available. It is vitally important that students who want to pursue a dental degree thoroughly prepare themselves to be competitive applicants during the pre-dental years.

GPA AND DAT

GPA is a vital part of your application to dental school. Students should have a GPA of 3.2 or higher to be competitive. The average GPA for students accepted to dental school is approximately 3.5. Dental schools will consider your science, non-science and cumulative GPAs as well as the trend of grades. All grades received for college credit will be calculated into your GPA even if you have retaken the class. If you have taken any classes at a different school or if you have retaken classes, your UVU GPA will not be an accurate calculation for dental schools.

The DAT is a standardized examination required as part of your application to dental school. It is a very challenging exam that requires extensive preparation in the form of review and practice. Your preparation for the DAT will begin with the first day of your first pre-dental prerequisite course.

The DAT contains 4 timed sections that lead to a total of 8 scores in the categories below, with each section scored from 1 to 30. The average DAT scores for students accepted to dental school are approximately 20s or higher:

• Biology
• General Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry
• Quantitative Reasoning (basic math, geometry, algebra, and trigonometry
• Reading Comprehension
• Total Science (an average of biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry scores)
• Academic Average (an average of quantitative reasoning, reading comprehension, biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry scores)
• Perceptual Ability

PREREQUISITE COURSES

At least 90 completed semester hours are required before matriculation into dental school; however, 90 percent of all first year dental students have completed a bachelor's degree. Because of this, it is recommended that all pre-dental students plan on completing a bachelor's degree. Although many pre-dental students select biology as a major, dental schools do not consider one major as better than another. Your major should be chosen based on your interests and strengths and can be in any discipline, science or non-science. It is important to select a major that suits you. Keep in mind that you may use your undergraduate degree to fall back on if you are not accepted into dental school or if you choose to pursue alternate options.

NOTE: Dental schools determine their own individual requirements. The courses listed below are a general guideline to help you prepare for dental school application. Refer to ADEA's Official Guide to Dental Schools which can be found at www.adea.org and the individual school's website to determine the specific requirements for that institution.

Required by most dental schools with a grade of C or better:

• Intro to Writing: ENGL 1010
• Intermediate Writing: ENGL 2020
• College Biology I and II with labs: BIOL 1610/1615 and 1620/1625
• Principles of Chemistry I and II with labs: CHEM 1210/1215 and 1220/1225
• Organic Chemistry I and II with labs: CHEM 2310/2315 and 2320/2325
• College Physics I and II with labs: PHYS 2010/2015 and 2020/2025
• Human Anatomy: ZOOL 2320
• Human Physiology: ZOOL 2420

In addition, some schools require the following courses:

• General Psychology: PSY 1010
• Biochemistry: BIOL 3600
• Microbiology: MICRO 2060 (Required by Midwestern Arizona)

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

It is extremely important to be involved in activities outside of the classroom in order to be competitive for admission into dental school. GPA and DAT scores are important, but they do not make you unique. You will not get into dental school with just high GPA and DAT scores. Extracurricular activities are a chance for you to set yourself apart and display your motivation for pursuing dentistry and dedication to serving the community. Preparing to apply for dental school is NOT about checking off boxes. Dental schools are not going to care if you have done the experiences if you have not learned from them. Admissions committees want to know that you are willing and able to learn in any circumstance and/or environment.

The activities you should be involved in and the recommended hours are listed below:

• Volunteer Service: 45-60 hours during each of the 4 years prior to entering dental school. To be a strong applicant for dental school you must show dedication to serving the community. Volunteer service can be done with any group or organization and does not have to be dental related. Being involved in 2-3 service opportunities will benefit you more than having several brief experiences.



• Leadership: 3 different leadership positions during the 4 years prior to entering dental school. These should be experiences that have lasted at least 3 months or more. This includes experiences as tutors, mentors, coaches, teachers or leaders in campus clubs and organizations as well as employment and church leadership.



• Dentist Experience: 50-100 hours during the pre-dental years. Students should gain exposure to the dental field and have a clear understanding of what life as a dentist entails. Dental experience may include shadowing or dental assisting. Shadowing is an opportunity to observe dentists as they go through a routine day seeing patients, completing paperwork, talking with insurance companies, etc. You should shadow dentists in different fields of dentistry to gain a diverse range of experiences, but at least 25 hours should be spent in general dentistry.



• Research: 45 hours during the pre-dental years. Research is not required, but is highly recommended. Research must involve the testing of a hypothesis and must be supervised. Research cannot be part of a class, but may be an independent project or senior thesis that the student receives college credit for. Many students become research assistants for professors on campus. You should be able to describe the hypothesis and research methods for the project no matter what your role is in the research.

CHOOSING A DENTAL SCHOOL

Because all dental schools vary in their admissions requirements, it is recommended that students choose 5-10 dental schools they would be most interested in attending and make note of those schools admission requirements. This does not mean that these are the only schools you will apply to, but you will be well prepared for your first choice schools.

Go to http://www.adea.org for additional information on dental schools.