Pre-Medical

Pre-Dental

Meet With Your Counselor

For those interested in Dental Hygiene please see one of our Pre-Dental Hygiene Counselors


Your counselor is there to guide and advise you on classes and how to best prepare for Grad school applications. Meeting regularly with your counselor will give you a higher chance of achieving your goal.

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Academic Requirements

It is important for you to research the specific requirements for each school you are interested in applying to. It is advised that you avoid online pre-requisites classes.

Most programs will require:

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Bio Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Physiology
  • Anatomy
  • Microbiology
  • Statistics
  • Psychology


Meet with your counselor to plan out your schedule and specific courses you should take.

Admission Test

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. There are 4 sections: Natural Sciences, Perceptual ability, Reading comprehension, Quantitative Reasoning. For the most updated information visit www.adea.org

Links:

Letters of Recommendation

Excellent letters of recommendation are essential part of your application. The best letters come from people who have spent time with you and have gotten to know you well. The number and type of letters vary from one medical school to the next.

You should ask individuals who can objectively assess things such as: Academic Ability, Maturity, Team Work, Compassion, Leadership, and Communication skills. You should avoid asking family members, clergy/bishops, and lab instructors. If you do not think someone will write you a strong letter of recommendation, do no ask them for one. A bad letter can kill your application even if the rest are stellar.

UVU uses a letter service called PrivateFolio which allows you to send all LOR’s electronically to your chosen schools. Your PrivateFolio account is free for one year.  For further questions about this process you can either call or email our office.

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Extracurricular

Extracurricular activities help dental schools evaluate your potential as a clinician and professional. They can help you stand out as an applicant and demonstrate your motivation for pursuing a career in healthcare. Starting early helps prevent cramming everything into the last few semesters prior to the application.

Activities may include but are not limited to:

  • Shadowing a Dentist
  • Dental Related Experience
  • Volunteering
  • Leadership
  • Research

Clubs often fulfill many of these requirements. To sign up for the Dental club go to https://www.uvu.edu/clubs/.

Personal Statement

A personal statement is a written description of one's achievements, interests, etc. included as part of an application. In other words, this is a statement that tells the committee what they don't know from the other information like GPA, Pre-Reqs, Shadow/Volunteer experience, research, etc. Give the committee a glimpse of you that they won't find anywhere else. Once you've completed your personal statement, have someone else read through it with a committee members eyes and honestly ask the question: "Would I want to interview you?

Many students underestimate the power of a personal statement. It should not be written quickly or without planning, you should expect to write multiple drafts. Be sure to regularly meet with your pre-health counselor to help you revise and beautify your statement. Keep in mind that our counselors have read many personal statements and have valuable feedback. Although you are not required to act on their advice it is strongly encouraged that you take it into consideration.

Application

 

All U.S. Dental schools use the centralized application service AADSAS. AADSAS allows you to apply to several schools without filling out multiple applications. Plan to apply to Dental school as soon as pre-requisites are completed (or almost completed), starting in June. Early application is vital to being considered competitive.

 

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