- Joined
- Jan 5, 2016
- Messages
- 11
- Reaction score
- 1
Hello,
I am a 24 yo female, new to SDN, and have now decided to apply to dental school.
I have been working for the past 2 years as a medical assistant, since graduating. I recently quit my job to study for the DAT and prepare/strengthen my applications.
My questions:
1. Is it possible to get into dental schools, without a post-bacch?
(Will I be limited to a small number of schools? Anyone know of any specific schools that place less emphasis on GPA?)
2. What can I do to strengthen my applications, given my credentials and future plans.
My current credentials:
Rutgers University - New Brunswick, Sept. 2009 - Jan. 2014
Major: Biology
Minor: Psychology
BCP GPA: 3.10
Science GPA: 3.10
Non-Science GPA: 3.75
Cumulative/Overall GPA: 3.36
4 Strong recommendation letters:
- 1 from orthopaedic surgeon at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases (I was his clinical research assistant for 2 summers while in school)
- 1 from a neurologist (I was his medical assistant for 2 years after graduating)
- 1 from my Genetics professor
- 1 from my Biology professor
I have consistently been building my volunteering/community service experience. (none related to dentistry)
My Plan: Get a competitive DAT score and gain dental experience
1.Jan - March: Take the DAT in mid-March
- Study full time (~ 8-10 hrs/day) for 2.5 months (take after averaging just below 30 on all practice tests)
2. April: Start gaining dental experience & strengthen application
- (Ideally) Start work as dental assistant to reputable practice in NYC
- Shadow dentists in other fields (?)
- Figure out which schools I can apply to
3. May - June: (When applications start becoming available): Start filling out apps
- Send applications ASAP
4. June - August 2017 or until starting dental school (14 months): Continue strengthening applications
- Continue working and shadowing (Is there anything else I can do?)
Additionally, Is there anything else I should consider or change? Any ideas? Any help or opinion would be very much appreciated.
Thank you so much!!
--Again, my main questions were--
1. Is it possible to get into dental schools, without a post-bacch?
(Will I be limited to a small number of schools? Anyone know of any specific schools that place less emphasis on GPA?)
2. What can I do to strengthen my applications, given my credentials and future plans.
I am a 24 yo female, new to SDN, and have now decided to apply to dental school.
I have been working for the past 2 years as a medical assistant, since graduating. I recently quit my job to study for the DAT and prepare/strengthen my applications.
My questions:
1. Is it possible to get into dental schools, without a post-bacch?
(Will I be limited to a small number of schools? Anyone know of any specific schools that place less emphasis on GPA?)
2. What can I do to strengthen my applications, given my credentials and future plans.
My current credentials:
Rutgers University - New Brunswick, Sept. 2009 - Jan. 2014
Major: Biology
Minor: Psychology
BCP GPA: 3.10
Science GPA: 3.10
Non-Science GPA: 3.75
Cumulative/Overall GPA: 3.36
4 Strong recommendation letters:
- 1 from orthopaedic surgeon at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases (I was his clinical research assistant for 2 summers while in school)
- 1 from a neurologist (I was his medical assistant for 2 years after graduating)
- 1 from my Genetics professor
- 1 from my Biology professor
I have consistently been building my volunteering/community service experience. (none related to dentistry)
My Plan: Get a competitive DAT score and gain dental experience
1.Jan - March: Take the DAT in mid-March
- Study full time (~ 8-10 hrs/day) for 2.5 months (take after averaging just below 30 on all practice tests)
2. April: Start gaining dental experience & strengthen application
- (Ideally) Start work as dental assistant to reputable practice in NYC
- Shadow dentists in other fields (?)
- Figure out which schools I can apply to
3. May - June: (When applications start becoming available): Start filling out apps
- Send applications ASAP
4. June - August 2017 or until starting dental school (14 months): Continue strengthening applications
- Continue working and shadowing (Is there anything else I can do?)
Additionally, Is there anything else I should consider or change? Any ideas? Any help or opinion would be very much appreciated.
Thank you so much!!
--Again, my main questions were--
1. Is it possible to get into dental schools, without a post-bacch?
(Will I be limited to a small number of schools? Anyone know of any specific schools that place less emphasis on GPA?)
2. What can I do to strengthen my applications, given my credentials and future plans.