As dental students we sometimes forget the tough challenges or questions we faced as a pre-dental. Ava Gates, the current president for the Texas Pre-Dental Society at The University of Texas at Austin offers us an insight into her journey:
Hello Texas A&M College of Dentistry!
A lot goes into the application process for dental schools and a lot of the information is hard to google. Here is an accumulation of knowledge from a host of students who are in dental school, have finished the application process or who are where you are now. Below are listed a series of common questions and answers about being pre-dental.
What should I major in?
Obviously, this is a loaded question that every college kid, especially ochem student, thinks about multiple times a semester. You should pick your major based on what you are best at and most passionate about. The first criterium seems redundant and can be borderline offensive: “No duh I want to be good at my major.” Unfortunately, dental schools look at GPA and DAT scores before they ever hear about why you want to be a dentist. Pick a major that is interesting and that will not completely burn you out of school. Find something that you are passionate about. Maybe the world needs a dentist in space and your degree in aerospace engineering will get you the job. Check each dental school for a list of prerequisite classes. They are not all the same for each school and you will see the information again in the future. If you don’t believe me, google dental genetics. Figure out how to study. The way you got through high school will not be enough to get you through college nor will what works in college be enough to get you through dental school. Work hard. Choosing dentistry, and all of the requirements to get there, will be difficult but it will be worth it in the end.
When should I take the DAT? How should I study for it?
The easiest time to take the DAT is after completing Ochem 2. However, I have had friends take it the summer before their junior year, winter break of their junior year, and even the summer they apply. The best thing to do is to plan it out in advance. If you want to study abroad or you need to take summer classes, you need to figure out how long you have to study and when you need to take the test by. As for the test itself, it's going to be an emotionally and mentally exhausting process. The material can stretch back to sophomore year of high school with questions from pre-AP chemistry and it can stretch forward to classes you haven't even taken yet, like anatomy or biochemistry. The most important thing to remember about the test is that it covers breath not depth. All of your college classes will require you to know 10x more information and in a lot more amount of detail than anything asked on the DAT. Study the material to know a little about a lot of different things not a lot about one thing. Above all else take care of your mental health. Everyone I have talked to, and in my personal experience, has felt an enormous amount of anxiety and pressure when studying for this test. Find a healthy outlet and give yourself the benefit of the doubt. You’ve made it this far. Don’t be afraid to reach out to other students who have already taken the test or who are also studying for it. There is something powerful in talking about the stress out loud and to people who understand it.
What extracurriculars do I need?
There is not a set list of clubs or volunteer options or research projects that dental schools look for. Find something that makes you passionate and show it commitment. The volunteering, clubs, and research you become apart of do not need to impact the field of dentistry. Choose clubs that make you get out of your comfort zone and the library. Volunteer with people who have different life experiences than you do. Join a research team to learn something new and to improve our understanding of how the world works. Use these experiences to shape the type of dentist you will become.
Final words of wisdom…
Join whatever pre-dental or pre-health organization you can. Look around in these clubs and in your prerequisite classes. Some of these people could be your future dental school classmates or colleagues. Make friends now and hold on to them. Don’t be afraid to ask upperclassmen for advice. They can save you a lot of time and stress. But also don’t forget to pass your knowledge on to the next generation of pre-dental students.
Study hard. Keep swinging for the fence. You can do this.