Guest bc Posted December 16, 2005 Report Share Posted December 16, 2005 Is it worth taking the course? or should you just buy the books and study on your own? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OhB1 Posted December 16, 2005 Report Share Posted December 16, 2005 I personally took the Kaplan course and felt it worked well for me, your mileage however may vary. Kaplan worked great for me as I dont have a science background and I felt the inclass instruction to be quite useful. In addition, the structured nature of the course really helped to keep me on track. Lastly, Kaplan has an insane amount of practice material.... Having said all that, some of my classmates didnt find the course that great, and felt they could do a better job on their own.... I think if you stuck to the exact outline that Kaplan provides you will do well on the DAT.... As for how well it prepared me..well I guess I have a week until I find out. Best of luck either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dent08 Posted December 16, 2005 Report Share Posted December 16, 2005 Isn't the Kaplan course $1000? Thats REALLY expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bc Posted December 16, 2005 Report Share Posted December 16, 2005 thanks OhB1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chowchilla Posted December 16, 2005 Report Share Posted December 16, 2005 I took Kaplan this September and I hated it. We had one instructor who taught all the sections and he didn't know what he was talking about. He admitted as much: "I'm not that good at Chemistry, but all you need's in the textbook". Same thing for Biology and Reading (there's not much to teach for reading actually). I regret wasting my money on the course because I ended up studying by myself. You can buy separate tests elsewhere on your own and end up saving hundreds of dollars. In conclusion, buy a good textbook (ironically, Kaplan's book is great), buy some practice tests, get lots of soap, and study on your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest johnwoo19 Posted December 16, 2005 Report Share Posted December 16, 2005 I agree with Chowchilla. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest qw1222 Posted December 16, 2005 Report Share Posted December 16, 2005 Haha, I was in your class Chowchilla. It wasn’t a total waste of time. Taking that class had positives and negatives. Positives: If you are type of person who needs focus then obviously Kaplan is for you. They give you guidelines, so you can study accordingly. Obviously having a person give you hands on experience to help you carve can be positive. Negatives: If you are a self-motivated person: screw Kaplan and study on your own. Buy Kaplan, IQ books and package and practice practice practice. I like to make one thing clear though. The Kaplan class experience can only go far has your teacher's abilities. If you teacher does not know how to teach, then the experience will not be worth the money you invest. Again, if you were fortunate to have a teacher who is well rounded, then it would be worth taking that class. I would probably ask Kaplan to give you a previous student evaluation of the teacher before you take the class. For me, I think that class was useful. It gave me focus. Plus, 1000 dollars isn’t too much once you get into dentistry. Just charge your first patient for a “tooth canal” procedure or something lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dent08 Posted December 16, 2005 Report Share Posted December 16, 2005 It's all in the Kaplan book. Unless you need someone to hold you hand while you learn how to carve soap, I think its a waste of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Adversary Posted December 17, 2005 Report Share Posted December 17, 2005 I think it's useful IF you need boundaries. If you have the discipline to study on your own, you'll do fine. I know many people who did not take Kaplan and are in Dental School. I myself borrowed my friend's Kaplan books and studied on my own supplemented with Soapcarving tutoring from a small local business in Vancouver. Remember it is 1000 bucks, but that isn't much in the grand scheme of things. However, it is NOT a necessity to get in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ric Posted December 17, 2005 Report Share Posted December 17, 2005 (This message was left blank) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bc Posted December 17, 2005 Report Share Posted December 17, 2005 Hey Adversary, i live in vancouver. Is it possible to tell where is the small local business for soapcarving tutoring? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest johnwoo19 Posted December 17, 2005 Report Share Posted December 17, 2005 ric, it's the DAT course, not the MCAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Adversary Posted December 18, 2005 Report Share Posted December 18, 2005 I used the DAT Tutor for the carving section. They hired a 4th year UBC Dentistry student to teach us. I thought it was useful as she was very nice and excellent at carving. However, there are previous discussions on this board that claim the DAT Tutor is a rip-off. True, it did cost me quite a bit, but I am not aware of any alternatives other than to take the complete Kaplan course. You can try to contact the first year or second year UBC Dental students and ask if anyone is interested in one-on-one tutoring. I know some of my friends in first year did really well in the carving section. If you want, I can ask for you. Private message me if interested. Note exams are not over till the 22nd so expect a delay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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