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Hey guys, I just finished first year at mac health sciences and I'm finally starting to look into the different careers and how to prep for them. I've unfortunately focused only towards medicine so far...

 

Just wondering how exactly to prepare for dental school admissions, ie how to work on my profile?

 

I have a kept a high GPA, and am involved in a few research projects (1 in medical physics, while 2 in population health) -- though my roles are somewhat limited. I'm involved in a few clubs (some religious), and am also starting one up next year. Also currently busy with volunteering in a hospital (and maybe a summer camp or community centre in the near future). Recently, I also started shadowing a dentist.

 

I'm probably going to worry about the DAT after my third year, is this standard?

 

I realize that things I am missing include sports, which was just unfortunate this year, but it'll happen next year. Traveling and volunteering is also lacking (unless I suppose you consider living in Pakistan for 2 years when around 11 years of age) but I'm not too keen on that.

 

So... just wondering... what else I can do to improve my application? Am I missing anything common/critical?

 

Thanks a LOT guys! I really appreciate any feedback :D

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hello and welcome!

 

i am not sure if you are aware, but Canadian dental schools (at least those in Ontario) do not look at extracurricular activities, research, travelling, sports, volunteering, etc.. it is a very different application from med schools in that aspect. admission to dental school (at least in Ontario) is based solely on your GPA, DAT scores, and performance in the interview (which is granted based on your GPA and DAT scores). the benefit of being involved in these activities is that you could bring them up in an interview.. however it does not play a direct role in the application. it is important to note, however, that if you are planning on applying to American schools, then EC's are a more important part of the application.

 

if your GPA is already high coming out of first year then you are ahead of the game! just continue to do well and eventually write your DAT and you will be fine. you can really write the DAT whenever you want, but most people would take it at the earliest during second year. keep in mind that DAT scores do expire, so you don't want to write it that much earlier than you are planning on applying.

 

good luck!

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dont leave out DAT till the third year... start looking into it this summer and try to do it in the summer after your second year so you can apply to dental schools in your third year... you can always rewrite it if you don't do well, and I believe the ontario schools look at your most recent DAT... the important cutoff is the 18 or 19 in the reading comprehension section which UWO has implemented depending on the yr in the past... the other sections you wonna do as best as you can... (except carving which doesn't count for ontario schools presently)...

 

you may find second and third yr harder than the first so just keep up with the GPA, as it counts for a higher percent of the admission score compared to med schools.... also, extracurriculars don't matter as much in dentistry as they do in medicine (at least not in ontario schools) but definately try to keep up with them as well...

 

Edit: Dat is not offered in the summer as i indicated above (by mistake)... but if i were you, i would do it in the feb or nov of 2009, so i could apply in my third yr...

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thanks a lot guys, this is really useful info.

 

I'm not sure how the DAT system works though. What are its components? And would I be correct in assuming that the Canadian DAT is the same as the American and therefore acceptable in the States as well?

 

Also, I think MCATs run sometime in May and August each year, the beginning and end of summer. Is it similar for DATs? And I'm guessing a lot of people choose to prepare by taking prep courses, like Kaplan or Princeton maybe? And this probably depends on the school, but it sounds like DAT scores arent acceptable after a year of taking them :confused: Is this right? (It sounds like if your third year application wasnt successful, you'd have to take the DAT again for fourth year)

 

And speaking of schools, I'm only aware of Western and UofT having dental schools in Canada. Are there anymore, even out of province?

 

(Good to know carving scores aren't important btw, just reduces the stress haha :D)

 

Sorry for overloading with questions guys, please bear with me. I just want to get a good idea of everything. Again, thanks a lot for everything!

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Do things that you enjoy. You will find that things fall in place over time.

Listen to Del, he's been around the block a few times.

 

I regret not doing my DAT in the summer after 2nd year. I am now doing it in the summer after 3rd year. I wish I had applied so I could be out of here in 3 years. I do not want to come back to a 4th year - you will see why when you get there. This sentiment is rampant throughout all the incoming 4th years.

 

If you're serious about dentistry - look into ADEA's Official Guide to Dental Schools now.

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the Canadian DAT has 4 sections: Bio & Chem, Perceptual Ability, Reading Composition and Carving. The American DAT also has 4 sections but they differ somewhat: Bio, Chem, & Orgo; Perceptual Ability, Reading Composition, and Quantitative Reasoning (a math section). A lot of schools in the USA accept the Canadian DAT, but some will only accept the American DAT.

 

the Canadian DAT is run only 2 times a year - the first Saturday of November and I think the 2nd or 3rd Saturday of February. The American DAT is like a driving test - you can register to write it any day of the year and it is done on computer (the Canadian DAT is done on paper).

 

There is a Kaplan DAT Prep course offered.. I am not sure if there are others. DAT scores are good for 2-3 years I believe, depending on the schools, as each school's requirements differ.

 

Finally, each Western province has one dental school. Ontario has 2 - UWO and UofT. Quebec has 3 but 2 are French. Finally there is one at Dalhousie. Carving scores are not important for the Ontario schools, but they are much more important for out of province schools.

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Great stuff, really appreciated :D

 

I'm still a little surprised to see that extra curriculars arent all that important. I'm especially surprised that shadowing doesnt seem as critical as I thought it'd be... O wells!

 

Contach, I did a quick google on the ADEAs official guide to dental students. I guess this must be relevant to Canadian students too? And it seemed that you have to pay for it, unless I'm missing something obvious... *scratches head*

 

(And Del's quite the interesting guy, I've heard mixed opinions about him. Haha I've never heard the man dish out advice yet tho except the scary-yet-true "lottery" bit...)

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A lot of the advice given is pretty solid.

 

As for extracurriculars, do what you enjoy and are interested in. I personally focused lots on sports and some research. This helped me tons during the interview, and since I was genuinely interested in the activity it was easy to reflect on it when situational questions came up during the interview.

 

Shadowing isn't necessary for the application, unlike the US. However, it did come up in my UWO interview. More importantly, on a personal level, it allows you to see if this is a career you can seriously see yourself doing. One of the biggest mistakes someone could make is pay > $100 000 to go into a career they end up disliking. I know practicing and shadowing are not the same, but they should give you a good idea of what dentistry is.

 

Overall, I would shadow over the summer and see if dentistry is for you. If it is, then definitely write the DAT ASAP (February and November of each year, so likely November 2008) and apply as soon as you can. If you apply for the entering class for 2009, you have to write the DAT November 2008. Scary thing is that you'll apply without knowing your DAT scores since all Ontario applications are due in early December and you'll get your scores around Christmas time.

 

Situation can be a little more complicated if you are torn between multiple careers, so then it's just time for serious reflection and shadowing.

 

Best of luck.

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Great stuff, really appreciated :D

 

I'm still a little surprised to see that extra curriculars arent all that important. I'm especially surprised that shadowing doesnt seem as critical as I thought it'd be... O wells!

 

Contach, I did a quick google on the ADEAs official guide to dental students. I guess this must be relevant to Canadian students too? And it seemed that you have to pay for it, unless I'm missing something obvious... *scratches head*

 

(And Del's quite the interesting guy, I've heard mixed opinions about him. Haha I've never heard the man dish out advice yet tho except the scary-yet-true "lottery" bit...)

 

Extracurriculars aren't that important in Canada (until the interview stage) as said previously. But they are much more important for US applications.

 

Yes, you have to pay for the ADEA, its 70$ (35$ and another 35$ for shipping to Canada). See if you can get an old version. You may not have to look so much into prereqs and individual schools just yet, but more into what the profession is about, what they suggest are some key activities to involve yourself in, and the application process. All very informative and important, but at the same time doesn't change from year to year. So try to get the Guide from a year or two ago, and it will be much cheaper.

 

With that said, I just received my 2008 ADEA Guide a few days ago - well worth it.

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