Tel:
619*594*6638 Fax:
619*594*0244
Preprofessional
Health
Advising
PREDENTAL PROGRAM
v INTRODUCTION v
The Predental program at
This handout is designed to
acquaint the SDSU predental student with the complicated application
process. The following information is
offered as an overview, and is not intended to answer all of your questions or
replace the advising services. Read the
following pages and open a predental file now.
Because of the highly
competitive application system, not every qualified applicant will be admitted
to a dental school. What made the
difference for those accepted? What is a
competitive application? Use this
handout as a resource, for it is designed to help answer these questions. Stay in touch with us, too--we're here to
work with you. Good strategy is more
important than good luck.
v THE ROLE OF
THE PPHA OFFICE v
Advising: The
Preprofessional Health Advisor is available for individual appointments. Plan
to attend an hour-long "orientation" session as your first
appointment. Subsequent appointments are
available on most Wednesdays and Thursdays during the semester. Please bring a copy of your transcripts (may
be unofficial) to your second appointment.
During the semester, Peer Advisors, students who are familiar with the
application process, provide informal advising. Their schedule is posted on the
peer advisor computer in room GMCS 323. The Preprofessional Health Advising
Office is open Monday–Thursday from 8:00 to 12:00 and 1:00 to 4:30, Friday from
8:00 to 12:00 and 1:00 to 4:00.
Resources: The advising
office maintains a collection of materials for your use. Included are:
Ø Dental school publications
Ø Sample applications
Ø Test registration materials
Ø Resource books such as Admissions Requirements of
United States and Canadian Dental Schools
Ø Summer and post-bac program application materials
Ø Library of health professions-related fiction and
non-fiction to improve your reading skills
Ø Information on volunteer opportunities
Ø Leadership opportunities
Ø Student club information and books of speakers for
clubs
Ø Interview Reports
The PPHA web page has links
to national organizations (including ADEA), many dental schools, student web pages,
discussions of dentistry-related issues, lists of clubs, a calendar of meetings
and application tools such as a GPA calculator.
CLASS MEETINGS: Beginning 14 months prior to your application, you are
expected to attend a series of meetings to learn about the steps you must take
to prepare yourself for the application process. You will be designated as the “Class of ‘XX,”
where “XX” = the year you will enter dental school.
COURSES (Please see our web site for more information)
Bio 249, Careers in the Health Professions
This seminar course, Bio
249, is offered in the spring. Speakers
from a variety of health careers provide insight into allied health fields such
as podiatry, optometry, physician assistant and pharmacy. You are encouraged to take this course early
in your academic program.
Bio 250B, Topics In Dentistry
This seminar course, Bio
250B, is offered in the spring. It is
designed to teach you about the dental school admissions process from the point
of entering a predental program until you are accepted to dental school. A variety of dental professionals and
students are invited to speak to give you a broad view of the profession. You are encouraged to take this class in your
sophomore or junior year, but you may "sit in" in other years.
Bio 340A, Preventive Dentistry:
The Preventive Dentistry
Program at SDSU was described by one Ivy League dental school recruiter as, “the
best predental program in the nation!”
Even before you are eligible to take the class, you are encouraged to
volunteer in this exciting program so you can assume a leadership position in
future years.
Bio 348, Internship
Reference the PPHA web page
for information about established and “on your own” internships.
THE COMMITTEE LETTER
A committee letter is a
university's official endorsement of a student's candidacy for professional
school. The PPHA office provides SDSU's only
official committee letter. The SDSU Preprofessional Health Evaluation
Committee is composed of SDSU faculty (both science and non-science) and
dentists from the community. If you wish
to have a committee letter as part of your application (and many schools now
require it if they know a university provides one), you must maintain a file
with the PPHA Office.
In the spring prior to
submitting your dental school application, you will practice interviewing
skills in a mock interview at Career Services.
You will then submit a draft AADSAS application, including personal
statement, and a GPA calculation sheet showing your academic accomplishments to
date to the PPHA office. This
information is given to three committee members who will individually interview
you and submit their evaluations to the PPHA Advisor. If you receive a composite rating of
“Recommended” or better, the PPHA Advisor will write a committee letter, which
includes excerpts from an autobiography you write, the interviewers’ comments,
and the Advisor’s summary of your qualifications.
The Committee Packet: The committee letter, individual letters of
recommendation which you request, and a confidentiality waiver make up the
“committee packet.” This packet is sent
to dental schools at your request at the
appropriate time in the application process. (A small fee is required for
mailing and materials.)
Letter Service: For those who do not complete the committee
process, letters of evaluation, solicited by you, will be collected in your
file. Copies of these materials will be mailed to schools upon your request. If you wish, the Advisor will prepare a cover
letter explaining why you do not have a committee letter. Contact the PPHA office for details (The fee
is the same as for a committee packet).
There are three important
components to your program as a predental student: the academic schedule, extracurricular
activities, and preparation for the Dental Admission Test (DAT).
v PREPARING
FOR DENTAL SCHOOL ACCEPTANCE v
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
Major: Although it
is a common assumption among predental students that you must major in a
science to be accepted to dental school, this is not the case. Dental schools look for students who have a
strong aptitude for science, as will be measured by the DAT and grades in
science coursework, but equally as important is the student's performance in
non-science course-work. For this
reason, you may major in any subject that interests you. However, you must take the science courses recommended
by dental schools to prepare you for the dental curriculum. Please refer to the “Dental School Academic
Preparation” sheet at the end of this handout.
The majority of predental
students will elect a science major, but it is very important that the academic
schedule is balanced with a broad selection of non-science coursework. SDSU's
general education requirements are a part of this; however, it is advisable for
you to consider a year of Spanish and a few courses that you have always wanted
to take. Dental schools will examine
grade point averages from both science and non-science coursework and it is
obviously beneficial to you to perform equally well in both areas.
The sequence in which you
take courses is important because many of the predental requirements have
prerequisites and certain science courses should be completed before the DAT. Be sure to work closely with the advisor in
your major to insure that you fulfill all graduation requirements in your major. Most students meet with their academic
advisor each semester in addition to advising through the Preprofessional
Health Advising Office.
Regardless of which major
you select, you should plan to complete your bachelor's degree prior to
entrance into a dental school. For the
majority of students a 5-year program is preferred rather than a 4-year
program. GPA, exposure to your
profession, and leadership activities on campus or in the community are very
important. A student who takes 13 units
per semester and has a GPA of 3.5 or better and has been very active in the
predental program will be an outstanding candidate. It is much less stressful for you, and you
have more time to develop as a strong applicant. Based upon our acceptances, the professional
schools also seem to prefer this.
Certainly an individual on a 5-year program with a high GPA has a much
better chance for acceptance than a 4-year person with a lower GPA. You should plan to complete your degree
within one year following your application to professional school. Generally, you will apply the summer between
your fourth and fifth years in college.
General Education
Stay in touch with your
major advisor to be sure you have all these requirements.
Chemistry
All students who wish to
take Chemistry 200 at SDSU must achieve a grade of "C" or better in
Chemistry 100 at SDSU or pass both the ELM test and the Chemistry Placement
Exam. Students who do not pass this diagnostic test (and the ELM test) are required
to take Chemistry 100 and achieve a grade of "C" or better before
registering for Chemistry 200.
Math
If you have a weak math
background or it has been a long time since you have taken math, General Math
Studies, 99B or 91, is a good beginning, or take intermediate algebra in junior
college prior to enrollment at SDSU. One
year of calculus is required by some professional schools. Math 121/122 is the recommended course for
most students. If you are particularly
gifted in math, then you can consider taking Math 150/151.
English
All dental school admission
committees place a special emphasis on the scores earned on the reading
comprehension section of the DAT. If you
are particularly weak in English, there are study skill courses available to
you. Students who have taken Rhetoric
and Writing 92A/B and 305W have done much better on the national exams. It is important for you to read a variety of
fiction and non-fiction other than science to enhance your scores on the
reading part of the DAT and to become a more well-rounded applicant.
Language
You are not required to
take a language. However, as a
professional, proficiency in Spanish would be invaluable. Many of the professional schools may suggest
Spanish proficiency in their catalogs.
EXTRACURRICULAR
ACTIVITIES
There are a variety of
activities that will enhance your application to dental school. They include clinical, research and
leadership experiences.
Clinical Experience: An essential part of your Predental Program
is the experience you acquire in a clinical setting. This type of experience gives you the
opportunity to seriously evaluate dentistry as a career. Six months in a
dentist's office or clinic provides a good overview of the profession. Be sure to participate in at least one of the
following:
Ø Volunteering in a dentist's office
Ø Preventive Dentistry clinic and field trips
Ø UCSD Clinic internship
Ø Flying Samaritans work in
Ø "On Your Own" internships which you arrange
with a dentist you know. (To receive
academic credit, you must have significant contact.) See our web page for details.
Research Although research experience is not required by the
dental schools, it provides a way in which you can use the knowledge you have
acquired in a problem-solving environment.
Feel free to pursue any type of research that interests you, even if
your interests take you outside the field of science. There are many places to consider for
research experience, but particularly popular with students is a summer
research scholarship with the American Heart Association. To compete for this scholarship, you must
have completed one year of chemistry, biology or physics prior to the summer
you will be doing the research. There
are several places available for you to go, most of them on medical school
campuses, or you may wish to engage in research on campus as a 499 class.
Harding Predental
Scholarship A special
scholarship was endowed by Dr. Harding, an SDSU alumnus. Each year several students are chosen to spend
a month at a large dental school.
Applications are due in March or April; see the Predental Advisor and
the predental page on our web site for details.
Leadership: Dental
schools look for leaders. Some
opportunities on campus are:
Ø Student government offices
Ø Student Health Advisory Board positions
Ø Student clubs positions, for example, the Predental
Club, Black Student Science Organization (BSSO), Alpha
Epsilon Delta (AED), Chicanos/Minorities for Community Medicine (CPM), Postbac Support Group
Ø PPHA class coordinators for the Topics in Dentistry or
Careers in the Health Professions
Ø Officer in Preventive Dentistry
Ø PPHA peer advisor
PREPARATION FOR THE
DAT
The
DAT is a standardized exam that is administered by computer, at a designated
testing center, "almost every day of the year." The test comprises 4 sections:
¨
Survey of Natural
Sciences
¨
Perceptual
Ability
¨
Reading
Comprehension
¨
Quantitative Reasoning
Some students can
adequately prepare with their own texts and class notes. Commercial study guides are also available
and can be used to supplement your study.
Commercial preparation courses are available through Kaplan and
Princeton Review. They are expensive; a
few scholarships are available through the PPHA office for students with
demonstrated financial need.
An applicant with a
marginal GPA can strengthen his/her application with good DAT scores. Conversely, an applicant with a high GPA can
be weakened by low DAT scores. It is, of
course, advantageous to do as well as you can in both areas. If you feel that your DAT performance does
not reflect your ability, you can retake the exam, providing that you feel you
can demonstrate a marked improvement.
However, it is NOT recommended that you take the exam for practice, or
in hopes of slightly improving your scores, because ALL results will be sent to
the schools to which you have applied.
Depending upon the school, the two scores may be averaged or only the
most recent scores may be used; some schools will consider all scores.
Take the DAT in the spring,
get your application ready by early summer, and have everything submitted at
the beginning of the application period.
In this way the professional schools can evaluate you earlier and,
hopefully, more thoroughly since you are not in the rush of applications in
September/October. If, for some reason,
the professional school does not have a complete file on you, there is still
plenty of time to correct the problem.
It is also obvious that the student who pulls everything together early
is usually more definite about where he/she is going.
PROGRAM SUMMARY
1st –3rd
years: Actively
participate in the Preventive Dentistry Program
Take the Topics in Dentistry Class in
the fall of your 3rd year for credit; sit in all other years
Attend first mandatory meeting in the
spring of your 3rd year or two years before your
expected entrance to dental school
Summer between 3rd and 4th year--Complete
first drafts of your application essay and your autobiography
4th year: Continue to actively participate
in the Preventive Dentistry Program
Attend the 2nd mandatory meeting in the
fall, and the 3rd mandatory meeting in the spring
Participate in the Essay Peer Review
Sign up for a TV mock interview through
Career Services
Complete mock application and GPA
calculation sheet for Committee interviews
Take DAT in spring
Summer between 4th and 5th
year: APPLY TO DENTAL SCHOOLS BY JULY 1
5th year: Volunteer work/Preventive
Dentistry
Interview at dental schools
Anticipate acceptance to dental school
DENTAL SCHOOL
REQUIRED: These
courses will satisfy the requirements for most dental schools. Check the specific schools you are interested
in for exact requirements. (Refer to the SDSU Catalog for prerequisites.)
|
|
SDSU Course # |
Course Name |
Comments |
BIOLOGY
|
Biol 203/203L Biol
204/204L Biol
366/366L |
Prin. of Cell &
Molecular Biol (4) Prin. of Organismal Biology (4) *Biochem, Cell & Molec. Biol (6) |
UCLA and others require 2 years (1 year or
more with laboratory) |
CHEMISTRY
|
Chem 200 Chem
201 Chem
232/232L Chem
432/432L Chem
365 |
General Chemistry (5) General
Chemistry (5) Organic
Chemistry (4) Organic
Chemistry (4) *Biochem,
Cell & Molec. Biol (3) |
1 year of general or inorganic and 1 year of
organic. A background in Biochemistry is extremely useful for the DAT and 1st
yr dent school |
|
PHYSICS |
Phys 180A/182A Phys
180B/182B or
Phys
196/196L * Phys 197/197L |
Fund. of Physics I/Lab (4) Fund.
of Physics II/Lab (4)
Principles
of Physics (4) * Principles
of Physics (4) |
Consult
your academic advisor. |
|
PSYCHOLOGY |
Psy 101 |
þ Intro to Psychology (3) |
|
|
ENGLISH |
RWS 100 RWS 200 |
College Composition (3) Intermediate
Composition (3) |
1 year |
þ Some required by 5 schools including
UCLA and UCSF; it is strongly recommended by 20+ others.
STRONGLY
RECOMMENDED by dental schools: Recommendations vary widely from school to
school. The courses below represent subjects recommended by at least 5 dental
schools.
|
Bio 212: |
Human Anatomy (4)* |
Bio 474: |
Histology (4)* |
|
Bio 215: |
Biostatistics (3) or Psych 270 |
|
|
|
Bio 350: |
General Microbiology (4)* |
Bio 590: |
Physiology of Human Systems (4) |
|
Bio 352 **: |
Genetics and Evolution (3) |
Comm 103 |
Oral Communication |
|
Math
121/122: |
Calculus for Life Sciences I/II (3,3) (Required
by Penn, Harvard and some others) |
||
*Also recommended by
first year dental students **May be
helpful for DAT
STRONGLY
RECOMMENDED by SDSU: First-year dental
students may find these courses valuable:
|
Bio 249: |
Careers in Health Professions (1) |
Bio 348: |
Internship (1) |
|
Bio 250B: |
Topics in Dentistry (1) |
Bio 436: |
Human Physiology Lab |
|
Bio 277: |
Medical Terminology (2) |
Bio 497/499: |
Research (1-3) |
|
Bio 340A: |
Preventive Dentistry (1) |
RWS 503W: Technical Writing (3) or RWS
508: |
|
Scientific Writing (3) – A MUST!!! Preparation for scientific research
writing.
Most dental schools
require or recommend courses in humanities, art, social sciences, language,
communications, and business. Dental
schools are interested in individuals with more than a scientific
background. you are strongly urged to take courses outside of the
sciences. Suggested elective courses
include:
Philosophy
330 - Medical Ethics Econ 101 – Principles of Economics Spanish (1 or more
years) Acctg 201 – Financial Accounting PH 362 – International Health PH 305 –Medial
Care Organization and Delivery Soc 101 – Intro to Sociology Sculpture/Jewelry
making
Other business courses (finance, economics,
management)