Frequently asked admission questions
I did not do well in my first few years of college. Do I have a chance to get into dental school? Yes, you do have a chance but you must pull all A’s and B’s in your final tow years to demonstrate to the admissions committee that your previous years were an annomaly. Be sure you do especially well in the basic requirements for dental school. The admissions committee will scrutinize those grades. Also you will need to do well on the DAT. A strong performance (20+) will do you well.
I majored in something other than science, will dental school still consider me? Yes, as long as you take and do well in the basic requirements and the DAT. Dental schools look for well rounded individuals. I think a student the majors in French, has a 3.5 GPA and scores 20 on the DAT would be a strong candidate.
I’m over 30, is it too late to go to dental school? No, but do realize that the average age of students at dental school is in the low 20’s. It would be prudent for you to call the dental schools to see howmany older students are matriculating. At UOP there were at least 20+ students over 30. Our valevictorian was over 30.
I did terrible in the dental school requirements. I know I can do better, what should I do? Tough situation. The planets have to align for you. First I would consider taking all of the courses over and score nothing lower than A’s in each. Second you must score really high on the DAT (21+). Third you will really need to pad your resume with volunteer work, preferrably at a dental clinic. And pray.
What materials would you suggest to study for the DAT? If you have the money do Kaplan. They provide good materials. I used the Kaplan MCAT Guides (BIO, CHEM and ORGANIC). I thought they were great. Also, I used the BETZ Guide. I’m not sure if they still are publishing this study guide so you will have to cruise the internet and make some calls.
How much does a new Army dentist earn? Well I earn close to $35,000 in gross base salary plus dental bonuses of about $6,500. In addtion you receive about $150 per month for food and your rent is paid for. So in the end you make about $60,000 gross civilian dollars. I think that’s pretty good considering they gave me $200,000 net to pay for school!!!!!
Where should I be asked to be stationed? Some of the more desirable spots are Fort Carson (Colorado), Tripler (Hawaii) and Fort Lewis (Tacoma, WA). If you want to come to Germany look at Landstuhl and Heidelberg.
Heidelberg, Germany 2002
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