Good Websites to Visit

Here are some Websites that have lots of good information to help answer some questions.

Where Should I Apply?
http://www.premedguide.com/component/option,com_core/Itemid,6/dat,23/gpa,3.75/lang,en/limit,10/science_gpa,3.69/search_type,dental_school/selected_state,TX/submit,Search%20Dental%20Schools/view,dentalschool/

http://www.scribd.com/doc/48059741

http://www.ada.org/ada/prod/survey/survey_ed_vol1.pdf

How Much will School Cost?
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48059965


 

IMPORTANT things to do outside of just SCHOOL...

VOLUNTEER:  There is a complete section about volunteering on the AADSAS.  I wouldn't say let this section be the focus of your entire preparation for dental school, but they do need to see that the applicant is not completely self absorbed.  I would aim to have have 3-4 good events in there.  Also, try to have a volunteer project that lasts over a span of time, showing that it is a habbit.  I brought food to and visited with a handicap elderly man in my community for about a year. However, no amount of volunteering can compensate for a poor GPA or DAT.

EXTRACURRICULAR:  The admission committee likes to see that their applicants are well rounded.  This your your chance to show that there is more to you than just school.  Do you have a passion? a hobby?  Are you a part of an organization... well tell them about it.  Try to have something you are passionate about or something interesting for your extra curricular or volunteer. If it is something interesting, the interviewers will likely ask you about it and you will be able to talk about something you are more comfortable with.

JOB SHADOWING:  Try to get at least 50 hours job shadowing.  Some schools (West Virginia, Ohio State, etc... like to have excess hours and you will probably need more than just 50 hours.)  It is also important to spread out your job shadowing to different dentists, showing the admissions committees that you have a good understanding of the different ways dentistry can be done and offices can be ran.  Also, make sure your shadowing takes place primarily at a general dentist's office.  I know that on the Ohio State application, they have you fill out everywhere you shadowed and they even separate it out between general and specialty dentistry.  Those schools (like OSU require a certain amount at just general dentists.)  In doing your job shadowing, visit the dentist you like the most just a little bit more because you will want him to write you a letter in the future.

DAT

Throw out all the 4 letters words you know, and replace them with this 3 letter word... DAT (ignore the fact that it is an acronym)

Honestly- the DAT was probably one of the most stressful moments of my educational career.  I ended up doing ok. Before I tell ya how I prepared, here are my stats.

PAT: 20
READING: 22
QR: 18
BIOLOGY: 20
CHEMISTRY: 21
ORGANIC CHEM: 21
Science Average: 21
Overall Average: 20

My best study aid was the practice tests.  I took a DAT prep class through my school during my spring semester.  I didn't learn a whole lot from it, but I think that it did help me learn some stuff for the PAT.  We were required to take 3 practice tests throughout the semester on scheduled Saturdays.   This helped me start preparing me mentally for what to expect.  My advice- during your spring semester before the DAT, master the PAT.  To be totally honest, I did awful on my PAT portion in my DAT class.  I tried really hard, don't get me wrong, but I just had a hard time getting it to click.  In all of my frustration, I just threw it off to the side and decided to blow it off.  Sometime between my DAT class ending and 2 weeks before my test- the PAT clicked.  I came back to the PAT with only 2 weeks to spare before D-DAY, and I got like a 23 on the practice.  During the semester I was getting 13's, so it totally blew me away.  It really helped to just get the PAT in there and sit for a bit.

I just took practice tests to study for reading and for math.  I would review the skills I missed in the Math, but thats about all I did for them.

I read the Entire Kaplan test book's  (the general one you can just buy in a bookstore) science section.  I took notes, but a lot of my science just came back to me.  I would also recommend Barron's AP Biology for Biology review.  It was great to read, and it explained things very well. I work as a tutor on campus and I had tutored a lot of biology and some chemistry since taking the courses and that helped keep the topics fresh in my mind.  I was also the TA for the General Biology class in the spring.  I took Organic Chemistry right before the DAT, so all of that stuff was very new. 

My school got out May 5 and I took my DAT on June 18.  My plan was to study a ton for that whole month span, but I did get distracted.  I ended up taking a practice test everyday the week before the test.  This actually helped me a lot.  I learned to pace myself and I learned to keep my attention span for the real thing.

My DAT test was scheduled in a city that was 2 hours away, so I traveled the night before to get to the other city.  My mom was amazing and drove from Idaho to stay the night with me before the test.  It was really nice having her there.  She took care of the hotel before I got there, and the morning of she checked me out and everything- so I never had to worry about that.  I am not going to lie, I literally freaked out the night before the test.  I was so nervous.  It killed me to know that one bad test could ruin my chances at ever becoming a dentist.  I had been getting 18 or 19 on top score, and that knowledge even made me more freaked out.  It was super hard for me to sleep, and it took ear plugs and blinders to get me the little sleep I did.  When I got to the testing facility the next morning, I had to wait about 30 min before they were ready for me to take that test.  During that short period of time, I had to be excused 4 times to use the bathroom.

The test was a lot like topscore, but a little easier in parts.  During the break in the test I ate gold fish (my comfort food), ran to the bathroom, and paced the halls telling myself that I am going to be a dentist someday.

It took until July 10 or so for my DAT to be officially registered in AADSAS, I have no idea what took so long.

Random advice: check into what schools you are applying to to see where to send your free 5 scores.   Probably only 5 of the schools you are applying to require it to be sent directly through ADA- if you plan it out early, you can save yourself some money.

Here are the practice tests I took:
TOP SCORE
ACE THE DAT (these are the practice tests I took with my DAT prep class)
KAPLAN (2 tests came with the book I purchased)
ADA (I used the free test online, and the ordered test)


I am just glad that the DAT is over with... Good luck to anyone who takes it in the future