How to get into an accelerated dental program!! (broken down through all 4 years of high school)

Chance Me / Match Me!
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This post was originally made on SDN, so go make an account there and check out the original post here! http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-i-got-into-an-accelerated-dental-program-as-a-high-school-senior.1193263/

The post will be continued in the comments b/c CC has a character limit…

Hello! I’m a high school senior, but I got accepted to University of the Sciences’ accelerated 7 year BS/DMD program. I got a lot of advice here on SDN during my freshman-junior year while I was trying to get into these programs, so I figured I should give back, so I’m making this thread to possibly help others trying to do the same thing I did.

Freshman Year

So this year was basically spent on planning my high school schedule. I looked at the entire curriculum that my high school offered and made a list of all AP and Honors math+science courses. They were my priorities. I knew I wanted to study Spanish extensively as well, so I kept that on a list to the side. Then I selected the courses I knew would help me as a bio major. (This is what I wanted to major in since it covers all pre-reqs for dentistry, but I know biochem and chem would cover a lot of it, too.)

Here are the courses I decided on freshman year (excluding graduation requirements):
9th grade: Honors Algebra II, Honors Earth Science, Honors Biology I.
10th grade: Honors Lab Chem, Honors Geometry, Honors PreCalculus
11th grade: AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry,
12th grade: AP Statistics, AP Biology

Here’s what I ended up taking:
9th grade: Honors Algebra II, Honors Earth Science, Honors Biology I.
10th grade: Honors Lab Chem, Honors Geometry, Honors PreCalculus, Biotechnology and Forensics (an honors course).
11th grade: AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry, AP Physics 1, Honors Anatomy and Physiology
12th grade: AP Physics 2, AP Biology, AP Calculus BC, Entrepreneurship (dental practices are supposed to be a business and I had zero foundation).

So yeah, stuff ended up changing, and I made my coursework harder than I originally planned. I ended up dropping my lunches starting sophomore year in exchange for taking more science courses. It will change eventually, just try to make your change for the better.

But clearly, there are many more ambitious students out there that take more difficult loads than I did. I wasn’t the smartest kid in my grade, but I was up there.

I joined the color guard in my school’s marching band. It involves a lot of manual dexterity and skill, and is related to something outside of science, so it shows well-roundedness. Plus, I’m not a sports person, I always preferred dance, so this worked really well for me. I also joined NJ Science League, Key Club, Literary Club, Prism Club, started my own Anime Club, got involved in the school play (I did set design+painting, makeup, and sewed costumes, all of which showed skill with hands), volunteered at a senior citizen shelter, volunteered at a library, volunteered at a hospital, did science fairs (THESE ARE SUCH A RESUME BOOSTER), and joined student government. I also started playing piano and violin. I took lessons for piano while I self-taught myself the violin.

Sophomore Year

This is when I started looking at programs, and organizing my accomplishments. I basically had a binder where I put all of my certificates, letters of hours logged at places I volunteered, proof of what I had done to start the anime club, etc. Anything you could use to show proof and backup your resume.

I continued with all of the above clubs, with the exception of Key Club. I got so busy running Anime Club that I just couldn’t handle that, and both clubs ended up meeting on the same day, so I had to pick my club.

Get cozy with all of your teachers. By now, you’ve acclimated to high school and you know how stuff works, and you’ve (hopefully) been social. This really helped me get on my teachers’ good side, so I was able to get to know other teachers as well, since a lot of them sent me to other rooms to get like distilled water or petri dishes. I ended up having a lot of those teachers junior year, so I was able to build up good relationships with them, and got fantastic LORs from those teachers.

Take the SAT/ACT. I personally did a LOT better on the ACT. I got a 33 on that, whereas my SAT was a 1920 (Crit Reading+Math was 1210). Take both, it really depends all on what kind of person you are. NOTE: I took the old SAT so your experience might be totally different.

I started shadowing this year. I talked to the dentist I go to, and he was really open to letting me shadow him. He was a general family dentist, but he did a lot of cosmetic dentistry, too, so I got to see a lot of different things, from crowns to basic fillings and cleanings (done by the hygienists). I asked my orthodontist, but he turned me down, which was unfortunate.

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Here are some shadowing tips:

*Invest in a pair of scrubs. You might not need them, but it depends on the dentist you are shadowing. They can be picked up for 6 bucks at Walmart, or you can order them online from places like Amazon. Most dentists will have a spare coat or something in the back, but often times, specialists won’t. Wear them to the office, it makes you look prepared. Check in with the doctor first, they might not require scrubs, and you don’t want to embarrass yourself.
*Don’t be there for more than 4 hours at a time. Your feet will hurt after two hours, and after 4 you will want to melt. Not all dentist’s practices are spacious and let you sit, so you’ll be standing for hours at a time. Don’t push yourself. I got used to the schedules of the dentists I shadowed and made sure I knew all of the shifts by heart. I suggest doing the morning shifts. They don’t run more than 5 hours usually (the ortho I shadowed has 4 hours in the morning before lunch, whereas the GP had 5) and can be knocked out early in the day and you’re home before 2.
*Try to find a good position before the doctor sits down with the patient!! Their hand might be in the way, the assistant might block your view. etc. Know each room well and find the good spots. I stood near the patient’s waist at my GP and leaned forward just a bit, and usually the doctor’s finger would block my view every now and then, but other than that, I was able to see everything live and clearly!
*Watch videos of procedures before you head in. You want to know what’s going on and don’t want to pester the dentist with 8000 questions. Each doctor will do things differently, but you should be familiar with the common tools and know how things work.
*Bring some masks and gloves. This goes along with the scrubs, but are so much more vital. Usually, dentists have them sitting in each room, but on the off chance that they run out, have a spare pair in your pockets.
*DO NOT BRING A PURSE. I did the first day and regretted it so much. Get a small wallet that fits in your pocket so you have your license and keys and everything. Don’t bring anything extra, leave it all in the car.
*TALK TO THE ASSISTANTS/HYGIENISTS!!! They will be your best friends, especially when the dentist is running around from patient to patient, too fast to follow. The hygienist will explain things to you and tell you the nitty gritty bits about working in the office. Some work in several offices and know how two different places work. Make friends with them, get to know them, help them carry things.
*Don’t ignore the receptionists. They know the logistics better than the doctor themself. They can help you learn how the practice runs, how things work with booking patients, etc. These are things (I’m told) you have to do in dental school.
*Don’t bring a notebook. It makes you look like a dork, and if you did your research, there is no need to do that. When you are shadowing, you are gaining live experience. In 2016, you can look up interviews of practitioners, learn names of tools, and watch procedures online in minutes. There is no need to hold a tiny notepad and take notes like a dweeb. This is your chance to watch and learn on your own, talk and converse with the dentist.
*On the notebook, a good idea is to write down what you saw when you get home. Just make some notes, some questions you may have forgotten to ask, etc. You can keep a running list on your phone and look over it before walking into the office to shadow the next time you go.
*SNEAKERS. If it wasn’t obvious enough already, here’s a friendly reminder.
*Don’t come up with a cookie-cutter list of questions to ask. Just be yourself!! You’ll come up with questions, trust me. If you don’t, maybe dentistry isn’t for you and you might want to reconsider. This is really time to observe and ask questions you maybe wanted to ask when watching one of those videos of a root canal on youtube (there are lots, just do some looking up!)
*If you’re getting bored, then don’t think that you shouldn’t be a dentist!! Everyone gets bored when shadowing. You kind of have to get through it, work on not looking at your watch every 5 minutes.
*Break down your shadowing. I’m not an expert on this, but let’s look at it this way: Keep a target of 200 hours before starting your junior year. Let’s say you do 4 hours a day. 200/4 is 50. 50 days of hanging out with the dentist may sound bad, but cut it up between 2 years. 25 days in one year. Go twice a month!! Or cram it into 4 months, going twice a week. Find a way to make it seem like less a load and you’ll look forward to racking up hours!
*Find a specialist or two, something you’d like to do. I did ortho and perio and liked the change up. For ortho, find out when they do the actual installation or removal of braces. Those are the most interesting! For perio, just hope you get to watch some crown lengthening! There are other specialties out there, too, just find what you like. I’m into cosmetic so that’s what I looked into, but whatever floats your boat! DO NOT NEGLECT GP THOUGH!!! They are the ones that do common procedures like extractions and fillings. They don’t do the same thing over and over again, so they might be a bit more interesting.
*Try to not find all male dentists! I’m a girl so I liked my experience with the lady periodontist than the dude ortho, even though ortho is my dream specialty. However, the guys were funnier, and joked more. The lady explained everything as she did it. It depends on the doctor themselves, but trying all genders is a good idea so you get to know how each runs their practice. They’re all successful, just know that before you judge them.
*Don’t get too close to the patients. Some may harass you, I know and speak from personal experience. Also, don’t judge them, don’t whisper about them, nothing leaves that room unless the patient hurt or harassed you.
*LEARN SOMETHING!!! You will have to have learned something by the end, whether it be the atmosphere of a practice or some technical thing about dental equipment. Do not let it be a waste of time, even if you don’t go into dentistry! I can’t say have fun, but take something out of it.

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Junior Year

Get your sucking-up game on, because you really have to do that this year.

I ended up becoming a lab tech for my Anatomy teacher, so I basically helped him prepare histo slides, made some quizzes, graded some stuff, and ordered new equipment. I helped him teach his classes, too, so I included that on my resume. It was fun, too. I dropped my lunch period to do this and loved it. When the class was taking a test or quiz, I just sat at the front or back and did extra homework or ate, and if anyone had questions, they could come to me. It gave me an almost-free block and it was fun! I even helped my teacher’s wife (who taught me bio) make a chandelier for her bathroom during that time. See if your school offers anything like that, it’s so much fun, and this teacher wrote the best LOR for me.

Make a list of all of the programs you want to do. And make sure your ACT/SAT scores meet the minimum. If not, retake the test. Do what you’ve gotta to improve your score. I just got an ACT book from the library and did all of the practice tests starting two months before the exam and did fine.

GET YOUR LICENSE FOR GOODNESS SAKE. I got mine a few months after my 17th birthday, and wish I’d gotten it earlier, since I missed out on my entire spring break, where I could have shadowed a lot more. It’s really frustrating relying on your parents for a ride. Also, it really hurts seeing everyone else in your class driving around and having a great time. Treat yourself and practice that parallel parking.

Continue shadowing. I ended up getting an orthodontist to let me shadow, though he was a bit further than I liked, and a periodontist, who I absolutely adored.

Senior Year

Apply apply apply! Get LORs from teachers you’ve gotten to know really well and make thank you cards for them! I drew little comics on the side of the card and custom made it to the teacher. I got my Anatomy teacher and my Spanish III teacher to write me letters. My A&P teacher got anatomy jokes and funny diagrams, while I wrote my entire thank you card for my Spanish teacher in Spanish. Give it to them after they agree to write you the letter, so when they think about you while writing it, they remember the card. It also doesn’t hurt to include some chocolates or treats.

I had to write a personal statement one page long. This was really hard to compress to one page, but I managed. I would include it below, but idk, I might get in trouble if I do. But basically, I talked about at what point I got into dentistry and knew I wanted to do it as a career, and why I would be a good dentist. I mentioned my long fingers and how I had really good manual dexterity, which is something dentists must have. I talked about my hobbies, such as jewelry making, sculpting, playing piano+violin, color guard, sewing, etc. I went into what classes I took, and what classes I’ll have to take in dental school.

For the interview (if you make it that far): Research the undergrad school and the dental school! I went to two open houses for USciences and looked up Temple’s dental school online and sucked up as much info I could. They love it when you talk about the schools themselves. It’s good to include some jargon, like waxing and veneers, but be sure you explain it to them. I was interviewed by an assistant dean, an MD, and the lady that organizes these programs. None of them were dentists. When I walked in, the first thing they asked me was “Why do you want to be a dentist”. I thought they might ask me that, so I had prepared an answer ahead of time. But they did throw curveballs at me, and I did stumble and stammer several times, mostly about academics. I personally thought my interview had gone very badly, but I got in the program, so I must have done something right.

Overall Advice

PLEASE just get good grades! If you’re considering dentistry, you should already be smart, but you really need to be aware. I got a huge shock when I got my first B EVER in AP Calc, and it was just one point away from being an A, which really hurt. But you have to make the most of it and use every failure (or B) as a learning experience.

And you don’t have to be the smartest person in your class. I certainly wasn’t. And it’s important to remember that. You have to show the college that you can handle a lot of work and get fairly good grades while doing a crap ton of stuff off to the side. I did so many extracurriculars, I had to cut about half of them out of my resume because it went over two pages. That’s what the programs like to see. The kid that is valedictorian got rejected from all of the 7-year medical programs. I don’t know how difficult it is to get into med programs and I have no way of telling the competition for them, but the valedictorian knew how to get A’s in his classes and did one sport and like 2 clubs. He only volunteered at a hospital and thought that would be enough, but it wasn’t. Remember, there’s very little difference between a 3.94 and 3.99 GPA when it comes to the time of application. Be a strong student, but pool your resources elsewhere, too, like doing things outside of the box.

The science fairs really helped me! I did it all four years of high school and won a handful of awards, and it’s really nice to see students taking the initiative to do their own mini research projects. The one that really locked me into this program was probably the project I did where I analyzed the effects of alcoholic vs non-alcoholic mouthwash on oral bacteria, and since that was so related to dentistry, it probably caught the school’s attention.

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Whoo! That was longer than I expected, but I really hope it helps! I will be enrolling in the USci program. I got into NJIT’s program, too, but I don’t want to go to Rutgers Dental School so I’m not planning on going there, and that one was basically the same as the USP program, I just preferred Philly.

If you have any questions, please ask! I have email notifications on and can answer questions within a day or two.

I really hope this helps anyone out there! :smiley:

(and that’s the last comment-addition. CC, you need to expand your character limit.)

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Nice work. Thanks for sharing