Question. S24 beginning college application process. He is considering eventually going into medicine or dentistry (leaning dentistry). Is there any benefit to going to a school undergrad that has a dental program for graduate studies or does location of undergraduate degree truly not matter? Ex, UConn, UF, UB etc… Just wondering if those schools have opportunities directly geared towards med/dental school admission. Thanks in advance for any insight!
If I understand correctly, you are asking if attending a college with a medical or dental school will have admissions opportunities that colleges without these schools might not have. Is that correct?
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Thanks for your response- sorry if I was unclear! Not necessarily. If a student goes to an undergrad school with a dental graduate program, is the program able to have a better overall understanding of what students might need in preparation of grad studies? So, if a student goes to UConn undergraduate (they have grad dental program) does that help them in any way when they apply to dental schools elsewhere? Should we for any reason be focusing efforts on undergraduate schools that have dental grad programs? Or will they be just as prepared going to an undergrad school with no dental grad program? Thanks!
You kid can attend any college where they can take the required courses for dental or medical school admissions. The vast majority of colleges do not have medical or dental schools attached to them. Think about that. Many many doctors and dentists graduate from undergrad schools where no dental or medical school is affiliated.
@WayOutWestMom what did I miss?
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I don’t think it has any bearing on opportunities or likelihood of acceptance. Practicing dentistry is mostly a solitary endeavor. Find a mentor and get exposure to see if it’s of interest.
Inevitably tons of hours shadowing will be required and I think it’s easier to find a dentist who will do this in a community where there isn’t a dental school. I’m near UNC and some years will have 3 or 4 students approach me to shadow. Typically, I’ll do 1-2 per year so I have to turn them away.
I went to UVA undergrad and UNC dental…
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Thank you all for your advice and for clarifying- appreciated!
Hello, if a student is set on being a dentist, U of Pittsburg and VCU have opportunities for guaranteed admissions into dental school. I know of someone who is entering the program at U of Pitt this year.There are many BS/DDS programs for the student who knows they want to be a dentist, and interestingly some you can apply to from undergrad if you are not certain as a high school senior. Georgetown U, no longer has a dental school, but says openly on their tours that there is guaranteed entry to med/law school with a certain gpa. Logically it seems this could be the case with undergrad unis with dental programs, so I would definitely reach out to any undergrad programs with an attached dental school. Perhaps check out the biology curricula of any schools you are interested in to see if they have anything dentistry related, indicating they may have more of a pathway to dentistry and worth a deeper look. Best of luck!
Hi- please see my message below as I hadn’t replied to you directly.
Thanks so much for your detailed reply. It is appreciated!
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