Pre-Dental Planner: Senior Year

Why did you major in history?
I wanted a well rounded education and found it interesting.
Do you feel that this puts you at a disadvantage in comparison with dental school students who majored in a science?
No. I still took the required science classes for dental school admission and they provided a good background, but I don’t think that majoring in a science is absolutely necessary. You are going to get a lot of science after you graduate. I think I would have been burnt out if I had done science for eight years straight.
Is anyone in your family a dentist?
No, but I always had good experiences with my dentist as a child. I never had any cavities. Plus, the waiting room had great toys and games!
Did you always want to be a dentist?
Actually, I was originally premed. I volunteered in a hospital emergency room after freshman year and that made me realize that it wasn’t for me. Plus, I found out that dentistry has a lot of advantages. I had wanted to be a surgeon and liked to work with my hands. With dentistry I could still work with my hands, but would also be able to enjoy a better lifestyle than a surgeon.
What was your most beneficial experience pertaining to dentistry as an undergrad?
I shadowed a family friend that was a dentist for a few weeks. It was really helpful and allowed me see what I would be getting myself into. I mainly just watched, but some of my friends worked as assistants to dentists, which is also a good idea since it has the added plus of hands-on experience. Even if you don’t shadow or work as an assistant, try and talk to a dentist. It can be anyone, but it is good to hear how they like it and what they see as pluses and minuses of the career.
Is it hard as an undergraduate to balance the challenging classes required for dental school admissions with other interests?
I think it depends a lot on your personality. It can definitely be pretty competitive, especially at a big school. I was probably a little more overwhelmed than the average student but once I decided to switch from premed to predental some of the stress was taken away.
Did your college have a pre-dental or pre-health advisor and did they help?
Yes. I found the pre-health advisor through the Career Services Center at Penn. She helped out because she knew a lot about the DAT, classes, various dental schools, and so on. Talking to your pre-health advisor is a good idea because it helps you plan your undergrad courses and organize the material for your dental school application.
Did you participate in any extracurricular activities that were not related to dentistry?
I wrote for the course review, was a UPENN hospital volunteer, and was very involved in Hillel. Dental schools love well-rounded students so being involved in things outside of academics is a good idea. I also worked in a soup kitchen. Schools always like to see community service.
I did an independent study with a surgical oncologist too. It gave me a great feel for what doing research is like and gave me a chance to look at one small area in the health field in more depth. The individual I worked with actually ended up writing one of my recommendation letters as well. Oh, and now that I think about it, a technique I learned while doing the independent study just came up on an exam.
Did you go directly to NJDS?
I chose to go straight from Penn to dental school…I just wanted to get it over with and get started.
How many schools did you apply to and how did you choose NJDS? Did you visit the schools?
I applied to 5 schools. When you go for interviews you get a tour of the school. But you have to be careful, they put on a show because they want you to pick their school. It is important to try to talk to students. They are usually candid since they weren’t recruited or trained to give you a tour. I chose NJDS because it was close to New York City and they offered me a scholarship.
How did you find the transition from undergrad to grad? How was the type of work different?
NJDS was a big change for me because there was no real campus life, unlike my undergraduate school. As far as workload, you are in school a lot more. There is less down time. There is also much more lab work.
What asset do you think is most important for any prospective dental student or dentist to possess?
I would say an eye for detail. You are dealing with, and have to work in, extremely small areas. I think having some general business knowledge is important as well, especially so that you can understand how a practice works and how to set one up. It would probably be a good idea to take a class or two in some aspect of business as an undergrad.
What do you like most about the profession?
It feels really good when you know that after you have treated a patient the person will feel better and be healthier than they were before. I also think that a great bonus of the profession is that there are so many options. You can have an academic career, do something with research, teach, work in public health there are tons of opportunities. You can even combine them.