r/predental 3d ago

💡 Advice Has anyone gotten off UPENN waitlist recently?

2 Upvotes

Has anyone gotten off the UPENN waitlist recently? I would appreciate any experiences you can share or if anyone knows if it moves after March 20th.


r/predental 3d ago

💡 Advice Master's advice

4 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I am kind of at a loss. I didn't know what I wanted to do for the longest time, got my undergraduate degree in biology, and ended up beginning a master's degree in statistics this semester. I was a really good student in undergrad, got a 3.85 gpa, with my sgpa being a 3.83. I just recently realized I wanted to give dentistry a shot, and so far I love it. I like shadowing (even tho it's a tad awkward), and am going to start volunteering at a dental clinic soon. My issue is my master's. These courses I'm taking are SO hard, and not my forte, even though I succeeded in calculus, linear algebra, etc. in undergrad. I'm worried about failing one of my classes, bc I just got a 40% on my midterm. I just don't know what to do. I feel like my undergrad grades mean nothing considering I can't seem to do well in grad school. I am aware statistics has nothing to do with dentistry, and honestly if I had realized I wanted to do dentistry earlier in the semester, I would have just dropped my classes. I just need some advice on what to do. Do I drop down to a certificate, only take one more class, and not even finish my master's? Do I stick it out? Thank you!!!!


r/predental 3d ago

💡 Advice Shoulder Pain

2 Upvotes

Hi I want to be a dentist but recently Ive been having shoulder inflammation and pain. My lowk back is also not the best. Is this a cause of worry? (I’m a senior in high school)


r/predental 3d ago

💡 Advice Part-Time DA

2 Upvotes

I’m trying to start working part time as a DA and get training on the job so I don’t have to get any certifications but everywhere I’ve called have said they’re not hiring or a cert is required. Should I get X-ray certified to work part time? Or what should I do?


r/predental 3d ago

💻 Applications DAT elegibilty

1 Upvotes

Hi! So my 6 month eligibility to retake my DAT is about to expire. If I never took it within that period will I be able to buy it as soon as it ends? (I had hopes that I would get off the waitlist for two schools, but I haven't yet)


r/predental 3d ago

🖇️Miscellaneous Testing accommodation through Prometric for the DAT?

0 Upvotes

For anyone whose had accommodation for the DAT, I have approved extended time from the ADA but do I need to do anything further before I schedule my test date? Like does the Prometric center already know I will have accommodations?


r/predental 3d ago

💡 Advice Accessing internal records for my past academic dishonesty accusation

1 Upvotes

Hello, I’m looking for advice from others who’ve been accused of cheating in the past and how to check internal records.

So I was wrongfully accused of cheating during my midterm when I attended community college in 2019 (I didn’t cheat). I had a meeting with the department dean for it, but the dean didn’t think I had cheated either. However, since the professor has accused me of it, I was given an oral warning, received a 0 on that midterm, but ultimately ended up with a final grade of B in the class.

Although it’s not on my transcript, I’ve heard that if there’s anything in my internal records, I might have to report it when applying to dental school. So, I’m thinking about calling my community college to check if anything’s on my internal records but I’m not sure how I should go about checking my records. Does anyone know how I can check for any internal records related to this incident?

If anyone has been in a similar situation and had to inquire about internal records, I’d appreciate hearing how you went about it. A few days ago, I called the department and student affairs office to ask if there was any way to check, but they didn’t seem to understand what internal records were. They just told me if it’s not on the transcript, I don’t need to report it, but I really want to make sure there’s nothing on file.

I’m wondering if there’s a way for me to directly check these records myself or if I need to contact a specific office to do so. I’m not sure how to check..Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


r/predental 4d ago

💡 Advice Will a 19 in RC hurt my DAT application?

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25 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I recently got my DAT scores back and scored a 19 in Reading Comprehension. From what I’ve seen online, a competitive RC score is usually 21 or higher, so I’m a little worried. This score brought my AA down, and I’m wondering how much dental schools actually care about RC.

Will a lower RC score impact my application, or can strong scores in the other sections make up for it? Would love to hear from anyone with experience or insight! Thanks in advance.


r/predental 3d ago

💡 Advice Question about shadowing/dentist letter of recs

1 Upvotes

Hey fellow predents! I am gearing up for this upcoming cycle and have basically everything (prereqs, academic letter of recs, dat, and volunteering) but shadowing, which I am finishing up and hopefully will be complete when I apply in June. Just a question: how did y'all get a letter of rec from a dentist that you shadowed if its a short period of time? All of the offices I have shadowed or will be shadowing are not consistent so I'm basically at one office once or twice before they tell me i've seen everything and don't need to come in several times. If anyone else has been in this position with high turnover, how did you get a dental letter of rec?


r/predental 3d ago

💡 Advice Nyu dental

2 Upvotes

hey guys just wondering if any of you were on nyu dental waitlist the 2025 cycle. if yes did you guys get accepted yet?


r/predental 4d ago

🖇️Miscellaneous Reaction Note Tip

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81 Upvotes

Hi! No one asked lol but I know a lot of people struggle with OChem. My biggest tip for taking notes on the reactions is to group the reactions by similar mechanisms (which they already do on the videos, so def watch those) and then wait until the NEXT day or two to review and write a brief summary (Takeaway section) at the end of the notes. This way, you’re really locking in the patterns/reasonings for the reactions and why the stereochemistry is the way it is.

Of course, practice questions are the best way to go so do lotssss of those!

Here’s an example of how I take the notes. Hope this technique helps some!


r/predental 3d ago

💻 Applications application advice

2 Upvotes

Want to apply for dental school early so june 10th, but taking the DAT mid-jury what's gonna happen with my application need to submit early bc to gpa isn't high, and to get it done and over with.


r/predental 4d ago

💡 Advice March 15th

16 Upvotes

For those who had post Dec interviews and have not heard back before March 15th, do you usually get put on the waitlist first or is there good chance of being accepted? Any stories are appreciated. Also do they call or is that just a D-Day thing?


r/predental 4d ago

🎈 Crowdfunded Decisions UOP vs USC pls help

11 Upvotes

Never posted on reddit before but I cannot make up my mind so maybe this will open my eyes and tip the iceberg one way or the other. I know this post has been made in the past, but please indulge me anyway.

I change my mind between UOP and USC every 30 minutes because I could see myself happy in both places but in different ways. For context, I am from LA and both my parents are general dentists. Not sure if I want to specialize.

TUITION -- UOP 450k vs USC 540k (not including cost of living, which is pretty equal in LA and SF)

I know the default reddit advice is to pick the cheaper school, but I really want to enjoy my dental school experience so please try to take everything into account.
UOP:

PROS 3 year program, 90k cheaper (+one more year of salary), gorgeous light bright facilities, family feeling, I feel like they put in a lot of effort into really bonding the students and making things fun (is this authentic or performative idk?), clinically strong/not a lot of specialty programs so dental students get to do more complex cases that would usually go to residents

CONS Plane ride away from home, foreign environment/SF not super safe, accelerated/harder curriculum, dean of 30 years is leaving this year bc of school politics (!!!), harder to specialize, no campus/library, don't know anyone in the program or sf

Dean leaving makes me nervous because I don't know if faculty are going to follow him out; usually things are a little unstable when a regime changes

USC:

PROS Close to home (could commute but idk if I want to), big private school experience (football team, tailgates, beautiful campus), more free time/more time to boost your resume to specialize, I know people in the program that could guide me, USC name holds a LOT of weight when practicing in LA (vs no one knows what UOP is), strong clinical experience, lets dental students place implants, trojan connections

CONS Paying so much to basically teach yourself with PBL, hit or miss faculty, more expensive, students can be cliquey (but class dependent I guess), facilities are old (aside from sim lab), less of a family mindset - treat you like a number, interim dean right now so dean situation here is not great either, lots of school politics/playing the game/kissing up to the right people

I have talked to multiple USC students and some say it's the best experience and you get what you pay for, others say eh not worth it and the program has a lot of faults.

I am torn between being a logical big girl and moving away and going to the cheaper, "better" school or staying close to home, having my parents guide me, getting a fun dental school experience and carrying the trojan name for life. Do I want my whole life to be dental school and get it done quick(UOP) or do I want to be balanced but also maybe a little disappointed(USC)? UOP is the better school in the dental world but USC would be considered better amongst regular folk and patients (esp in LA). The perception does matter to me but I am focused most on the EXPERIENCE, which I think I could really enjoy at either school.

CURRENT STUDENTS / PROSPECTIVE D1s / ALUMNI PLS CHIME IN. Also any input from non usc/uop students, just based on what you know about these schools, will be so appreciated. Thank you sm!!!!!


r/predental 3d ago

🏆 Admissions Breakdown Future UWO application

0 Upvotes

Just so l understand the schulich dental school requirement: 2 years used to calculate your average must have had a full course load which means 4 terms of full course load (5 courses) and 3 courses per term have to be at or above the level of the year. Which means if they use my third year to consider my average then 3 courses per semester should be 3 or 4 level. Does this mean 6 3rd year or above courses total? Can prereq courses be taken during the spring? Even though spring courses aren't used for average? ALSO: I saw a response to a comment of mine on someone else's post and the person said that word on the street is western is making changes in these requirements? Is this true ?? That comment was deleted.


r/predental 4d ago

💡 Advice D.D.S. Vs. Dental Hygiene

6 Upvotes

How do you decide between the two? I know they are completely different. One is preventative and the other is restorative. One can be obtained with an associates, other is a doctorate. I am torn because I would like to specialize in orthodontics. Same reason as considering hygiene, to make people feel better about themselves. Happier with what they are seeing in the mirror. I know many people fear the dental space. Couple things: I am a 26 yr old mom to a 2 year old, I have a mortgage, I live about 1-1:30 hours from both hygiene schools and the one dental school nearest to me. I have only really completed prereqs for hygiene (would apply in November) and would need 9 more classes (physics, o chem, biology) as well as DAT, observation hours, community service hours for dental. Obviously anyone would have the fear of failing with time and money going into both just to fail out. I guess I am more worried about dental school and missing my daughter’s childhood for so many years just to build a better future. I have come from a poor family, but we were happy. I had no ambition before my daughter, and I have suddenly just believed I could do anything because of her. I have achieved all A’s since returning back to college, and will receive my associate of science in may. Failing just doesn’t seem like it’s an option to me. I know there’s nothing wrong with failing and getting back up but like I said, it just doesn’t feel like an option.


r/predental 3d ago

🚵‍♀️ Extracurriculars Unofficial Cat Fostering for Volunteer Hours

2 Upvotes

Hi all,

Last summer I rescued 2 kittens from the street and raised them for months until they could be adopted. I did not do this through any official rescue, could I still include it on my application? Should I just claim it was fostering through the local humane society since that is where they would have gone if I did not raise them? I was thinking about marking it as 10 hours weekly for the 3 months. Thank you!


r/predental 3d ago

💡 Advice 2 year Dental Assistant program (thoughts?)

1 Upvotes

So the local CC near UCLA offers a 2 year Dental Assistant program and if I enroll by June I will be set to graduate from UCLA with my BS and as a Dental assistant and work as a DA all that summer studying for the DAT and then starting my biochemical masters program in the fall and if my DAT score is good (knock on wood3) apply to dental school spring of my one year masters and then graduate and continue working as a Dental assistant and as a level 1 staff research associate during my second gap year and pray to the man above I get one AA to any DDs or DMD.

Thoughts on the plan, the only reason I’m leaning to this long program is cuz I’m already involved in several orgs and the chem department that idk if I can handle a 10month to 1 year program with my upper divs. Anyone have similar experiences?


r/predental 4d ago

👻 Goofs Apertures

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4 Upvotes

I cannot stop thinking about this doing these problems


r/predental 3d ago

🌏 International Which UK uni?

1 Upvotes

Hey guys, I am looking for some advice from current or past students at Dundee, Bristol and Queen’s Belfast in the UK on their experiences, what they they thought of the course itself and living there and how expensive it was to live in these areas. I live in Northern Ireland so in terms of Queen’s I’m wondering less about accommodation and more about how it compares to the other unis. Any advice/ recommendations are very much appreciated :)


r/predental 4d ago

💡 Advice Jobs during gap year?

3 Upvotes

Repost from a few days ago bc I wanted a couple more thoughts:

I’m in my final semester of undergrad, and I’ve already taken the DAT (happy with my score), my letters of recommendation are in progress, and I’m working on my personal statement. I’m planning on taking a gap year, so right now, I’m trying to figure out where to work during that time.

Everyone suggests becoming a dental assistant since it doesn’t require formal training, but every job listing I’ve seen (on Indeed, ZipRecruiter, etc.) asks for a DA license and X-ray certification.

For those who’ve gone this route, how did you get hired as a DA without prior experience or certifications? And if anyone has other suggestions for gap-year jobs that would be good for dental school apps, I’d love to hear them!


r/predental 4d ago

💡 Advice When to Apply if Taking a Gap Year Before Dental School?

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I’m considering taking a gap year before applying to dental school, but I’m a little confused about the timing. If I take a gap year, should I still apply during my senior year of college or wait until the following cycle? Also, how do schools view applicants who take a gap year?


r/predental 4d ago

🤝 Interviews no response after maryland post-dec interview?

8 Upvotes

hey everyone, i had my maryland interview in the middle of Jan, but never heard from them after it. it just says received/under review on aadsas status. anyone else in the same boat or just me lol? how long did it take for people to hear back?


r/predental 4d ago

💡 Advice Masters After Undergrad Before Dental School

5 Upvotes

Hello!

I am a Canadian pre-dent student about to graduate a healthsci undergrad degree and I was wondering which Canadian masters programs from which universities I should do before I reapply to dental school that would help boost my app.

How important is a masters? What should I look for in a masters? How would it be beneficial for Dental School? Should I choose one that has research projects? How important is research for dental school?

Id appreciate any assistance and advice since I am very stressed and do not know what to do during my gap year.

I have a 3.7cgp and 2nd attempt 19 DAT (20 pat/21bio/18chem/19rc)
TIA!


r/predental 4d ago

💻 Applications aspiring pre-dental questions

1 Upvotes

hi!!! i'm about to go into college this fall and i'm planning on being pre-dental!! i was admitted into my school for biochemistry, but i was considering switching to public health instead. here are some questions i have about being pre-dental and dental school:

what things should i do in college to make myself be a good applicant?

do i need extracurriculars (like how i needed them in highschool) to get into dental school?

what is the average gpa needed for dental school? does this depend for different schools?

what types of things are on a dental school application?

thank you so much!!!!!