Originally developed in 1945, the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) was designed to measure general academic ability, comprehension of scientific information and perceptual ability of future dentists. Since then, hundreds of thousands of dentists have survived this test, and you will too! Here’s three things to keep in mind as you prepare:
As the future of dentistry and student members of the ADA, you should be proud of what we have accomplished together. Check out this video to see the ADA’s Highlights of 2016. Thanks for an incredible year.
Are you excited for Give Kids A Smile? It’s a signature program of the American Dental Association Foundation. This year’s kickoff is February 3, and a number of dental schools will host events. If you’re participating, here are four things you should know!
How the heck did a kid who grew up on a farm in Texas become president of the American Dental Association? I look forward to sharing my story with you over the next year and working hard to meet your needs. In the meantime, check out this Q&A I just did with the ADA’s video team. I bet you can’t guess my favorite emoji?
“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” — Isaac Newton
My interest in organized dentistry began during my undergraduate years at the University of Central Florida where a local dentist, Dr. Pete Lemieux, took special interest in my pre-dental club. As a nerdy science major, that dentist was a superhero in my eyes. I remember being absolutely star-struck when he invited our club to an event to socialize with real life dentists. That night I shared a glass of wine with that dentist who spoke so openly about his journey through dental school and his trials with different associateships. I remember thinking, “Wow, I can actually do this.”
Truth be told, I came to the realization that dentistry was my calling a little later than most. Unlike my colleagues who were inspired by a mentor or career day way back when, I was not completely sure of my destiny in dentistry until my last semester of undergraduate studies.
While I wasn’t really a “predental” student for very long, I did pick up a couple valuable tips that I wish someone would have shared with me…
My generalized exhaustion today would suggest that I had a wonderful — and active — few days in Washington, D.C. for the New Dentist Conference and ADA 2015. In addition to my original goals of volunteering, networking and connecting with old friends and mentors (all of which I did), I took a lot away from this experience.
