‘Your Essential Guide to Dental School Admissions’: Book Review

No matter where you are in the process of applying to dental schools, “Your Essential Guide to Dental School Admissions” by Dr. Helen Yang is a must-read. Applying to dental school may be overwhelming, but this resource “for pre-dents, by dentists” provides firsthand knowledge from new dentists about this formidable yet exciting process that marks the beginning of your dental career. These contributing authors, many of whom have served on the admissions committees at their dental schools, have a breadth of experience and strategies about ensuring strong candidacy and building a well-respected application for the dental school you wish to attend.

Train for the DAT like a marathoner

Preparing for the DAT can be one of the most exciting, yet challenging times during a predental’s journey to dental school. You may become overwhelmed trying to find the best study materials or choosing a DAT preparation course. What most students do not realize is that success comes from not only how you utilize materials, but your time as well. One effective strategy is to adopt the mindset of an athlete training for a major event, such as a marathon.

Thinking about taking a gap year? Consider these 6 things

gap-yearYou’re running a 5K and you’re a quarter away from the finish line. You’re out of breath, you’re exhausted and you’re in desperate need to refuel. You veer off to the side of the path to catch your breath. This is the same scenario you face with taking a gap year. Is it right for you?

When I was faced with the idea of taking a gap year, I was reluctant and unwilling. For me, getting into dental school was the finish line and it seemed so close.

Read on to find out what changed Priscilla’s mind about a gap year!

Leadership roles in school and your community

leadershipA dentist is a leader not only in her field, but also in her community. In preparing to become a dentist, it is important to consider the position that a professional holds within the community and the responsibilities that come with it. As a predental student, there are countless opportunities to get involved early and gain leadership experience both within school and your community. Based on my experiences, these opportunities are best broken down in three categories: volunteer opportunities, leadership positions in school organizations and leadership development through ASDA.

ASDA’s top 7 predental resources

Predental week webpageSo you’ve made up your mind that you want to be a dentist. Or you think you might want to be a dentist, but need to find out more about what that really entails. Where do you go to find answers to all these burning questions? Fortunately, the ASDA website contains a comprehensive collection of predental related material to help keep predental members well informed and on track to pursuing dentistry. While there are a myriad of resources that are all extremely helpful, the following resources are seven of ASDA’s most valuable ones (in my opinion, anyway.)