Academic and Advising Services Pre-Dental Information

Mercer students who are planning to apply to dental schools are designated as pre-medicine students for the purposes of academic advising. Thus, pre-dental students should read through the "Health Vocations Advising Frequently Asked Questions" (hvafaq08.doc), taking special note of the "Additional Courses" section under Question 6, and use the "Pre-Medicine Advising Checklist" (Pre-Med Checklist.doc) as a guide for scheduling courses and extracurricular activities. In addition to completing the courses recommended in these documents, students should make themselves aware of any other courses that are required or recommended by the specific dental schools in which they are interested; students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the admission requirements of the schools to which they intend to apply.

It is important for pre-dental students to note that the pre-dental/pre-med designation is not the same as an academic major. A pre-dental student who intends to earn a bachelor's degree must declare a major and complete the course requirements for that major, in addition to completing the prerequisite courses for admission to specific dental schools. No specific undergraduate major is required or preferred by dental schools, so a pre-dental student should choose a major that s/he is passionate about; a student who majors in a topic in which s/he is genuinely interested is more likely to achieve the academic success that will enable her/him to get into a dental school. Note that any student who completes the chemistry courses recommended for the pre-dental/pre-med track (CHM 111, 112, 221, and 222) will earn a minor in chemistry (a minimum of 6 credits in chemistry must be completed in-residence at Mercer University in order for Mercer to award a student a minor in chemistry; see Mercer's catalog for further details).

Students should also note that, while most dental schools do not require a student to have a bachelor's degree prior to enrollment (though most schools recommend it), the vast majority of accepted dental school applicants do have bachelor's degrees. As the rules for acceptance of students without bachelor's degrees vary from school to school, students interested in this option should look carefully at the requirements for the particular schools in which they are interested. Note that the fact that an applicant does not have a bachelor's degree does not exempt him/her from having to complete all the prerequisite classes that a dental school recommends. Further, since admission to dental schools is granted on a competitive basis, it is important for students to have alternative plans in case they are not accepted to the dental schools to which they apply; a bachelor's degree will be extremely valuable to any student who ultimately opts to pursue other educational/career paths besides dental school.

Beyond the academic preparations students should make when preparing to apply to dental schools, they should also keep in mind that some type of experience with dentistry is advisable. This experience may include working at dentists' offices and/or shadowing dentists extensively. Such experience will, of course, serve as evidence to dental schools that a student is truly interested in and knowledgeable about the profession, but it will also help the student determine if s/he is making the right choice by going to dental school.

In addition to gaining experience with the dental profession, pre-dental students may also wish to joing Mercer's pre-health club, MerPMed. For more information, students should visit the club's website, located at http://www2.mercer.edu/AAS/Pre-professional Information/MerPMed.htm, or send an e-mail to merpmed@yahoo.com.

There are several websites that serve as helpful sources of information for students who are interested in applying to dental schools. One of these sites is that of the American Dental Education Association (http://www.adea.org/); this site contains a list of links to dental schools in the United States and Canada (http://www.adea.org/DMS/Instlinks/default.htm) and information about the Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS), which is used by most dental schools (http://www.adea.org/AADSAS/default.htm). Students planning to apply to dental schools should be familiar with both the AADSAS application and the specific admission requirements of the schools to which they intend to apply (dental schools may require information in addition to that which students provide on the AADSAS application). Please note that the School of Dentistry at the Medical College of Georgia, which is the only school of dentistry in Georgia, does not participate in the Association of American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS); students interested in applying to the School of Dentistry at the Medical College of Geogia should read about the school's application procedures on its website (http://www.mcg.edu/SOD/). Pre-dental students should start thinking about their dental school applications well before their final year of undergraduate studies.

For information about the Dental Admission Test (DAT), students should visit the American Dental Association's website at http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/index.asp. Pre-dental students should familiarize themselves with and prepare for the DAT well in advance of actually taking the test, and they should give themselves the opportunity to take the test multiple times, if necessary.

Students who intend to request a letter of recommendation from Mercer's Health Vocations Advisement Committee (HVAC) when they apply to dental schools should read the information at the following website: /AAS/Pre-professional Information/Directions for Requesting a Letter from the HVAC.htm.

The following tips for dental schools applicants come from a panel discussion led by members of the admissions board from the School of Dentistry at the Medical College of Georgia, but these tips are applicable to students applying to other dental schools, too:

Undergraduate courses in microbiology and biochemistry, while they are not required by many dental schools, can provide a useful foundation of knowledge for a student to build on in dental school.
Undergraduate courses in business (accounting, finance, marketing, management) and/or economics, as well as in Spanish, can help prepare a pre-dental student for the modern work environment.
Art courses may help to develop a student's "perceptual ability," which will be tested on the Dental Admissions Test (DAT).
Experience shadowing dentists is essential for any student who wishes to be accepted to a dental school. The experience should be extensive (i.e., the student should witness a variety of procedures, as well as the administrative duties performed by a dentist). It is especially useful for a student to shadow a general practice dentist, but it is also helpful for a student to see what a more specialized dental professional does on a daily basis.

For more information about preparing for and applying to dental schools, contact the pre-professional advisor in the Office of Academic and Advising Services.