What does it take to get into dental school?

... A conversation with John N. Williams, Dean at Indiana University School of D

entistry
BY Jeffrey B. Dalin, DDS, FACD, FAGD, FICD, FADI
Dr. Dalin: Dentistry is a great profession! Being a dentist was just listed as t
he No. 1 job in America in 2013 by U.S. News and World Report. I followed in my
father's footsteps and chose this as my profession. When I applied to dental sch
ools, my father was my advisor. He guided me through the process of choosing a s
chool. Frequently, I'm asked about applying to dental school. What does it take
to get accepted? What do prospective students need to think about while attainin
g an undergraduate education?
Today, we're talking about this issue with Dr. John Williams, Dean of Indiana Un
iversity School of Dentistry.
Dr. Williams: During the past seven years, demand from prospective students to a
ttend one of the 61 dental schools in the U.S. has been strong. The recent U.S.
News and World Report ranking of dentistry as the No. 1 job will keep student de
mand high. In 2011, there were 12,039 applicants to dental schools for 5,311 fir
st-year positions, according to the American Dental Education Association in Was
hington, D.C. Therefore, the competition to gain admission is tough. But admissi
on to dental school is not impossible. It takes planning, organization, self-dis
cipline, leadership, and civic engagement, the same things needed to be a succes
sful dentist.

John N. Williams
Specifically, prospective students should have a strong academic background (a m
inimum of a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale in core courses of biology, c
hemistry, and physics). They should plan an undergraduate curriculum with their
college advisors. In addition, working with a predental club can be helpful to l
earn more about the profession and to gain civic engagement and shadowing opport
unities.
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Many dental schools evaluate candidates for admission using a comprehensive appl
ication review known as a "whole file review." This consists of an admissions co
mmittee assessment of biographical and academic information provided by the appl
icant and the undergraduate and graduate schools the applicant attended. These c
ommittees generally assess the applicant's results from the Dental Admission Tes
t (DAT minimum of 17 on the academic average), grade point average (GPA), additi
onal information provided in the application, letters of evaluation, and intervi
ews. The GPA and DAT are minimum scores considered nationally. When a student id
entifies which schools are of interest, the student should check directly with t
hese programs to obtain minimum qualifications for admissions. A great resource
book is the 2013 ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools at http://www.adea.org/pu
blications/Pages/OfficialGuide.aspx. This guide outlines admissions requirements
for each U.S. dental school. ADEA also runs the centralized application service
(AADSAS). Almost all U.S. dental schools use this service to assemble applicant
admissions information.
Dr. Dalin: How important is the DAT examination? What would you recommend to a s
tudent who is preparing for this test?
Dr. Williams: This test is very important. In addition to practice, practice, pr
actice, some students may elect to take a Kaplan review course or purchase DAT r
eview books that are available online or in bookstores. Students should focus st
rongly on the perceptional ability test (PAT) and the reading comprehension test
subcomponents of the DAT. These scores are important to assess a candidate's ey
e-hand coordination, and the ability to read and comprehend a large volume of co
ntent. Overall, candidate scores should be balanced among the various subsection
s of the DAT.
Dr. Dalin: Do you have any advice about the application process and the submissi
on of a personal essay?
Dr. Williams: One consideration for the application process is to apply early. E
ven though the various schools may post a closing date for applications late in
the fall each year, the earlier applicants submit their materials, the better op
portunity they have to be considered initially in the application process.
The personal essay is an important aspect of the application. While the GPA and
DAT scores tell an academic story, the personal essay should answer questions su
ch as why a candidate wants to study dentistry, extracurricular activities invol
ving leadership, discipline and civic engagement, sharing experience and knowled
ge about dental practice as a result of shadowing, and explaining what unique ta
lents the candidate can bring to the profession. Thoughts about a career plan ar
e appropriate, too.
Dr. Dalin: Patients and predental students ask to shadow me. Is there anything t
hat practicing dentists should do during the shadowing process? Should we just m
ake these superficial sessions, or should we try to teach the prospective studen
ts some specifics about what we do in the office?
Dr. Williams: Shadowing is a great way for a candidate to actually observe and l
earn more in depth about dental career options. Many times applicants base their
dental experiences on their orthodontic care and their interest in pursuing thi
s career path. Dentistry, however, encompasses many different dimensions -- priv
ate practice, specialty care, public health, academics, or research -- so the mo
re shadowing experience a student can gain, the better.
I suggest dentists who are working with prospective students in a substantive wa
y observe a variety of procedures, talk with the front office staff, and keep a
journal of the behavior they have seen. Mentorship is an important part of the p
rofession for all of us. So doctors who offer shadowing opportunities should dev
elop a plan to make this a meaningful experience. Students could even approach t
he doctor about doing some type of project, such as learning about where new pat
ients come from or why certain treatment options are selected as compared to oth
ers.
Dr. Dalin: Most dental schools conduct interviews. Please talk about this proces
s, and any advice we can give to prospective students to prepare them for these
interviews.
Dr. Williams: Practice, practice, and practice -- there is a theme developing he
re. Interviews are important to bring a candidate to life. The most promising ca
ndidates are invited for interviews. They should be prepared to tell their story
in a conversational way, but also to get their essential points across to the i
nterviewer in short order.
It is important to organize the "elevator speech." Can the candidate get his or
her essential points across in the time it takes an elevator to travel 10 storie
s -- perhaps 30 seconds? Most schools calibrate their interview teams so that ca
ndidates are asked the same questions, such as why they have an interest in dent
istry, what do they know about the dental profession, or their future career asp
irations. It is wise for the applicant to have background information about each
school in order to ask insightful questions of the interviewers. Excellent comm
unication skills are key to a successful interview.
Dr. Dalin: How have the actual four years of dental school changed since I atten
ded Indiana University School of Dentistry 33 years? I really thought that when
I graduated, I was ready to hit the ground running. Obviously there are the simu
lators now, but there are also new models of dental schools popping up around th
e country.
Dr. Williams: In some ways, dental education has fundamentally not changed in th
e last 33 years, but in other ways, it has. We are a biologically based, scienti
fic profession, so the first two years of dental school are concentrated on deve
loping and integrating the biopsychosocial aspects of human biology in the conte
xt of clinical patient care. The third and fourth years of dental school provide
 rich clinical education experiences for students to demonstrate their understan
ding and application of these biological principles in caring for patients.
The amount of laboratory preclinical work required of a student has diminished.
The use of computers and information technology, from digital radiology to using
simulators or haptic technology to learn preclinical skills to electronic curri
culum and electronic health records, rounds out the innovative ways dental schoo
ls have changed in the past 33 years.
Dr. Dalin: Dean Williams, thank you for talking with me. I think our readers wil
l appreciate the information you've offered. There has been much talk on Interne
t discussion groups about this subject. Many of us have relatives and patients w
ho are interested in joining our profession. Is there anything else you would li
ke to tell our readers?
Dr. Williams: Dental education and dental practice, like so many things in today
's U.S. society, are facing changes and opportunities to enhance what we do. At
Indiana, we have challenges, too. Like you, Jeff, I have thoroughly enjoyed seve
ral aspects of my career. Initially, I served six years as a general practitione
r in Louisville, Ky., prior to joining the faculty at the University of Louisvil
le School of Dentistry, where I graduated in 1980.
My experience in academic dentistry has been exhilarating -- initially as an ass
istant professor doing field research on access to care and workforce needs in K
entucky, and now serving as dean at three fine dental schools. The concerns I ha
ve are the cost of dental education, student debt, and the management of this de
bt. The key to managing student debt, just like making application to dental sch
ool, is planning, organization, self-discipline, leadership, and civic engagemen
t. These traits have served and will serve the test of time to enable someone to
pursue his or her dreams in dental school, and their dreams once in practice. E
njoy the exciting journey ahead!
Jeffrey B. Dalin, DDS, FACD, FAGD, FICD, FADI, practices general dentistry in St
. Louis. He is a cofounder of the Give Kids A Smile program. Contact Dr. Dalin a
t jeff@dalindental.com.
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