Creating a Four Year Plan to Fulfill all Dental School Prerequisites

On average pre-dental students apply to 10 dental schools, many if not all of the dental schools require different prerequisites. Creating a four-year schedule to fulfill all the prerequisites for all the dental schools can be a very cryptic process.  On this dental school perquisites page I will give pre-dental students a road-map for navigating the process of creating a four-year plan to allow you to fulfill all the prerequisites of all the dental schools pre-dental students plan on applying to.

Step 1: Know What Dental Schools You plan on Applying to

• Knowing what dental schools you plan on applying to is essential in creating a plan to fulfill all your dental school prerequisites. Different dental schools require slightly different courses to gain admissions into their DDS/DMD program. Take a look at PreDDS.NET’s Dental School List with Links to find dental schools you are interested in applying to. Also check out predents.com for admission statistics for dental school. The smart way to apply to dental school is to apply to your state school then apply to all private schools, because they don’t have stringent requirements for out of state students as state schools. Most pre-dental students apply to 10 schools, so come up with a list of 10 schools to apply to.

Step 2: Compile Prerequisite Requirements, Such as Course Requirements & Letter of Recommendation Requirements

Dental School Required Prerequisite Courses for most Dental Schools:

• 3 Quarters (2 Semesters) of General Biology with Lab
• 3 Quarters (2 Semesters) of General Physics (With or without Calculus)
• 3 Quarters (2 Semesters) of English
• 3 Quarters (2 Semesters) of General Chemistry with Lab
• 3 Quarters (2 Semesters) of Organic Chemistry with Lab

Letters of Recommendation Requirements for most Dental Schools:

• 2 Letters of Recommendation from Science Professors.
• 1 Letter of Recommendation from a Dentist.
• 1 Letter of Recommendation from a variety of sources as a Character Reference.

Other Requirements:

• The Dental Admissions Test (DAT) is required by ALL dental schools.
• A Bachelors degree is recommended for most schools and is required by some schools.
• Some dental Schools may require two quarters of Biochemistry, Human Anatomy & Physiology, and Microbiology.

Step 3: Create a Four Year Plan that fits all your prerequisites for all the dental schools you plan on applying to

• This may be a little tough, personally I could not create a four year plan to fulfill all the prerequisites for all the dental schools I wanted to apply to. I had to complete a fifth year to fulfill the requirements for all the dental schools I wanted to apply to (which was 12). Starting early is the key, and making sure you know what dental schools you plan on applying to in advance!

Good Luck!

Much of this information was adapted from the American Dental Association (ADA).