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PRE-DENTAL PREPARATION AT THE COLLEGE OF WOOSTER

"Dentistry is the branch of the healing arts and sciences devoted to maintaining the health of the teeth, gums, and other hard and soft tissues of the oral cavity and adjacent structures. A dentist is a scientist and clinician dedicated to the highest standards of health through prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of oral diseases and conditions." (ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools, 45th ed., p 5)

Undergraduate preparation for a career in dentistry is similar to that for medicine. The page on preparing for health care professional school addresses the general requirements for dental school admission including coursework, grade point average, entrance exam (DAT) score, extracurricular activities, research experience, knowledge of the field, and other factors. Some information specific to dentistry is listed below, followed by a description of the Seven-Year Dual Degree Predental/Dental Program at Wooster.

COURSEWORK

In addition to the minimum requirements described in the preparing for health care professional school page, most dental schools suggest taking several of the following courses:

Courses in the humanities and social sciences are also valuable. As with medical school, there is no universal set of requirements and some programs have additional requirements. It is therefore very important that you begin looking early at specific programs so that you can take their requirements into consideration as you plan your courses at Wooster.

The ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools contains valuable information on dental careers, application requirements, financing dental school, and profiles of every dental school in the United States. The first few chapters are usually available free of charge on the ADEA (American Dental Education Association) Web site. Copies of these books are available in Dr. Bonvallet's office (Severance Hall 124) and the Office of Career Services. You may wish to purchase a copy for your personal use.

GRADE POINT AVERAGE

Dental admissions will look for strong grades in the sciences. There is no GPA that will guarantee acceptance, but some guiding data is shown below:

The Seven-Year Dual Degree Predental/Dental Program Wooster requires a minimum grade point average of 3.25 (both science coursework and overall).

ENTRANCE EXAM SCORE

The DAT (Dental Admissions Test) is required for dental school admissions. It is a computerized exam administered by Prometric Test Centers and can be taken nearly any day of the year. The test consists of four sections:

• Section 1: Survey of the Natural Sciences
  First-year biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry
  
  
• Section 2: Quantitative Reasoning
  Basic mathematics, geometry, trigonometry, and algebra (NO calculus)
  
  
• Section 3: Reading Comprehension
  Interpretation of three passages (ca. 1,500 words apiece) on unfamiliar material, simulating reading assignments from a dental textbook
  
  
• Section 4: Perceptual Ability Test
  Two- and three-dimensional problems dealing with angle discrimination, paper folding, form development, and object visualization
  

Each section is scored numerically on a scale of 1 to 30. The average of the first three sections is reported as the Academic Average, and dental admissions will look separately (and often very closely) at the Perceptual Ability section. Some published data on DAT scores is shown below:

There is no "magic score" that guarantees admission, but a competitive applicant will score 18 or higher in both Academic Average and Perceptual Ability. Wooster students enrolled in the Seven-Year Dual Degree Predental/Dental Program are required to score 18 or higher in both Academic Average and Perceptual Ability on the DAT.

THE SEVEN-YEAR DUAL DEGREE PREDENTAL/DENTAL PROGRAM

About the program

Although most students enter dental school upon completing four years of undergraduate education, some have taken advantage of the Dual Degree program administered jointly by the College of Wooster and the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine. The two institutions entered into this agreement to form a Seven-Year Pre-Dental/Dental Program consisting of three years at the College of Wooster followed by four years at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine. Students accepted to this program will have guaranteed placement in the first-year class at the School of Dental Medicine at Case upon completion of their junior year at The College of Wooster, provided that they meet the application, academic, and other guidelines described below. With the "in absentia privilege," students can obtain a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) degree from The College of Wooster upon completing their first year of dental school. Case Western Reserve University will award the D.D.S. (Doctor of Dental Surgery) degree upon successful completion of the fourth year of dental school. (This program is sometimes referred to as a 3-4 dual degree program, but has been renamed as a seven-year program to remove any ambiguity.)

How to apply

Students are eligible for this program ONLY if they have been ACCEPTED to Wooster but have NOT YET BEGUN CLASSES at Wooster. A prospective student interested in this Program should therefore inform the Office of Admissions AS SOON AS THEY ARE ACCEPTED that they would like to apply to the Seven-Year Pre-Dental/Dental Program. Candidates can contact Paul Bonvallet (Chair of the Pre-Health Advising Committee) or Wendy Miller (Pre-Health Advising Coordinator housed in the Office of Career Services) to learn more about the program and its requirements.

The steps for application are outlined below:

• Students must indicate in their application to The College of Wooster a desire to apply for the seven-year dental program.
  
  
• If accepted to The College of Wooster, the Office of Admissions will send a copy of the your application to the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine for review.  Applicants will be notified if they have been invited to interview.
  
  
• Interviews typically occur 2 to 4 weeks after the application was received.  Students will be notified by Case Western Reserve University if they have been accepted.
  
  
• Seven-year students must complete, at no charge, the formal application to the School of Dentistry no later than December 1st of their Junior year and must take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) no later than April 1st of their junior year.
  
  
• Seven-year students must apply in writing to the Dean of Faculty at The College of Wooster to graduate “in absentia” (receive a Wooster B.A. degree) by the end of the spring semester of the junior year.

Other requirements

• Seven-year students must maintain an academic grade point average of 3.25 or better both in science courses and overall GPA while at The College of Wooster.
  
  
• Seven-year students must obtain a score of 18 or higher on both the Academic Average and Perceptual Ability sections of the DAT.
  
  
• 12 semester hours (four semesters) of chemistry with lab, of which 6 semester hours (two semesters) are organic chemistry
  
  
• 6 semester hours (two semesters) of biology with lab
  
  
• 6 semester hours (two semesters) of physics with lab
  
  
• 6 semester hours (two semesters) of English
  
  
• Suggested pre-dental science electives include cell biology, genetics, biochemistry, microbiology, and physiology (see Coursework guidelines above)