The Journey Has Begun: Tip To Pre-Dents

My first major exam is today, Biochemistry, and it marks the official start to my journey through Dental School. Now that I've begun dental school  you may have noticed that the frequency of my blog posts waned a bit. However, in the essence of continuity, I do want to share a few tips to potential dental students. Dental School is not a cake walk. It requires discipline, tenacity and tremendous amounts of stamina to get through it. Since day 1 it has been non-stop studying and my days have extended to 20 awake hours and just about 3-4 sleep hours. This may sound tough but one of the beautiful things about the human body is it's ability to adapt and I have quickly adapted to this schedule (albeit how grueling and boot-camp like the first week was).

Curriculum vary from school to school but in most cases two of the first courses you encounter in Dental School are Anatomy and Biochemistry. I would highly recommend that all potential dental students take a course in biochemistry at the end of their  undergraduate careers.  Furthermore, I strongly recommend that you pay strict attention in your undergraduate anatomy classes. While the intensity and volume of work in your undergraduate anatomy class pales in comparison to what you will encounter in dental school, it is worth a million coming into dental school with some general knowledge of  both biochemistry and anatomy.  Moreover, as potential dental students, be prepared to spend the vast majority of your awaken time immersed in your studies. Dental school is not for the faint hearted. If you are not prepared to work hard and spend long hours studying, my best advise to you is to seek another career.

With that said, I'm off to sit this exam. Wish me luck!

How to Fund Your Dental School Career

Dental School is very expensive to attend. However, you shouldn't let the cost defer you from your dream of becoming a dental professional. It is true that some schools may cost well over $300,000 over four years! It is scary figure, but, it is a worthwhile investment, as the average dental professional makes well over $100,000 per annum. So how exactly can one go about paying all that money? There are several ways:

1. Scholarships - There are very few scholarships out there. However, it is important to search for scholarships to help to defer the cost of dental school. You may check the ADA website for some scholarships. Also, check your designated schools for scholarship listings.
i. Health Professions Scholarship Program - These are scholarships offered through the Navy, Army and Air Force where full tuition coverage plus a monthly stipend is awarded, in addition to summer military training. In return, you owe the respective branch 1 year for each year the scholarship was granted. Example: If you got the scholarship for the whole four years of dental school, then you owe the respective branch four years of service.
ii. National Health Service Corps - This organization offers scholarships for those who are eligible. They offer up to the full cost of attendance plus a monthly stipend. In return the awardee is required to serve an underprivileged neighborhood/area (example: federal prison) 1 year for each year the scholarship is awarded.

2. Federal Student Aid -  All dental students will be considered for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Free Applications are usually given to students from their designated schools. The FAFsa information is used to calculate the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). From this, the Cost of Attendance (COA) will be subtracted to determine financial need.

3. Loans  
i. Federal Stafford loans: Students are automatically considered for Stafford loans as a result of filing FAFSA. There are two types of Stafford loans, Subsidized and unsubsidized. Subsidized means the federal government pays the interest on the loan until you graduate, and for a grace period of several months after graduation. Unsubsidized means that you are responsible for paying the interests immediately upon taking out the loan; however, you may opt to defer payment of the interest until after you graduate, in which case the interest is simply added to your principal. The interest on these loans are low, currently fixed at 6.80%.
ii. Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL) - The HPSL is another option available to dental students. It has a fixed interest rate of 5% and the interests are subsidized. repayment of this loan begins 12 months after graduation with a maximum of 10 years to repay. The award is based on parental income.
iii. The Perkins Loan - This loan is need-based and has a fixed interest rate of 5%. Interests are subsidizedand repayment usually begins 9 months after graduation.
iv.  Graduate PLUS loan - This loan does not have a limit on how much one may borrow - you may borrow uo to the full cost of attendance, Interest rates are 7.90%
 v. Other Loans - The Educational Resource Institute (TERI)is a non profit group that provides up to $225,000 in loans to dental school students. There are some banks, including Citibank, who offer similar loans. Citibank will loan a dental student up to $220,000 for school itself, and up to $12,000 additional toward a residency after graduation. Many state governments, too, offer dental school student loans. Check with your state Department of Education or the dental school.

 4. Loan Forgiveness - There are several programs that offer forgiveness of your loans. Some, like the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program (NHSC-LRP) pay health care professionals funds in additional to salary in exchange for work in designated need areas.

So, don't let the cost of attending dental school hold you back from pursuing your dream and/or goal of becoming a dental professional. There are many funding options that one can take advantage of.

GPA isn't Everything!

When applying to Dental School, your grade point average  (GPA) is

undoubtedly important to your application. However, contrary to common belief that in order to be admitted into Dental School you must possess a "high" GPA, this is certainly not the case in most schools. While a "competitive" GPA is essential, when applying to Dental School, or
any professional school, it is your overall package that is looked at,
not solely your GPA. The admissions committee want to see a well
rounded and balanced individual. You must demonstrate that you possess
the skill-set fit to be a dental practitioner. To this end, your
overall package, which includes your DAT scores, GPA, volunteer work
or community service, recommendation letters, dental experience, and
leadership skills, will be looked at and scaled when assessing your application. Each of the aforementioned tenets will in some ways complement each other. Hence, it is important to understand that your application must be competitive, possessing a balanced repertoire of most, if not all of the areas listed above. Understand that I am in no way saying that you can receive acceptance into dental school with a 2.5 GPA, although the chances of this happening are slim to none; in the end, the admissions committee doesn't care how smart you are but if you reflect a personality that befits the definition of someone that can succeed in dental school, vis a vis your personal statement, recommendation letters, dental experience, community service, grade point average and moderate to competitive DAT scores, an interview letter will surely be coming in the mail from a school of your interest.
Again, do not place your eggs in one basket. At minimum, a 3.0 grade point average with a competitive balance in the other areas mentioned, will suffice at least in getting you an interview.

To discuss the information in this post, please visit the forums.