Predental Information

• General Information
• Important Information
• DAT Preparation
• DAT Preparation Courses
• Prerequisite Courses
• Special Predental Courses

General Information

Predental advisement is in 3328 WSC, the Preprofessional Advisement Center. The staff and materials are available to aid you in your preparation for dental school. The office contains many resource materials, including Dental Admissions Test (DAT) studying materials, the Official Guide to Dental Schools, and statistics about past years' applicants.

The Preprofessional Advisement Center is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except during devotionals and forums. Student advisors are available without appointment and will answer your questions regarding your predental education. We strongly encourage you to meet with us during your freshman year to plan out your class schedule in preparation for the DAT and timely graduation, and encourage you to call or come into the office whenever you have questions. In order to make sure you are on track, we suggest the following steps:

• Freshmen and Transfer Students: Enroll in STDEV 139: Introduction to Health Professions. This course is designed to provide the student an overview of careers in the health professions. Check the class schedule for time and location.
• Sophomore or Transfer Students: Enroll in STDEV 229: Preview into Dentistry. Check the class schedule for class time and location. Meet individually with an advisor to check predental progress at the end of your sophomore year. Please bring a transcript or ABC report of your grades and a proposed plan of future courses up to the time you take the DAT. The DAT should be taken one year before you plan on entering dental school, which begins each fall. The DAT registration process takes 5 to 8 weeks. It is offered by computer virtually any day of the year. Begin or continue shadowing dentists and being involved in service experiences.
• Junior Students: Attend orientation meetings, workshops, etc. Begin collecting letters of recommendation and preparing to apply to dental school. Take a DAT prep course or begin studying independently. Take STDEV 439, a course that will facilitate the student's application to dental school and that should be taken during the winter semester of the junior year.

1. GPA: Your science GPA (biology, chemistry, physics, and math) is a very important factor in the admissions process. For example, consider the data on BYU applicants for the entering class of 2004:

2. DAT Scores: The Dental Admission Test (DAT) is a standardized test that is evaluated as part of the dental school application process. The DAT is discussed in more detail in STDEV 229. The DAT consists of four sections: survey of the natural sciences (including biology, general chemistry and organic chemistry), reading comprehension, quantitative reasoning (including general algebra, some trigonometry and math reasoning questions), and perceptual ability. The DAT is a computer-based examination that is offered at Sylvan Learning Centers. It should be taken the year before you plan to matriculate into dental school. Do not take the DAT lightly; treat it as if it were a four-credit science class. Be prepared!

3. Work Load: It is important to take full course loads (about 14+ credit hours) each semester. Consistently light loads (12 or less) raise a question about an applicant's ability to handle the much heavier loads required in dental school. Incompletes and unofficial withdrawals on a transcript are detrimental. Withdrawals are detrimental only when your transcript contains numerous W's and it is apparent that you are withdrawing from difficult classes to keep from receiving undesirable grades.

4. Repeating classes: If you receive a C grade or higher in a class, we do not recommend that you retake the course. When you apply to dental school, each grade is treated equally regardless of how many times you have taken the class. You should only retake a class in which you received a C grade or higher if you did not learn the subject matter well enough to do well in subsequent classes and on the DAT. You should consider repeating classes in which you received a C- or below.

5. Extracurricular Activities: Get involved! It is better to become deeply involved in a few activities than to be superficially involved in many. Admissions committees look for service (duration of service is an important factor), motivation for the dental profession, and leadership. Extracurricular activities that involve these three areas are best.

BYU Predental Club

The BYU Predental Club is the largest of its kind in the US. Its mission is "to improve applicants by providing opportunity." The Predental Club has monthly meetings with top clinicians and industry specialists to help members understand the opportunities in their field. The club also has several service and dental education organizations designed to serve the community and provide dental experience to its members. Club participants can also be paired up with mentors to provide one-on-one guidance throughout the preparation and application process. You can join the club at any meeting (the preprofessional advisement center has a meeting schedule). Club dues are $25 cash or check and include club shirt, food at meetings, and access to all club programs. Leadership opportunities are available to proactive, dependable members.

Very Important Information

• Take your freshman year seriously! Many students have forfeited the possibility of attending dental school because they earned poor grades in their science classes during their freshman year. Dental schools evaluate your GPA based on all completed classes, even classes that have been repeated. In other words, both grades count.
• Seek general education and major advisement from the various college and open major advisement centers on campus. Our office is unable to advise students regarding specific major or departmental classes or requirements.

DAT Preparation

The Dental Admission Test (DAT) is conducted by the American Dental Association (ADA) and has been in operation on a national basis since 1950. The DAT is offered almost any day of the year. It is offered at Sylvan Learning Centers (Orem.) You can register online to take the DAT at http://ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/index.asp The testing program is designed to measure general academic achievement, comprehension of scientific information, and perceptual ability. There are four sections on the DAT:

• Survey of the Natural Sciences (biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry)
• Perceptual Ability Test
• Quantitative Reasoning Test (algebra, some trigonometry and math reasoning questions)
• Reading Comprehension Test

For specific information on what is covered in each section, consult the Dental Admission Testing Program pamphlet that comes with the DAT registration form.

Keep in mind that the DAT tests on basic concepts.

Preparation Courses

It is important that you start preparing for the DAT at least six months before you take the actual test. Set aside a definite time each day to study for the DAT. There are a number of DAT review books available at the BYU Bookstore. There are also a number of commercially available DAT review courses:

• BYU Office of Continuing Education: DAT Review Course, 155 Harmon Building, BYU, Provo, Utah 84602. 801-378-4851. This course costs $325 and includes Kaplan study book and the Scholarware CD-ROM with eight practice tests. For 2008 it is offered February 2nd through April 12th, 2008. The course includes study sessions every Saturday where BYU professors come to teach a subject that is on the DAT, basically what you need to know for that DAT for that subject. For more information see the continuing education website or come into our office for a flier.
• Scholarware.com DAT practice tests: Three CD-ROM practice exams, available online at www.scholarware.com or www.topscore.com. The CD costs $50.
• Stanley H. Kaplan Educational Center, Ltd.: Provo--Brigham's Landing, 1774 North University Parkway, Provo, Utah 84604. 801-375-9955. There are several different options for courses that you can take through Kaplan, and they vary from consulting sessions of three hours to semester-long sessions with individual tutoring; the price ranges from $600 to $4500. For information online see kaptest.com.
• Ace DAT Prep, offers a course one night a week where a BYU student who has taken the DAT teaches you techniques on how to succeed on the DAT. You can retake the course for free if you aren't satisfied, and the course also includes a workbook for class and a practice test. The course costs $695.

Regardless of what you do to prepare for this test, treat it as a three or four semester-hour class. One of the most valuable ways to prepare for the DAT is to take practice exams. These exams can be found in DAT review books and in the DAT review courses. It is particularly beneficial to take a sample or diagnostic DAT before you begin preparing for the test. The diagnostic exam will enable you to determine your weak areas.

The key to preparation is discipline. Review courses are very helpful for some applicants and not helpful for others. Some applicants are able to study better on their own than in a classroom/lecture setting. Conversely, review courses better motivate some students because they had to pay a fair amount for them. It does not matter which choice you choose, as long as you follow through so that you are prepared for the exam.

The BYU and Kaplan review courses are beneficial at reviewing information that has already been learned, but should not be counted on as the primary source of gaining that information. For example, in entering class of 2002, the top scores were obtained by students who studied on their own instead of taking a review course. Because these students learned the material well in their prerequisite courses, they did not feel a review course would have benefited them.

Prerequisite Courses

Listed below are dental school admissions requirements and classes at BYU that meet each requirement. See the Official Guide to Dental Schools for specific requirements of individual schools. Some majors will require you to take a slightly different path in completing admissions requirements. See your major advisor! Dental schools generally do not accept Advanced Placement credit. Check with individual dental schools about their policy.

• General or Inorganic Chemistry: one year (8 semester hours) with laboratory



Chemistry 105 or 111	General College Chemistry
Chemistry 106 or 112	General College Chemistry
Chemistry 107 or 113	General College Chemistry Laboratory

Note: Chemistry majors should take Chem 111, 112, and 213.


• Organic Chemistry: one year (8 semester hours) with laboratory



Chemistry 351	Organic Chemistry
Chemistry 352	Organic Chemistry
Chemistry 353 (2 hrs)	Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Note: Chemistry majors should take Chemistry 351M, 352M, and 354.

• Biology: one year (8 semester hours, a few schools require 12 semester hours) with laboratory



PDBio 120	Science of Biology
MM Bio 240, 241	Molecular Biology and Molecular Laboratory (Prerequisite courses for Biol. 240: PD Bio. 120 and Chem 105)
*PWS 340	Genetics
PDBio 305 or 362 & 363	Essentials in Human Physiology or Advanced Physiology and Laboratory
*Bio 220A	Biologic Diversity: Animals
*Bio 220B	Biologic Diversity: Plants


Note: Nonscience majors should take PDBio 305; science majors should consult major requirements.
*Although many dental schools require only a year of biology, you need more to be prepared for the DAT. Do not take Biology 100. Although it fulfills a GE requirement, it will not fulfill prerequisites for dental school. Completing both MMBio 240 and PWS 340 will fulfill BYU's GE requirements. Bio 220A and B are also helpful in preparing for the DAT, but are not required by dental schools.



• Physics: one year (8 semester hours) with laboratory



Physics 105 & 107	Introduction to Physics (trigonometry based) and laboratory
Physics 106 & 108	Introduction to Physics (trigonometry based) and laboratory
Physics 121	Principles of Physics 1 (calculus based)
Physics 123	Principles of Physics 2 (calculus based)


Note: Physics 121 and 123 are for chemistry, physics, and engineering majors. Physics is not on the DAT, so these classes may be postponed until afterward.


• English: one year (two classes)



First Year Writing	Engl 150
Advanced Writing
Take the class your major requires (e.g., Engl 314, 315, 316)



• Math: requirements vary, consult the Official Guide to Dental Schools



Math 110, 111	College Algebra, Trigonometry
Math 119 or 112	Introduction to Calculus, Calculus I Boston, Harvard, and Stony Brook require two semesters of Calculus (Math 112, 113)



• Humanities: requirements vary; consult the Official Guide to Dental Schools


• Social Sciences: requirements vary; consult the Official Guide to Dental Schools



Former students have recommended these classes as helpful for the DAT and/or dental school:

PDBio 360	Cellular Biology
Chemistry 481	Biochemistry
PDBio 220	Human Anatomy
PDBio 325	Tissue Biology

Special Predental Courses

STDEV 139: Introduction to Health Professions

This course offers an overview of health professions, including medical, dental, and other specialties. The primary focus of the course is on guest lectures from various practitioners and clinicians.

STDEV 229: Preview into Dentistry

This is a one-credit-hour, pass-fail course designed to introduce students to dentistry and to the BYU predental program. Dr. Kaiser, local dentists, senior students, and invited guests provide an excellent overview of your future as a dental student and practitioner. All predental students should take this class as sophomores or after their mission.

STDEV 270: Advanced Reading Strategies

This course teaches speed comprehension and reading strategies for all different kinds of texts, from science textbooks to poetry.  This is an excellent course for those students planning on any kind of graduate school program to prepare them to absorb the large amount of information they will be required to read and retain in graduate school.

STDEV 329: Dental School Preparation, Laboratory Experience

This class gives students practical experience in the areas of dental anatomy, terminology, tooth carving, and dental operating techniques. It is a two-credit-hour graded course. The instructor is a local dentist. Prerequisites: STDEV 229.

STDEV 399R: Health Professions Internship.

Students are assigned to dentists, whom they observe at dental offices. It is an excellent opportunity for the student to observe and possibly participate in patient care. This class is a two-credit pass-fail course. Prerequisites: STDEV 229, an application available in 3328 WSC. (Preference is also given to those who have taken STDEV 329.)

STDEV 439: Medical and Dental School Application.

This is a two-credit course designed to familiarize the student with the application process to professional school. A detailed overview of the professional school application, its process, and expectations are presented, along with a mentoring program to facilitate the quality of the student's application.

Bio 370 or Religion 491R: Bioethics

This class discusses ethical issues related to emerging biomedical technology. Prerequisite: introductory biology course.

Sociology 329: Medical Sociology

This class discusses social epidemiology, the role of the sick, sociocultural definitions and responses to illness, and the organization of medical-health delivery systems. Prerequisite: Sociology 111 or Psychology 111.

Latin 123: Medical Latin and Greek

The course will teach the meaning and etymology of commonly used medical terms. The understanding of these terms, though never formally taught, is generally assumed of students in medical schools.

Revised August 2008