Dentists are healthcare professionals who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the teeth, gums, and other related tissues in the mouth. They use their expertise to provide a range of services to their patients, including dental cleanings, fillings, extractions, root canals, and other treatments. Dentists work in a variety of settings, including private practices, hospitals, and community health centers. They may also specialize in specific areas of dentistry, such as orthodontics or periodontics. To become a dentist, one must complete a rigorous educational and training program, including obtaining a dental degree (DDS or DMD) from an accredited dental program, passing the written , and passing a state or regional clinical examination.
Note: It is not recommended to self-advise. There are many things to consider besides the required courses such as prerequisites and course sequencing, balancing your schedule, building in time for volunteering, shadowing, research, entrance exam preparation, and planning for the application cycle. See the for individualized long-term planning.
Students who are planning to apply to dental programs will need the following:
- Bachelor’s degree with a competitive cumulative and science GPA
- Required prerequisite coursework, which can vary from school to school
- Research experience
- Clinical experience and service
- Communication and leadership skills
- Letters of recommendation
- Personal statement
- Dental Admissions Test (DAT)
- Understand the application timeline
- Illinois dental programs
- Pre-Dental resources
Degree and GPA
Most programs require a baccalaureate degree in any field as long as the prerequisites are met. Biology and Biochemistry majors can meet all prerequisites within their programs. Other majors will still need to take the prerequisite courses in addition to their major and degree requirements.
To be a competitive applicant students must have a strong grade point average (GPA). Professional programs will look at several GPAs:
- Cumulative GPA: all courses and from all schools attended including repeats, remedial courses, and possibly graduate-level courses
- Science GPA: includes biology, chemistry physics, and often math (or BCP/BCPM)
- Prerequisite GPA: calculated only on the prerequisites necessary for that particular professional school program.
- All other GPA: calculated on all courses except your science courses
Professional schools do not honor “grade forgiveness” or “grade replacement” for repeated courses. All grades count and repeats are averaged together. There is also no expiration date on courses taken many years ago.
Prerequisite Coursework
The following list indicates the most common classes required or highly recommended by most dental schools. Applicants should always check directly with each program they are applying to and see the Preprofessional Advisor for more information.
Required
| Writing I & II | ENG 101 & 102 |
| Biology I & II | BIOL 201 & 202 |
| General Chemistry I & I | CHEM 211 & 212 |
| Organic Chemistry I | CHEM 231 |
| Physics I & II | PHYS 201L & 202L |
| Biochemistry | BIO 362 |
Highly Recommended
| Organic Chemistry II | CHEM 232 |
| Anatomy & Physiology I & II | BIO 318 & 319* |
| Microbiology | BIO 341* |
| Statistics | MATH 275 |
Additional courses to consider
Cell Biology, Genetics, Immunology, Histology, Virology, Immunology, Neurobiology, Molecular Biology, and Calculus.
Prerequisite Notes
- AP and IB credits are generally not accepted toward prerequisites.
- Community college credits can be viewed differently by each program. Check before applying.
- Some programs do not accept international courses to meet prerequisites. Check before applying.
- Online lab courses are not accepted toward prerequisites. Some programs will not allow any online coursework. There may be some exceptions for courses taken at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Check before applying.
- Too many withdrawals (W's) on your transcripts can reflect negatively on your application.
- Some programs have expiration dates on their prerequisites. Make sure you have taken them within the program's time requirements.
Research Experience (Recommended)
While undergraduate research is not required for admission, many dental schools value the experience and it can make an applicant stand out. Subjects can include basic science, biomedical, and clinical research, as well as social science and health systems research. You can reach out to the Student Center for Science Engagement for help finding research opportunities.
Clinical Experience and Service
Experiences should be meaningful to you on a personal level and reflect your professional goals. Remember that you will be expected to write thoughtful descriptions of your experiences in the application process. Quality over quantity is most important. Programs would rather see commitment and dedication over time than hopping from one short-term experience to the other. Keep a journal not just to document your hours, but to express how various interactions impacted you and your long-term goals.
Shadowing/Clinical Experience (100+ hours)
Ask a practitioner to observe their work. This will give you a glimpse into their daily routine and allow you to see if you’re really a good fit for the profession. Shadowing opportunities are notoriously hard to find, so start looking as soon as possible. The most common way to find shadowing opportunities is through networking: ask family, friends, and colleagues if they know a professional that would allow you to shadow them. Another option is to engage in clinical experiences first. If you are volunteering in a hospital or clinic, working as a CNA, EMT, or dental assistant, etc., ask the professionals you work with. The more they know about your aspirations as a future health professional, the more likely they are to take you on for shadowing or refer you to a colleague who will.
Professional schools like to see as much hands-on, direct patient care as possible. Competitive applicants complete 100-200 hours of shadowing and dental experience combined. Students should strive to shadow two to five dentists.
Volunteer/Community Service (100+ hours)
You are preparing for a "helping" profession and it is assumed that you care about those you are planning to serve. Therefore, it is important to have volunteer experiences demonstrating a commitment to service. This should be ongoing throughout your college years. Medical professions often play a big role in the community. Getting involved in your community is a great way to experience this. You can volunteer at a church or other religious facility, community centers, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, food pantries, etc.
Volunteering in a health setting will give you exposure to various practitioners working with patients. Look for opportunities to assist, be part of a team, make decisions, and lead others. There are many ways to volunteer in the health setting such as hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, nursing/retirement homes, doctors’ offices, public clinics, suicide hotlines, hospice centers, crisis centers, or study abroad experiences like medical mission trips.
Communication and Leadership Skills
Get involved on campus through student government, honors programs, or student organizations that are related to your major or future profession such as the and/or the . Get involved by participating in their events. They often conduct enrichment programming and even community service. Try to become an officer in an organization to gain leadership experience. You must take this role seriously though and live up to the commitment you make. You can search all of to find others that are a good fit for you.
As a health professional, you will be a leader and team member with your patients, staff, colleagues, and in your community. Other ways to gain leadership experience include offices held in organizations, committee work, leadership in religious activities, coordinating a project; managing, training, and supervising at work, teaching or training experience of any kind, tutoring, as well as peer counseling or mentoring.
Letters of Recommendations (3-5)
You will need at least two to three strong letters of recommendation ideally from science faculty and/or relevant professionals that have supervised you in a work, internship, research, or volunteer setting. You will need to give them at least two months’ notice so be sure to research the letter of recommendation requirements for each program you're planning to apply.
Get to know people from these categories so you will feel comfortable asking them to write excellent letters for you.
- Science professor
- Non-science professor
- Health professional
- Research professor/supervisor
- Work/volunteer supervisor
- Mentor or advisor
Learn more on how to request . Please note that NEIU does not offer a committee or composite letter.
Personal Statement
You will have to write a personal statement/essay as part of your application. It should be about two pages double-spaced and discuss how your life has led you to your desired career. While most personal statements are general in nature and can be used for multiple applications, some programs want applicants to follow specific guidelines and answer prompts that they will provide. Check with the schools you’re applying to and make sure you’re following directions. Look up examples of personal statements and have several people read yours before submitting it. If you would like to talk about why you’re interested in a particular program you can write several statements and customize them as needed.
This is also your opportunity to show the admissions committee who you are beyond your GPA, test scores, and experiences. It communicates what is important to you and explains in-depth your reasons and motivations for pursuing professional school. Additionally, a personal statement can help explain any gaps in education or experiences, as well as any weaknesses in an application.
Learn more about how to write personal statements.
Dental Admissions Test (DAT)
The is administered by computer through Prometric Testing Centers and is administered year-round. Taking the exam by spring will enable you to apply earlier. The testing program is designed to measure general academic ability, comprehension of scientific information, and perceptual ability.
The four sections of the test are:
- Survey of the natural sciences
- Perceptual ability
- Reading comprehension
- Quantitative reasoning
DAT scale scores range from 1 to 30. A scaled score of 19-20 typically signifies average performance on a national basis.
DAT preparation resources
Application Timeline
The application cycle for dental school begins about 15 months before you intend to enroll, in the summer of the year prior to enrollment. However, the exact timing depends on when you will take the DAT, complete prerequisites, etc. Meet with your paraprofessional advisor to develop a long-term plan for applying. Keep in mind that course scheduling, extra-curricular activities, exam preparation, and even your personal and family life can all contribute to the need of having flexibility in your timeline.
The application service, , opens in May. You can begin the primary application process and start submitting in June. You should have selected which dental schools to apply to, have contacted those who will write letters of recommendation for you, ordered official transcripts from all colleges attended, and completed your personal statement by this time. Make sure you pay attention to specific deadlines for the schools to which you are applying. Application services verify primary applications and notify applicants of verification or problems.
