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Missouri State Pre-Dental Society

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Pre-Dental Advisement

Your career goal is not the same as your academic major. "Pre-Dentistry" is a preprofessional career goal and not an academic major for which a B.S. degree may be awarded. Dental school admission committees are not overly concerned with a student's choice of an undergraduate major as long as applicants have completed the dental school course requirements and demonstrate proficiency in the sciences as judged by the science GPA or "BCPM GPA" (GPA in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics), the overall GPA, and the scores on the Dental Admissions Test (DAT). Some dental schools look at the last 60 semester hours when the overall GPA is on the low side. Students who major in the sciences more often compete favorably in acceptances because the practice of dentistry is an application of the sciences, and the DAT measures the student's scientific foundation and several other attributes that are important in dentistry. Other majors are possible such as business, yet it is important that most, if not all, of the science requirements are completed before taking the DAT and preparing the application.

Students should meet with a pre-dental advisor early in their freshman year or as soon after making a decision to consider dentistry as a professional career. Pre-dental advisors have the most up-to-date information and experience to answer questions about dentistry and to guide you through the steps and timing of the application process. These advisors assist by (1) providing information in scheduling for the DAT (Dental Admission Test), (2) suggesting preparation materials and advice for the DAT, and (3) providing advice in filling out and submitting the AADSAS application. Advisors often may proof read the applicant's essays on the AADSAS application and assist students with supplementary applications required by most dental schools. The pre-dental advisors know the requirements and preferences of the dental schools in the Midwest region and maintain contacts with admissions officers of the dental schools who often have the major role in determining whether a particular student applicant will be admitted to their school. Writing a good personal statement on your AADSAS application is important. Write your statement carefully and review your drafts of it with your pre-dental advisor before submitting it in your AADSAS application on-line. Students may download copies of their own application from the website. The 100 pages of instructions for the AADSAS application is downloadable at: http://www.adea.org

For admission to nearly all dental schools, a letter of recommendation (more appropriately called a "letter of evaluation") is required from a recognized pre-dental advisor. Some dental schools may require a letter from specific pre-dental advisors at the schools from which the student is applying. Students should check the requirements of the school to which they intend to apply. Dental schools may contact a pre-dental advisor for a recommendation even though applicants have not sought letters from them. An advisor cannot say much on your behalf if they do not know you. Individual discussions and progress reports with a pre-dental advisor are recommended at least once or twice each semester or more frequently as one approaches the formal application period in the spring of your junior year. Normally the "application period" begins with (1) application and final preparation for the DAT early in the semester; (2) receipt (in May), completion, and submission of the AADSAS application preferably early in June; (3) solicitation of letters of recommendation that are written as letters of evaluation. Letters of recommendation can be submitted with the AADSAS application as one of three options, or as requested in secondary applications; (4) receipt, completion, and submission of supplemental (secondary) applications from various dental schools indicated on the AADSAS application, and (5) arrangements for interviews at the professional schools upon invitation. Make sure you know the policy of the school to which you Advisement Information for Pre-Dental Students Missouri State University Page 2 of 10.

are applying since several schools expect that you will also submit the secondary application that that they make available on-line. Other schools may invite you to submit a secondary application. On-line AADSAS applications usually become available in May of each year, but submission of completed applications are usually not accepted until early to mid-June. It is suggested that you download an entire hard copy of the application and work to complete it from the hard copy rather than working always on-line. Double-check to make sure all questions are answered before final submission. Even if you are not applying until the following year, it is helpful for sophomores to download an application so that they become familiar with the tasks involved in completing the application in the following year. There will be changes from year to year, but most items will be the same. The letter of recommendation from your pre-dental advisor is important. Dental schools expect that pre-dental advisors know student applicants from their respective institutions well enough so that the advisor can write an informative and appropriate evaluative letter about the attributes, interests, and suitability of the student applicant for dentistry. The pre-dental advisors cannot be expected to write recommendation letters for applicants they do not know well. Contacting a pre-dental advisor for the first time just before applying to dental school is unrealistic. Pre-dental advisors cannot be responsible for the consequences of not being able to write an evaluative letter of recommendation, required by a dental school, for students they have not advised over period of time, preferably for several years. This period of time allows the pre-dental advisor to include important comments on your development as a student, as a person, as a future professional, and as a competitive dental school applicant with qualities and attributes sought by dental schools. In the absence of personal knowledge of the applicant, your pre-dental advisor can only write letters giving information that dental schools already have access to. Always remember that your predental advisor is not the one applying to dental school. You will be admitted or rejected on the strength of your record (GPA and DAT), your presentations (personal statements and interviews), and your application (content, impact, and accuracy). In preparing supplemental applications, also known as "secondary" applications, applicants are usually requested to submit several letters of recommendation, including the one from a pre-dental advisor. These letters should address your qualifications as an applicant to dental school and as a potential professional dentist. Letters that only address your "character" written by friends, politicians, and your pastor are not appropriate and are not considered helpful. One or two letters from practicing dentists who know you considerably beyond the level of a patient are valuable and expected. Applicants requesting letters of recommendation from some pre-dental advisors may be required to schedule a 20-40 minute interview meeting for the purpose of updating and bringing together pertinent information that normally constitutes the substance of the their letter of recommendation. Because of an increase in the efficiency of handling applications by AADSAS (usually about two weeks), requests and interviews with advisors should be arranged and completed by the end of the summer when the secondary application materials will be arriving for those students who have not procrastinated. Get your materials in as soon as practical. Early submission indicates your seriousness and motivation toward dentistry. Posted deadlines are not really deadlines for all practical purposes. Many schools have "posted deadlines" long after 95% of the class has already been filled. Submitting materials early places the applicant in a more competitive position. Applicants who wait until just before the posted deadlines may need to have much stronger credentials to be considered than those who have applied earlier.

Different dental schools place a different emphasis on the materials submitted by the applicant in their secondary application. Make sure you follow all instructions and present a well-thought-out response to the questions on your secondary. Make sure the secondary application materials are submitted promptly after the materials are received. For some schools, your specific answers to several of the questions are very important. Do not trivialize your responses. Some schools begin scheduling interviews in late August for mid-September. Some secondary applications may require answers in your own handwriting. Make sure your handwriting is neat and legible. It is advantageous to get your application materials back to the school as soon as possible since those dental schools with earlier admission notifications tend be become more selective as the application period Advisement Information for Pre-Dental Students Missouri State University Page 3 of 10.

progresses. Therefore, if you submit your secondary application late in the application period, it can be a disadvantage. Again, being prompt tends to be interpreted by dental school admissions officers that you are interested in their program. Requests for letters of recommendation from pre-dental advisors or science professors should contain your official name, social security number, date, deadline date, AADSAS ID card if a letter of recommendation is to be sent separately to AADSAS, and the people, titles, and full address to which the letters are to be sent. Do not rely on pieces of paper, phone requests, or email messages. In the past, pre-dental advisors have received requests from students to send letters of recommendations, but the advisors have not be able to identify the student making the request because no identifying information was given on the request. If requests for letters of recommendation are made in person or particularly on the phone, students should send a follow up written request that includes this information. It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide advisors with the necessary information and to follow up on the request. The average pre-dental applicant in the United States applies to 5-6 different dental schools. Do not provide stamped envelopes to academic or pre-dental advisors. Such support letters are expected to be on official stationary (originals, not copies, and with original signatures) and in official institution envelopes. Applicants should allow time for the letters to be written and sent, but should check back regularly with advisor or professor until the letters are sent. If specific forms are provided by the dental school, it is recommended that applicants prepare extra xerographic copies of printed recommendation forms provided by dental schools for the applicant's use, especially forms to be filled out by others who you will ask to provide letters of support on your behalf. To provide the proper mix of references, it is recommended that you discuss your selection of references with your pre-dental advisor before asking any of your references to support your application. All pre-dental students and students exploring dentistry are automatically members of the Pre-Dental Club. It is important that all pre-dental students be on the mailing list of the Missouri State University Pre-Dental Club, maintained by Dr. Michael M. Craig, Department of Biomedical Sciences, and the officers of the Pre-Dental Club. This list is frequently requested and sent to dental schools who want to contact students about recruiting events. The email addresses on file are used to notify all pre-dental students of important or useful information. Failure to register and maintain current information (your name, address, telephone, and email address) may exclude you from knowing about opportunities in which you may be interested. Students are strongly encouraged to be an active member of the Pre-dental Club as tangible evidence of an interest in dentistry, to deepen their knowledge of dentistry, and to be exposed to general and special practice dentists who speak to the group. A main activity of this student organization is to schedule talks by area dentists who provide information on dental practices, who provide personal and professional advisement to students, who provide for professional contacts, who provide for office experiences, and who act as professional role models. It is of value for students to join ASDA, the American Student Dental Association, to receive information of interest to pre-dental students and discounts on the DAT. Students are strongly encouraged to observe, volunteer, or work in the offices of several practicing dentists prior to application to dental school. Several dental schools require minimums in terms of hours and experiences in shadowing dentists. The academic advisors and the Pre-dental Club provide information on student opportunities to obtain this professional on-site experience. Often students can make arrangements for such experiences through introductions with dentists at Pre-Dental Club meetings. In addition, trips are made to Kansas City for open houses or other sites to attend receptions sponsored by the University of Missouri - Kansas City - Dental School. In past years, dental school recruiters from other dental schools have been brought to campus to meet with students. All pre-dental students are strongly encouraged to attend meetings with these admissions officers for useful information even though they do not plan to apply to that particular dental school. Students should routinely check the Pre-Dental Bulletin Boards on the second floor of Temple Hall and on the third floor of the Professional Building for upcoming events and reminders. AADSAS is moving to a requirement for several essays written by the applicant. All students should be aware of the activities to be reported in these essays in order to be able to meet the expectations of dental schools. Applicants to dental schools, like applicants to medical schools, should be aware of current issues that impact dentists and dental practice. Advisement Information for Pre-Dental Students Missouri State University Page 4 of 10.

Most dental schools accept students with 120 credit hours or who will obtain their bachelor's degree prior to entry. Most pre-dental students work towards a B.S. in one of the biological science departments (BMS or BIO) or in chemistry (CHM). Being a major in one department and taking a minor in the other is a common option. It is also possible for students to major in other areas as long as they meet the minimal course requirements. Specific electives in art (jewelry making, sculpting), business (general business and accounting) and the social sciences (bioethics and additional psychology) are usually recommended by the pre-dental advisors and may be required by certain dental schools. The required courses of the Pre-dental Curriculum at Missouri State University: (Although several options are given, students should check with their pre-dental advisor for preferred courses and courses that satisfy major and minor requirements. Remember that the "minimum requirements" are not necessarily equivalent to "competitive requirements") A. Chemistry (14-19 hours) 1. CHM 160 (4) 2. CHM 170 (3) and CHM 175 (2) 3. CHM 310 (5) and CHM 311 (5) (if CHM. or CMB major or CHM minor) OR CHM 200(5) (accepted only at UMKC) B. Biological Sciences (8 hours)* 1. BIO 121 (4) (if Biology major or minor) 2. BIO 122 (4) (if Biology major or minor) OR 1. BMS 110 (4) (if Cell and Molecular Biology [CMB] major or BMS minor) 2. BMS 307 (4) and BMS 308 (4) (if CMB major or BMS minor) Students who do not major in the biological sciences (BIO or BMS) should complete one of the options above and consider selecting a minor in biology (BIO) or biomedical sciences (BMS). *Four semesters of specified biological science courses are required at UMKC. If you are a CMB major, include BMS 110, 231, 307, 308, 321, and 521; if a BIO major, include BIO 121, 122, 320, 361, and 380. Additionally, BMS 585, BMS 569, and BIO 310 are strongly recommended courses for BIO and CMB majors. CHM 350 is also strongly recommended for BIO majors. CMB majors have an equivalent exposure to the subjects taught in biochemistry in BMS 321, 521, 525 (the CMB major core sequence). C. Mathematics (5-6 hours) 1. MTH 135 (3) and MTH 181 (3) OR MTH 138 (5) (MTH 138 or MTH 181 is required for PHY 123. UMK no longer requires MTH 181.) D. English (6 hours) 1. ENG 110 (3) 2. ENG 320 (3) or another writing option E. Psychology (5-6 hours) 1. PSY 121 (3)1 2. PSY 304 (3) OR PSY 331 (3) OR PSY 350 (3) 1UMKC requires one course in psychology, but they prefer two courses in psychology. F. Physics (5-8 hours)2 Advisement Information for Pre-Dental Students Missouri State University Page 5 of 10.

1. PHY 123 (4) and PHY 124 (4) (see the Missouri State University Catalog for math and spreadsheet knowledge prerequisites for PHY 123) or PHY 100 (at UMKC). 2The Dental School at UMKC will accept one semester of physics (PHY 100 with laboratory) and college algebra, however, PHY 100 may not be an appropriate course for the student's major, nor appropriate for application to other dental schools. G. Other Coursework A number of other courses are often mentioned that strengthen the applicant’s skills and knowledge. These include: applied art classes such as jewelry making or sculpting; business classes (general business and accounting); biological sciences classes such as biochemistry, cell biology, embryology, histology, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, genetics, and neuroscience; computer science; social and behavioral sciences, such as psychology (2 courses); formal logic; and the humanities (10-20 hrs). Since 1977, the pre-dental advisement program at Missouri State University has provided many highly qualified, informed, and successful applicants to regional dental schools. The advisement program has long been recognized as among the most effective in the region. The Dental School at UMKC has borrowed the advisement material that was in past advisement documents as the basis for their own advisement guide that is sent out to those requesting information on pre-dental programs. Continuing a tradition of active student involvement will not only benefit current applicants, but those applicants who follow in future years. Let us work to keep our "number one" reputation in the region! Begin working with your pre-dental advisor early and become involved in Pre-dental Club activities. As you proceed through the pre-dental pre-professional program, make sure you access the most recent edition of the Advisement Information for Pre-Dental Students to guide you through the steps of the dental school application process. Suggested Activity Schedule for Pre-Dental Students Who Plan to Apply to Dental School Note: Students transferring from other institutions with AA degrees may not be able to meet this recommended schedule of activities, both academically in terms of course sequences and requirements, and pre-professionally, in terms of recommended activities. It is very important that these potential applicants work closely with their pre-dental and academic advisors.

Freshman year: Be aware of the requirements if you are interested in the UMKC School of Dentistry's Reserved Admission Program (see later). Start a pre-dental "professional diary" that documents your knowledge and experiences as a student exploring a future career in dentistry. Include names, dates, sources of information, questions, thoughts, feelings, and experiences that document your pre-professional experiences with people and the profession. Work out a tentative schedule of course work that ensures that certain requirements are met by the spring semester of the junior year, at which time the DAT is usually taken. Initiate involvement with the Pre-Dental Club and begin meetings with your pre-dental advisor. Explore as many aspects of the dental profession as possible so that you become committed to your decision to become a dentist. Discuss any concerns about dentistry with your pre-dental advisor. At the end of the freshman year, you should become firm in your decision to become a dentist with a plan to carry out your goal to completion. Do an assessment of those professional attributes that are associated with the successful dentist. Follow this activity with a self-assessment of your personal attributes to identify your strengths and weaknesses. If you uncover weak attributes in yourself, begin a plan to improve those attributes over the next several years so that you are in position to be the strongest possible candidate for admission to dental school. There is no secret as to what dental schools are looking for in an applicant --- it is those same qualities that characterize a successful dentist. Consider joining the American Student Dental Association. Information about this organization is obtainable at: www.ada.org/prof/ed/newdent/student/resources.html Benefits include subscriptions to: Mouth, Journal of the American Student Dental Association, ASDA News, and the ASDA Handbook: A Resource Guide for Dental Students. Begin planning for an alternate career objective if you change career objectives or if future circumstances result in you becoming a non-competitive applicant to dental school.

Sophomore year: Make arrangements for dental office visits and shadowing experiences in dental practices if you have not already begun to do so. It is recommended that by the time you apply to dental school in the summer between your junior and senior year that you have observed in a minimum of five different dental offices (general dentists and specialists) and have acquired a minimum of 80-100 hours of dental office observation. If you can land a paid part time or summer job, take it. Admission preferences are given to applicants who have worked in a dental office. Make sure you Advisement Information for Pre-Dental Students Missouri State University Page 6 of 10.

Check specific requirements for entry into those dental schools to which you plan to apply. This information is published yearly in the ADEA Admission Requirements booklet. Pre-dental students are strongly encouraged to invest in this book using the edition for your expected entering class. See www.adea.org for ordering your own copy for about $25. For other pre-dental students, copies of current and past year’s Official Guide to Dental Schools are available for perusal from your pre-dental advisor. Reinforce contacts with pre-dental advisors so that they begin to know you as an individual. Initiate contacts with the dental schools that you are interested in attending. Begin to develop a preparation plan for the DAT examination, particularly the perceptual ability portion of the test. Formal or informal activity involving an undergraduate research experience can strengthen a student's application. Take advantage of the materials provided by your advisor or the career center. Junior year: Before applying to take the DAT (Dental Admission Test), you should have decided on the list of dental schools to which you will apply because you will be asked to indicate which schools your DAT scores are to be sent on your DAT application. Additional schools can be added later for a $5 fee for each school. Continue preparation for the DAT. The DAT consists of the following sections: a Survey of the Natural Sciences (Biology, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry), Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Reasoning, and Perceptual Ability. There are no physics questions on the DAT. Two summary scores are reported, as well as individual test scores, one for the academic subjects and one for perceptual ability. The scoring range on the DAT is from 1 to 30. The maximum score is 30. The national average is 16-17, overall, and for each of the individual subscores. Depending on the number of schools to which you want DAT scores sent, the fee for the DAT is between about $140-$200. If practical and affordable, applicants should consider purchasing materials or enrolling in DAT preparation courses offered by Stanley Kaplan, Princeton Review, or dental schools themselves such as the weekend courses offered at the University of Missouri – Kansas City. Some students find the MCAT preparation courses useful as well. Apply to take the DAT early in the spring semester of your junior year depending on your circumstances. It takes about two weeks after submitting your DAT application to receive authorization to schedule the examination. Currently, you have up to one year after DAT authorization to schedule and take the examination. An April or early May DAT testing date will allow for one retake to improve your scores, if necessary, before deadlines start to affect your application. The DAT is administered only in a computer format through Prometric Technology Center (formerly Sylvan Learning Center) by appointment. Prometric’s toll-free number for information about centers offering the DAT is at 1-800-967-1100. You must cancel at least 48 hours in advance if you decide to reschedule. In your application for the DAT, be sure to indicate "yes" on the question on your DAT application form that asks "Do you want your scores sent to your prehealth advisor?" Dental schools expect your pre-dental advisor to have your DAT scores when dental schools communicate with your advisor about your application. Do not place your pre-dental advisor in a situation of ignorance about your application. A lack of knowledge about your application does not affect your advisor, but it can hurt you. Initiate formal or informal visits to the dental schools you are interested in attending. Get to know the admissions officers of each school if possible. Before leaving at the end of the spring semester, make sure you can access the web site for downloading the AADSAS application packet for the year of your entering dental school class as soon as it becomes available. It might be useful to download the previous year’s packet to make sure you have all the materials to complete the AADSAS packet when it becomes available. Identify one or two specific faculty members in the sciences from whom you plan to request a letter of recommendation. Identify one or more practicing dentists who you plan to ask to write a letter of recommendation. Remember, these individuals need to know you to be effective in supporting your application. Summer Between Junior and Senior Year: If necessary, a decision to retake the DAT should be made as soon as possible after your scores from the first DAT are available before leaving the testing center. There is a 90-day minimum period before you can retake the DAT again. Do not plan to repeat the DAT unless you have a plan to be better prepared to improve your scores. Because of the nature of DAT scores, your scores have the same probability of decreasing as increasing when taking the examination a second time without preparation. Confer with your pre-dental advisor before making a decision to retake the DAT. Advisement Information for Pre-Dental Students Missouri State University Page 7 of 10.

Solicit letters of recommendations from the appropriate science instructors, dental professionals, and your pre-dental advisor. Before requesting evaluation letters, consult the section on evaluations in Strategy for Success: A Handbook for Pre-Health Students. Schedule your terminal interview with the pre-dental advisor who will be submitting the required "committee letter of recommendation" on your behalf. These interviews will not be scheduled by some pre-dental advisors unless a copy of your submitted AADSAS personal statement and your DAT scores are in your folder in their files. Your personal essays on the AADSAS application should be proofed by your pre-dental advisor and a xerox copy of your submitted essay needs to be filed with your pre-dental advisor. A writing guide, Write For Success, is available from your advisor. Rewrites may involve several meetings over a period of several days to several weeks depending on circumstances. The purpose of an advisor’s review is not to write anything for you, but to make sure that what you say best represents who you are and the elements of what dental schools want to learn about you. On the computer application, avoid leaving a large amount of "white space" at the end of your essay. You should have enough to say to meet the word limit specified. Work on your electronic AADSAS application over a period of a week or so. Download those parts to have paper copies to work on when you are "off-line". It is often easier to work on a printed copy than on a computer screen. Read instructions carefully. Do not leave required questions blank. Double-check your "on-line" application for completion of each item before submission. Submit your application after all elements have been completed and checked. It takes about 2-3 weeks to process your electronic application. Once your dental schools receive the AADSAS application material, it may take 2-3 weeks to hear from them. Do not wait until the deadline date. After the dental schools receive information from AADSAS they usually will send you secondary applications. Complete and return these supplemental (secondary) applications and questionnaires that are required by most dental schools as soon as possible. Each school will have different requirements for completion of their supplemental application. Senior year: Prepare for your dental school interviews. Many dental schools screen applicants using some form of personal interview. A few may not require interviews but you should arrange to visit if they do not. More students are invited for interviews than can be admitted, so you must have a good interview to be accepted. The format of interviews differs at each school, but standard questions attempting to determine whether you have the qualities of a successful dentist tend to be asked. Your pre-dental advisor can help guide you in preparing for your dental school interview. Begin preliminary arrangements for financial support with parents and significant others. Arrange for dental school interviews upon invitation and notify the pre-dental advisor of your plans for each interview. Report back to your pre-dental advisor with your assessment of each interview. Notify the pre-dental advisors of any scholarship offers, acceptances, or rejections. Initiate financial aid sequence immediately upon admission notification, acceptance, or rejections. Remember that your pre-dental advisor who has worked with you for several years may be as anxious as you are during the notification period. Inform him/her of both your acceptances and also your rejections. Additional information for UMKC applicants entering August 2008: 1. The number of openings for first-year dental students at UMKC has increased to 100. In 2003, out of 700 applicants, UMKC interviewed 179 students and accepted 108 students, 94 of which will attend. Over half of the students accepted are Missouri residents. The rest are from Kansas, contract states (AR, HI, NM), or from other states.

For those planning to apply (regular admission) to the Dental School at UMKC, four semesters of specified courses in the biological sciences (BIO or BMS) are now required (introductory biology, anatomy, physiology, and cell biology). For those entering in 2007, candidates need to have had 90 semester hours at the time of application. Preference will be given to those who have a science GPA of 3.40 or higher and a DAT academic average of 17 or higher. The overall GPA will be considered although it will not receive the same weight as the science GPA. A candidate with 90 or more semester hours of college credit at the time of application with a science GPA of 3.00 and a DAT academic average of 16 or higher can be considered for an interview, but are not given preference. No more that 60 hours of college credit can be earned at a community college and preference will be given to candidates who complete the science prerequisites at a four-year institution. Applicants who submit an application without the DAT are not qualified for consideration. Students with less than a 17 overall should retake the DAT and raise their scores. Remember the minimum 90-day wait between successive DAT administrations. One semester of applied arts such as sculpting, jewelry making, etc., is strongly recommended, yet is no longer required. Advisement Information for Pre-Dental Students Missouri State University Page 8 of 10.

UMKC will impose a new deadline for applications of December 1st ;however, most students who are admitted have their AADSAS and secondary application materials submitted by September 1. Preference will be given to completed applications received by November 1. At least 100 hours of appropriately varied shadowing experiences is required for admission. The Reserved Admission Program at UMKC Dental School: The guidelines for the Reserved Admission Program were modified in May 2006. Students who plan to apply to the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry should pay particular attention to this Reserved Admission Program. The Reserved Admission Program for the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry enables highly motivated, ambitious, talented Missouri and Kansas residents to pursue their dream of becoming a dentist. Admission to the UMKC School of Dentistry’s DDS program class is very competitive. Approximately 1,000 candidates apply every year for a limited number of seats. Reserved Admission Program students will have a reserved seat in a future UMKC School of Dentistry DDS Program class. As a Reserved Admission Program student, you will work one-on-one with a staff person from the Office of Student Programs at the UMKC School of Dentistry to assure that you are optimally prepared to begin your professional training upon completion of your undergraduate studies. You will apply for admission directly to the School of Dentistry without going through the national computerized application service required of traditional DDS candidates. When you begin your dental education, you will experience an easier, less stressful transition because you will be familiar with the UMKC School of Dentistry as well as with faculty, staff, and students of the school. Objective Criteria for Provisional Reserved Admission To be eligible for Provisional Reserved Admission, you must have completed a minimum of three and not more than five semesters at a college or university while continuously enrolled in full-time course loads (a minimum of 15-18 credit hours per semester). The cumulative and science grade point averages must be at least 3.60 in a degree-seeking program including prerequisite courses. Objective Criteria for Full Reserved Admission To be eligible for Full Reserved Admission, you must have completed no more than six semesters (a minimum of 90 semester hours of completed course work) at a college or university while continuously enrolled in full-time course loads (a minimum of 15-18 credit hours per semester). You must have a cumulative and science grade point average of at least 3.60 in a degree seeking program including prerequisite courses required for admission into a DDS program and earn an academic average score on the DAT of 19 or higher no later than July 1 of the year prior to matriculation into dental school. To receive information about the program, please contact the Office of Student Programs either by phone (1-800-776-8652 or 816-235-2080) or by email. 2. Watch for changes in the way AADSAS applications are handled. Rapid changes are occurring each year with a rapid move to a complete electronic submission of applications. Electronic applications are accepted on specific dates beginning about June 1st of each year for admission the following year in August. Applicants can get into the web-based application by doing the following:

Type in the address: http://www.aads.jhu.edu; go to student applicant and advisor information; go to American Association of Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS); then go to AADSAS. AADSAS begins processing applications upon receipt and begins mailing them to the dental schools you have listed in your application usually within two weeks.

3. The first group of UMKC acceptances is notified as early as December 1st. Other dental schools have later notification dates. Some applicants may be notified that they are "wait listed". Students on ranked or unranked waiting lists may receive notices of acceptance anytime in late spring or early summer and Advisement Information for Pre-Dental Students Missouri State University Page 9 of 10.

occasionally right up through the first week of matriculation in August. Some schools place "wait listed" students on a priority list for the following year’s admission. Other schools do this only for wait-listed students who have continued to show intense interest in admission to their particular school. If you are wait listed, make sure you understand what the policy of the dental school is for wait-listed applicants if you fail to be admitted that year. 4. Over 10,000 applicants applied to dental schools nationally last year with that number increasing each year. Acceptance standards continue to increase. Positions available to applicants continued to decline in 2007 while the number of applicants increased. Important Acronyms for Pre-Dental and Dental Students: AADR American Association for Dental Research AADS American Association of Dental Schools (old name, now see ADEA). AADSAS American Association of Dental Schools Application Service ACT American College Testing Program ADA American Dental Association, the primary professional organization for dentists (www.ada.org) ADEA American Dental Education Association (www.adea.org) ADSA American Dental Student Association DAT Dental Admission Test (in the U.S.); Dental Aptitude Test (also known as the CDAT in Canada) DEAL Dental Education Assistance Loan D.D.S. Doctor of Dental Surgery D.M.D. Doctor of Dental Medicine ETS Educational Testing Service FAF Financial Aid Form GPA Grade Point Average (4.00 scale or equated to a 4.00 scale) GRE Graduate Record Examination GSL Guaranteed Student Loan (now known as the Stafford Loan) HEAL Health Education Assistance Loan HMO Health Maintenance Organization HPSL Health Professions Student Loan NAAHP National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions NDA National Dental Association NDSL National Direct Student Loan (now known as the Perkins Loan) PAT Perceptual Ability Test (part of DAT) SNDA Student National Dental Association TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language WICHE Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education

Univ. of Missouri – Kansas City, Univ. of Nebraska, Univ. of Minnesota, Medical University of South Carolina, Univ. of Oklahoma, Baylor College of Dentistry, Creighton Univ., Nova Southeastern Univ., Indiana University, Univ. of IA, Univ. of TN, University of California at San Francisco, Columbia, and others. * Admission of former Missouri State University applicants to many of these public supported, out-of-state institutions may have depended on meeting state residency requirements. Additional Information for Pre-dental Students: For additional information on the following topics, refer to the handout entitled "About Dentistry", a document that is updated each semester for BMS 195, Introduction to the Health Professions. Topics include: What is dentistry?; Summary of important attributes of dentists; Career opportunities in dentistry; Types of careers; History of the profession; Facts about the dental profession; What dental schools are looking for in an applicant; additional pointers for applicants; future trends; and debt management and financial considerations. Fall 2007 Edition of Pre-Dental Advisement at Missouri State University