The Pre-Dental Advisory Committee consists of:
Dr. Jeff Padberg, Chair
Phone: 501-852-2342
jpadberg@uca.edu
Dr. Mita Puri
Phone: 501-852-1279
apuri@uca.edu
Dr. Tammy Haselkorn
Phone: 501-450-5849
thaselkorn@uca.edu
Dr. Mick Yoder
Phone: 501-450-5929
myoder3@uca.edu
小草影院 has a four -year pre-dental curriculum that is designed to thoroughly prepare our students for the rigorous demands of dental school. Our students are very competitive when applying for dental program admissions 鈥� 小草影院 graduates have been admitted to dental programs across the United States. While pre-dental students can major in any field of study, we find that most of our successful applicants are Biology or Chemistry majors, have excelled in their coursework (GPA above 3.8), have gained extensive clinical experience with local dental professionals, and have performed well (20 or higher) on the Dental Admissions Test (DAT).聽聽Pre-dental students must possess a bachelors degree before they enter dental school (some have graduate degrees).聽聽Plan to earn your bachelors degree before starting dental school.
罢丑别听Student Learning Outcomes聽for 小草影院鈥檚 pre-dental curriculum will allow you to plan and understand the academic path needed to be a successful applicant to dental school.聽 聽In general, it answers the common student question of 鈥淲HY鈥� these classes are needed.
DENTAL ADMISSION TEST
The American Dental Association requires all pre-dental students to take the .聽 It is best to take the D.A.T. in your junior year, once you have taken most of your required science courses. This will give you time to retake it if necessary.聽 Successful applicants to dental schools typically have strong D.A.T. scores (19 or higher), so it is important that you prepare well. To be a competitive applicant for any dental school, your DAT score must be 19 or higher.
WHEN TO APPLY
You will apply to dental school about one year (12-15 months) prior to the time you wish to begin. If you are pursuing a degree you will begin the process of application the spring semester of your junior year. At this time you will see your pre-dental advisor to obtain the forms and information necessary to prepare your pre-dental committee letter of recommendation. It is recommended that you not finish your application until you are satisfied with your D.A.T.scores. By the end of September it is probably too late to apply or to add new D.A.T.scores etc.
PRE-DENTAL COMMITTEE INTERVIEWS
The 小草影院 Pre-dental Committee provides committee letters for your dental school applications. To prepare for this process, you鈥檒l need to request letters from 小草影院 faculty that can comment on your academic acumen, and provide solid recommendations based on your performance in their courses and/or research laboratories. It鈥檚 also recommended that you prepare the personal statement for your applications so the committee can provide some feedback. These interviews typically take place at 小草影院 in the first two weeks of April, so we ask that you complete this form (link below) by March 1st to be included in this year鈥檚 application cycle. If you have any questions about this please contact Dr. Padberg at jpadberg@uca.edu
Request for Faculty Evaluations and Committee Interview
DENTAL SCHOOLS
ARKANSAS RESIDENTS: Arkansas does not have a dental school; however, Arkansas residents have access to seven dental schools that have agreements with the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.聽 These schools have slots/seats for qualified Arkansas students (these students will then pay in-state tuition).聽 Make sure you look at the entrance requirements for each school because there may be differences.聽 These schools are:
For additional information and details refer to the 小草影院 Pre-dental Student Guidelines.