How Hard Is It To Get Into Dental School?

Q: I've been an aerospace engineer for a few years, and am looking into a career change to dentistry. I have concerns about the risk of quitting my job, and taking pre-req classes for 1 year, and then not getting into a dental school, only to find that no one will hire me back into industry because I quit my job for a "stupid" reason. With that in mind, I'd like some feedback on how hard it is to get into dental school. I'm talking an average dental school, as I certainly have no plans to shoot for Harvard or the like. I have an undergrad engineering GPA of 3.7. Assuming I get all A's and B's in the 5 pre-reqs I still need to fulfill (bio and chem courses), and assuming a DAT in the range of 18-20, what are my chances?

A:My slightly uneducated guess is you should have no problems getting in. As you've already noted, dental schools have been closing. This is not because they are breaking down the doors to get in. A 3.7 gpa in engineering, with life experience, should make you an attractive candidate. I don't know how DATs

are scored (I took mine in 1972), and I haven't been on the faculty of any dental school since 1981, so my general sense is just that. As someone who worked for five years as a chem engineer before starting dental school, I don't think you will be viewed as anything but a very strong candidate. Maturity counts. The biggest thing to consider is the financial investment. I am not saying that you should make a decision based on money but if you have to pay private school tuition, you may only break even over the long term financially. If you have the opporunity to go to a state school or move to a state with a state school before applying, then it is a no brainer.