This is the latest information available from Texas schools. It is the responsibility of the student to visit with his/her pre-professional advisor for assistance in planning a suitable undergraduate curriculum and activities that will enhance his/her application.

The College of Science and Technology has degree coordinators who maintain the official records of students and certify that students have fulfilled all requirements for graduation. The Department of Computer Science and Math, the Department of Physical and Life Sciences and the Division of Nursing have degree coordinators, whose offices are in the Faculty Center. Students should visit with their degree coordinator at least twice during their undergraduate years: during their freshman year to obtain a degree plan and during their senior year for an exit interview at which time they will be certified for graduation. Olivia Bayarena is the degree coordinator for Computer and Mathematical Sciences and Ronnie Emmanuel is the degree coordinator for Physical and Life Sciences.

Each student has been assigned a faculty advisor to guide him/her through the undergraduate years and help him/her prepare for professional school. Students are matched with faculty advisors who have expertise in advising for particular careers. It is important that students indicate which professional area (medical, dental, veterinary, physician assistant, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic, graduate school, etc.) they plan to enter so that the appropriate advisor can be assigned.

Students must see their faculty advisor each semester, preferable as soon as the schedules for the next semester are published. The faculty advisor releases the registration hold after the advising appointment. It is to the student’s advantage to establish a relationship with his/her faculty advisor. The advisor can mentor the student and will be responsible for writing the important letter of evaluation for professional school.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi offers all courses necessary for preparation for professional schools. The undergraduate courses required for application to each professional school is different. For example, the requirements to apply to medical school are not identical to those required for dental school. However, the requirements for all Texas medical schools are the same; likewise for all Texas dental schools. Unfortunately, for some professional tracks, such as physical therapy and physician assistant, the different school have different requirements. The faculty advisor will help students select the appropriate courses for his/her professional school goal.

The faculty advisor has information about Texas professional schools. Students who plan to apply to out of state professional schools are urged to obtain the requirements for admission to those schools directly from those schools. back to top

University of Texas Health Science Center – San Antonio Dental School (90)

Texas A&M University System/Baylor College of Dentistry at Dallas (85)

All dental schools in Texas have the same requirements for admission. Students are required to have a bachelor’s degree, which can be in any field of concentration as long as the science requirements are fulfilled.

Any courses for non-science majors or courses taught for health career majors (Nursing, Pharmacy or Allied Health Sciences) are not accepted.

These are considered the bare minimum science requirements for application and for which the student must have a "C" or better.

Chemistry:

The dental schools are looking for academically qualified individuals who have demonstrated through their educational and life experiences the characteristics and potential to become productive and contributing members of the profession and the community that they serve. Some points to consider are:

• Take at least 15 hours/semester. It is acceptable to begin freshman year with only 12 hours/semester, but it is necessary to increase your course load to prove that you are capable of handling the dental school curriculum. Science degrees require 120-124 semester credit hours for completion; you cannot take only 12 hours/semester and graduate in eight semesters, i.e., four years.
• For exceptional students: Baylor College of Dentistry admits students after two years undergraduate work; the UT schools require three years.
• Earn "As" or "Bs" in science courses.
• Avoid "Ws." Withdrawals are perceived by some members of the admission committee as "red flags," and must be addressed in the application essay.
• Consider re-taking courses with grades below "C."
• Maintain a high GPA. The average GPA of dental applicants accepted for Fall 2002 was 3.53.
• The average DAT of dental applicants accepted for Fall 2002 was 19.3 (academic average) and 18 (perceptual ability).
• Assume leadership roles in campus and/or community organizations. It is better to devote your time to one or two organizations in which you have an active, leadership role than to be a member of five or six organizations in which you simply attend the meetings.
• Demonstrate that you reach out to others and can communicate and interact with people.
• A high GPA + a high DAT + No extracurricular activities = Not Accepted
• Demonstrate knowledge of the dental profession either by working part time in a dental office or lab or by volunteering.
• Prepare for the Dental Admissions Test. The table below shows the average DAT scores of dental acceptances over the last three years.

Dental school applications are due one year before matriculation. All Texas dental schools have one application form/process, the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS, 512-499-4785). The common application for the Entering Class of 2003 will be available on May 1, 2002.  The application is available only on the website; you will fill out and submit the application on-line and when ready to submit, click the "submit" button.  back to top

Some important tips:

• Print out a copy of the application and assemble all required materials before starting to input your data on the web.
• Have complete transcripts of all your college coursework from every college attended. You will enter undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate courses and grades. You will not enter developmental, remedial, pre-college or audit courses.
• Ensure that your computer is capable of on-line application:
  • PC: Windows 3.1, 95, 98 or NT with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 or higher or Netscape Navigator (or Communicator) version 4.01 or higher.
  • Macintosh PowerPC: Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.01 or higher or Netscape Navigator (or Communicator) version 4.01 or higher.
• Apply early. Getting your application in early does count. Dental schools select their first round of interviewees on August 1 and begin interviewing in September. A completed application includes the application form submitted on the web, all official transcripts sent by the colleges/universities, official DAT scores and letters of evaluation.
• Print out and submit via snail mail the signature page, as well as the filing fee (Texas residents, $65 for all three schools; non-residents, $110; these were 1999 fees).
• Print out secondary applications for those schools that have such requirements.
• Apply to all dental schools. Not applying to all schools is perceived as a lack of judgment and a lack of commitment.
• Application deadline: November 1 in the year prior to admission.

By Texas statute, 90% of dental acceptances must go to Texas residents. In practice, it is actually 95-96%. back to top

The DAT (fee of $160) is offered at Sylvan Technology Test Centers only in the United States. The DAT is not administered in Canada or foreign countries. The DAT is taken on computer.  One may register for the DAT here. 

The Sylvan Registration Center requires notification at least two business days before the scheduled DAT to cancel or reschedule an appointment for testing. For example, an appointment for Thursday cannot be rescheduled after 12 noon on Tuesday. No-shows or candidates who cancel less than two days before the scheduled testing date, will not be re-assigned to another date unless another application and fee are submitted.

Scope of Examinations: The examinations are comprised exclusively of multiple-choice test items presented in the English language. Each edition of an examination is developed according to the examination outline. There are four examinations included in the four hour DAT. The examinations included are:

I. Survey of the Natural Sciences: 90 minutes

Biology - origin of life, cell metabolism (including photosynthesis); enzymology; thermodynamics; organelle structure and function; biological organization and relationship of major taxa (Monera, angiosperms, arthropods, chordates, etc.) using the five-kingdom system; structure and function of vertebrate systems (integumentary, skeletal, muscular, circulatory, immunological, digestive, respiratory, urinary, nervous, endocrine, and reproductive); fertilization, descriptive embryology, and developmental mechanics; Mendelian inheritance, chromosomal genetics, meiosis, molecular and human genetics; natural selection, population genetics, speciation, population and community ecology, animal behavior (including social behavior).

 

General Chemistry — stoichiometry, (percent of composition, empirical formulas from percent of composition, balancing equations, weight/weight, weight/volume, density problems); gases (kinetic molecular theory of gases, Graham's, Dalton's, Boyle's, Charles, and ideal gas laws); liquids and solids; solutions (colligative properties, concentration calculations); acids and bases; chemical equilibrium (molecular, acid/base, precipitation and equilibria calculations); thermodynamics and thermochemistry (laws of thermodynamics, Hess' law, spontaneity prediction); chemical kinetics (rate laws, activation energy, half life); oxidation-reduction reactions (balancing equations, determination of oxidation numbers, electro-chemical concepts and calculations); atomic and molecular structure (electron configuration, orbital types, Lewis-Dot diagrams, atomic theories, molecular geometry, bond types, quantum mechanics); periodic properties (including categories of non-metals, transition metals, and non-transition metals); Nuclear Reactions.

 

Organic Chemistry — bonding (atomic orbitals, molecular orbitals, hybridization, Lewis structures, bond angles, bond lengths); mechanisms (energetics, structure and stability of intermediates: SN1, SN2, elimination, addition, free radical and substitution mechanisms); chemical and physical properties of molecules (stability, solubility, polarity, inter- and intra-molecular forces: separation techniques); organic analysis (introductory infrared and 1H NMR spectroscopy, simply chemical tests); stereochemistry (conformational analysis, optical activity, chirality, chiral centers, places of symmetry, enantiomers, diasteriomers, meso compounds); nomenclature (IUPAC rules identification of functional groups in molecules); reaction of the major functional groups (prediction of reaction prod ucts and important mechanistic generalities); acid-base chemistry (resonance effects, inductive effects, prediction of products and equilibria); aromatic (concept of aromaticity, electrophilic aromatic substitution); synthesis (identification of the product of, or the reagents used in, a simple sequence of reactions).

II. Perceptual Ability: 60 minutes

Angle discrimination, form development, cubes, orthographic projections, apertures, and paper-folding.

III. Reading Comprehension: 60 minutes

Ability to read, organize, analyze, and remember new information in dental and basic sciences. Ability to comprehend thoroughly when studying scientific information. Reading materials are typical of materials encountered in the first year of dental school and require no prior knowledge of the topic other than a basic undergraduate preparation in science.  The Reading Comprehension text contains three reading passages.

IV. Quantitative Reasoning: 45 minutes

Algebraic equations, fractions, conversions (ounces, pounds, inches, feet), percentages, exponential notation, probability and statistics, geometry, trigonometry, and applied mathematics problems. back to top

A tutorial is available that will familiarize the DAT candidate with the mechanics of taking the DAT on computer. The tutorial does NOT include sample DAT content, but it does provide the opportunity to become familiar with the basic steps involved in proceeding through the test. The tutorial requires Microsoft Windows. Tutorials can be obtained by ordering on diskette. The candidate should write a letter, include a money order for $10, and address the letter to:

DAT Tutorial

        When the candidate arrives at the Sylvan Testing Center to take the Computerized DAT, two forms of identification will be requested. One form must include a photograph, and at least one must include a signature. At the Sylvan Testing Center, candidates will be photographed and fingerprinted before proceeding with the test.  The candidate will be able to become familiar with the workings of the computer by taking a brief tutorial before beginning the actual test. The DAT is presented in the multiple-choice format. Candidates may request scratch paper to be used during the test.back to top

        The candidate will receive official DAT scores immediately after completing the four tests in the DAT battery. Dental schools and pre-dental advisors, indicated on the candidate’s application to receive DAT scores, will receive them approximately two weeks after the testing date.

A candidate can apply and retake the test as many times as the candidate wishes. Candidates are required to submit a new application and fee for each re-examination. A candidate must wait 90 days before retaking the DAT.  The results of the four most recent attempts are released on the official transcript of scores and forwarded to dental schools. Also, the total number of attempts is listed on the official transcripts.

The examination fee is $160. This fee includes the submission of official transcripts of scores to five dental schools, a personal copy, and a copy for the pre-dental advisor. The five official transcripts are included only if they are indicated on the original application form. All requests for official transcripts of scores received after the time of application require a $5 charge per transcript.