Pre-Dental

Most professional schools do not require a specific undergraduate major, although many students seeking admission to professional schools in the sciences elect a biology or chemistry major.

Dental School Admission

Admission to most dental schools is based on academic achievement as indicated by the grade point average, placement on the Dental Admission Test, recommendations, and personal interviews. Since dental schools have more qualified applicants for admission that they can accept, it cannot be too strongly emphasized that a strong academic record is required for acceptance. Admission committees usually do not publish expected or cut-off scores for grade point average. However, competition for the limited number of positions is intense; transcripts are reviewed with regard to consistency of performance, course loads and the degree of difficulty of the curriculum.

The minimum requirements for admission vary somewhat from institution to institution, but a typical list of requirements includes English Composition (6 semester hours), Biological Sciences with lab (8 hours), Inorganic Chemistry with lab (8 hours), Organic Chemistry with lab (8 hours), Physics with lab (8 hours) and Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 hours). A quantitative background, including Calculus, is recommended.

The Dental Admission Test (DAT) should be taken in the spring of the junior year, but only after completing the required courses in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

Students interested in professional fields should consult the chair of the Biology and Environmental Science Department, Chemistry Department as early as possible after their entrance into Davis & Elkins College.

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