I decided in my junior year of college that dentistry was the profession for me. I shadowed doctors, physical therapists, nurses, veterinarians... None of it felt right or even very interesting until I realized, while shadowing, what dentistry actually encompassed. I was enthralled and in love. As I battled my body which was trying to black out, I was thrilled. I would duck my head down for short increments until my head started feeling like a normal weight and then would bring it back up to watch the artistry of dentistry.
Because I made my decision somewhat late I could not graduate in time and finish all of my prerequisites. I graduated in the spring of 2012 and then moved to California where I took my last two prerequisites. The benefit of moving to California (besides California being a pretty cool place to be) was that the class sizes were beautifully small at San Jose State where I took biochemistry and my second physics class. There were only about 40 people in each of those classes which made it easier for me to make a connection with the professors. I attended their office hours and participated in class. Both of the professors wrote me letters of recommendation. After I finished my courses I took a DAT course and studied full time for a couple of months. For the last five months I have been working as a dental receptionist.
I had a lot of questions as I went through the process of applying to dental school. I spoke with people who had been through the process but some of the information they told me did not match up exactly with my experience. I got into 4 dental schools on December 2nd. I thought I would write a blog that would try to answer some questions about the application and interview process.
Best,
YL
