This Pre-dental Timeline is adapted from the American Dental Association.

Freshman/Sophomore Years:

• Work with your Pre-professional Advisor to plan courses and experiences that will help you to prepare for application to dental school.
• Begin to complete chemistry, biology, physics and organic chemistry requirements
• Check out  library, internet and career services’ dentistry-related resources
• Consider job shadowing, summer enrichment and/or volunteer experience
• Consider alternative career plans
• Review dental school catalogs and/or websites, then touch base with your pre-professional advisor.  See American Dental Association Program Search  for specific schools’ requirements. 

Junior Year

• Complete prerequisite requirements by end of 2nd semester
• Prepare to take the Dental Admission Test (DAT)
• Apply for admission at least a year in advance of when you want to enter dental school.  So take the DAT no later than spring of your junior year
• Fulfill service, shadowing and other non-academic prerequisites set forth by your chosen schools.
• Gather letters of evaluation from faculty and others

Senior Year

• Take advantage of interview practice programs offered by pre-professional student groups, pre-professional advising or career services staff before dental school admissions interviews
• Complete forms for financial aid
• Send thank you notes to evaluators, advisors and mentors