Coursework & Experience

In general, the following coursework satisfies the required and recommended courses for admission to dental school. Note this represents general guidelines and requirements vary from one school to the next. It is your responsibility to verify the requirements of individual schools by visiting their websites.

The prerequisites for the University of Washington School of Dentistry can be found here.

Here also is a full list of dental programs and their requirements.

If you are a student currently enrolled at a community college and are considering transferring to PLU, we recommend that you consult the following  interactive equivalency guide to ensure that you are taking the correct courses for your intended major. For example, BIOL 211,212 and 213 at Pierce College in Puyallup is equivalent to BIOL 225 and 226 at PLU.

Clinical experience is paramount to a successful dental school application. After grades and DAT scores, dental experience is one of the most important areas of the application. Volunteering, working, or shadowing in a dental practice allows you to determine if dentistry is truly the right profession and demonstrates to dental schools that you have made an informed choice. It is important to note that dental schools evaluate each of your experiences by length/time of commitment,  depth of experience, and lessons learned from the experience. So just don’t go through the motions; consider long-term commitments.

Dentist Shadowing
Shadowing a dentist is probably one of the best means to get direct exposure to the dental field and learn what it really is like to be a dentist. Many students are able to arrange shadowing experiences initially through a family dentist. Ask your own dentist about potential opportunities. Maybe your dentist has a colleague from dental school who practices in the Seattle/Tacoma area. Alternatively, if you do not have any personal contacts with dentists you may wish to send a letter and resume to a number of them in the area asking for the opportunity to observe them in their practices.

Shadowing is more than “following a dentist around,” but instead provides an opportunity to begin the learning process that will extend throughout your education as a dental student and your career as a dentist. It is  also important that you consider what you’ve learned during your time shadowing. When you complete your application, you will need to be prepared to discuss your experiences with dentistry in detail as well as communicate that information during your dental school interviews. Thus we recommend that you keep a journal throughout your undergraduate years in which you record your experiences as this will help you prepare for this crucial stage of the application process.

Dental Mission Trips
Many students are also interested in participating in missions trips.  These are trips that are taken by health care professionals to areas of the world where access to care is severely limited.  While these trips are a wonderful experience, it is not recommended that this be your only type of clinical experience.  Because you will primarily be practicing dentistry in the US, it is important that you gain exposure to the US dental system as well.  Missions trips are usually considered an excellent way to supplement your clinical experience.

General Community & Volunteer Involvement
As a dentist, you will serve the needs of others, and community or volunteer involvement indicate that you are devoted to that cause. Consider some type of volunteer experience, such as helping out at a food bank or soup kitchen. There are endless opportunities for you to volunteer your time, many of which you can find out about through your college, local churches, community newspaper/bulletin, or personal acquaintances.

Academic Research
Academic research experience is not required by most dental schools, but it is certainly valued.  Undergraduate research  will undoubtedly enhance your critical skills in communication, independent thinking, creativity and problem-solving.

Whichever route you take to getting your experience, start early.  Squeezing your experiences into the few months before the application looks more like resume padding than a true interest in the dental profession. Also, if you shadow or volunteer with a dentist on an ongoing basis, you may receive a letter of recommendation from him or her, and you the earlier you start, the better the dentist will know you before they write the letter.