Strategies for gaining admission to dental school

Baylor College of Dentistry is the renowned college which has been able to deliver professionals who have provided outclass medical services to the people of America. The services and the contribution of the institute have been widely acknowledged in organizations including American Dental Association and American Dental Education Association (S. Peterson, 2003).

The admission to the college is considered to be the milestone. The admission is awarded to the students who have taken the courses of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, English, History, Speech and courses relevant to the development of the hand skills during their high school education. It is essential that the college shall be accredited, and must maintain an active pre-dental advisory committee. The Baylor College expect their graduate to complete at minimal ninety semester hours which should include at minimum six semester hours for English, and eight semester courses for Inorganic Chemistry, Physics, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry. The college has specified fourteen semester hours for Biology and Zoology that includes theoretical and practical classes. The Baylor college has forwarded certain recommendations to the prospective candidates as per which the students are encouraged to apply for elective courses i.e. Physiology, Anatomy, Microbiology, Neuroscience, Histology, Cellular and Molecular Biology, and Embryology which are more profession specific, followed by courses relevant to management and finance i.e. Small Business Management, Accounting, Reading Improvement, Mechanical Drawing, Studio Art and Computer Literacy. The college has emphasized over the need for development of the interpersonal communication skills, and for this purpose the prospective candidates are required to study the courses in Speech, Psychology and Sociology (Information, 2007).

The students who have previously studied biology are preferred, and the students are required to prove their capabilities in subjects relevant to science courses, followed by pre-dental education which incorporates subjects relevant to the liberal arts. The candidates are encouraged to qualify for the Dental Admission Test in summer or spring prior to the filing of application. The college is the active participant of the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service, which offer the students with an opportunity to apply for any or all of the dental colleges in Texas. The residents of Texas are required to apply through Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service. The college is member of the American Association of Dental Schools Application Service, which has provided an opportunity to the non-Texas residents to apply for the admission in the college. The non-Texas residents are encouraged to apply with the Baylor College of Dentistry application during the submission of document through American Association of Dental Schools Application Service. It is important for the applicant to start submission of their admission application from the first week of May, and the deadline for the submission of the application is first week of October (Information, 2007).

The Baylor College of Dentistry request secondary application of the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service, and do not charge any additional fees towards submission of the application. The students have been personally encouraged by the students to apply as soon as possible for early registration to the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service. The maximum extended date has been September 1, supported by the Office of Recruitment and Admissions. The candidates which have been short listed for the interviews are called soon after the submission of their documents, and the interview sessions are conducted from July, onwards. It is important for the non-Texas residents to submit the application form to the Dallas office of the College, the failure on the part of the candidate towards the submission of the documents will result in the rejection of the application through Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service. The applicants are required to appear for an interview, 'although an official interview is not granted to all applicants, the College gladly provides complete information and counseling for all prospective students'. The quality and the level of the academic achievement are crucial factors, which ascertain the probability of the admission. The applicants are therefore required to share their academic achievement, supported by documentary evidence, 'grade point average and the Dental Admission Test are the primary factors used in this evaluation' (Information, 2007).