Meeting Logs:
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Secretary Vishal Patel takes the minutes of the meetings.
This is where they are posted.

Spring Semester (2012)

FIRST MEETING (2/15/11)
For the first meeting of the second semester four NJ Dental School students came to speak with us and share their experience! It was really interesting to hear about their paths entering dental school and their journey through it. The students shared a great powerpoint with us that highlighted all things necessary to get into dental school. We really enjoyed meeting and speaking with them!

Second Meeting (3/9/11)
Tonight's meeting was very informative! A special thanks to Greg Sobel from career services for coming out and sharing some helpful tips for success. Greg gave us some advice about when interviewing. Always remember, dress appropriately, be prepared to speak about why being a dentist is a great job as well as the negatives, and be on time! If anyone would like to set up a meeting with Greg he is located in the BCC career services office and it is by appointment only. It's highly recommended if you would like to critic your resume or practice with a mock interview.

Fall Semester (2011)

FIRST MEETING (9/13/11)
Our first general meeting went great! We went over the road to dentistry and all the stops along the way! We went over the required courses, the application process, interview tips, and information regarding special programs such as Gateway to Dentistry. It was nice to see everyone old and new!

SECOND MEETING (11/1/11)
During our second meeting we had guest speaker Eric Elmore from NJDA join us. Eric spoke was a great resource, playing an active role in the NJ dental policy making. Mr. Elmore told us a little bit about the business side of dentistry and even had a prize giveaway! One lucky member walked away with a new Sonicare toothbrush.. now that's a reason to smile!

THIRD MEETING (11/15/11)
Our third meeting included a great soap carving event! Members were able to learn a bit more about the perceptual ability part of the DAT and practiced carving soap. Soap carving is used on the Canadian DAT's as a test of perceptual ability. Members made great carvings, from teeth to cars!Students first talked about their experience with kids and dentists they helped on Give Kids A Smile which took place in many respective towns on Feb. 4th. We then proceeded to give an overview of what is to come during the semester.

Spring Semester (2011)

1st Meeting (2/7)

Students first talked about their experience with kids and dentists they helped on Give Kids A Smile which took place in many respective towns on Feb. 4th. We then proceeded to give an overview of what is to come during the semester.
-Kaplan will be coming in another night to talk about the DATs and what they offer (we will also be raffling a Kaplan DAT book at the end of the semester but only those who have attended 2/3 or more of the meetings are qualified so come!)
-A dentist from the NAVY will be coming in to talk about scholarships offered if any are interested in dentistry in the NAVY
-Dr. Healy, Director of Admissions, will be coming in to talk about the dental program at VCU College of Dentistry and requirements
-we will also be running a table at Rutgers Day to try and get kids involved to learn about dental health


2nd Meeting (2/28)

Here's a list of events to come:
NYU Open House: Sat., March 26th
Navy Officer & Scholarships: Mon., March 28th
Dr. Healy from VCU: Tues., April 12th
NJDS Symposium: Thurs., April 21st
Elections: Mon., April 25th
Rutgers Day: Sat., April 30th

During this week's meeting we had Kruti, an instructor that teaches the DAT prep course at Kaplan come. She gave a preview of the DAT prep course, what you get, and what resources are available to you with the course. If you sign up for the course you can also sign up for admissions counseling where a student instructor who has gotten into or is applying to dental school can help Kaplan students with their personal statements and in applying to dental schools. ALSO RUPDS members get 10% off.

Did you know...
-almost 90% of predental students applying to dental school take the Kaplan DAT course?
-only about 40% of students that apply to dental school get in?


3rd Meeting (3/7)

Dr. Richard Kahn, President of NJDA, came to give a talk at today's meeting. He gave some life tips, advice, and insight on dental school and not getting into dental school. After his talk he proceeded to answer students' questions. Here are some topics we talked about:
- surprises after graduating dental school
- tips about what to do after dental school (do General Practice Residency or do a specialty)
- future of dentistry
- typical day in dental school and what to expect
- tips on practice management (join a practice management group)

Fall Semester (2010)

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Spring Semester

Meeting 5 (4/12/10):

Announcements:
Rutgers Day is 4/24 and we need volunteers to help us run the table in shifts. Our table will be out from 10-4. If you are interested in helping out email us!

The elections for next years board will be 4/26. The nomination form and requirements are posted on our site. You must nominate yourself by submitting the form by 4/20


Dentists Chris, Emily, and Dan came to speak to us about the routes they took through dental school and to the dental profession. Each dentist had a unique perspective to share and offered great advice to the members and the floor was open for questions. Emily, a pediatric dentist was a UPenn alum while Chris, a general dentist was doing his residency at RWJUH was a graduate of UMDNJ and Dan, an orthodontist graduated from Harvard. They talked to us about what to expect through the four years of dental school and offered specific guidance such as when its appropriate to apply as well as They shared their specific experiences related to their respective dental schools while answering a variety of questions from the members. If you have any further questions for the dentists, please let us know and we will provide you with their contact info.



Meeting 4 (4/7/10):

Dr. Healy, the Associate Dean of admissions presented information about Virginia Commonwealth Univeristy School of Dentistry and offered advice about the best ways to handle the application process. He also gave us some insight about how the applications are handled and analyzed once they are received by the school. Some of what Dr. Healy presented included: -The school is in Richmond, VA-each class is about 95-100 students-the admissions department consist of the Asst. Dean and 2 staff members-nationwide there are about 11,000 applicants to fill 5000 seats -two of the more recently opened schools include new School Western in Pamona, CA and East Carolina University in North Carolina-Richmond is about 1.4 hrs South of DC-VCU has about 95-100% specializing success rate -The school of dentistry is 3 interconnected buildings in a city campus with a clinic based curriculum-There is no prosthodontic program-VCU has a unique virtual reality component to their labs. Shows students their work as contrasted against the standard done by a faculty member. offers immediate feedback. -They like to see 100 to 150 hours of shadowing/employment/volunteering int he dental profession-a degree is recommended but expected for any applicant -They require the basic classes for admission into any dental school with the addition of one semester of biochemistry -all requirements should be met at the time of applying except biochemistry-AP credits are accepted-any science courses taken int he summer should be taken at a 4 year university-"W" grades should be limited on a transcript -improvement is appreciated-AADSAS opens June 3rd-get application in early-Nov 1st deadline-Dec 1-first round of acceptancesJan/Feb-2nd and 3rd round of acceptances -May 1-deposits due-personal statement should include who you are and should be positive all the way through-good courses to take: histology, genetics, microbiology, anatomy and physiology, immunology, endocrinology, virology, embryology -Avg GPA=3.5avg DAT=19-In the interview- dress appropriately, send an appropriate photo, be prepared to discuss your academic record, motivation, characteristics, talents, strengths, weaknesses, be positive, take responsibility for everything without excuses, be honest and genuine


 

Meeting 3 (3/22/10):

Announcements:

-To claim your Organic Edge tools from Kaplan call 1-800-KAPTEST
-The Dean of Admissions from VCU dental will be giving a presentation April 7th in Hill 116 on Busch-attire is business casual

-Rutgers Day is April 24th this is the last "event" we will be having before the last meeting of the semester which is the elections meeting. Look on the site for more information regarding elections

-We also talked about dental trips some organizations plan to places such as Costa Rica- you must be careful if/when you sign up for these mission trips. Some programs allow students like us to do minor dental procedures and this is frowned upon by many dental schools. Look for programs which aim to educate about dental hygiene instead!

Jeanette DeCastro From UMDNJ's Gateway to Dentistry Program presented:

-Dr. Chaviano is the new acting Director of Admissions at UMDNJ
-Gateway aims to have students understand the career possibilities encompassed in the dental professions and allows students to gain exposure  to what it is like to be a dental student
-the program introduces a range of career options, gives a view on dental student life and offers information as well as hands on experience to the participants. 

-Selection into the program involves a complete application along with a $50 fee. A letter of recommendation from a pre-health adviser as well as an official transcript is also required.
-The program happens twice a year. Once during winter break and once int he summer. 
-there are about 30 participants per session and a wait-list
-the program last 2 weeks-it involves a variety of lectures about different specialties as well as several other lectures-with topics such as admissions and financial aid
-participants get to see the different departments in the school and get the opportunity to interact with dental students as well as several members of the admissions committee
-Several opportunities are given to shadow various specialties
-there are about 150-300 applicants for each cycle
-Approx 16-30% of each class are Gateway participants 
-you get the opportunity to have a one-on-one "mini-interview session" with one of the members of the admissions committee before graduating the program
-most of the participants are sophomores, juniors, and seniors
-this program allows the school to promote the dental profession, increase the national/NJ applicant pool, adn provides them with early recognition of outstanding candidates
-the average GPA for entry into GTD is about a 3.5

visit www.dentalschool.umdnj.edu for more information
a link for GTD is available under the "links" tab on our site

you can contact Jeanette DeCastro by email: decastje@umdnj.edu

 

Meeting 2 (March 1, 2010)

Announcements for 3/1: 
-There will be a trip to NYU Dental School on a Fri in late March/early April this semester since the trip with UMDNJ did not work out. 
-VCU School of dentistry will be sending a dean to speak to us more about their dental school. 
-Jeanette DeCastro will soon be coming in to speak to us about the Gateway to Dentistry program through UMDNJ. 
-T shirt are still available for $10 in every size
-UMDNJ offers a program to under-represented minorities interested in the dental profession. It is called the Student National Dental Association Impressions Program. On March 27, 2010 the organization is hosting its 3rd annual SNDA Impressions Program. The SNDA Impressions Program is designed to expose underrepresented pre-dental students to a career in dentistry, the application process, and how to finance a dental education. This program allows students to learn more about dental school, highlighting NJDS, and how to become a competitive dental school applicant. The price of admission for this program is $5 and it will be held at UMDNJ-Newark Campus.Find more information below...

**Simon from Kaplan came in to clarify a few things about the DAT:
-You should register at least 2 weeks before you plan to take the DAT, it is offered almost every day of the year 
-When you first arrive at your test site they will photograph and fingerprint you and you will be assigned a workstation
-at the workstation you will be given 2 dry-erase boards, 2 markers, and 1 eraser
-your computer will have a camera to monitor you
 
Natural Sciences: 90 min
Bio 40Q
Orgo 30Q
Gen Chem 30Q

Perceptual Ability: 60 min
90 Q

15 min break

Reading Comp: 60 min
3 passages at about 16-17 Q each with 50 Q total

Quant Reasoning: 45 min with computer calculator
40Q

You will take a short survey and your score will pop up

2 scores: Total Science and Academic Average (1-30)

**Those at the meeting signed up to receive FREE Kaplan Organic Edge programs-a tool that aims to teach Orgo for the course and as a review for the DAT
If you signed up, you must call Kaplan at 1-800-KAPTEST in about a week to claim your Organic Edge program-just tell them you signed up with us! MUST BE CLAIMED WITHIN 6 MONTHS

**Eric Elmore from the New Jersey Dental Association presented

-NJDA is a subset of ADA-it has a several smaller subsets for each county/region
-in NJ there is an average of .34 miles between every dentist-we are very densely populated
-65% of dentists in NJ are members-there is an annual membership fee -you can become a member as early as your last semester in dental school
-NJDA is involved in political issues and reform regarding NJ such as fluoridation in public water sources, dental coverage in insurance policies, and taxation of dental procedures
-NJDA helps dentists manage their practice they provide members with a dental benefits expert, legal assistance and advice, endorsed programs to save money in the practice, and an online employee exchange program
-They also provide those interested with several volunteer opportunities: Give Kids a Smile Day (First Fri in Feb), Screening days at the state house for oral cancer, oral cancer walk, Garden State Dental Conference and Expo, 
-most opporunities aim to help the volunteer get more exposure to what its like to be a dentist
-Newsletter: The Dental Advocate
-Contact Info:
NJDA
One Dental Plaza North Brunswick, NJ 08902
P:732-821-9400
F:732-821-1082
eelmore@njda.org

Next meeting is MARCH 22-Gateway to Dentistry- same place, same time!!

Meeting 1 (Feb 1, 2010)

For the first meeting of the spring semester Jessica, a Kaplan DAT instructor presented about the advantages of taking a Kaplan course, from how it helps to prepare you for the exam and boost your confidence to the various resources the Kaplan in-class as well as on-line classes offer. Among the many things Kaplan has to offer are their diagnostic tests with smart reports to help narrow your focus in studying. Jessica gave a tour of the on-line resources offered when you sign up for the classroom course which provides an array of helpful study skills, tips, and hints and lots of practice questions equiped with full explanations. We again outlined and briefly described the format of the DAT and nature of the questions in each section. Jessica also recommended The DAT Destroyer and Top Score as helpful tools to consider when studying. If you have any questions you can e-mail Jessica at shiao.jessica@gmail.com  Announcements: RUPDS will have a table at this year's Rutgers Day where we will have various hands-on activities for kids and short tutorials about basic dental hygiene. Ms. Decastro from UMDNJ's Gateway to Dentistry program will be presenting at a meeting later this semester as well as Eric Elmore from NJDA. We will also be having a Dental Student Night and a trip to one of several possible dental schools. Just a reminder that we will be raffling off a color Kaplan DAT book to active member at the end of the semester to anyone who has attended 2/3 of the semester's meetings. The more meetings you attend, the better your chances are of winning the book! Active members will also receive a certificate of active membership and 10% off a Kaplan Prep course if order by phone (1800KAPTEST). Stay tuned, we have lots in store this semester!

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Click here for the minutes from the meeting with Dr. Linfante

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Click here for the minutes from the meeting with Greg Sobol

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Meeting 3 (10/09/09)

Unfortunately Eric Elmore was not able to make it to the meeting but will
reschedule for another meeting later on in the year. Michelle, Melissa,
Dave, and Ilan shared some of their experiences from working/ assisting at
a dental office. We will soon be receiving Information about the family we
are adopting from RAH. When the details about the family come in, we will
need nonperishable food items and non-electric toys under $15. We also
took a general head count for the trip we will be taking to Columbia
Dental School on November 13. If you are interested in coming and were not
able to attend the meeting, please e-mail us ASAP. The trip is scheduled
for 2:30pm and we plan to take the train from New Brunswick at 11:30. The
Health School Symposium is November 17th. Boston University Dental School
has confirmed their attendance and we are working on getting more dental
schools to represent themselves at the symposium. We will keep you
updated. There will be a new poll shortly to decide on the slogan for this
year's PDS T-shirt. Neha presented about a program at RU for freshman
called Rising Leaders. If you are interested, please contact Neha, the
application is due soon. If you have any ideas, feel free to keep
e-mailing them to us! Our next meeting will be November 9th- Greg Sobol
from Career Services will be coming in to share about the Dental Careers
Shadowing Program and some other resources Career Services has to offer
us. See you there!

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Meeting 2 (10/5/09)

This meeting consisted of a general overview and discussion about the
pre-dental process and the steps to take to apply to dental school. Dean
Frasca of the SAS was a guest speaker. This semester RUPDS will be
sponsoring one family through Rutgers Against Hunger (RAH). We need all
members to bring in nonperishable food items and toys under $15.00 for the
family we will be adopting. We will be collecting items until December.
Columbia University Dental School had invited the club to come visit them.
We will try to fit in a visit at NYU Dental School for the same day. We
are also planning to plan a trip to UMDNJ for next semester. We are still
open for T-shirt slogans. We have a few that we are considering. Remember:
Winning Slogan=Free T-shirt!

The rest of the Minutes are here
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First Meeting (9/21/09)

The first meeting of the semester was a great way for members to get to know one another. It started with an introduction to the officers and the goals of the PDS for the upcoming year. After splitting up into groups, a few icebreakers helped to get the conversation going. The rest of the meeting was open to general questions and discussion between members and officers. A few announcements were made about the health professions office's (HPO) Prehealth night, our plans to volunteer at Elijah's soup kitchen, a free Kaplan practice DAT, and our t-shirt. Whoever comes up with this year's slogan for the PDS t-shirt gets a free one! The meeting ended after opening the floor to suggestions as to what the members would like to see accomplished through thethis year's PDS meetings. The second meeting will be on Monday Oct 5th in Scott 221 at 9:10 pm. We will be having an in-depth discussion about the steps to take as a pre-dental undergrad; from prerequisites to the application process. See you there!

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