Prepare for
Dental School
Confirm your interest in dentistry, prepare academically and develop the necessary skills and experience:
Timeline to Dental School
- Establish a Predental Timeline or a Timeline to Apply
- UC San Diego Timeline/Sample Plan
Take the Academic Pre-Requisites
- Complete the pre-requisite courses
- One year of general biology (BILD 1, 2, 3 or upper-division Bio courses) + 4 unit upper division Bio lab
- One year of general chemistry (Chem 6A, B, C) + lab (Chem 7L)
- One year of organic chemistry (Chem 40A, B, C) + lab and (Chem 43A)
- One year of physics with lab (Physics 1A, 1AL, 1B, 1BL, 1C, 1CL or 2A, 2B, 2BL, 2C, 2CL) *calculus is a pre-requisite
Some schools may require:
- Biochemistry (one from BIBC 100, 102, CHEM 114A, 114B)
- Microbiology (BIMM 120)
- Anatomy (not offered at UCSD)
- Physiology (BIPN 100, 102)
Gain Experience
- Subscribe to the ADEA GoDental Newsletter
- ADEA Enrichment Programs Calendar
- CA Dental Association
- American Dental Association (ADA)
- Keep records of your experience (dates, hours, contact persons) for future applications
Pre-Med/Pre-Health Experiential Opportunities Guidebook
From the ADEA:
- Academic Enrichment: Programs sponsored by colleges, universities or other not–for–profit
organizations (e.g., Summer Medical and Dental Education Program/Summer Health
Professions Education Program). - Dental Shadowing: Time spent officially following and observing a health care professional at
work, preferably a dentist. When listing a dental shadowing experience, please specify the type
of dentist you shadowed in the description box (e.g., general dentist, orthodontist, etc.) Free Dental Clinic - Employment: Paid work done outside of the dental care field; for example, a non-dental
healthcare experience, retail or restaurant job. - Extracurricular Activities: Any sports teams and other activities through a college or university.
- Research: Research projects done in addition to classroom work; research should NOT appear
as credit on a school transcript. - Volunteer: Volunteer work done outside of the health care field; for example, working for
Habitat for Humanity, tutoring students, participating in or working for a fundraiser walk or
blood drive, etc.
Get Involved in Student Organizations
Students are encouraged to explore any student organization of interest, not necessarily limited to dental-related groups. A comprehensive list can be found at the Center for Student Involvement.
Dental-related student groups include the following:
The Pre-Dental Society at UC San Diego provides excellent opportunities to meet other pre-dental students, local dentists, and visiting dental school deans. The also run Free Dental Clinics in the San Diego area which provide excellent clinical observation experiences and potential letters of rec for dental school.
Additional Preparation Information
Click to learn more about gaining experience - clinical, service, leadership, and research.