Dental Admission Test Preparation Program

A Six-Week Summer Dental Admission Preparation Program To Prepare
Minority Students For Dental School

Preparing for Success

Each year during June and July the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Dentistry conducts the Dental Admission Test (DAT) Preparation Program. For more than two decades, the UMKC School of Dentistry’s DAT Prep Program has been helping minority students improve their performance on the Dental Admission Test. The program’s curriculum incorporates Stanley Kaplan Educational Center test preparation methods and materials. So whether you’ve already taken the DAT and would like to raise your scores, or you’re planning to take the test for the first time, the DAT Prep Program’s activities can help you maximize your performance on the exam. In addition to enhancing your test-taking skills, the program also includes activities that enable you to experience first-hand what being a dental student and a practicing dentist are really like. The six-week program is offered free of charge to minority participants because the costs of the program are paid by the UMKC School of Dentistry.

Current dental work force data reveals a pressing need to increase the number of dental practitioners to keep pace with the increasing number of dental patients nationally. The need for more dentists is especially acute among under-represented populations. In response to these demographic trends, the School of Dentistry is concentrating on attracting under-represented minority students from the states of Missouri and Kansas, where the majority of UMKC dental graduates practice. Consideration will also be given to under-represented students from the states of Arkansas, Hawaii and New Mexico. Finally, as need allows exceptional candidates from other states may be given consideration.

The Facts
• Since 1990 more than 165 under-represented minority students have participated in the DAT Prep Program at the UMKC School of Dentistry.
• Historically, DAT Prep students’ scores on the pre/post practice DAT test have shown increases of 2.0 Academic Average, 3.2 Perceptual Ability, 2.4 Math, 1.5 Reading Comprehension, 1.5 Biology, 2.3 Inorganic Chemistry, 1.7 Organic Chemistry and 1.5 Total Science.
• Seventy percent of DAT Prep students have been admitted to dental school.
• A concerted effort is made to employee DAT Prep instructors who were former prep participants.
• On a satisfaction scale of one (lowest) to ten (highest) DAT Prep students have consistently rated the DAT Prep Program between nine and ten.

Requirements
To be considered for participation in the DAT Preparation Program, minority students must be residents of either the state of Missouri or Kansas, however, highly motivated candidates from other states with 3.4 or better GPA may be considered as space permits.

Additionally, applicants should have completed two courses (8–10 credit hours) each of college biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry prior to participation in the program. Applicants to the DAT Prep Program should submit the following materials:

• the application form, in its entirety (downloadable at the bottom of this page or call Office of Student Programs 816/235-2085 or toll free 800/776-8652.
• academic transcripts(s) including performance in courses taken during the most recently completed term
• two letters of reference, preferably from academic advisors and/or faculty
• a typed or word processed (one page) response to the question: Why are you interested in a dental career and how can the DAT Preparation Program benefit you beyond the preparation that might be provided by other sources (e.g., self-study)?

Peer Support
DAT Prep students receive exceptional advice and guidance from minority dental students who are members of the SNDA/HDA (Student National Dental Association/Hispanic Dental Association). SNDA/HDA members support one another throughout their dental school experience. They also participate in community projects to promote proper oral health care and to advocate the field of dentistry. Many of SNDA/HDA members are former participants in the UMKC DAT Prep Program. These students can relate to the reservations and insecurities of DAT Prep students and help them weather their anxieties as aspiring dental students. They provide moral support and encouragement by sharing their experiences and by allowing DAT Prep participants to shadow them and learn about dentistry first-hand. DAT Prep students and SNDA/HDA members often continue the supportive relationships they develop during the summer program. Former DAT Prep students who attend the UMKC School of Dentistry can receive mentoring from under-represented students and faculty members.

The Curriculum
The majority of the DAT Prep curriculum involves daily classroom sessions with an instructor to review the content sections of the actual Dental Admission Test, especially general chemistry, organic chemistry and biology, which constitute the Natural Sciences section. Students also review college mathematics and learn skills to enhance their performance on the Reading Comprehension and Perceptual Ability sections of the examination. The program is conducted on-site at the UMKC School of Dentistry using self-instructional/review materials from the local Stanley H. Kaplan Educational Center.

Students benefit from numerous supportive activities that expand their knowledge of the dental profession, clinical dentistry, dental education and the dental school admission process. These activities enable students to:

• discover the scope of practice options in dentistry through seminars conducted by general dentists and specialists.
• observe patient treatment delivered by dental students in the school's dental clinics.
• perform basic laboratory exercises that are part of the first semester of the dental curriculum.
• receive personal guidance and advice on how to apply to the UMKC School of Dentistry. Students receive individual attention on how to:

• take the Dental Admission Test
• complete the AADSAS application
• submit the UMKC Application Survey
• excel during a personal interview
• understand the selection process
• compose a powerful personal statement
• demonstrate familiarity with the dental profession.

• learn about sources of financial aid, as well as the financial aid application process. Financing a dental education is not a small matter, and each dental candidate should have a clear understanding of the costs and financing involved with a dental education. The UMKC DAT Prep Program includes an extensive exploration of this commitment. DAT Prep students meet with a debt management consultant who offers a comprehensive overview of the financial aid process, followed by a question-and-answer session. Students are encouraged to meet with the consultant during the DAT program and while in dental school.
• participate in a "mock" dental admission interview.
• receive a thorough review of each participant’s transcript(s) to determine strengths/weaknesses as a candidate to the UMKC School of Dentistry.

Commitment to Diversity
The UMKC School of Dentistry has a long tradition of actively attracting, educating and graduating qualified minority students for the dental profession. In the mid 1970s the school recognized the need for significantly more minority dentists to serve a changing patient population and launched the Minority Recruitment Program, a major initiative to increase the level of diversity in dentistry. The program became a fundamental part of the school’s efforts to recruit and prepare under-represented students for successful careers in the dental profession. The school demonstrates its ongoing commitment to increasing diversity in the dental profession by financially supporting special projects like the DAT Prep Program.

Ideal Environment
Not only do DAT Prep students benefit from the exceptional resources at the UMKC School of Dentistry, they also have access to all of the University’s facilities. Program participants live in the UMKC Residence Hall, located on the main campus with convenient access to the main library, the University’s student union building, and recreational facilities. Living on UMKC’s main campus enables students to explore the shops, restaurants and entertainment venues of the Country Club Plaza, located just a few blocks away. DAT Prep students experience life in Kansas City and gain an appreciation for the community in which they will live while attending the UMKC School of Dentistry.

The summer program also enables participants to avoid some of the common distractions like employment, transportation, or living at home or with friends that can make concentrating on academics difficult. DAT Prep students focus their full attention and energies to the fulfillment of a singular goal — doing well on the Dental Admission Test.

Another important benefit of the DAT Prep Program is that it allows prospective dental students to discover and demonstrate their individual attributes, which can be difficult to convey in their dental school application materials. Successful participation in the program offers a concrete example of a student’s motivation, determination and diligence. Plus, students gain invaluable exposure to the UMKC School of Dentistry and its clinics, labs and classrooms.

Interactions with Community Dentists
DAT Prep students visit local dental clinics and private practices. These visits enable students to:
• experience dental practice settings in which they might someday choose to work as a dental professional.
• interact with dental practitioners and learn first-hand from their work experiences.
• benefit from the shared wisdom of dental professionals who can offer perspective on dentistry, based on their personal experiences. Because these individuals are alumni of the UMKC School of Dentistry, DAT Prep participants can gain a better understanding of the UMKC dental program.

Recreation
The six-week DAT Program is academically and psychologically demanding, and like regular dental school, needs to be balanced with recreational outlets. To make sure the DAT Prep program is not all work and no play, students enjoy a night out at a Kansas City Royals baseball game, visits to theme parks, tours of local cultural and historical attractions, dining at some of Kansas City's more prominent restaurants and faculty-hosted picnics. No activities are scheduled for the weekends, so DAT Prep students are free to make their own plans.

Program Stipend
The DAT Prep program is expected to start June 6, 2005 with a completion date slated for July 15, 2005. Participants can expect to receive a daily stipend of thirty-dollars per day, which translates into two hundred ten dollars per week. Approximately seventy-five dollars of the weekly two hundred and ten dollars will be designated for housing in the university dormitory facilities. The remainder of monies should be committed to food and/or used at the student’s discretion. All students selected for the program will receive airfare accommodations. Should one elect to utilize his/her own transportation, he/she will be reimbursed the amount not exceed coach fare.

The Summer DAT Prep Program should be enriching and hopefully will be a stepping-stone to bring you closer to admission into the UMKC School of Dentistry.

Please note:
To be successful in applying to the UMKC School of Dentistry, the applicant must meet the following:
• the minimum science GPA which will be considered for an interview is a 3.0.
• for applicants from one of our five states (Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, New Mexico or Hawaii), the minimum DAT academic average which will be considered for an interview is a 16.
• for applicants not from one of our five states (Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, New Mexico or Hawaii), the minimum DAT academic average which will be considered for an interview is a 20.

For More Information
John L. Cottrell
UMKC School of Dentistry
Director of Minority and Special Programs
650 E. 25th St., Kansas City, MO 64108
Phone: 816/235-2085 or 235-2080. Fax: 816/235-2157
People with speech or hearing impairments can call:
800/735-2966(TT) or 800/735-2466 (Voice).
email: dds@umkc.edu

To obtain an application for the Dental Admission Test Preparation Program, use the links below: (or call Office of Student Programs 816/235-2080 or toll free 800/776-8652).

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