Allison Bailey accepted to dental school

2018 May 3

University of Dayton senior Allison Bailey of Cincinnati, OH, has been accepted to dental school.

Bailey is among a graduating class that achived a 100 percent placement rate for the first time in the history of the University's pre-dentistry program.

Admission to dental school is highly competitive and depends on a student's academic standing, performance on standardized examinations, and practical experience such as job shadowing and community service.

The pre-medical programs office prepares students for this process by monitoring the academic progress of pre-dentistry majors, hosting campus visits by dental school deans of admissions, and providing Dental Admission Test (DAT) preparation classes and mock dental school interview sessions.

The program hosts a student organization, the Dental Interest Group, and also provides service opportunities to give students clinical experience. For example, many students volunteer at Good Neighbor House in Dayton, where they shadow dentists at a clinic for low-income families. Some also participate in the University's annual medical and dental brigade trip to Nicaragua.

In addition, program advisors write "composite letters," which introduce student applicants to dental schools and include evaluations of the student by four to seven faculty members, to give those schools a holistic view of the student.

For the fourth consecutive year, U.S. News and World Report listed dental professions among its top jobs. In the 2018 "100 Best Jobs" list, dentist is No. 2, orthodontist is No. 5, and oral and maxillofacial surgeon ties for No. 8.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 17.5 percent employment growth, with 23,200 new dentist jobs through 2026.