Pre-Dental

As a pre-dental student, you will work with Marissa Sheaf, M.S.Ed., Director of Health Professions Advising, throughout your time at F&M. Marissa provides one-on-one advising during drop-in hours and appointments, enabling you to get personalized guidance on the prerequisites for dental schools, how to become a competitive applicant, and more. She also creates and oversees experiential learning programs where you can gain clinical experience and helps connect you with alumni in the field. Additionally, Marissa presents on numerous topics and holds workshops throughout the year designed to provide insight and exploration into different careers in healthcare.

Immerse yourself in the day-to-day life of dentistry prior to entering the field. Marissa Sheaf, M.S.Ed., Director of Health Professions Advising, creates and oversees experiential learning programs through which you can gain clinical experience and helps connect you with alumni in the field. By maintaining partnerships with alumni dentists and several local facilities, Marissa will guide you toward opportunities to shadow dentists and dental residents as they care for patients. These shadowing experiences offer you a unique opportunity to get a step ahead in your graduate school endeavors as you can count these hours toward most dental school requirements.

Every student at F&M has extraordinary opportunities to engage in independent or faculty-led research. Pre-dental students at F&M can apply for funding to support their off-campus research projects.

Clubs and organizations are another way to get involved while supplementing your academic experience. The DipDental club offers opportunities for pre-dental students to connect, socialize, and enhance their academics. DipDental plans various programs throughout the year, including:

• Sessions about interviewing hosted by the head dentist and program director of the Dental Residency Program at Lancaster General Hospital
• Workshops on becoming a competitive applicant for dental school
• Campaigns increasing awareness of oral hygiene on campus
• Smile of the Week on social media

If you plan to attend dental school after graduating from F&M, you will need to take the Dental Admission Test (DAT). Our Health Professions Advising team will help you prepare for this exam with customized study and preparation strategies and through test-preparation resources, including an official practice test from the American Dental Association.

F&M pre-dental students are distinctly prepared to continue forging their path to dentistry after graduating from F&M. Many of our graduates go on to dental school after F&M before beginning their career as a leader in the field.

Graduate School

The individualized learning and hands-on experiences F&M provides our students gives them an advantage in the application process. Out graduates have been  admitted to some of the nation’s top programs, including:

• Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
• Georgetown University School of Dentistry
• New York University College of Dentistry
• Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
• University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
• University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine

Career Paths

Many F&M alumni have become leaders in dentistry, including in private practice, clinics, and other settings. They hold positions such as:

• Dental Clinic Director
• Dental Hygienist
• Dental Director
• Dentist
• Family Dentist
• Oral Surgeon
• Orthodontist
• Prosthodontist