What do I need to do to get into dental school?

I'm a freshman undergrad right now, but I want to be a dentist and perhaps specialize in something...what sorts of things should I be doing right now to get into dental school? I'm taking pre-med/pre-dent classes right now, but I know that the pre-med students usually do research during their breaks to have a better chance of getting into med-school. Is there anything I need to do? Are there any student jobs I can hold until I get to dental school? Which dental schools are the best to go to or does it not matter? Do any of them offer scholarships? What are ideal DAT scores to achieve and when can I take the DATs? And I hope to someday open my own private office?


Any other advice or personal experiences would be appreciated.

What do I need to do to get into dental school?
I have 2 (a son %26amp; a daughter) in dental school right now. The competion is strong. They both put themselves out of the box %26amp; volunteered in their community (Big Brother, animal shelters, working with the homeless). They both do no parties on weekends. They both hold jobs %26amp; got to know people in positions that could write recommends for them. They also volunteered at dental clinics. You are on the rright track with your classes just carry a good amount of math %26amp; biology. My 2 children also have a strong background in travel including living 3 yrs in Saudi Arabia %26amp; they also have strong foreign language backgrounds (German, Spanish, French, Italian, %26amp; Japanese). The actual dental college will look at things you did without getting paid for then jobs you held. My children took the DAT's twice each of them %26amp; they took the first one approx. 9 mos. before school was scheduled to start. Good luck %26amp; I hope I helped some. There are really alot of good dental schools out there it's just alot of competition also.