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SPEP for High School Grade 12

Program Objectives

SPEP 12 is a four-week program that provides rising 12th graders an opportunity to learn about the dental profession, prepare for and successfully take the SAT and increase their competitiveness for admission to college.

SPEP 12 will provide students an opportunity to:

  • Prepare for SAT 
  • Learn more about the field of dentistry 
  • Learn useful study strategies for high school and college 
  • Increase their competitiveness for admission to a four-year college and to dental school 

To be eligible for consideration, all individuals must: 

  • Have an interest in dentistry, health professions or science 
  • Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
  • Attend a Dallas-area school 
  • Provide an official high-school transcript documenting a grade point average of at least 2.75 (or 
  • 77.5 on a scale of 100) 
  • Submit an application, including an essay explaining how the summer program will contribute to educational and career goals in the health professions, including dentistry 
  • Submit two letters of recommendation from a teacher, one must be from a science or math teacher 
  • Sign a contract committing to participate in all required project activities 
  • Have the first and second injection of the Hepatitis B vaccination series completed before attending the Program 
  • Have a history of overcoming adverse circumstances 
  • Demonstrate a strong potential of working with under served populations or in communities with limited access to dental care

The curriculum for the SPEP 12:

  • SAT PREPARATION encourages participants to focus on math, verbal and writing content areas and on test taking strategies while preparing them to take the SAT in the Fall
  • PRECLINICAL DENTISTRY uses lectures and provides hands-on laboratory experiences using dental materials to increase students knowledge of dentistry
  • INVESTIGATING DENTISTRY allows students to investigate a dental topic and present their findings
  • CULTURAL COMPETENCY SEMINAR
  • Workshops and special activities
  • A stipend to help cover the cost of food, transportation and miscellaneous expenses
  • Clinic and laboratory supplies
  • Notebooks and other instructional materials
  • A committee will review all applications and select participants for each program
  • Participants selected for SPEP 12 and their parents will be required to attend an orientation session
  • Preference will be given to applicants with a minimum of 8 hours of shadowing/ volunteer in a dental office/clinic

All applicants must complete and submit the on-line application and all supporting documents by February 29, 2024.

Access the SPEP 12 application

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a part of an award totaling $3,425,785 with ~30% financed with non-governmental sources (Texas A&M College of Dentistry). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.

*An academically disadvantaged individual is one who comes from an environment that has inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skill and ability to enroll in and graduate from a health professions school. For the purpose of this program, an applicant is considered academically disadvantaged if he or she is or will be a first generation college graduate to earn a baccalaureate degree in his or her family.

An applicant is also considered academically disadvantaged if he or she meets at least 4 of the following criteria:

  • English is not the applicant’s primary language
  • Overcame or is experiencing extreme hardship
  • From a single parent family
  • Non-traditional student (including older age) ♦ Significant employment while attending school
  • Attended a low-performing high school
  • Resident of a financially poor school districtdistrict
  • Resident of a county designated as underserved by health professionals
  • Resident of a lowest 10% per capita income county
  • Other disadvantaged factor(s) identified by the applicant

NOTE: The pre-dental programs offered via Bridge to Dentistry will not accept auditors. Applicants who do not satisfy eligibility requirements, or cannot commit to the program in its entirety, will not be considered

  • Program Dates: June 3-June 28, 2024
  • Application deadline: February 29, 2024
  • Notification Date by: April 26, 2024

Ms. Willie Alexander
Program Coordinator
Office of Student Development 
Phone:  (214) 828-8996
Fax: (214) 874-4502
Email:  walexander@tamu.edu