Dr. Tanner O.

Dr. Olson’s educational journey began at Gustavus Adolphus College, where he graduated magna cum laude in psychological science, earning a spot on the President's Honors List. During his undergraduate years, Dr. Olson worked for the Office of Admissions for four years as a tour guide and admissions representative, gaining valuable insider knowledge of the admissions process. He was awarded the prestigious Knut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation Internship Award, which allowed him to complete an internship in Sweden. 

After college, Dr. Olson graduated with a DDS from UCSF, where he continued his involvement in admissions. He worked as an Outreach Assistant and Lead Student Ambassador for the 100+ member student organization that interviews prospective dental students. In this two-year role, he helped develop and distribute the interview rubric and criteria to student ambassadors, conducted prospective student webinars, and assisted with post-graduate dental admissions processing. 

Dr. Olson further advanced his education by earning an MS in oral and craniofacial sciences while completing his specialty training in pediatric dentistry at UCSF. He also interviewed prospective residents both in-person and virtually, gaining insight into the qualities sought by admissions committees and residency programs. During his residency training, Dr. Olson was selected as the Academic Chief Resident, responsible for planning and executing the year-long seminar series for all pediatric dental residents.

Currently, Dr. Olson works as a pediatric dentist at Hopscotch Children's Dentistry and Marin Community Clinics. With years of coaching experience, he has helped students get accepted to dental school, including the UCSF School of Dentistry, the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, and Creighton University School of Dentistry. 

Each counseling session with Dr. Olson is goal-oriented, but flexible. He lets students drive the sessions by identifying what they want to focus on and discuss.  This approach ensures students are well-equipped with purposeful direction and resources to answer their questions and help prepare their materials.