Finished pre-requisites fast

SDN Members don't see this ad. (About Ads)

I currently have about 28 credits and have already finished my biology prerequisites. I need one more general chemistry course, one more physics course, and two more organic chemistry courses and I will be done with my prerequisites. I will only be a little over halfway finished with my undergraduate studies by the time I've completed them: will this at all give me an advantage when applying to dental school? I will continually take more difficult science courses and a few business courses along the way.

Prerequisites only take 2 years for most of us to complete. There is no advantage what so ever to completing them fast. I'd concentrate on just getting the good grades, and enjoying the rest of your undergrad days and don't try to finish any earlier. Join clubs, be involved, volunteer and shadow. Then study for the DAT and crush it. That's how you can gain an advantage over other applicants.

Thank you--by the way, my GPA at this point is about a 3.0. However, I've recently been much more motivated and I intend to raise it to a 3.4 by the time I graduate. My goal is to also achieve a 22 on the DAT. Do you think the a 3.4 GPA and 22 DAT will guarantee me acceptance somewhere? I'd like to go to UDM.

Dont know much about udm but im fairly certain with a 3.4 and 22 DAT will get you in somewhere if you apply early, secure decent LOR's and have a good number EC's

Frank to me and I AM NO EXPERT but a 3.4 is just ok to me. A 22 dat is hella nice. But most times a 3.4 and 22 dat dont match up as most would like. Just focus on doing good in school with straight A's and joining clubs, volunteering and shadowing. Those things plus a great interview and LOR and Personal Statement ensure an acceptance. Not just a 3.4 and 22. Be more well rounded, and less of a one tracked mind.

Edit* my opinion

You barely scratched the surface of the pre reqs yet, you are already claiming to have finished them early. You must have the latest of the crystal balls to know that you will finish with a 3.4 and 22.

Originally Posted by doc toothache

You barely scratched the surface of the pre reqs yet, you are already claiming to have finished them early. You must have the latest of the crystal balls to know that you will finish with a 3.4 and 22.

I'm not claiming that I have completed them fast, but that I will (this is easily predictable based on the number of credits each prerequisite is worth and the total number I will be taking). Predicting GPA and DAT scores based on trends and practice tests are just as easy.

By the way, based on my financial situation I may have to take some prerequisites at a community college. UDM allows me to take a maximum of sixty credits at a community college. Do you think this will still hurt me a great deal, however?

Originally Posted by Frank22

By the way, based on my financial situation I may have to take some prerequisites at a community college. UDM allows me to take a maximum of sixty credits at a community college. Do you think this will still hurt me a great deal, however?

Not your science classes. I am in a similar situation so I take eng, math,art, etc. at cc but all sciences i take at 4-yr so no d-school will have a reason to downgrade me in an applicant pool of 10k+.

Well the thing is most of my classes will be science classes, so even if I do take a decent amount at a community college, I will still take a lot at a four-year university. Also, do you think that a high DAT score will show that I've learned as much as a student that did go to a four-year university? I generally do very well on standardized tests. On top of that my GPA still isn't dental school-material (needs improvement). I certainly hope this isn't a dead end for me, I am very passionate about pursuing a career in dentistry.

Originally Posted by Frank22

Well the thing is most of my classes will be science classes, so even if I do take a decent amount at a community college, I will still take a lot at a four-year university.

Also,do you thinkthat a high DAT score will show that I've learned as much as a student that did go to a four-year university? I generally do very well on standardized tests. On top of that my GPA still isn't dental school-material (needs improvement). I certainly hope this isn't a dead end for me, I am very passionate about pursuing a career in dentistry.

Do whatever you want to do its your life. The science i would take at a cc would be physics 1 n 2, gen bio, and gen chem. Thats it.

Are you taking the DAT in the next six months? If not, you need to just worry about getting A's and learning as much as a "4 yr student". When you get in the 4.0 semester range start volunteering, shadowing but first get your grades up first. Might want to look into free tutors at your school. Then wake, eat, and sleep in there until you know how to study better.

Good at standardized testing.....WHAT?? its the DAT not the DMV

Dental schools look down on science prerequisites taken at a community college, ESPECIALLY if your GPA is low. (why i'm saying this: my friend took a few science classes at a community college and the dental committee was very very concerned about that EVEN though he had a cum GPA of 3.93 when he transferred to a 4-year)

Plus, taking all the prerequisites is only half the struggle. To be considered competitive, you have to take recommended courses as well such as: biochemistry, microbiology, histology, immunology, cell physiology. These courses are much harder than prerequisite courses IMO.

So, I would suggest you stay away from taking science courses at a community colleges.

I already signed up for a science community college course in physics I . I will not take any more science courses at a community college based on both of your advice. And okay, I will put all my effort into achieving high grades. My most important concern at this point in life is getting accepted into dental school so I am willing to take any of the necessary means in getting there.

I did pretty good in high school on standardized tests (32 ACT and 1540 SAT) so I was hoping I could do well above average on the DAT as well.

Originally Posted by Frank22

I already signed up for a science community college course in physics I . I will not take any more science courses at a community college based on both of your advice. And okay, I will put all my effort into achieving high grades. My most important concern at this point in life is getting accepted into dental school so I am willing to take any of the necessary means in getting there.

I did pretty good in high school on standardized tests (32 ACT and 1540 SAT) so I was hoping I could do well above average on the DAT as well.

While that is nice and all, the DAT is all about how hard you study and how well you know the material. Having some good test taking skills will help, but knowing the science material inside and out will help far more.

I'd like to thank everyone for their help--I've received a lot of great advice from knowledgeable people.

It's easy to assume you will raise your GPA and do well on the DAT. You haven't taken too many credits so it's definitely not hard to raise your GPA even higher than 3.4, with the awesome grades of course. But if you look at a lot of threads, you'll see that it's easy to assume these things. You'll have to put in a lot of work to actually achieve that. Just don't lose focus on the effort you'll need to put in. Some people exceed their goals and some never reach them when it comes to GPA/DAT. Just put in the hard work and see where you are.

Originally Posted by Frank22

I already signed up for a science community college course in physics I . I will not take any more science courses at a community college based on both of your advice. And okay, I will put all my effort into achieving high grades. My most important concern at this point in life is getting accepted into dental school so I am willing to take any of the necessary means in getting there.

I did pretty good in high school on standardized tests (32 ACT and 1540 SAT) so I was hoping I could do well above average on the DAT as well.

Don't assume this. I know a people who have done well on the ACT/SAT and done poorly in college and people who did poorly and be an A student. You can't hope you do well on the DAT. You need to prepare for it. Everyone takes general bio, gen chem, organic chem. But the people who do the best restudy (and sometimes have to relearn stuff) and practice a lot.

From the above responses and PMs my priorities now are just to get as high grades as possible (aim for A+ in every class, so even if I don't meet goal I will achieve competitive dental school-level grades) and don't take any science classes at CC.

Originally Posted by doc toothache

You barely scratched the surface of the pre reqs yet, you are already claiming to have finished them early. You must have the latest of the crystal balls to know that you will finish with a 3.4 and 22.

Originally Posted by Frank22

From the above responses and PMs my priorities now are just to get as high grades as possible (aim for A+ in every class, so even if I don't meet goal I will achieve competitive dental school-level grades) and don't take any science classes at CC.

Good plan

Originally Posted by TheToothsayer

So if I tell you that I'm driving at a constant rate of 60 mph, and claim that I will have driven approximately 60 miles after an hour of driving, I must be using some sort of advanced crystal ball/magic guessing? After all, I could have just "scratched the surface" of the first 15 minutes of driving and how on Earth could I predict how far I'll be in four times the amount of driving there is to come. Yes, mathematics indeed has many applications.

And thanks Mr. Summerlin, now I have to stop talking and get to work .

Originally Posted by Frank22

So if I tell you that I'm driving at a constant rate of 60 mph, and claim that I will have driven approximately 60 miles after an hour of driving, I must be using some sort of advanced crystal ball/magic guessing? After all, I could have just "scratched the surface" of the first 15 minutes of driving and how on Earth could I predict how far I'll be in four times the amount of driving there is to come. Yes, mathematics indeed has many applications.

And thanks Mr. Summerlin, now I have to stop talking and get to work .

To extend your analogy you will graduate with a 3.0 and get a 17 on your DAT as that is the work you have shown thus far in college. That is what doc was trying to point out I believe.

Originally Posted by sacapuntas

To extend your analogy you will graduate with a 3.0 and get a 17 on your DAT as that is the work you have shown thus far in college. That is what doc was trying to point out I believe.

No reason to believe that: DAT and GPA are no more compatible than GPA and knowledge (someone could easily have a 2.0 GPA and know more than someone with a GPA of 3.5). As far as the rate I've been going in terms of my GPA, yes, it hasn't been all that impressive, but I've already mentioned I am far more motivated now and when I applied this motivation to my schoolwork I did see improvement (my GPA was only about a 2.7 before last semester when I finished with a 3.8 and increased it to a 3.01). Regardless, this is my goal and like any goal it will be challenging.

To be honest, I think 22 on the DAT is absolutely doable for you. A 3.4 GPA from an original 3.0 may be difficult tho

Well I'm only 28 credits in and still have about 100 to go. My science GPA is easily fixable as only 16 credits are science. It shouldn't be too bad. Again, my main goal is to get accepted somewhere, but hopefully UDM. Congratulations on Tufts by the way, great school .

I think if my grades maintain a steady and constant improvement it will also negate the fact that my overall GPA is not particularly high, and on UDM's dental website they state that this is specifically important and taken into consideration.

On UDM's website they state the following:

"A minimum science grade point average of 2.95 is recommended. Candidates who demonstrate strong, steady academic improvement within a challenging science curriculum, for a period of three-to-six terms, may be more strongly considered."

http://dental.udmercy.edu/admission/procedure/index.htm

You are definitely capable of a 3.4 and a 22...its all about the work you are going to put in. My only point earlier was that you won't just fall into it because you're smart. Just keep your eye on the goal and get it. I wish I would have thought more about goals when I got my first degree.

I hope so; I like to aim for an unrealistic goal so even if I fail at it I'll still have met the realistic one. For example, aiming for a 3.9, so even if I get a 3.3 I'll be fine.

Originally Posted by Frank22

I hope so; I like to aim for an unrealistic goal so even if I fail at it I'll still have met the realistic one. For example, aiming for a 3.9, so even if I get a 3.3 I'll be fine.

I like this approach

Originally Posted by Frank22

(my GPA was only about a 2.7 before last semester when I finished with a 3.8 and increased it to a 3.01). Regardless, this is my goal and like any goal it will be challenging.

seems like your misrepresenting this figure here. You only took 28 credits so far, and you have mentioned at leas two semesters. The average of 2.7 and 3.8 is 3.25.
Thats about a 2.7 18 credit semester, and a 3.8 10 credit semester. (not too impressive)

Whatever the case, you might not want to be so combative on a internet forum of people trying to help you, and i wouldnt bank on "doing better next semester" or getting a 22 on the DAT. You have to work hard for all of those things, and i hope you do and improve all of your stats.

Originally Posted by Frank22

I hope so; I like to aim for an unrealistic goal so even if I fail at it I'll still have met the realistic one. For example, aiming for a 3.9, so even if I get a 3.3 I'll be fine.

It is always easier to say what GPA you are aiming for than obtaining that actual goal. The responses that some have said back to you are a true picture of the hard work and diligence it takes in order to obtain that type of GPA on some of these courses you will take. Meaning that we all wish we could determine (Crystal ball) our GPAs before studying our rear ends off to pass them with decent grades. Seems like all Doc is saying is that until you complete the required courses and some other higher level bio courses, you cannot really determine where you will stand.
All we could tell you is you need good grades in order to get in to DS. You need a good DAT score and you need good EC's and shadowing exp. Just do well and everything should fall in line.

Good luck with everything...

P.S. Consider looking into your school for certain required courses that you would have to complete as an elective before entrance. IE: Some DS's require biochem, some do not...

Originally Posted by crax

seems like your misrepresenting this figure here. You only took 28 credits so far, and you have mentioned at leas two semesters. The average of 2.7 and 3.8 is 3.25.
Thats about a 2.7 18 credit semester, and a 3.8 10 credit semester. (not too impressive)

No.

(12 x 2.5 + 8 x 2.9 + 3.8 x 8)/28 = 3.01

Originally Posted by crax

Whatever the case, you might not want to be so combative on a internet forum of people trying to help you, and i wouldnt bank on "doing better next semester" or getting a 22 on the DAT. You have to work hard for all of those things, and i hope you do and improve all of your stats.

I find it offensive that you have used the word "combative" when all I have done is ask questions and use the advice I've been given thus far. I've decided not to take any science classes at a CC and focus my attention completely toward my GPA because of the advice some members have kindly offered me. I have stated many times that I am extremely passionate about dentistry and plan on working as hard as need be to get accepted somewhere. I think you should more carefully read what I've been saying and my intentions. They are not at all combative--a career is not a game, I have every right to ask questions and know what I'm getting myself into.

I have a plan made out at this point: focus 100% on my grades and don't take any science courses at a CC. At a 4-year university take lot a biology, some chemistry, and a couple physics courses at focus my effort to getting good grades. After 60 credits begin studying for the DAT, take the DAT after about 90 credits and and shadow/volunteer. Apply to dental school early.

Right now I'm worrying about the first two sentences in the above paragraph, I'll worry about the other stuff later. Again thank you everyone and I do not need anymore advice until I worry about the other stuff. I've checked up with my school's prerequisites and what they accept and don't accept BTW.