12-14 credit hours for a single mother..too little?

[jr8047]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi guys,
This is my first time posting so please be easy on me. I am a junior with a 3.6 gpa/3.4 sci gpa...and a single mother of one. I typically take on 12-14 credit hours per semester in order to spend more time with my daughter. I was wondering if anyone can tell me if this is too weak of a course load to take on to be a competitive applicant. Also, I only work during the summer months. Thanks in advance for those reply.

 

[Darksunshine]

Hi guys,
This is my first time posting so please be easy on me. I am a junior with a 3.6 gpa/3.4 sci gpa...and a single mother of one. I typically take on 12-14 credit hours per semester in order to spend more time with my daughter. I was wondering if anyone can tell me if this is too weak of a course load to take on to be a competitive applicant. Also, I only work during the summer months. Thanks in advance for those reply.

Hello!

I did most of my undergrad as a single mom with a varying course load. But I did work when I was taking 12-14 credits so... I guess it depends on what you can do. Now when I got into the dental hygiene part of my BS degree when the credit load was 22 credits a semester for the junior year. Working WAS NOT an option! So, don't worry! Do what you think is right for your kid (s) and your grades and your income. If you don't have dental experience then shadow and volunteer as much as you can to show diversity in your application although going to school as a single parent is one of the hardest things anyone can do. Believe me, I know. Thank god I won't be going through dental school as one.

Good luck to you!

 

[Dr.Smiley-OR]

Hi guys,
This is my first time posting so please be easy on me. I am a junior with a 3.6 gpa/3.4 sci gpa...and a single mother of one. I typically take on 12-14 credit hours per semester in order to spend more time with my daughter. I was wondering if anyone can tell me if this is too weak of a course load to take on to be a competitive applicant. Also, I only work during the summer months. Thanks in advance for those reply.

Hi
First of all, I have to give my respect to you for being a single mother, taking 12-14 credits per semester with a 3.4-3.6 gpa, and having to take care of her kid. You are doing great!
To answer your question, I have talked to my advisor before I applied to dental schools and my advisor told me that the admission committee wants to see students who take 15-17 credits per semester to show that he/she can handle the intensive courseload in dental program. 12-14 credits/semester is considered minimum (12 is the minimum requirement for a full time student) By taking less than 15 credits/semester might be viewed as a negative thing under the admission committee's eyes (I am guessing here).
Therefore, my suggestion to you is that when you write the personal essay on the AADSAS form to dental schools, you should explain a little bit about your credit hours in the statement. You should tell the admission committee that you are not just a full student, but also a full-time mother.
If you can increase your credit hours, then it will be even better.

 

[busupshot83]

Hi guys,
This is my first time posting so please be easy on me. I am a junior with a 3.6 gpa/3.4 sci gpa...and a single mother of one. I typically take on 12-14 credit hours per semester in order to spend more time with my daughter. I was wondering if anyone can tell me if this is too weak of a course load to take on to be a competitive applicant. Also, I only work during the summer months. Thanks in advance for those reply.

With those stats, you're fine, even if you weren't a single mother.

 

[dexadental]

Go ahead and do the 12 credits, alot of the ideas regarding adcoms frowning upon light courseloads are bogus and far fetched. Of course they don't want to see someone taking 12 credits and doing nothing, but most pre-dental students are doing alot, and in your case taking care of a child. If you're studying for the DAT, or working, or taking care of other business, it is certainly understandable. Afterall, adcoms are human, atleast I hope... 😉
Good Luck.

 

[blankguy]

Don't let sopme egomaniac from SDN say that 12 credits is "too little" it is a significant load with that taking care of kids. OMG! I wish you the best of luck. I've seen mothers that were my classmate struggle through classes. People will generally cut you some slack on this.

 

[jr8047]

Thanks, everyone. That is really encouraging! Good luck to you all. 🙂

 

[Sprgrover]

...Afterall, adcoms are human, atleast I hope... 😉
Good Luck.

I met a couple that I swore didn't have a pulse.

Yes, 12 to 14 credits is enough. The most all science credits I took at once was 15 and the number of credits I took and when I took them never came up in interviews. Although I am single a few adcoms poked and prodded me about family (e.g. "since you are single and don't have any family within 2000 miles what is your support system like?") and I know that with some applicants they got really personal. Instead of credit questions I would expect questions surrounding your single-parenthood so, if you haven't done so already, start formulating some snappy answers to those pesky questions. Best of luck and keep up the good work! 👍

 

[Frogmed]

Hi guys,
This is my first time posting so please be easy on me. I am a junior with a 3.6 gpa/3.4 sci gpa...and a single mother of one. I typically take on 12-14 credit hours per semester in order to spend more time with my daughter. I was wondering if anyone can tell me if this is too weak of a course load to take on to be a competitive applicant. Also, I only work during the summer months. Thanks in advance for those reply.

I completed my undergrad as a single mom. I took 12-15 hours. I volunteered at my daughter's school every other Monday and at Hospice every other Thursday. My stats are the same as your and I have been accepted to med school this year. Heads up for interviews. All my interviewers asked me how I planned on managing med school as a single parent. I told them the same way I managed my undergrad - alot of support. Good Luck

 

[bpenly]

I think I had three semesters total with 15 credits. All my pre-reqs were done one or two at a time while working full time over 2+ years. I was accepted at all the TX schools first round. It never came up, not even once. Just keep up the good work, the gpa, and do well on the DAT.

 

[spc213]

All my pre-reqs were done one or two at a time while working full time over 2+ years. It never came up, not even once. Just keep up the good work, the gpa, and do well on the DAT.

I had a very similar experience. I worked full-time while satisfying pre-reqs, taking anywhere from 8-12 credits each semester. No one ever asked about my "light load" either. I used it to my advantage in my essay and interviews, showing that I could balance multiple priorities.

Follow supergrover's advice on having good answers/plans for dealing with questions about your lifestyle (single motherhood). Take that one step further and develop a plan around how you will balance school and motherhood. Obviously, no more 12 credit semesters allowed once you enroll. 🙂

Good luck.

 

[J2AZ]

As a SINGLE woman 12-14 is plenty. As a single MOTHER it is more than enough. I took 12 to 14 my entire undergraduate career. Not one interviewer made mention of my course load. I was a lazy undergraduate with no direction and I got in...so will you.