??? about the five year rule

[aggie-master]

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On another thread, a poster mentioned that they had to retake Gen. Chem I because of the five year rule?

Please tell me more about this rule and if it applies to all dental schools or just some of them. One of my prereqs was taken in 1999.

 

[Bickle]

I have never heard of this 5 year rule thing. I doubt there is such a rule, if you think about it, if someone does a masters after they graduate, their 1st year in undergrad would have to be taken again (if this rule exists). I wouldnt worry about it. If your prereqs are 10 years old, you might have a problem, but no way is there a 5 year expiry rule.

 

[aggie-master]

i took gen chem 1 (retake due to 5 year rule), physics 1, bio 1, gen psych, and another class last semester. ended up with all A's and a B (psych). i wouldn't recommend it, but i am behind the 8 ball and am trying to speed up my undergrad completion. but to say the least, i had no social life. but it was worth it, i figured i saved myself a semester and also successfully completed a very rigorous semester curriculum. if an adcom were to doubt my abilities, i could bring up this past semester. you feel me?

That is the post that I got it from. I hope you are right about there not being such a rule. I took Gen. Chem I in spring of 1999 and I'm not applying until next May.

 

[mlonier]

I had a couple prereqs from 97 & 98 and no schools said anything. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[UMDeeMan]

bickle, i dont know about you, but the schools i am looking at told me all science pre-reqs had to be retaken if they are above 5 years old (gen chem, organic, physics, bio). just look at the school sites or talk to the admissions staff. pretty sure it's legit. definately check it out though. i'd love for you to prove me wrong because then i wouldn't have to fork out anymore cash to retake chem II.

 

[wimmcs]

bickle, i dont know about you, but the schools i am looking at told me all science pre-reqs had to be retaken if they are above 5 years old (gen chem, organic, physics, bio). just look at the school sites or talk to the admissions staff. pretty sure it's legit. definately check it out though. i'd love for you to prove me wrong because then i wouldn't have to fork out anymore cash to retake chem II.

I agree with this post. I have seen many school's websites indicating that a pre-req class needs to be taken within the last 5 years. Check the school's websites that you are interested. Or, even better, call the schools up, I'm sure they'll be happy to help you.

 

[balance]

bickle, i dont know about you, but the schools i am looking at told me all science pre-reqs had to be retaken if they are above 5 years old (gen chem, organic, physics, bio). just look at the school sites or talk to the admissions staff. pretty sure it's legit. definately check it out though. i'd love for you to prove me wrong because then i wouldn't have to fork out anymore cash to retake chem II.

As far as I know, they do not care when you took the classes as long as your DAT is current. Who made up this 5 year rule thing?

 

[wimmcs]

As far as I know, they do not care when you took the classes as long as your DAT is current. Who made up this 5 year rule thing?

Again, check to the schools you are interested.. you'll see this rule. Who knows and who cares who made it up, some schools abide by it, some don't.

 

[aggie-master]

I just looked at the three Texas schools that I am applying at and none of them mentioned a five year rule on their admissions requirements page, so I guess I'm okay.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[UMDeeMan]

i would call first also. it would suck to go through the process and then find out the rule existed. i've learned to never trust websites, get the info straight from the horses mouth.

i see the 5 year rule as a measure of how determined a non-traditional candidate is along with a brush-up on the sciences. obviously this is what the rule is designed for. think about how many people get a job and work it for 3-5 years after undergrad graduation and decide they need a career change. i hate the rule, but i understand it and believe to see what it is intended to do. it takes a truly dedicated person to devote their time and finances to retake nearly 40+ credits of classes if it's been 5+ years since they first took those classes. how could an adcom deny those efforts (assuming successful completion)?

 

[Bickle]

bickle, i dont know about you, but the schools i am looking at told me all science pre-reqs had to be retaken if they are above 5 years old (gen chem, organic, physics, bio). just look at the school sites or talk to the admissions staff. pretty sure it's legit. definately check it out though. i'd love for you to prove me wrong because then i wouldn't have to fork out anymore cash to retake chem II.

Which schools? I'm assuming that these schools have ZERO PhD or masters students applying if this rule is in place.

 

[aggie-master]

The only prereq that I'll have from before this summer is Chem 1 so I'm not too worried about it.

I'm taking CHEM II right now and the five years between the classes isn't causing me any harm.

If they make me retake it, I'll do it right before I start dental school.

 

[missugarplum]

For those who are interested in NYU, I called admissions and confirmed the 5 year rule for pre-reqs is not in effect at their school.

 

[Bickle]

For those who are interested in NYU, I called admissions and confirmed the 5 year rule for pre-reqs is not in effect at their school.

I'm still trying to figure out which schools follow that rule. According to UmDee man there are some, but he still hasnt told us.

 

[sidewalkman]

So... if there is a 5-year rule, then the school can make you take the class over again. But notice how not one such school has said that there's a 5-year rule for GPA on those pre-reqs? If the course was taken so long ago as to be irrelevant, shouldn't the grade be as well? Apparently not with these schools. Clearly, what such schools are implying is that if you did poorly in the pre-reqs the past, you are a bit screwed, and if you did well in past pre-reqs, you get an additional crutch. I don't agree with this, but apparently some adcoms feel this way. Schools should either not care, as long as you took it (NYU), or have a "fresh start" program (Texas?).

With that rant out of the way, I don't think most schools will care. Your DAT score will show if you're learned the material.

Either way, I don't mind taking the class over, as my GPA could use the help. 🙂

 

[KrebsPsycho]

Which school?...
which school?...
Can anyone point out
there's such a rule?

 

[UMDeeMan]

i could have sworn i saw it somewhere but i can't find it now. i dont know where i got the idea. but i haven't seen it on any websites sorry for the confusion. just keep the classes current though.

 

[JavadiCavity]

i could have sworn i saw it somewhere but i can't find it now. i dont know where i got the idea. but i haven't seen it on any websites sorry for the confusion. just keep the classes current though.

Is this kind of like the 10 second rule, where if you're candy falls on the ground, as long as you pick it up in 10 seconds then it's cool?