Advice

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vi07

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Hi everyone! I honestly hate that I have to make this post, it definitely feels intimidating but I was looking for some advice. So a little background: I transferred to a different college my sophomore year (I am currently a junior) and as a transfer, I was planning on taking organic chemistry 1, retaking gen bio 1 because my one semester of gen bio did not transfer over, an English class required for my major, a transfer student class, and something else that I cannot remember now. Unfortunately, I did not have the best semester or year for that matter, and was dealing with an injury and horrible living situation. As a result, I had to withdraw from organic chemistry 1. Therefore, I only had one science class for that semester. In the spring, I was taking anatomy 2, calculus 1, and some other non-science classes. Again, for some reason I struggled and had to withdraw from calculus and got a C+ in anatomy. So again, I only had one science class that semester and both semesters I ended up having a low credit load from both of my withdrawals. I think having one bad semester is okay but having two I feel like does not look good at all.

Coming into my junior year, I switched my major to psych because I was nervous as a science major that I would not be able to pass organic chemistry and therefore graduate. But due to changing my major, I had a lot of psych classes I needed to complete. So in the fall, I took organic chemistry 1, a research methods class for psych, and some other psych classes. Again, I only took one science class because I was very anxious about having to retake organic chemistry and was convinced I would never pass the class. Luckily, I ended up getting a B+.

I am so sorry for the lengthy post, I wanted to provide some context, but the reason I am making this post is because I am unsure of how to proceed with my timeline for dental school. This semester I have two science courses and am finishing my psych requirements which will give me all of next year to double up on my sciences. I have physics and biochem I need to finish and then I plan on taking some upper-level biology courses as well. Although I will be able to finish my pre-requisites and graduate on time, I am aware that I am not as competitive as other students and I am fully convinced I will not get into dental school. I plan on taking a gap year, but I honestly feel like I will need to take two at this point to be more competitive and maybe take some science courses after I graduate, whether through a post bacc program or masters. Has anyone had a similar situation as me? Should I take more science classes after I graduate to look more competitive? Or should I just focus on doing really well on the DAT? I honestly do not know what to do because although I have a pretty high GPA despite my 2 W's and 1 C, I do not feel competitive enough and do not know what to do to make myself more competitive, especially since I had three semesters with only one science course. I honestly do not even know if dental schools care about that, but if I was on an admissions board, I would definitely think that a student who took more sciences in a semester and did well vs someone who did not take a lot of science courses would appear more qualified and ready for dental school. So sorry again for the lengthy post but does anyone have any advice for me?
 
Hi everyone! I honestly hate that I have to make this post, it definitely feels intimidating but I was looking for some advice. So a little background: I transferred to a different college my sophomore year (I am currently a junior) and as a transfer, I was planning on taking organic chemistry 1, retaking gen bio 1 because my one semester of gen bio did not transfer over, an English class required for my major, a transfer student class, and something else that I cannot remember now. Unfortunately, I did not have the best semester or year for that matter, and was dealing with an injury and horrible living situation. As a result, I had to withdraw from organic chemistry 1. Therefore, I only had one science class for that semester. In the spring, I was taking anatomy 2, calculus 1, and some other non-science classes. Again, for some reason I struggled and had to withdraw from calculus and got a C+ in anatomy. So again, I only had one science class that semester and both semesters I ended up having a low credit load from both of my withdrawals. I think having one bad semester is okay but having two I feel like does not look good at all.

Coming into my junior year, I switched my major to psych because I was nervous as a science major that I would not be able to pass organic chemistry and therefore graduate. But due to changing my major, I had a lot of psych classes I needed to complete. So in the fall, I took organic chemistry 1, a research methods class for psych, and some other psych classes. Again, I only took one science class because I was very anxious about having to retake organic chemistry and was convinced I would never pass the class. Luckily, I ended up getting a B+.

I am so sorry for the lengthy post, I wanted to provide some context, but the reason I am making this post is because I am unsure of how to proceed with my timeline for dental school. This semester I have two science courses and am finishing my psych requirements which will give me all of next year to double up on my sciences. I have physics and biochem I need to finish and then I plan on taking some upper-level biology courses as well. Although I will be able to finish my pre-requisites and graduate on time, I am aware that I am not as competitive as other students and I am fully convinced I will not get into dental school. I plan on taking a gap year, but I honestly feel like I will need to take two at this point to be more competitive and maybe take some science courses after I graduate, whether through a post bacc program or masters. Has anyone had a similar situation as me? Should I take more science classes after I graduate to look more competitive? Or should I just focus on doing really well on the DAT? I honestly do not know what to do because although I have a pretty high GPA despite my 2 W's and 1 C, I do not feel competitive enough and do not know what to do to make myself more competitive, especially since I had three semesters with only one science course. I honestly do not even know if dental schools care about that, but if I was on an admissions board, I would definitely think that a student who took more sciences in a semester and did well vs someone who did not take a lot of science courses would appear more qualified and ready for dental school. So sorry again for the lengthy post but does anyone have any advice for me?
my advice-
cut yourself some slack and stop overthinking things
concentrate on your current classes and don't worry about the past or your fears...
 
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