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?
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?
